WHAT is the Five Percent Nation's culture?

I’ve written a number of articles in the past concerning WHAT the culture of the Five Percent is. The purpose of those articles have always been to clarify our perspective and how we choose to attend the world. Not just for the outside audience who may live and work in proximity to Five Percenters, I also did that for those for insiders; those who say they are Five Percenters.  I am starting to see online posts and discussions again about whether our culture is God-Centered, Supreme Mathematics, Supreme Alphabet, I Self Lord And Master [I.S.L.A.M.], 120 Degrees or etc. So the question is, what is our culture and what is it not? Is it possible that all of these, and other elements, represent various aspects of our way of life? If so, what is the middle point of our culture that all of its people activities are centralized around? 

As a Nation, and primary to that worldview, is our Universal Flag; the Sun, Moon, Star and Seven. This flag is an emblem of our Nation which means that we share a common culture or people activities such as language, diet, customs, social norms and chronology. The Sun, Moon, Star and Seven on our Universal Flag are all seen from the perspective of the Planet Earth [a woman who has brought forth/bringing forth life]. As a nuclear family, the Sun is symbolic to man, the Moon is symbolic to a woman's Mind and the Star is symbolic to the child. Seven is the number of perfection or divinity which means that Godliness must be central to our family unit. Seven is in the middle of our Universal Flag because its superimposition is a sign of protection, not misogyny or male chauvinism. "I-God" is also used to describe our culture in our National Anthem 'The Enlightener' [Supreme Team Version]. The 8 points are all right [alright] angles that ensure that our cipher [family] is complete: 8 × 45° = 360° [cipher]. The white represents clouds of deception that reminds us of the inner/outer deceit, trickery and treachery that can undermine our ability to be a unified family. As a family we share a common culture or people activities such as language, diet, customs, social norms and chronology. Does our flag accurately express cultural perspectives that are primary to our worldview? I would say yes. 

I've seen some argue that their culture is Supreme Mathematics. Yet when people make this statement they are not referring to the supreme application of various fields of mathematics. They are saying that their entire culture is based upon adding something to something else; 1 + 2 = 3. Supreme Mathematics IS NOT just about simply reducing digits until you reach a single-digit number. That's like only using addition in Arithmetic. 😳

For example, when some folks say Wisdom Understanding borns Power [2 + 3 = 5], they just talk about Power without ever elaborating on HOW Power, in principle, is a composite or synthesis of the individual principles of Wisdom and Understanding. If this were Chemistry, Power would be a Compound and Wisdom and Understanding would be the Elements that are bonded together to create that Compound. As Elements they have their own unique identity and when fused together they forge a new substance called a Compound. Water [H20] is a natural Compound composed of the Elements Hydrogen and Oxygen. Image striving to explain what Water [H20] is without defining how its Elements forged it... What makes our Mathematics Supreme is our ability to demonstrate the higher application of life principles through any field of mathematics, not just simple addition in Arithmetic. 

Mathematics is the operating system of the universe. Supreme Mathematics is a higher order operating system. Consider its application in teaching Prime Numbers. A Prime Number is a whole number greater than 1 that is composed of one set of factors. For example, 3 is a Prime Number because it is composed of the factors 1 x 3; one times itself. 7 [God] is the highest Prime Number in the Arabic Numeral system 1-9 and 0. As a Prime Number, 7 [God] is also composed of one set of factors 1 x 7; one times itself. This means that there is only one set of circumstances [factors] or one primary condition that contribute to the outcome of being 7 [God]. That single condition is self awareness/consciousness; 1 [Knowledge] x itself [7]. Without Knowledge [awareness/consciousness] of self as a primary factor, it is impossible to know how to identify and express the best possible qualities of strength, influence and godliness. In other words, it is impossible to determine what a Prime Number is without first identifying its set of factors [circumstances]. 

Some people claim that our culture is Islam meaning "I Self Lord And Master." The 9^th letter in our Supreme Alphabet is the letter “I” which represents “I or Islam”, Islam being I Self Lord And Master and I Sincerely Love Allah’s Mathematics. The Arabic, yes Arabic numerals 1 through 9 and cipher [0] correspond to our principles of Supreme Mathematics. When you add our use of Arabic words within our language such as Allah, Islam, Koran, Muslim, Musa, Muhammad and etc. it is easy to see what some people would think we are Islamic. The numerical system and alphabet that a Nation of people use are cultural tools that help construct, calculate, quantify, compute and communicate our people activities. Do our Supreme Mathematics and Supreme Alphabet accurately express cultural perspectives that are primary to our worldview? I would say yes.

Then there are those who state that our culture is 120 degrees/lessons. 120 degrees is like 120 landmarks on a map of human geography. Some of these landmarks represent actual people, places, things and events. Some of these landmarks are also symbols of people, places, things or events. Whether these landmarks are actual or symbolic, our exposure to them plays a critical role in how we begin to see, define and navigate this map of human geography. The first lesson or landmark we learn is who the original man [and woman] is. Because I know and have studied this extensively, my view of the world, and how I attend it, is very different than someone who does not know this. If we were both looking at a city landscape, this is one landmark of importance to me that is either unseen or not of equal importance to someone else. This would be no different than a person driving by a gated enclosure they rarely noticed until someone proudly brought it to their attention that several of their family members are buried there going back six generations. What one person drives past, another person makes it a point to stop and visit. Neither is right or wrong, I am simply pointing out how we navigate life and that our GPS [Global Positioning Device] is determined by what’s in our head. So when someone who had or has lessons no longer uses them on this map of human geography, we must ask ourselves what device are they using to globally position themselves? Do 120 degrees accurately express cultural perspectives that are primary to our worldview? I would say yes.

