Islam in the West Final Paper

The History of Rap Music and Islam When Africans were first stolen and brought to the United States of America in 1619 their cultural tradition, language, and holistic identity was forcefully eradicated. While the introduc- tion of Christianity was used to foster new religious spirit among slaves it remained a product of Western interpretation. In 1865 the United States abolished chattel slavery and millions of African Americans became free to explore geographic mobility within a narrow set of heavily enforced regulations. With newfound freedom came the necessity of identity. Now that African Americans had endured and overcome slavery, who would they become? What could they achieve in a country they did not choose to become a part of? Faith provided a chance to tap into a more prosperous reality, one where the value of black life is not incessantly on trial. Black reli- gions developed throughout each region with a unique spiritual purpose and function under the guise of racial politics. Organizations such as The Nation of Islam and The Nation of Gods and Earths repackaged and reformulated Islam to fit goals centered around black empowerment and liberation. They used religion as a launch pad toward resistance and outlined specific guidelines that opened up a path toward success in the spiritual and material world. Economic opportunity was highlighted as a staple of salvation to achieve freedom and a greater sense of possibility in the physical world. The teachings of The Honorable Elijah Muhammad and the lessons of The Supreme Mathematics made their way around urban spaces and garnered devoted followers. Eventually their doctrines intertwined and found a place of reverence within the network of artists developing what would go on to become America’s most popular music genre of the 21st century. The performance of rap music is a pantomime of the fight with life, with the physical re- alities obstructing the true will of an individual. Words wielded through language replace the individual and conceptualize to state meanings of intention and authority. It is a demonstration of ones prowess and assertion. The primary requirement of authenticity is to simply say what you mean and summon your truth to fit the rhythm of a break beat. From its early conception the philosophies and ideologies explicitly lifted from black Islamic teachings influenced some of the first rap records and important cultural figures. Russell Simmons, the cofounder of Hip Hop’s first popular record label Def Jam, wrote in his autobiography “during the period when the gangs I hung with in the '70s gave way to '80s Hip Hop culture, it was the street language, style, and consciousness of the Five Percent Nation that served as a bridge.” Both entities are re-contextu- alized collages containing different elements of their historical predecessors. At first rap was de- rived from the rhythmic patterns and sensibilities of Jazz and Blues until sampling opened the door to recycling funk and electronic music. Pioneering acts were booked to perform alongside flavor of the moment punk bands, incorporating the genre into the lineage of rebellious art. Its popularity rose as a finite resistance to the elitism of disco. New York City went through im- mense cultural change in the 1970s and 80s with a plethora of diverse artistic perspectives com- peting for and contributing to an eclectic audience. A younger generation of African Americans found social refuge through the comfort and collectiveness of organized and characterized street gangs. The Black Spades were a street gang that originated in 1968 and spread throughout the public housing complexes couched within the Bronx borough. Their foundational codes were directly lifted from the teachings of The Five Percenter Nation. The group was founded by a man named David who was a registered member of the Nation of Islam. Under his leadership this de- rivative ideology was used to foster unity and a collective understanding of how to best wield resistance tactics in less than favorable social and economic situations. The original premise of self defense was elevated to exaggerated proportions and The Black Spades became known for their excessive use of violence and brute force. This deviated from the original goals David laid out in his early conception and the exhaustion of muscle eventually caused his presidential resig- nation. In stepped pioneering disc jockey Afrika Bambaattaa and he assumed the hierarchical position of warlord. Bam’s position of power allowed him to interact and deliberate with rival street gangs at an executive level and the increasing influence of violence inspired strong policing throughout the city. His solution was to form a new group that distanced itself from traditional street gang activities and embraced the dissolving of territorial positions. His new organization, the Zulu Nation, was created in 1973 to bring gangs together and unite them under a model of righteousness and knowledge. DJ Kool Herc is often credited with being the creator of rap music and his neighborhood block parties have become narratives of mythical legend. He left Jamaica and settled in the Bronx, bringing his revolutionary musical sensibilities with him. Herc credits The Black Spades for energizing the Hip Hop scene and said “It started coming together as far as the gangs terrorizing a lot of known discotheques back in the days. I had respect from some of the gang members because they used to go to school with me. There were the Savage Skulls, Glory Stompers, Blue Diamonds, Black Cats and Black Spades.” In its early days the Zulu Nation clashed with the already established organization of Black islamic teachings known as The Nation of The Gods and The Earths or The Five Percenter Nation. The NGE took stark issue with the Zulu Nation’s improper juxtaposition of Elijah Muhammad’s teachings and their Infinity Lessons. They disapproved of characterized “street thugs” and criminals positioning themselves as enlightened performers of the 120 lessons, better known as the Supreme Mathematics. The persistence of NGE enforcers led to physical con- frontations and the ultimate conversion of some of the Zulu Nation’s more disingenuous members. Five Percenter followers believe that the world’s population can be separated into three fractions; Ten percent of people are fully aware of the grand truth of existence but they gravitate toward an elite status and propagate a theory of a “mystery God” to the eighty-five percent of individuals whom they consider ignorant and under their control. The remaining five percent are educated and righteous voyeurs tasked with enlightening the eighty five percent. Ones path to entering the collective of truth is explicitly outlined by The Supreme Mathematics, which is a set of 120 lessons designed to educate and reverse the systematic brainwashing bestowed upon eighty five percent of the population. Their goal was not to join the elites but supersede them and destroy their structure of oppression. The mathematics were created as a set of principles established by Allah the Father. These guides state that five percenters can interpret numbers and let- ters as spiritual messages from Allah. An official interpretation of the breakdown illustrates that “the percentages presented are not meant to be exact but are instead meant to represent the public, the religious and political rulers, and the few truly enlightened people on earth, respectively. The numbers used point out common traits to identify the members of these three groups and can be fully understood using the language of Supreme Mathematics.” An offshoot of the NGE was created in 1976 and existed under the moniker “God Body.” God Body was a specific sect of teachings created for existing members of the NGE in prison with goals of strategically combating the rival latin gangs who targeted members of the nation with violence due to their peaceful nature and lack of militarily competence. Many Ciphers of God Body also participated heavily in the drug trade to fund themselves in order to buy arms to protect themselves from raging crews during the major crack era that hit NYC in the late 80’s. The organization spread throughout prison, where members of every street gang were confined in a melting pot of “colors” and loyalties. While the documentation of incarcerated Black Spades and God Body members interacting and sharing ideas may not principally exist it is illogical to believe the forced connection and engagement did not birth unforeseen results of union. Damiek Allah, a member of the NGE, joined the organization in 1986 and described his initial attraction to the organization by saying “when I first saw Gods standing in a cipher and building I was at- tracted to the confidence and electricity they gave off by their wisdom and movements. The kids were young like me but wiser and more aware of their surroundings.” While members of the Na- tion of Islam follow restrictive laws which prohibit them from drinking, smoking, gambling, or eating swine NGE members are allowed to do these things because they are considered the Gods of their own Universe. The looser constraints of the NGE presented an attractive path of righteousness for a younger generation of modern African Americans living in urban conditions. Afrika Islam was a Bronx disc jockey who became a direct artistic and spiritual appren- tice under Afrika Bambaattaa. In 1981 he was the first DJ to have his own radio show titled Zulu Beats, which was beamed straight to the masses from WHBI 105.9 F.M. Throughout the com- munity his reputation was one of admiration and authority while his technique of spinning four turn tables at once made him a technical master of this new musical style. Radio was a primary tool of communication in those days and Afrika Islam can be credited with expanding rap’s lis- tenership while using an alias that deliberately invokes his religious affiliation to Islamic teachings.

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