Master Fard Muhammad, Busta Rhyme's E.L.E. 2 and Generation X Nostalgia

   

   One of my football teammates at Central State University was a Muslim from Detroit named Brother Jackie. Brother Jackie was a stand-up dude and never dabbled in any un-Islamic activities while many of our teammates were doing everything from running trains on girls, selling weed and getting popped. He was clean, yet he had some spooky ideas about the Nation of Islam, Master Fard Muhammad and their teachings that I couldn't rock with. I remember one autumn afternoon we got into a debate about the divinity of Master Fard Muhammad and I asked Brother Jackie, "Would Fard beat Michael Jordan in a one-on-one game of basketball?" arguing that Jordan was Lord of 'that' World. Brother Jackie looked me square in eye with one of the most sincerest expressions and said, "Yes Brother, I believe that he can." I was done. I was done discussing things like that with Brother Jackie or any adult who shared these kinds of delusional sentiments. I realized that no matter how good some of our people can be about aspects of life, religion was a helluva drug and made some of us blind junkies and even hypocrites. That is dangerous. The seemingly harmless belief that Fard would beat Jordan in a one-on-one game of basketball today can easily become the dangerous belief in a People's Temple leader tomorrow.

   With the 2020 release of Busta Rhymes E.L.E. 2: The Wrath of God, the twenty-two year old follow up of E.L.E [Extinction Level Event], I felt like it brought me right back to that college conversation about Fard with Brother Jackie. Never to disappoint, this highly anticipated  Busta Rhymes project came with its share of high accolades and criticism. One such criticism is the record Master Fard Muhammad, named after the Savior of the Nation of Islam, which features Rick Ross. In Master Fard Muhammad Ross raps:

"Road to riches, fuckin' bitches in my favorite shoes
She thought I had a seizurе, told her April Fools
Fuck a lawsuit, bitch I'm tryna make the nеws
Master Muhammed sold silks goin' door to door
Givin' knowledge to the brothers fed who wanted more" -Rick Ross [Ricky Rozay]

   Hearing this song and watching the video I thought for sure I would hear a strong rebuke of Rick Ross from Nation of Islam believers for using their Savior's name in vulgar laced lyrics debasing black women. I was sure because just weeks earlier the same believers mounted an exhausting social media campaign against DJ Vlad for simply misquoting Minister Farrakhan, correcting it and not publicly apologizing. The rebuke of this record didn't happen. In fact, the total opposite happened. 

   In a LIVE Streamed Final Call Conversation with Starla Muhammad, Managing Editor of The Final Call Newspaper and Dr. Wesley Muhammad, they invited Busta Rhymes to discuss his E.L.E. 2 project. In that discussion Busta Rhymes acknowledged that he received a blessing from Minister Farrakhan to use a snippet of his lecture for his song The Wrath of God and at about 1 hour 15 minutes into the discussion they delve into to the song Master Fard Muhammad. Disappointingly, Rick Ross' controversial lyrics are never discussed. "Shout out to Ricky Rozay, ya'll repped The God [Fard] in boss way" is all that was said about Fard's representation by Wesley Muhammad. I feel that this interview was a failed opportunity for the hosts to have a substantive discussion with Busta Rhymes about his perspective on lyrical accountability, social influence and representation of our cultural icons. I don't think that a song called Minister Louis Farrakhan featuring a vulgar artist debasing black women would be acceptable for Muslims. So why would a song like that, named after Minister Louis Farrakhan's God [Fard], be acceptable? Instead of asking those difficult yet important questions the Final Call hosts sat there; fawning over the chance to be in the same virtual room with a forty-eight-year-old dungeon dragon. I did not expect them to attack the brother, yet I did anticipate something more in-depth. Given the opportunity, that is exactly what my audience would get from me or any of my Five Percenter colleagues; including questions for Busta Rhymes concerning our Five Percent degrees, Supreme Mathematics and our Nation history to clarify some confusing Five Percenterish Muslim rhetoric scattered throughout E.L.E. 2. 