I think one of the problems is that some people are looking for a single palatable soundbite to describe our culture to outsiders. Ask an Irish, Italian, Punjabi, Cuban Cameroonian or other citizen of a Nation, "What is your culture?" and see if they can give you one answer. When they do give you an answer I am sure that it would be a combination of things that are primary to their worldview. This is the same kind of response you will get from Five Percenters. It is a combination of our Universal Flag, Supreme Mathematics, Supreme Alphabet, 120 Degrees and  other elements such as language, diet, customs, social norms and chronology that represent our people activities. Our culture IS NOT just centrally or singularly one of these elements, it is all of those elements and much more! In sharing our worldview it is important to meet people where they are. If I am talking to a person who is health conscious I may discuss the dietary aspects of our culture with them. If a person is coming from a Christian background I may discuss their biblical principles that coincide with our cultural worldview. If someone is invested in the youth I may discuss the youth advocacy and community outreach emphasis of Allah, our Nation's founder. The landmark court cases that our Nation have won in correctional facilities around the country were only possible by meeting the Administration and Government where they are through the use of legalese. The irony to the question, "WHAT is the Five Percent Nation's culture?" is that it is a personal and collective inquiry about the identity, nature, or value of our Nation. That is a question that we individually and collectively answer each and every day by how we are living. The more consistent we are, individually and collectively, about living our culture, the less confusion there will be concerning our identity, nature, or value of our Nation. That is what is the true middle point of our culture.

Peace, 

Saladin

Cultural Capital in a Post Obama America

Tulsa Oklahoma: Black Wall Street

Culture is our way of life; the sum total of all of our people activities, including commerce, and how we produce, manage and grow capital [wealth]. This all starts with identity, how we relate to each other, knowing our worth and not selling ourselves short, or selling out, by how we live.

Sometimes poverty has little to do with not having any money. People can be poor, and remain poor, simply because they lack "Cultural Capital", regardless how much money they have. When a person doesn't know or embrace their heritage, they don't have access to a rich ancestral legacy. This wealth of experience and insight is like untouched cultural capital sitting in a genealogy bank.., accruing interest.., for hundreds maybe thousands of years. Without this access, a person now has limited capital, resources and relationships to build something of value their future generations can inherit. One of the greatest forms of financial literacy, and wealth building, is learning the value of one's culture. A culture's value is its worth and importance. Consider American culture for example. This hodgepodge of various cultural influences/ideas is the United States greatest export -even in embargoed countries. 

I've continually seen the slogan to support black/minority businesses which is great as an economic stimulus yet ineffective as a system in and of itself. Supporting black/minority businesses has minimal impact in shaping, controlling and protecting an economy when its members have a limited understanding of Cultural Capital. Cultural Capital is similar to Social Capital; the network of relationships and resources that form the basis of an economy. In this regard, Cultural Capital is a network of relationships and resources rooted in shared customs, principles and values that mark a people's way of life. It's defined by reciprocity, trust and the cooperation of group members who systematically share and maintain the same resources and cultural interests. Thus this system of shared resources and cultural interests existed before money and is ultimately rooted in our relationships.

It's not enough to simply support a local business because it's black owned. That business could be owned by black people who don't share the same cultural interests as us and who are just as parasitic as other ethnic groups who capitalize off of our patronage without supporting our community they're taking from. It's not about putting money in another black person's pocket. It's about investing in businesses, products and services, that mutually support the growth and development of our families and communities. I was recently listening to a podcast interview with Pusha T speaking about his clothing line/stores Play Cloths and Creme and how acquiring accounts from higher end designers is often challenging. Even though he has been lyrically/visually one of the biggest brand supporters of the Givenchy clothing brand, Givenchy denied him an account to carry its brand at his high end store Creme. Like Pusha T, I see some of our people acting like unofficial brand ambassadors promoting sport teams, clothing brands and other products and services on and offline everyday. More times than not, these same corporate entities are doing little to nothing to support the people, families and communities who are enriching them. To boot, many of these corporate entities are Fortune 500 cultural appropriation companies. In other words, some of these companies glean ideas or outright steal the intellectual property from people, create a product and/or service based upon those ideas and then sell it back to the same people they gleaned/stole it from -who are oftentimes running around promoting it like unofficial brand ambassadors. It's the epitome of a vicious cycle and shows how one's identity is intrinsically linked to economics. This is important to understand because those who have benefited the most from Cultural Capital will inform you that these non-financial social assets are for the purpose of promoting social mobility; code for "culturally assimilating and seeking social status in their society that makes itself rich from your labor while ignoring/marginalizing your minority interests." I'm talking about Cultural Capital as a means of self determination.  

