Yet
Banjoko writes that the Hip Hop culture is losing itself to a dangerous
emphasis on “keeping it real,” meaning a focus on artists at war with
each other, raps filled with explicative and degrading lyrics, and a media
hype on who’s got the most “bling” and power.
His
socially and politically minded essays decry this descent of the music
culture and call for artists to take back Hip Hop and use it as a means for
positive change. It’s not an easy task, and Hip Hop media is largely to
blame, but it has to be done, he writes. “I know Hip Hop comes from the
street, and that everything about every MC and DJ can’t be squeaky clean,
but we’ve gotta have a standard at some point.”
This
standard can start with lyrics that mean something, that cry for a moral
change, that demand a political upheaval, that recall the words of
revolutionaries like Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Banjoko writes. Many
of his essays take Hip Hop to task for its self-exploitation and admirably
offer useful suggestions for a change.
But
more appealing to Muslim readers are his essays and interviews that explore
the connection between Hip Hop and Islamic spirituality.
One
such essay, “Hip Hop and the New Age of Innocence,” strikingly compares
the current ignorant behavior of Hip Hop to the culture of the Jahiliyya
(period of pre-Islamic ignorance). The Arabs of this era, Banjoko writes,
were a courageous and trustworthy group whose oaths were always kept. The
same can be said for Hip Hop artists, in which “the power of one’s word
… is unmatched.”
But
other aspects of the culture of the Jahiliyya, like the disrespect towards
women and an emphasis on materialism are also large parts of today’s Hip
Hop, he argues. “Unless we rid Hip Hop of all its Jahiliyya elements, we
can only expect more sharp minded but misguided youth to perish over
territorialism, materialism, and the pursuit of the sensual path.”
Another
stimulating essay, “The Burden of the Beast,” cleverly explores how
Black men struggle with a “beast” label that is often supported by their
style of dress. Once Banjoko wore an Arabic thobe to an art
exhibition, and received a lot of respect from everyone. He felt his Islamic
attire was his “beast-free” attire. The point? That “You are not a
beast. Never let others define you. Never allow yourself to portray the
myth.”
Apart
from his essays, Banjoko offers a rich collection of short interviews with
prominent Hip Hop artists who converted to Islam. One of the best from this
bunch is with Encore, a San Francisco Bay-area MC.
Banjoko
asks him how his conversion has influenced his music. Encore answers that he
now feels all his writings should be within Allah’s guidelines. Later,
Banjoko asks the most provocative question of Encore: Should Islam dictate
all of Hip Hop?
Encore
replies that “Islam can dictate everything without it having to be out
there in your face.” This line of thinking is one I wish was further
investigated by Banjoko in other essays or interviews.
|
|
|
Malcolm
X has been an important inspiration for many hip hop artists. |
Unfortunately,
Banjoko doesn’t foray into the divisive topic of what basic Islamic
principals say about indulging in any type of musical habit. Though he
undoubtedly proves how many Hip Hop artists have embraced “real” Islam
(as opposed to the 5% nation or Nation of Islam), the larger subject of how
these artists balance their Islamic and Hip Hop lifestyles is largely
unexplored.
Still,
Lyrical Swords is an undiscovered gem for those Muslims (and I’m
sure there are many) who have a negative view of Hip Hop. There’s much
more to it I discovered. “Hip Hop should not be feared,” Banjoko
concludes. “It needs to be authentically researched, understood,
appreciated, and discussed.”
And
why not? If you want to reach out to the millions of Blacks (and Whites,
Asians, and Hispanics) immersed in Hip Hop and bring them around to Islamic
principals, why not manipulate their music culture for good to do so?
*Lyrical
Swords is available on amazon.com and in San Francisco, California-area
local book stores. Adisa Banjoko has been featured on a number of radio and
television shows (including National Public Radio) and newspapers across the
U.S. For more information, visit his Web site at www.lyricalswords.com.
Dilshad
D. Ali’s writing reaches across the United States to address lifestyle
topics pertinent to Muslims and non-Muslims alike. Ali has covered movie
premieres, film festivals, art exhibitions, concerts, and numerous other
cultural stories, including the effect of September 11 on New York’s cultural
landscape for IslamOnline. Ali, a 1997 University of Maryland journalism
graduate, resides in New York with her husband and two children. You can reach
her at bridge@islamonline.net.