   Some may wonder, "What does any of this have to do with you? You are not Muslim so why do you even care?" Welp, it is personal. First and foremost I respect Fard and his contribution to black people here in North America. It was he and the Honorable Elijah Muhammad who authored the Supreme Wisdom book which contains a slight variation of the 120 lessons we use within our Five Percent culture. To trivialize, minimize or disrespect that contribution dishonors that legacy. Ironically, when I released the above Atlantis School For Gifted Youngsters animation episode teaching the history of Fard and the Nation of Islam [NOI] I was criticized and even publicly/privately threatened by some registered members of the NOI. It was said that I was disrespectful and misrepresenting "The Savior." Being the first person to ever animate the history of Fard and the NOI, I worked very hard to create this family friendly animation for people to learn this important part of our history. While that negative response from some people was hurtful, it did not discourage me from continuing to create animations that inspire, empower and educate families. In fact, my animation series is now globally available on Roku via the first Five Percenter based streaming platform Seven On Demand. 

   To see the same NOI Muslims praising a song called Master Fard Muhammad featuring an artist name dropping Fard among vulgar lyrics debasing black women infuriated me. I simply did not think the song content and video reflected the actual title. This eclectic process of uniquely naming song titles is part of the Buffalo-bred GXFR [Griselda] brand. Since their ascendancy within Hip Hop there have been numerous artists using elements of their style. From song title selection, music production, rap flow, album artwork, marketing and promotion, merchandising and etc., I can see their influence in this E.L.E. 2 project. This is not a secret, as Busta Rhymes has been featured on a Griselda project and publicly shared his respect for their creative influence in Hip-Hop when he pulled up on their Almighty Tour. 

   

   Over the years many of our people have become very casual about people, places and things that we have traditionally held sacred. The exponential growth of technology and secularization of sacred traditions has contributed to this cavalier attitude. In my article Is Social Media The Digital Turn on, Tune in, Drop out? I discuss how social media and the internet is reshaping our brain architecture, our ability to form meaningful connections and how we explore and attend the real world. Yet even in the midst of this, there are those artists who have remained consistent in treating people, places and things with honor and respect. It brings to mind the record I'm Back by AZ where he also cites Fard among other notables in his opening verse:

"Spirit of Marcus Garvey, Farad Muhammad,
Medgar Evars and Bob Marley, I'm God-Body
The scripture says Allah's inside me, show love
I was hugged by the arms of Gandhi, gave me my strength
You could tell somebody raised me with sense

We all need somethin' to help us through our daily events" -AZ

  While I think the concept, record and video for Master Fard Muhammad could have been more respectfully presented to mainstream audiences, there are records on the E.L.E. 2  project that I definitely enjoyed such as the E.L.E. 2 Intro feat. Rakim, Don't Go feat. Q-Tip and Slow Flow feat. O.D.B.. Sonically, it is not a heavy rotation project. 

 Some have argued, including Busta Rhymes, that simply mentioning Master Fard Muhammad's name is an opportunity to bring many to Islam. My question is, "What 'many' are people talking about, what does that demographic look like?" Rick Ross was added to this song for pop appeal and primarily targets Generation X, my generation. Millennials and Generation Z are not Rick Ross' primary listening audience and they often have no clue who Busta Rhymes is or his discography. The shares, likes and commentary we see about E.L.E. 2 and the features on this project are primarily from Generation X. My generation was heavily exposed to Islam for over a decade during the Golden Era of Hip-Hop and most of us are age 40 and over today. If folks from my generation didn't get this consistent message over twenty years ago, I highly doubt that our folks, en masse, and on the cusp of middle age, are now going to change our trajectory of consciousness because of E.L.E. 2. It is unrealistic at best and delusional at worst. As for Millennials and Generation Z, en masse, combing the internet, buying books about Master Fard Muhammad and joining the NOI in droves? That is also unrealistic at best and delusional at worst. With any trending topic on social media, there will be curiosity on the part of some folks from my generation, Millennials and Generation Z to know what is going on. 

