Rapping for Allah
Published November 26, 2002
"Sharia sharia
Allah says it's so
A child steals bread
His hand must go
AND COVER THAT WOMAN UP FROM HEAD TO TOE"
Okay, that was bad - I couldn't resist. Meet our own indiginous strict Muslim hip-hop group, Native Deen:
"So always be proud, you can say it out loud
I am proud to be down with the Muslim crowd!
M-U-S-L-I-M
I'm so blessed to be with them..."
The song is called "M-U-S-L-I-M" and is sung by Native Deen, a Washington-based group that fuses its African-American culture and Muslim faith to create a hip-hop sound with a unique message.
That message encourages Muslims to pray five times daily, not to smoke or drink and to be proud of their faith in a place where others sometimes don't understand it. In 2001, anti-Muslim hate crimes increased 1,700 percent in the U.S. after Sept. 11, according to a report by Human Rights Watch.
Group member Naeem Muhammad, a 27-year-old who grew up in Baltimore, said that he hasn't run into anybody who does the same thing that Native Deen does. The group takes its name from the Arabic word for religion, which it transliterates as Deen.
"What's becoming more and more and apparent with Native Deen is that we are, God willing, charting the course for Islamic cultural art form," Muhammad said.
The 2-year-old trio performs at Muslim weddings, celebrations, conferences and fund-raisers. You will not find them where there is dancing or alcohol is served. [Reuters]
See all of this is well and good and worthy of respect until you get into this penal colony-strict stuff. I think this joy of life crushing nonsense is just as ill-advised for Muslims, Jews, Christians, or anyone else.
Dancing never hurt anyone: it is the expression of the body's connection to the rhythms of the world. Alcohol IN MODERATION aids digestion, is a social lubricant, and helps one sleep at night.
The dancing prohibition really frosts my flake - where do you draw the line? Is swaying rhythmically allowed? How about twitching? Are you allowed to blink your eyes in time to the music? How can one perform an elementally rhythmic music like hip-hop - of all freaking things - and not move with the music?
- Rapping for Allah
- Published: November 26, 2002
- Type: Opinion
- Section: Music
- Filed Under: Music: News, Music: Rap
- Writer: Eric Olsen
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- Eric Olsen's personal site
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Comments on this articleComments
If ND, or any other religious group is willing to state their message and live as an example of their beliefs, that is OK with me. If they are calling for death to any that don't live and believe as they do, well that would be a problem.
There are some Muslim rap groups from Morocco and Tunisia, such as "Ahlam" who sing in English French and Arabic about living pure in a corrupting world, good beats as well. There are also some Palestinian rappers that call for martyrdom and jihad. Someone else posted about Neo-Nazi rockers a few weeks ago, music is a medium for many messages.
There are many, many talented Muslim rappers out there with a clear message, this site http://www.muslimac.com is probably the best site out there for muslim hip hop, rap and such.
hmm, very interesting - I read the call for contributions for a compilation album: "The kind of music that we are looking for is something that could cross over into the mainstream. No preachy songs (unless you can do it in a dope way), no profanity, and absolutely no Jihad songs or anything that promotes religious intolerance or violence. This is about gaining the attention of the non-muslims so that they discover how much talent we have with this first album. The next album will be a little more liberal with content."
Does "a little more liberal with content" mena next time "jihadi songs or songs that promote religious intolerance or violence" will be okay? Is this about infiltrating the mainstream in order to then present a message of religious intolerance or violence? I'm afraid I remain very skeptial of underlying motivations and ideals.
Very interesting, and I heard them, talented and like the feel from them. I found another one, a singer and songwriter who is Muslim called One Dark Angel.
What's neat about this guy is he can sing and he replies when someone writes on his guest book. Deep songs and his intros got a voice I recognise, which I think is Malcolm X.
Anyways, try him out http://www.onedarkangel.com
First off, your little "rhyme" was insulting. Secondly, many Christian rap groups exist today. Why are you singling out the Muslim groups?
