The 18th Letter is the debut solo album of American emcee Rakim, released November 4, 1997, on Universal Records in the United States. The album features production by DJ Clark Kent, Pete Rock, Father Shaheed, Nick Wiz and DJ Premier. It contains lyrical themes that concern hip-hop's golden age, Rakim's rapping prowess, and the state of hip-hop. It is his first release of new material, following a five-year hiatus after Don't Sweat the Technique as duo Eric B. & Rakim. The album's title refers to the letter "R" being the eighteenth letter of the English alphabet. A deluxe version of The 18th Letter was sold with the compilation disc The Book of Life (UD2-53111), an Eric B. & Rakim greatest hits collection. The Book of Life was also issued separately as a double vinyl LP. The 18th Letter debuted at number four on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart and was certified Gold in the United States. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.