   There were many Hip-Hop projects released in 2020 that are far more impactful than E.L.E. 2. Regardless of that impact, most of these projects are not even trending right now. Even with the inclusion of a Farrakhan soundbite, a Rick Ross featured record named Master Fard Muhammad and free NOI social media hype from attention-seeking Muslims, E.L.E. 2 still falls short of that impact. By December MOST OF THE PEOPLE WHO WERE TYPING IN ALL CAPS ABOUT HOW CLASSIC THIS E.L.E. 2 PROJECT IS will not even be mentioning it... For Generation X, E.L.E. 2 is nostalgia. It is a project of records that DJ's used to be spin in clubs that existed twenty something years ago. Clubs that folks on the cusp of middle age with families rarely go to anymore, with their twenty something year old children.

Peace,

Saladin

Knowledge of Self: The 5th Element of Hip Hop

This unauthorized, independent White Lion Studios, Knowledge of Self Series and the Atlantis School For Gifted Youngsters documentary is a thought-provoking exploration into the 5th Element of Hip-Hop; Knowledge of Self. Through never before seen interviews by some of Hip-Hop's biggest icons, poignant narration and entertaining animation, Knowledge of Self embarks upon an uncharted journey to reveal one the greatest stories never told!

   Where did phrases and names like, "God", "word is bond", "cipher", "Peace", "Queen", "FlyGod" and etc. come from? What do some of the biggest names in Hip-Hop such as Jay-Z, Nas, Tupac, Rakim, Busta Rhymes, Nelly and others all have in common? Knowledge of Self seeks to answer these and many other questions by exposing a narrative of Hip-Hop that has been historically hidden in plain sight.

WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE A PART OF HISTORY? We are currently in Production and offering a limited number of exclusive Silver, Gold, Platinum and Diamond investment packages. Rewards include: become a Producer on the movie, swag, a role in the movie and more! Upon completion this film will be released FREE to the public. More information at this LINK

 

Peace,

Saladin

 

The Political Science of Five Percenter Parliaments

 

     According to Dasun Allah in his Five Percent Media article Universal Parliament Takes to The World Wide Web, "The Universal Parliament has been an institution of the 5% Nation since April of 1967 after the return of Allah the Father from his imprisonment in the Matteawan State Hospital for the Criminally Insane. It built on the tradition of house parliaments, and local and borough wide gatherings of Gods and Earths, bringing them to a unified whole. The purpose of Universal Parliament is for the nation to get to know their righteous family through reports on individual and collective works within the various communities and to tend to affairs of national interest." 

   Contrary to what some may assume or have experienced at our Five Percent Nation Universal, international, regional and/or local Parliaments, they are not get-togethers or vent sessions. Our Parliament also didn't derive from the 1956 doo-wop group that was founded by a fifteen-year-old George Clinton and named after Parliament cigarettes. Parliament comes from the Old French "parlement" which means to speak. By definition, a Parliament is the legislative body of a government. The role of that body is to make and amend laws and hold the government accountable for its policies, actions and spending. In the context of the Five Percent, our Universal Parliament in Mecca [Harlem] was established for our nation's citizens to function as an informal legislative body and government. The Old French etymology for Parliament meaning to "speak" means "to build" [communicate/add-on] in the language of the Five Percent. Thus as Five Percenters we come together monthly at our Universal Parliament to build, introduce and amend policies, actions and spending related to our national headquarters in Mecca [Harlem, NY]. 