Here in America with the inauguration of President Donald Trump, we are about to witness some national policy changes that will severely effect regional and local economies, including our access to public goods. With his motley crew of unqualified appointments to various positions in his Administration, we can expect to see how Cultural Capital functions much clearer, under the guise of Nationalism. White Nationalism to be more precise. The most appropriate response to this oligarchy is not assimilation, it's supporting each other. In order to do this our highest value must lie in our relationships; the basis of any economic system. Relationships are the only vehicle that enables us to build the trust and confidence necessary to support each other. This also requires us to be trustworthy; demonstrating the kind of ethics, integrity, consistency and moral code people can put confidence in. If there is no trust, dependability or confidence in one another, we will not support each other, our products and services, or be willing to cooperate. Without cooperation cooperative economics or collective work and responsibility won't exist. It brings to mind a recent University of Georgia’s Selig Center for Economic Growth multicultural economy report that projected black buying power to reach $1.4 trillion by 2020. Leveraging this black buying power to control our economic narrative hinges upon how we choose to reciprocally relate to one another, culturally. 

Throughout our chronology, from hundreds of thousands of years ago as Hunter Gatherers to this Millennial Information Age, our ability to survive and thrive depended and still depends upon our willingness and ability to work together. The 'common' 'unity' that forged our communities was and is culture. Moving forward socioeconomically it is imperative that we seek common ground throughout our people activities. Our lives, and livelihood, literally depends upon each other.

Peace,

Saladin

Are We Culturally Congruent?

Are We Culturally Congruent?

     Based upon my experience of formally having KOS [Knowledge of Self] almost 20 years this September, one of the biggest misconceptions I've seen people have about Five Percenter culture is that growth and development happens over night. In this fast food microwave society people often have the unrealistic expectation of "instant results." The reality is, nothing happens over night but the night and it takes years, months and days to unlearn and learn things that will improve our way of life and make us resourceful to others. Culture is not something we add water to, stir up and bake for 45 minutes. Culture is not something we simply read on this blog, nod our heads to in a cipher or listen to on Instagram clips. Culture is the sum total of all of our people activities which includes everything from our diet, language, the way we behave in private/public, our perspectives on education and economics and even how we define our sex life. Culture encompasses every aspect of our way of life.

     When I first got KOS I wanted 120 Lessons. That is what I thought and believed was what it meant to be a Five Percenter; to know your lessons. While this is an integral part of learning the core values, principles, chronology, social norms and etc. of the Five Percent, I learned over time through walking with my Enlightener/Educator that lessons were not the sum total of this way of life. Over the course of our journey I also learned the Supreme Mathematics, our Nation's chronology, the Supreme Alphabet, Twelve Jewels and other sciences of life. Still then, these components which comprise our cultural curriculum were still not the sum total of this way of life. It took me years, months and days of experience to realize that regardless of our personal growth and development or individual accomplishments, they mean very little without the context of family and community -the cultural building blocks of any nation. In other words, in order to have a culture or sum total of people activities we must have a group reality; people. That sense of collectivism provides the context of culture because in order to improve, tend to, raise or grow anything it requires interdependence. In our physical environment that interdependence or network of organisms interacting together is called an Ecosystem. When it comes to us personally, without that sense of collective consciousness and sensibility, our way of life begins to reflect more of an Egosystem.

     What inspired me to write this are the experiences of different people reaching out to me for support. One of the common things I hear is that Five Percenters in certain areas are not actively involved in their communities or doing anything for others. Aside from putting pictures and video clips on Instragram or being universal flagged-out on Facebook, many of these people are simply going to work everyday, if they are employed, and possibly attending a nation function once a month dressed in their Sunday's best. That is disappointing. That was not what the Father or his companions did. If that would have been the case none of us would be here because nothing would have been shared. I met my Enlightener unenrolled in a semester of college still going to physics, sociology classes and etc. to learn. That wasn't a typo, I said "UNENROLLED" meaning; he did not have to be there yet he was there to teach others. Some of us only take a class or training when it's necessary or we're getting paid. There are some Five Percenters who only engage the public, and other Five Percenters, monetarily. The only things they're ever involved in benefits them personally, including their own household, and they don't facilitate anything that solely helps others. That is a problem. Why? Because imagine where we would be if the Father had that kind of self serving mentality. Imagine if the Father and his companions' main platform was to monetize their relationships with the youth, their peers and anyone who looked towards them for guidance and support. Consider how it effects the lives of those in need today when the only time some of us are willing to do something, or ask others for something, is when it personally benefits us and ours?

