"Hip-hop music has been misconstrued," write Warbux founders Waris and Wajid Syed. "Commercial rap music has been mistaken as hip-hop music, and the mainstream media has exploited this ignorance. Hip-hop is a culture that consists of five elements ... Therefore, we are bridging the five pillars of Islam with the five elements of hip-hop to create a platform to depict social and political inequity."
The Syed brothers compiled a Top 10 Muslim Hip-Hop lyrics list, first published on www.shobak.org and www.altmuslim.com. Beliefnet presents the list with their permission.
1. Artist: Eric B and Rakim
Album: Don't Sweat the Technique
Song: Don't Sweat the Technique
Because of my culture, I'm a rip and destruct the2. Artist: Nas
Difficult styles that'll be for the technology
Complete sights and new heights after I get deep
You don't have to speak just seek
Album: I Am...
Song: Ghetto Prisoners
A lot of rules, some locked in solitude3. Artist: Common and Q-Tip
Curse the day of they birth confused, who's to be praised?
The mighty dollar -- or almighty Allah
Album: Get on the Bus soundtrack
Song: The Remedy
Q-Tip: To the human beings with taste, sight, touch, smell and sound4. Artist: Mos Def
Let's deem it profound!
And prioritize this cause it was Allah's wish
"Allah? I'm God."
"No I don't believe that. That's a mystery."
"If God is so good why does shit be happening to me?"
There's divinity within because we come from the divine
A force that's not seen
But you feel it every time
Album: Black on Both Sides
Song: Mathematics
Killin fields need blood to graze the cash cow
It's a number game, but shit don't add up somehow
Like I got, sixteen to thirty-two bars to rock it
but only 15% of profits, ever see my pockets like
sixty-nine billion in the last twenty years
spent on national defense but folks still live in fear like
nearly half of America's largest cities is one-quarter black
Album: One Day It'll All Make Sense
Song: G.O.D. (Gaining One's Definition)
Koran and the Bible, to me they all vital
And got truth within 'em, gotta read them boys
You just can't skim 'em, different branches of belief
But one root that stem 'em, but people of the venom try to trim 'em
And use religion as an emblem
When it should be a natural way of life
Who am I or they to say to whom you pray ain't right,
That's who got you doin right and got you this far,
Whether you say "in Jesus name" or "Al hum du'Allah"
6.Artist: Gangstarr f/Big Shug, Freddie Foxxx
Album: Moment of Truth
Song: The Militia
Guru: One of us, equals many of us7. Artist: The Roots
Disrespect one of us, you'll see plenty of us
Conflict, is what I predict,
You and your fellas is mad jealous, attempting to flare
We cleverly stalked ya, your fam'll miss ya, The war's on, that's why we formed
The Militia
Album: Things Fall Apart
Song: The Spark
Might act up, but I still can pass dawa8. Artist: Public Enemy
I'm usin' new ways to try to reach these better days
Instead of tryin' to take you under I just make you wonder
I still fast, make salaat, and pay zakat
I didn't make Hajj yet, but that's my next project
Livin' two lives, one of turn and one with true lies
Keeping up hope knowing he's answering to my du'as.
Album: Fear Of A Black Planet
Song: Fight The Power
People, people we are the same9. Artist: Wu-Tang Clan
No we're not the same
Cause we don't know the game
What we need is awareness, we can't get careless
You say what is this?
My beloved lets get down to business
Mental self defensive fitness
Album: Wu-Tang Forever
Song: Triumph
Inspectah Deck: I bomb atomically, Socrates' philosophies10. Artist: Jurassic 5
and hypothesis can't define how I be droppin these
mockeries, lyrically perform armed robbery
Flee with the lottery, possibly they spotted me
Battle-scarred shogun, explosion when my pen hits
tremendous, ultra-violet shine blind forensics
Album: Unified Rebelution 12
Song: Unified Rebelution
Heaven does await us, put here to sedate us
Make us in His image with his pilgramage
Never perfect we're tripping, by a force unseen
But we divulged its presence, so this rap goes back to the essence
Lessons have been written from the end, but you're soon to see
Kalil in community, rebels of rhythm unity