This entire post mocked Islam. I'm disgusted, hurt, appalled and highly upset.
These rappers are upholding Islamic values in their performances. It's not about getting with the 21st century, it's about being true Muslims.
hello AA
may i have your email address or your phone number or your house address
hello AA
may i have your email address or your phone number or your house address
check you out saying alchohol is good for you lol!you really dont have much knowledge do you mr modern...well modern science tell us theres more bad points in alcohol then good ok...you dont know much so theres no point in arguing with you...go ahead keep drinking homie i wish you a very happy path to becoming alcohol. one more thing so your saying that when one is under the toxication of alcohol they are being them selfs? acting all childish and at times talking rubbish and running around naked and sleeping with anything they see. I hope you actually get the true knowledge and stop this hatred towards muslims which makes you want to say silly things like alchohol is good for you...byeee
As-salaam alaykum.
There is a rapper from Chicago, he is David Kelly a.k.a Capital D... i heard he is a good rapper ....
you dont have any right to talk about N.D. or the religon of Islam. personally i think u are a moran!! and i would love to meet in person to see if u can really backup what your sayin about my religon.
This whole article is disrespecting and offending islam. Things like "join the 21st century" and "no wonder Islamic civilization lags behind the West by about 700 years" or just even referring to any muslim principle or belief as "nonsense" is rude and vulgar. I think YOU should read over YOUR OWN "comment policy" because your whole article doesn't abide by it. Haha, how ironic :).
Guys, guys, guys, check the date! Then check the date for the comment policy. Turns out the article predates the comment policy by almost exactly a year! Not that it matters, since articles aren't comments.
But yeah, calling people out to fight over their opinion of a rap group, that's a great way to represent your beliefs.
What? Christian Rock sucks? You must die!
Or not.
Muther Fukers im a muslim terrorist music is haram now go screw ur mothers
i like this web because i'm the islamic hiphop
go islam hiphop!-RIFQI a.k.a IKI
Stakfar Allah. No offense, but Islam is the best religion ever, in my opinion. Islam allows women to keep their digity, protecting themselves from adultery, and other things. Second,you wrote, ''Alcohol IN MODERATION aids digestion, is a social lubricant, and helps one sleep at night.'' So basically what your saying is that it is okay to drink. You can't personally attack us just because you don't believe in what we do.
this blog is an embarrassment to the site ... it is ignorant and insulting to islam ... "islamic civilization lags behind the west by about 700 years"? ... eric olsen is obviously bad with math ... maybe that's it ... he harbors a secret hatred of algebra
Which, by the way, a Muslim invented while you White people were still hunting down the Iliad (do you know what that is?) and burning it as heresy, and cutting people's legs off when they got infected rather than performing basic surgery (how far behind does that leave you guys then? What? A century or two at least...). Also, may I remind Professor Eric DeGenius Olsen that, unless the history books are all mistaken, Islam was the world's number one superpower until 1700 or so, and continued to have a very modernized, militarily, scientifically, and politically advanced presence not only in the middle east but in Mediteranean Europe, Africa, and Asia until 1924 when the last Sultan of the Ottoman Empire died. Despite that the Ottomans were a little corrupt, I miss them, mainly because were they around today Mr. Olsen would probably be boiled in oil rather than the more traditional punishment of beheading (or repentance). Sucks, man.
But even if there is no Ottoman Sultanate around, Eric, you should know that Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world, and there are 8,000,000 of them in YOUR country, with CITIZENSHIP, who READ (unlike yourself, who just write without being aware of anything outside your socio-political shell) things such as BOOKS and HISTORICAL DOCUMENTS and who don't like to be insulted. May God grant you a swift repentance or a quick death so that you'll amount no more sins.
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I got full respect to N.D. they are awesome, a band with a message ( something u dont find that often around the music world these days).. u know what shines 'em out the most is the vibes of internal peace u sense in both their music and their attitude and that is sure something lots of rock and rap groups lack, when its truely what music is all about .... Islam is a Deen of respect.. and N.D. expressed that in a great way...