     This year I became an active member of a grassroots organization in my city called Niagara Falls Forward; a group of like-minded citizens invested in enhancing the quality of life for citizens in our city. Some of the things we've done are information sessions, a voter registration drive, food/clothing giveaways and we recently held our First Annual Niagara Falls Forward Family Festival on July 4th. Everything we've done has been made possible by the community, for the community. A couple of weeks ago we participated in a local event called Pints4Progress. Pints4Progress is an event held once month where citizens come together to eat, drink, socialize and vote on a project that will help improve our city. Each new attendee pays $5 and former attendee pays $10 to attend. With their entrance fee they get a meal/drink and after everyone has had a chance to socialize, several attendees are invited to present a five-minute project idea to the group. Once all those interested have pitched their ideas, each attendee votes on the project idea they favored the most, with the highest vote-getter taking home all funds collected at the door. The week we attended there were almost 150 people, seven presenters and I did a five-minute presentation about our First Annual Niagara Falls Forward Family Festival. We won the pot and walked away with about $1,300. One of the things I emphasized to the group is that although we would like their vote to help us secure a couple of bounce houses and other things for the children during our festival, we came to offer our help as volunteers for any of the businesses/organizations who were in need, and we came to ask if any of the attendees were willing/able to be a Niagara Falls Forward volunteer at any of our events/initiatives. We actually accomplished all three goals! One of the things I realized from this experience, that reaffirms some of things I've written about in this article and have reiterated over the years in my writings/videos is that people are often more willing to help you help others than help you help yourself. Let me repeat that, "people are often more willing to help you help others than help you help yourself." Some of the other presenters who didn't win wanted people to vote for them to take the money to support their [personal] business. Yes I'm a strong advocate of localism, supporting black businesses and etc. yet that approach is no different than asking someone to take money out of their pocket and put it in yours. There's no magic, marketing scheme, bells and whistles website or infomercial to it. All it takes is the willingness and ability to do for others, period. This is something I consistently strive to communicate to others, especially my Universal Family, who are genuinely committed to successfully assisting others. Our First Annual Niagara Falls Forward Family Festival was very successful as well; we were able to serve over almost 400 people, had a basketball tournament sponsored by the WNY Elite Basketball Club, had three bounce houses for our children and gave away free ice cream and food -all which was made possible via sponsors and volunteers.

     In closing, keep in mind that 'you are because we are.' Without the contributions of others, even the invention of something as unassuming as toilet paper, there are choices and opportunities we wouldn't have right now. The survival of any culture hinges upon it's ability to cultivate human beings into a group of people who forge unions/units that share common attitudes, interests and goals. These unions/units become communities; the cultural framework for all of its people activities. The more we're willing/able to look out for each other, the less we have to lookout for each other. As Five Percenters, we should expect more of ourselves than functioning like a social club. Handing someone supreme mathematics or getting them to recite lessons does not make them an upstanding member of their family or productive member of their community. Our primary role as civilized people is to teach civilization, which is not just knowledge, wisdom, understanding, culture, refinement and not being a savage in the pursuit of happiness. Civilization is a group's advancement process in all aspects of their people activities. To grow and advance as a collective this means its people are tending to and raising each other up. The reason there are any positive advances or growth amongst any group of people it's because there are those, often small in number, who know and understand this. Our culture is not about what we can take to advance ourselves personally. Our culture is about what we're actually giving, each and every day in each and every way, to advance the lives of others.

Peace,
Saladin

Ms. "Jordan" Ladd

Every "Jordan" Doesn't

Play Basketball

 

Since putting out my FULL PRESS RELEASE I've monitored the various local news sources to see how they'd cover the story. Not one of them have printed my press release in its entirety. All of them took only parts of it, put their own spin on it, and gave it back to the public the way they saw fit. While I do appreciate some of the publicity, there are other things I saw that were completely inaccurate. You can read my FULL PRESS RELEASE here: Saladin Q. Allah Official Press Release

Now, The Niagara Falls Reporter printed, and I quote, "Allah is a convert to Islam and changed his name as is customary for Muslims converts."

I am not sure where they got this from. I never spoke to anyone from The Niagara Falls Reporter about the weather let alone religion. I never said that, it's not in my press release, it's not in anything I've published online, and it is completely inaccurate. I am not Muslim nor was my name change for religious reasons. The Niagara Falls Reporter did accurately state, "Allah says his ancestor was Rev. Josiah Henson, who is said to be the inspiration for the fugitive slave in 'Uncle Tom's Cabin'." Yet it's this very part of my ancestry that would have given them more insight about me, my family background, and my name change if they asked me. Since they didn't, I can tell you directly.

 

Article in the Niagara Gazette about my Grandmother Inez Frank (1986)

 When some of my ancestors were brought to America during the trans-atlantic slave trade, they were enslaved and forced to give up their cultural identity, regardless of their religious ideology. They no longer were allowed to speak their own language, use their own names, maintain the same diet, or even establish stable family units. This process continued, by law, for approximately nine generations or three hundred and ten years. So while some people of Italian descent can trace their last name to an actual village in modern day Italy, or others can trace their lineage to a Family Crest or Coat of Arms, tracing my lineage has consisted of looking at cargo logs for ships or doing DNA tracking to find out the geographic location of my ancestors. The trans-atlantic slave trade, and slavery, interrupted the cultural identity and arrested the development of an entire group people. It interrupted the cultural identity and arrested the development of the people enslaved and the slave holders.

In indigenous societies of the past and today, our birth names where a central part of our cultural identity and role we played within our societies. For example, when a child was born a name would be given to them, usually by our elders, to communicate a part of that child's purpose and destiny. This was sacred and ceremonial, not done without consideration. If the child's name meant "sincere counsel", that was an important role our elders knew our society needed to birth and cultivate. It's no different than people giving birth to a child and providing them with all the support and resources they need to become a productive member of society. Many of our ancestors wisely took it a step further by making sure this support was reinforced by a person's actual name. So instead of simply providing a child with the resources to become sincere counsel, we gave them that name to live up to as an attribute. During slavery this cultural tradition was interrupted. Slaves who were bred to produce children for labor no longer had the power to name them. These children were sold off to other plantations and given names to identify them as a master's property. So a slave named "Smith" was identified as Master Smith's slave. "Walking Henson" was known as Henson's slave who walked alot. Not only was this naming method used to track the slave masters property, but it was also used for insurance purposes. There are many wealthy companies and families today, that accumulated their wealth, from Slave Insurance.

