So the other night I saw Ladybug Mecca and the other 2/3 of Digable Planets (Butterfly and Doodlebug) perform on their reunion tour. Opening for them was the Muslim rapper, Nashid Sulaiman, better known as One.Be.Lo.
There were some interesting contrasts between the two performances. Coming from a mainstream Muslim background, Nashid's songs were generally "positive", but they actually didn't have much specifically Islamic content. (He is much more explicit about his religious beliefs on the S.O.N.O.G.R.A.M. album). Nashid's delivery was clear, cool and laid back. And he performed a number of pieces which I don't think I have heard before.
On the other hand, Digable Planets' songs are intricately laced with Afro-futuristic Five Percenter references ("I got crew kid, seven and a crescent") which gives their language a very unique feel. Digable played mostly old, warmed-over material from their first two albums, Reachin' and Blowout Comb. The only piece which I'm sure was new was performed by Ladybug Mecca from her solo album. The whole evening, it was funny to watch Mecca because she seemed so geeked to see the audience recognize and sing along to their old hits. I was disappointed that they didn't do Femme Fatale. But as expected, they 'ended' with "Cool Like That" before doing a few more songs for an encore.
All in all, it was a good show. And I think it is exciting to think about what will happen as more mainstream Muslims participate in creating popular culture and effectively compete with alternative representations of Islam.
lessons of the five percent
islam and hip-hop
more on muslims and hip-hop
unofficial Digable Planets website
Digable Planets reunion on NPR
3 comments:
I'm not big on the 5% thing, but I listen to a fair amount of 5% Hip Hop, e.g. Brand Nubian, Digable Planets, Is Tribe Called Quest 5%? Anyway, I don't nessiscarily think one has to agree with everything one listens to, but I am stoked that Hip Hop has the levels of Muslim participation that aren't found in any other Musical form. There were a couple Muslim punk rock bands on Uprising records, and Jimmy Cliff and Rick James are/were Muslims, but all that is more the exception than the rule.
Q-Tip (now Kamaal Fareed) and Ali Shaheed Muhammad from A Tribe Called Quest are both Sunni Muslims. (Actually, if you look back to earlier Planet Grenada entries, I've had a bunch on Muslims and hip-hop).
I never realized that Jimmy Cliff and Rick James were Muslims. I might have to look them up and blog on it... lol....
But actually, in the past there were actually similar connections between Islam on the one hand and jazz and blues on the other.
Check out:
http://planetgrenada.blogspot.com/2005/05/all-that-jazz.html
or
http://planetgrenada.blogspot.com/2005/05/muslim-roots-of-american-blues.html
So it's not just a hip-hop thing but to varying degrees extends to other forms of Black popular music.
Abdul-Halim
Talibah, good questions. I would totally say it is acceptable to hold hip-hop accountable. Everyone is on a continuum... Mos Def or better Native Deen on one end, and 2Live Crew at the other. And everyone else in between.
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