Hip Hop don't stop as it goes Islamic

DUBAI (Mona Moussly)

Since its early days hip hop has been linked to Islam, but despite dozens of American rappers embracing the religion many of them often continued to use lyrical content that preaches a life of materialism. In recent years, however, Muslim rappers have stepped away from the mainstream to use their skills to deliver the message of Islam.

Although not nearly as lucrative as mainstream hip hop the business of Muslim hip hop sees annual sales amounting to $1.8 billion in the United Sates alone with a rapidly growing following across Europe and the Middle East.

Non Muslim rappers like Nas often refer to Islam in their music

Steering clear of typical content that promotes sex, drugs and gang life, Muslim groups have chosen to take their inspiration from Islam's holy book, the Quran, to teach Muslims and non-Muslims about the religion.

With lyrics like "one billion strong, all year long. Prayers to Allah, even in Hong Kong. Can never be wrong if we read the Quran, cause it's never been changed since day one," groups like U.S.-based Native Deen, formed in 2000 by three African American Muslims, aim to focus on sending out positive messages.

Abdul Malik Ahmed from Native Deen

"It's really about the message when you listen to our lyrics it's all about trying to make Muslims and non-Muslims better people," group member Abdul Malik Ahmed told AlArabiya.net.

Often hailed as hip hop's "official religion," the links between Islam and the genre go back to the early days when hip hop was not yet mainstream, though the connection between a religion teaching purity and humility and a musical style synonymous with decadence and scantily-clad women are often considered tenuous.

Hip hop and Islam

Napoleon--former member of Outlawz

Even rappers who are not Muslim, such as underground rapper Immortal Technique or Nas, make several references to Islam with lyrics like "started praying to Muhammad and Allah, the most beneficial, through you all things are possible, I know you're listening," heard in Nas' Undying Love.

"The reason people try to tie Islam and hip hop together is because when hip hop first started the majority of the rappers were Five-Percenters," Napoleon, a former member of Tupac Shakur's Outlawz, told AlArabiya.net, referring to an offshoot of the Nation of Islam in which believers call themselves "Allah."

Mos Def

Napoleon gave several examples of prominent rappers who have embraced Islam such as Busta Rhymes, Wutang Clan's Ghostface Killah, Scarface, Freeway and Beanie Segal.

The former Outlaw, who left the lavish life of a rapper to devote himself to Islam, added that the hip hop lifestyle was not attuned with Islamic values.

"I believe that hip hop and Islam are not compatible because they basically call for two different things," he said. "This type of industry can literally take a person away from their religion, you might start off in a good way but the design of the music industry is that you have to go to clubs and party," he said, "it takes a very strong individual to fight that stuff off."

Mos Def converted to Islam when he was 19

But for others, like American rapper Mos Def, who converted to Islam when he was 19-years-old, the links between the two come from the Quran.

"Hip hop and the texts of the Quran are both forms of poetry," Mos Def, 35, told German website Qantara.de. "Both possess a rhyme pattern and convey essential information in a condensed form."

Napoleon

Eman Tai from Calligraphy of Thought, a female Muslim spoken word group, echoed the opinion and said: "The traditional law and philosophy books of Islam were written in verse, which were recited by students to the beat of a drum. If you add another beat, it sounds like rap."

Some Islamic scholars have said that music accompanied with musical instruments is haram, or forbidden, but despite that Muslim rappers remain determined to give Islam to the youth in a form they can understand.

Music is "haram"

Abdul Malik Ahmed

Native Deen believe they have found a middle way by only using percussion instruments.

"We consulted with scholars and decided that the best way to go to have the most people be able to listen to our music and benefit from it is to use percussion instruments," Ahmed rationalized. "We found that has really been able to gain acceptance by the majority of Muslims who do have issues with some instruments but can accept percussion."

The American group 3ilim, meaning knowledge in Arabic, raps about "life's ups and downs and injustices occurring around the world,” group member Hassan Sultan, a 25-year-old Palestinian-American, told AlArabiya.net. “It represents Islam in an indirect way, but it doesn’t encourage anyone to become Muslim."

Muslim group 3ilim say they want to send out a positive message

Sultan said the group's aim was to present both Muslims and non-Muslims music that counters the negative messages in so much contemporary music. He added the group did not believe music was haram and said the instruments used are mainly electronic sounds produced on a computer.

"The message may be positive but if it is not according to the Sunnah (teachings) of the Prophet Muhammad, then it is unacceptable," Napoleon, also known as Mutah Beale, argued.

Napoleon

The Quran and the Sunnah, musical instruments except for a tambourine-like-instrument are haram and all Islamic schools of thought say musical instruments are haram, according to Napoleon, who is now a motivational speaker.

For Napoleon speech Click Here