Date: Thursday 26th February 2009
Location: The Drum, Birmingham
The panellists were Michael Mumisa, a graduate in classical Arabic literature and classical Islamic sciences and theologies, Muneera Rashid and Sukina Abdul Noor who form the group Poetic Pilgrimage and Ismaeel Yasin and Rakin Fetuga who are from the group Mecca2Medina.
Prior to coming to this debate, I had not realised that there was a relationship between Hip Hop and Islam, as the two seemed mutually exclusive. On one hand Hip Hop provided a platform for vocal political activism. It represented a voice against racial prejudice and allowed an uprisal against social injustice. However, the Hip Hop of today highlights different dynamics. It seems that since the late 1990s through to the Millennium, Hip Hop became commercial. In becoming so, the industry has become bastardised. What was once used as a tool to articulate one's woes was quickly becoming a vehicle to promote materialism; fast money, fast cars and overtly sexualised women often seen as subordinate commodities. This is not to say that this was absent from Hip Hop before it's growth in the commercial sector, nay, this is merely to highlight that it was not as important.
As a consequence, a negative brand has been created. One may ask how can one marry Islam and Hip Hop? The panellists argued that their lyrics were positive and helped to convey a positive message to the youth of today, as they were addressing them in their language. Through Hip Hop they were hoping to transform communities. They argued that Islam is a religion of social change and that Hip Hop too is a tool of social change. By marrying the two they are delivering a package of positivity as "the pen is mightier than the sword". However, will this be enough to undo the very powerful image of Hip Hop conjured by the likes of MTV Base?
What made this bond between Hip Hop and Islam stronger on the day were the panellists themselves. Four of them were converts to Islam. Interestingly, the influence to convert came from American Muslim Hip Hop artists, the likes of Mos Def and Talib Kweli. The Nation of Islam was the first Muslim group to embrace Hip Hop. This opened another key discussion around the topic of the lawfulness and permissibility of music in Islam. Some Muslim scholars feel that music is forbidden entirely whilst others believe that "music is permissible but under very strict conditions". The panellists argued that it was dependant on the school of thought that one followed. Alternatively, this could be seen as appropriating the religion to meet ones own needs.
I spoke to a few people in the crowd who felt that although they were not going away with definitive answers to the questions posed during the debate, they had plenty of food for thought. This phenomenon of Islam and Hip Hop is relatively new, but the panellists, some of which are Muslim Hip Hop artists, seem adamant in bringing it to the fore and like anything new, are willing to fight tooth and nail to make a stance.