Many present day African-Americans can trace the last names we currently have, whether it's English, French, or etc. directly to the slave masters who once owned our ancestors. Again, regardless of our ancestors religious views or how we chose to worship, this slavery system legally interrupted our cultural identity and arrested the development of us all.

 

Article in the Buffalo News and letter from African Ancestry Inc.
about my International Family Tree Project (2005)

The reason I legally changed my name was to reconnect to my ancestors cultural identity, and build upon this rich legacy that was almost entirely destroyed. In 2005 I received a grant for my L.I.F.E. Afterschool Program and partnered with the Washington DC based genetics company African Ancestry Inc. to create an International Family Tree Project. With this Project I was able to provide twenty DNA Kits, free of charge, to families in our Community, Pittsburgh, Missouri, and Canada who were interested in finding out where their maternal ancestry came from. I found out my maternal ancestors came from Cameroon and my tribal affiliation is the Tikar Tribe. Saladin, pronounced Sa-la-dean means "Honor or Righteousness of the faith". A great Muslim King popularized this Arabic name, yet the name is Arabic, not Muslim. Arabic does not equal Muslim and to assume that would be no different than assuming my nephew plays basketball just because he has the name "Jordan." My middle name Quanaah, pronounced Kwa-ni-ah means "fragrant". In honor of my indigenous american (native american) ancestry, I chose this name. It's Quahadi in origin and comes from the Last Comanche Chief Quanah Parker; who successfully made the transition from Chief to Statesman and was responsible for founding The Native American Church. My last name, Allah, is also Arabic which means "The God." Again, Arabic does not equal Muslim. There are many arabic speaking Christians and other Religions who refer to God as Allah, simply because they speak the arabic language. So my name, Saladin Quanaah Allah, means "The honorable faith and fragrance of the God." Since taking this step to change my name in 1999, I have since published a book entitled 'How To Change Your Name Without A Lawyer' and have assisted many others change their name for various reasons (cultural, religious, stage name, immigrants, and etc.)

In closing, I didn't appreciate the Niagara Falls Reporter for even citing what they believe my religion to be, making an assumption about what it is, and then printing misinformation without even asking me about my worldview or my reasoning for changing my name. That was poor reporting and prejudiced. I am a scientist of life and study all religions. I am just as much Muslim as our Commander and Chief, President Barack Hussein Obama. My perspective about any religion is that people should strive to have a personal relationship with who they worship. A relationship that's so personal, that they strive to live in such a way that others can see their creator within them.

Peace,
Saladin

 

HipHop Culture 101
-In Defense of Lord Jamar-

I recently read an Article by Michael Muhammad Knight entitled "Kanye West in a Kilt Has Lord Jamar So Hard Right Now" that was in response to Lord Jamar's recent Tweets, Vlad TV Interview and New Song entitled "Lift Up Your Skirt". Lift Up Your Skirt was inspired by Lord Jamar's stance on the Skirt/Kilt Kanye West -in particular- has recently worn, skinny jeans and ultimately the effeminization of males in HipHop Culture. After reading Knight's Article I was compelled to further add-on about what I understand this issue to be. 

One of the things that many people need to first consider about HipHop is that it's a Culture, meaning "a way of life". This way of living is comprised of various elements such as Breakin (Dance), Emceein, Graffiti Art, Deejayin, Beatboxin, Fashion, Language, Knowledge, Entrepreneurialism and any other components that make it a Culture. These elements were first forged and defined as a Culture by Black/Brown youth within the inner cities of New York, beginning in The Bronx. This definition did not come from thin air or a position of privilege or entitlement; it arose out of a position/condition of making a way out of no way. The founders of HipHop Culture were Black/Brown youth; the children of the Segregation/Civil Rights/Black Power Movement and Oppressed/Colonized people from the Islands. As the children of these conditions, our goal was never Cultural Assimilation or seeking acceptance/validation from a Western Society that rejected us; we created our own way of life. (Basic HipHop Timeline) So this way of life or Culture we call HipHop was born out of the socioeconomic, cultural and geopolitical considerations (and influences) of our fore parents, our chronology and our environment. This is one reason "sampling" has always been a  part of HipHop Culture; it demonstrates that connection to the chronology, cultural roots and musical contributions of our fore parents. This does not mean that there were NO Caucasians present because some did participate. This only means that we, Black/Brown people, were and still are the First World (Indigenous) People of HipHop Culture; not the minority, second class citizens or Third World people. The only reason HipHop is present today is because it was passed on from one generation to the next. It was this form of cultural propagation that made this reproduction possible. So from a Cultural perspective, there have always been principles and core values to ensure the birth of HipHop's future "offspring". There  have also been foreign values outside of HipHop that were never advocated because they would not ensure the birth of HipHop's future "offspring".  So HipHop today, in 2013, is now a Global Phenomenon and this is because of its Cultural virility (power to procreate) and fertility (power to produce).