     In the United States, the policies, actions and spending implemented in this nation's capital [DC] may or may not affect regional and/or local legislative bodies in different states and cities. Likewise in our nation's capital [Mecca], policies, actions and spending implemented there may or may not affect international, regional and/or local legislative bodies of Five Percenters in other countries, states and cities. Our Parliamentary Procedure, whether nationally in Mecca or among our international, regional and/or local legislative bodies of Five Percenters, is based upon our nation's principles and customs, namely the concept of social equality. Coming together for one common cause and being equal in everything insures that any present member of our nation, regardless of their age, gender or physical ability, has the right to build upon policies, actions and spending at our Parliament. If a decision needs to be made regarding a certain policy, action or spending, all input is gathered by the present members and a decision is made based upon majority rule [vote]. If a decision cannot be made, the issue is tabled until the next scheduled Parliament. Although our Parliamentary Procedure does not follow the entire Robert's Rules of Order [RONR], we do acknowledge these basic RONR guiding principles:

• Everyone has the right to participate in the discussion if they wish, before anyone may speak a second time. 
• Everyone has the right to know what is going on at all times. Only urgent matters may interrupt a speaker.
• Only one thing (motion) can be discussed at a time.

Political Science: a social science which deals with systems of governance, and the analysis of political activities, political thoughts, associated constitutions and political behavior. 

   In 2013 I ran for public office as a 4th District Legislative candidate. I didn't run as a Democrat or a Republican. I used what is called an Independent Nominating Petition and created my own Political Party; the Niagara Youth Party. I was also the endorsed candidate of the Green Party and Working Families Party via my Opportunity To Ballot [OTB] Petitions. Although I was not elected, in the General Election I received 20% of the votes in comparison to the Republican candidate who received 25% of the votes and the Democratic incumbent who received 55% of the votes. In that General Election my name was on the ballot for the Niagara Youth Party, the Green Party and the Working Families Party. Based upon the registered voters in the 4th District, over 95% of the votes I received were from registered Republicans and Democrats. This is unheard of and never happened in my city before because most people vote for their party line. The votes I received proved that regardless of party affiliation, people will actually vote for a person. That is both threatening and viewed as an opportunity for political parties who see this. So of course this voter turnout shocked the county/city Republican and Democratic Committees and to this day I get asked by both parties if I am willing to run for public office again. If you have been watching the 2020 Presidential Race, this is a similar position Kanye West is in regarding his presidential bid via his filed Independent Nominating Petitions for his Birthday Party. The votes he receives will be from people who are voting against their party line. If he receives a national turnout that is similar to the turnout I received locally, he will get the same response from political parties who are seeking to draft him. Why am I sharing even this? Because in my experience navigating political landscapes in addition to community outreach, I have learned and still learn a lot about Legislation and how Legislative bodies function; the cornerstone of a Parliament. It does not make me an expert yet it does enable me to make a unique contribute to our nation. This education affords me, and other brothers and sisters in these political spaces, a vantage point of view that many Five Percenters do not have. There are likewise Five Percenters who navigate other spaces which affords them a vantage point of view that I and others do not have. This is what collectively makes us all-eye-seeing, of course when there is social equality and we share those perspectives. It is through those shared perspectives that we access the knowledge [1] that shapes our power [5] dynamics.

Atlantis School For Gifted Youngsters Animation Series
NOW AVAILABLE on Seven On Demand via ROKU

     In conclusion, we are as strong and efficient as our ability to organize. While we can always improve upon what we are doing, I am proud to see those Five Percenters who are selflessly stepping up at our national headquarters, internationally, regionally and locally to help push our nation forward. Parliaments are a key component to this and with COVID-19 it has been challenging for us to gather together. The introduction of Virtual Parliaments have been a great way to help address this issue and maintain our cultural continuity. While immature, gossipmongering "interlopers" still exist on the fringes of our nation, they are becoming less visible and influential in leading people in the wrong direction. The launch of digital publications such as the Five Percenter Newspaper and Five Percent Media, young Five Percenters such as The 5% Percent Connection using social media platforms to globally engage learners and Five Percenters such as Darkim who are now using YouTube LIVE to expound upon our teachings are all positive examples of our collective effort to push our nation forward. This is successfully happening in spite of this current global pandemic and the interlopers on the fringe. 

Peace,

Saladin