Rakiem Walker

Rakiem Walker  is an accomplished saxophonist and musical director born in Brooklyn, New York, and raised in Harlem and the Bronx. He started playing the saxophone at age 14 and has studied under jazz legends at Jazzmobile workshops in Harlem, New York including Max Roach, Donald Byrd, and Milt Hinton. He has toured the world playing for independent band  Bluesyde, R&B group  Soul 4 Real (Uptown Records) and hip-hop group  The Spooks  (Sony Records). Rakiem has also recorded with legendary hip-hop rapper and producer the  RZA  as a saxophonist for several Wu-Tang Clan recordings including albums  ‘Only Built 4 Cuban Linx’ (Raekwon)  and  ‘Tical 2000’ (Method Man).  He was also a featured saxophonist appearing in televised commercials for the  Olympic Games in 1996 and 2000, as well as in the feature film 'Friends with Benefits' (2010).  

As a musical director, he has toured with Lisa Simone Kelly  (daughter of legendary soul singer and songwriter  Nina Simone). He was previously the musical director of  Red Rooster Harlem and  Ginny’s  Supper Club  owned by celebrity chef  Marcus Samuelsson. In this capacity, he was responsible for booking and managing all weekly live music performances and concert events and worked directly with local, independent, and major jazz, R&B, hit-making producers including  DJ Premier, Patrick Adams, Norman Connors, and the  RZA  and  Wu-Tang Clan. He is also the musical director for his band  The Rakiem Walker Project  (RWP)  and the international Afro-beat band  The Earthman Experience. Rakiem has worked/performed with everyone from legendary R&B recording artists  Freddie Jackson, Melba Moore, Tito Jackson, Atlantic Starr, R&B/soul artist  Eric Benet, UK soul singer/musician  Omar Lye-Fook, legendary producer  Teddy Riley  to Nashville singer-songwriter Maren  Morris. He is also the main house band and music director for world-renowned chef  Marcus Samuelsson and all his major events and appearances.  

In summer 2019, Rakiem released with his band, the self-titled debut album  The Rakiem Walker Project (RWP).  Rakiem, as the album’s arranger and co-producer, created a listening experience seamlessly combining Hip-Hop, Jazz, and R&B featuring RWP frontwoman  Gloria Ry’ann, rapper  Christopher Swift, and popular Swedish recording artist  Timbuktu. 

Rakiem Walker steadily works to broaden his horizons, from the studio to the stage, and now the screen.  RWP are heard delivering an original remix to the classic Christmas carol  "Deck the Halls"  from the  Lifetime Original Motion Picture Soundtrack  for  'Merry Liddle Christmas' starring  Kelly Rowland, along with contributing music for the two other motion picture sequels on the  Lifetime Movie Series compilation album 'It's a Wonderful Lifetime: The Songs"  (Lifetime Television), “How High The Moon”  for Swedish game developers ("Three Gates" in conjunction with Viacom), plus the  RWP original arrangement of “Inside My Love” was featured on the  Audible.com project 'Our Harlem: Seven Days of Cooking, Music and Soul at Red Rooster'  with acclaimed celebrity chef  Marcus Samuelsson.  

The entertainment industry was impacted greatly due to the Covid shutdown.  Rakiem rested for a while, became a member of the  Recording Academy  but soon resumed working remotely creating music for two  History Channel series  'Great Escapes with Morgan Freeman'  (2021) and 'Black Patriots: Heroes of the Civil War' (2022) executive produced by  Kareem Abdul-Jabaar.  The Rakiem Walker Project  also contributed to the soundtrack for the Lifetime TV movie 'Miracle In Motor City'  starring Tia Mowry-Hardrict  and  Smokey Robinson  (2021).  In 2022 after a three-year hiatus  Rakiem made his acting debut!  RWP  supported  Timbuktu as players and performers for his one-man show  "A Drop Of Midnight" produced by performing arts theater Harlem Stage.  During the same year,  Rakiem Walker  was a  Visionary Award  nominee from a Harlem based organization (June 2022).  Currently, The Rakiem Walker Project  is one of the premier production houses for  A&E Networks History Channel, Lifetime TV,  HULU and  Walker Entertainment Group is distributed by  WhatevaOK/Sony Orchard. 

Post the Covid shutdown as the world reopened,  Rakiem Walker  reemerged as an event producer to bring  RWP live and direct to the village of Harlem in front of  Melba’s Restaurant  to the delight of diners and bystanders alike which was captured in the NYC Tourism summer 2021 public service reopen campaign  It's Time for New York City. Two years later, this eagerly anticipated live event was rebranded as  WEG Fest  (Walker Entertainment Group Festival). Personalities who have partied or blessed the microphone at WEGFest include: recording artist  Deborah Cox, multi-talented actor  Jennifer Lewis  (tv sitcoms “A Different World” and “Blackish”), Hip-Hop artist  Yo-Yo and rapper Bone Crusher, and TV talk show host  Sherri Shepherd. In May 2023, Trusted Mic, an artist platform curated by  Rakiem Walker with Hip-Hop as the sonic backdrop, was introduced to the popular Chelsea rooftop nightclub Somwhere Nowhere.  The launched night featured guest artist  CL Smooth, MC of the Hip-Hop duo Pete Rock & CL Smooth. Trusted Mic will be a bridge for the next wave of artists to build on the musical foundation of Hip-Hop. 

Rakiem Walker chooses from an arsenal of musicians that he collaborates with on a constant basis. Walker Entertainment Group artist GLR¥A is the featured artist/vocalist.

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