Lord Jamar

Lord Jamar spoke clearly on how the effeminization of males within HipHop in particular (via skinny jeans, skirts/kilts and etc.) is the result of foreign values being injected into this Culture that is altering its course and potential to reproduce. In other words, he was pointing out the cross-pollination of values going on between HipHop Culture and Western Society. He argued that this effeminization is a  process and practice that is causing a HipHop Cultural Genocide. He also pointed out that effeminization has never been a part of core values of HipHop Culture, nor has it ever been reflected in the social norms/more of those who live this way of life. However, we do cee this process and practice as an acceptable "lifestyle" norm within Western Society at large. For example: Homosexuality, as a practice, is no longer defined as a mental disorder (per the DSM-IV) but a lifestyle that Western Society openly embraces; although this style, defined as life, does not actually propagate life. In other words, if all of us chose to practice Homosexuality right now, there would not be another generation of human beings on the Planet once we die. All opinions and feelings about Homosexuality aside, that is the genealogical reality; this practice violates the first law of nature: Self Preservation. The only option for those who do choose to practice Homosexuality is to manufacture artificial means to propagate life such as: the building of sperm banks, in vitro fertilization, surrogacy, human cloning and etc. As Western Society continues to inject it's values within HipHop, also consider what artificial means (people, places and things) it likewise employs to propagate it's life.

Some people feel and/or think Lord Jamar's stance was a personal attack against Homosexuals. No, his stance was  for the conservation, production and perpetuation of a Culture he and other Black/Brown people created -that has now gotten into the hands of cultural bandits. Kanye West and various other Entertainers are the ambassadors of these bandits and use their status within Western Society to primarily reinforce its values, not the Cultural principles and core values of HipHop's First World (Indigenous) People. I know the difference because I am the younger sibling of the youth who created HipHop Culture. Yet what about the youth of today? Would they know the difference between HipHop's core values and Western Society's foreign values being injected in our Culture? Those who know our chronology probably do. Those who don't know this chronology typically look at Kanye West, A$AP Rocky, P-Diddy and other Entertainers choices as a simple fashion statement, not a Declaration of Independence from an Indigenous HipHop Nation. Lord Jamar was not the first person to raise the issue against Cultural Assimilation; this stance was present in HipHop's inception and was always reflected in it's various "counter-culture" elements -as Western Society deemed them. It was only when Western Corporate Interests saw that they could make money from HipHop that they eventually began separating Emceein & Deejayin (Rap) from the other elements in order to get paid. And if the Rap didn't coincide with those Interests they either didn't promote it, undermined it or simply paid "Sellouts" (as we called them) to do it. This is still the Corporate formula of today and even though the term Sellout has become archaic amongst the present generation, Sellouts still functionally exist.

In closing, keep in mind that HipHop as a Culture is now becoming a Global Phenomenon that is primarily in the hands of Western Corporate Interests. These Interests primarily reflect the core values of the West yet many of HipHop's Indigenous People (and progeny) have bought into these values and dance to the tune these Corporate Pipers are playing. The euro-centered materialism, objectification of women, effeminization of males, rugged individualism and etc. are all examples of Acultural elements that never represented the roots of HipHop Culture. Within this Culture we always had proverbial wisdom, colloquialisms and slang that reinforced our core values. "Biting" meant to be original and not copy. "Crossover" meant to keep our Culture originally HipHop, not assimilate or become Pop (Popular Culture). These, and various other  terms/phrases, reflect core values a lot of the present generation is no longer aware of and do not advocate. These, and various other  terms/phrases, are not reflected in alot of the mainstream Rap Music or advocated by many Entertainers that are supported by Western Corporate Interests. An example of this is how this Society originally declared the HipHop elements Emceein & Deejayin (Rap) as "Jungle Music" and refused to play it on the radio. Michael Muhammad Knight's Article clearly reflects a lack of awareness/connection with the chronology of HipHop Culture and the social norms/mores that helped transmit this way of life from one generation to the next. While many of these social norms/mores were overt, much of the Culture was covert and transmitted non-verbally; unspoken rules and regulations the Indigenous People of HipHop forged and understood amongst ourselves. Those on the outside looking in aren't privy to this Culture's social norms/mores, especially the unspoken rules and regulations. Therefore, they tend to categorize HipHop not as a Culture but as an 'Art' that simply promotes 'Freedom of Expression'; a common phrase and buzzword associated with the LGBT Community. To the contrary, HipHop has only supported Freedom within the context of our Cultural Worldview; a view that was rarely advocated or reflected in the Western Society around us. Anything we considered Culturally 'out of bounds' was considered "Wack", meaning corny or not legit, and those who were saying/doing wack stuff were strait "Buggin"! Again, many of these, and various other  terms/phrases, are not reflected in a lot of the mainstream Rap Music today. So obviously many of the concepts and core values that reinforce this language aren't present. Lord Jamar's stance and many others within our HipHop Community is much more insightful than "policing fabric" as Knight stated, nor does it have anything to do with Prophet Muhammad sitting down to use the bathroom or being, as Western Society has coined, "homophobic". In plain ole HipHop language, Lord Jamar was just reiterating the same sentiments HipHop Culture has always held since it's inception: Kanye West and various other Entertainers are Biting Western Society and that Crossover stuff  is Wack! They may be talented Artists but they're Buggin because their choices are clearly leading our present generation and our future generations down a path of HipHop Cultural Genocide.

Peace,

Saladin

LOSING OUR "RELIGION" WHILE

IN A STATE OF SLEEP

(or Rapid Eye Movement)

     In reading Saladin's Article "The Fossil Phrase Phenomenon", I couldn't help but notice, the cultural shadowing of Western culture playing its part in his Article. While he was speaking about Fossilized Phrases between the preceeding generation and the one which came next, I could cee how we are somewhat insulated by the fact that some of our proverbial wisdom is cemented into the definition of the Supreme Mathematics and Supreme Alphabet themselves. This coupled with the fact that there are still many who know that they cannot hold an intelligent conversation with the entire familly of Gods and Earths in every city without at least knowing One Hundred and Twenty Lessons (120), some sense of the Chronicle of Our Nation, along with that firm grasp one has on Supreme Mathematics-- sprinkled in with some knowledge of Supreme Alphabets, Twelve Jewels, The Chronicle of The Nation of Islam, Allah in the persons of Master Fard, and Allah in the person of the Father whom we know as Allah.

     The reason why we are somewhat insulated from Fossilizing a lot of our wisdom phrases is because as a Culture of I God, most of us subscribe to a life that consist of all of this wisdom in stylized phrases as our culture with Knowledge (of all this) being the foundation. This much is said about knowledge, every time one sings "The Enlightener." Yet there are some who believe that Supreme Mathematics is the only foundation!

     Yet this is just a microcosm of a macrocosm because the Blacks outside this culture (The NGE) are suffering far worst, because they have no cultural reference-- other than what American Culture provides for us: Culturally speaking, American slavery was like pushing "reset" on our cell phones where all previous cultural references were just about totally erased-- leaving most of us with a cultural void! We were tricked or lured into believing we would receive more gold for our labor which was more than we were earning in our own country (28/1-36). When we got to America, the trader disappeared and there was no one left to speak our language (30/1-36). They traded our babies as one would a litter of cats or pitbulls, so cultural retention became damn near impossible (24/1-36).

     This type of slavery, being taught as Christianity by the White man, made us blind, deaf and dumb to what our culture really is: The only thing we had to reference is how Whites culture was here living in America, because our heritage was separated, obliterated, and forbidden to be taught for fear of punishment of death! [6-8/1-36]. Resultant upon this, Blacks piecemeal-ed a culture-- partially for survival and partially to fill the cultural void. Either way, their ways are based upon an establishment of values and roles based upon those soles who manipulated a country from their motherland and enslaved the people who birthed the White man from them-- 30% dissatisfied Blacks, amongst the rest who were satisfied Black people.

     In the chronicles of man, there has been several people of all groups who has been stripped of a lot of things and enslaved-- BUT ONLY BLACK PEOPLE HAD EVERYTHING STRIPPED INCLUDING THEIR LANGUAGE. This allowed us to take on a lot of their ways, simply because we had nothing to compare it to (minus our conscience). While our conscience might work in some areas, without a set of customs to compare them to our own (because we did not know our own because "the button had been reset") you wind up caving into the social pressure and eventually agreeing. Before you know it, it begins to seem like you originated that feeling...

     A Nation without its past history is like a tree without roots. Those who do not know that chronology are doomed to re-live it in order to regain the understanding. In a civilized society, it is the responsibility of any civilized parent to extract the understanding or underlined significance of their travels and experiences as parents and pass them on (a.k.a. the understanding) to their children to benefit by the foresight. One of the bad behaviors Blacks have picked up from the Devil's civilization is this constant challenging of parent's values when one reaches adolescence. Anyone who has watched Whites with their children in department stores or adolescent Whites hanging out at the mall, know exactly what I am talking about. The Kool-aid colored hair is part of the rebellious stage.
     I am not saying that you should not challenge previous notions (every true Scientist does). I am just saying to know what you are challenging. NO, WE DON'T BELIEVE IN RELIGION, NOR TAKING THINGS ON FACE VALUE, BUT A RITUAL IS SOMETHING YOU DO REPEATINGLY BECAUSE IT BRINGS ABOUT THE PROPER RESULT WHEN YOU DO IT--LIKE STUDYING BEFORE YOU TAKE A TEST-- for example. You just don't get rid of a phrase because your parents or an older God/ Earth used it or you think it is "Old School" because it came from the past: Know what it means and if you don't think it's true, then put it and your own theories to the test-- but be real with yourself: If you cannot produce better results, why change it? And if you don't like the effects, then don't produce the cause. Meaning: cut out that behavior. Earthquakes is caused by the son of man experimenting with high explosives. In fact all that above is caused by the Son of Man [caused by what you do] (8/1-40).

     For those who were socialized as teenagers in the 1970's and 1980's, along with those who came before in this culture of I God/The NGE-- phrases within the nation were evolved by consensus. Meaning, you didn't learn about The NGE and get your lessons by proxy: someone directly taught you. And you knew whether or not you had it right because at some point it was required for you to go to Mecca in Now Why and build on the day's degree in front of the World's Best Knowers as your audience. When you walked the streets and claimed you were God/Earth, how you see today's degree was sure to follow-- a.k.a. you are being examined for how well you know your lessons and how thorough your understanding was concerning Supreme Math and Alphabets! You couldn't walk away from that question, you had to answer it! That's how we were socialized as The NGE. And you definitely did not walk out of a cipher! If your understanding was booty, you got bombed by consensus (... so they have agreed that the only God that exist is the Son of Man. So they lost no time searching... [10/1-40]). If you got bombed enough, you took your positive education and modified your answer to one that could be agreed to as right. Let that be a lesson to those who think that Supreme Mathematics is the foundation (without even the Alphabets, Jewels, the Chronicle of The NGE or the Chronicle of Self embedded in 120 Lessons)! We were socialized to know our lessons. Your development was judged according to the lessons you were dealing with. You couldn't successfully step off and form your own "Pseudo Group" in those days, you still had to acknowledge the majority. It is not Allahs, it is Allah.

     Now I'm not saying just because things survived from our past that makes it tried, just and true: That just means a lot of people were doing it. Each circumstance must be weighed and judged on its' own merits... So the phrases that survive through our antiquity are phrases which have been examined, questioned and modified until we come to a consensus-- whereas we generally agree to its' proverbial wisdom. These are time tested phrases, socially approved. Because then, as a way of life, we were critical in our thinking and wouldn't hesitate to make that knowledge born. So over time, the weak phrases were being eliminated through our constructive criticism within group gatherings, writings, ciphers and etc. In this respect, a phrase could no more stand alone and claim to be true or wise, no more than a man or woman could claim God/ Earth without examination by all who proclaim it.

     You ever heard of the group R.E.M. (Rapid Eye Movement --during sleep)? They had a song called "Losing My Religion" wherein the singer talked about losing all he was accustomed to. I AM NOT REFERRING TO THIS SONG BECAUSE OF THE WORD RELIGION, BUT BECAUSE OF WHAT ONE IS ACCUSTOMED TO; THE TRADITIONS; THE ANCIENT WISDOM. I say this, because our Black youth are repeating the Culture degree in the one to fourteen as though they are the Devils-- simply because they don't know any better! They have eliminated enough phrases and taken out words like Devil in their language and conceptualization, modifying our culture-- dooming themselves to see why the phrase was used to begin with. And this behavior goes on inside and outside of The NGE!! How so? Why did Musa have a hard time civilizing the Devil in the year 2,000 B.C.? (2/1-14)? You know-- "Because he was a savage. A savage means a person who has lost the knowledge of himself and is living a beast life." So when Musa came to teach them how to live a respectful life, they rebelled (4/1-14). Why? Because they didn't want anything to do with what we civilized Black people teach. Why? Because they were birth from a stock of our people who were dissatisfied with the rest of our people. They entertained inner devils of jealousy, envy, lust and hate. They did uncivilized things such as causing trouble amongst the righteous, telling lies, stealing and trying to master the original man. They were exiled by the satisfied and therefore they did not want anything to do with our ways. Your culture degree within the one to fourteen goes into great elaborations concerning this. That same degree tells you when we found out who was causing all the trouble we rounded them up, took everything from them except their language and marched them across the hot Arabian desert (by a tow line). It was 2,200 miles. He went savage and lived in the caves of West Asia as they now call it 'Europe'. Eu means hillsides and Rope means the rope (tow line) to bind him in (sometimes when you teach uncivilized people how to be civilized they act as though you are binding them rather than benefitting them-- an example is that scene in Lord of the Ring: Return Of The King, when Samwise and Frodo put the rope on Smeagol). The European resented his connection with Original man. Even today, he reluctantly acknowledges that Black people in Central Asia are his ancestors! He straight rejected us and our culture, so we sent a half original man like Musa to teach them and he only accepted it when Musa reminded them of their purpose. When they were marched into Europe, the Original man took everything except their language. When the European enslaved his Black ancestors, he took everything INCLUDING their language and brought Blacks to slave for him within his culture on the worst part of the planet earth (North Americas). The slavery process made the enslaved Original man, blind, deaf and dumb-- totally devoid of his culture-- adapting the ways of his slavemasters as a means of survival in the Whiteman's world. Some of us adapted and maintained many, many of their ways... So Knowledge of Self came to the Blackman in the wilderness from Allah, in the form of a civilized Blackman who taught civilization. Allah in the persons of Fard taught the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, who then taught The NOI; Allah in the form of the Father (and Justice) taught the first born, who taught The NGE. Musa and Muhammad taught the Devil how to be civilized.

     These above acts emphasizes tradition and passing on of what came before. Just like 17th degree in the One to Forty states: "The meaning of Civilization is one having knowledge, wisdom, understanding, culture, refinement and is not a savage in the pursuit of happiness"-- One of the most obvious traits of the Devil's civilization in the wilderness of North America is to be trendy. What that trendy means is to be dissatisfied with what happened before you and to start something new. The problem with this is if you get rid of all of the old traditional stuff, for your new, time-untested stuff, you will eventually become wild, savage, unruly and uncivilized! Sure, we Blacks are not dyeing our hair with kool-aid like them yet-- but give it some time.

     The seventeenth, eighteenth, nineteenth and twentieth degree within the knowledge of your culture cipher suggest the passing on of tradition-- not the replacement of Fossil Phrase with Catchy Phrase-ism, which has not even been examined thoroughly by a consensus from members of The NGE. That's no different than some of these He cipher Monkey ciphers, girl on girl phenomenas going on in the mainstream of society today. In time, they will see what alternatives do to the state-- but by then it will be to late! We have always emphasized showing and proving. This teaches us to hold on to things which are proven, not to jump to something on face value. What is traditional is proven, for good or bad. You can see it because you have numerous examples of it. Message to the so-called "New School": It is alright to test, but not to experiment with your life as the experiment. Do be a fool and  use the dynamite on you (8/1-40)-- that's how you fall a victim!

Peace
Allah Universal: Lord Life Justice Shabazz