Cultural Appropriation and Misappropriation of the Five Percent

RZA and others during Hajj to Mecca

     Language is the heart of a culture. It is the vehicle that enables us to transmit and receive ideas, stories, principles, values, and traditions that shape our identify and define every aspect of our way of life. It is one of the most important parts that determine how we live. 

     As a Five Percenter, we possess a unique language that represents the heart of our culture. Our language is constructed from our Supreme Mathematics, Supreme Alphabet, 120 Lessons and a variety of colloquialisms, idioms, proverbs and lingo that were all born within our Five Percent community. There is no other group of people on the planet who can make this claim. Since our formal 1964 inception in Harlem, NY, many people have been exposed to our unique language and other elements of our culture, based upon their proximity to us. However, that proximity did not, and still does not, make them us. Just like living around Dominican neighbors, learning some Spanish phrases, listening to Dominican music and eating Dominican food does not make someone Dominican. If someone were to claim to be Dominican, based upon their proximity, it would be cultural appropriation. Cultural misappropriation is when this same claim is used to make products and/or provide services to package, commodify and monetize Dominican culture. The same analogy applies to any culture, including my culture of the Five Percent. 

    In the 1960s, the first Five Percenters were sometimes confused with being Muslims and practicing the religion of Islam. Part of the confusion is because the founder of the Five Percent Nation was once a Muslim by the name of Clarence 13X and a registered member of the Nation of Islam's Temple #7 in Harlem, NY. In 1964 he renounced his Muslim beliefs, left the Nation of Islam and ceased using the name Clarence 13X. He began to use the name "Allah." Allah, in collaboration with a few close companions who also renounced their Muslim beliefs, began to create our unique language that shaped our identity, defined and communicated Five Percent culture. To distinguish ourselves from Muslims and their belief system, Allah also encouraged us to change and/or create names from our Supreme Mathematics. For example, Bilal or Jihad came to be known as ABG7. Following this change, names for Five Percenters like Wise, Ralik, Supreme, Mecca, Mathematics, Sha-Asia, Queen, Equality, and etc. became common throughout NYC communities. Names that no other group of people on the planet were using to define themselves.

     As our movement began to grow throughout NYC boroughs among the youth, a cultural cross pollination began to occur where the proximity to Five Percenters within households, neighborhoods, schools, and other public and private spaces exposed people to our unique language and other cultural elements. Those who were Christian began to learn about and practice aspects of our special diet. While some of them stopped eating pork chops, most would not go as far as reading product labels to see if they contained pork byproducts. Some Muslims started hearing Five Percenter lingo and began to use some of it when they communicated. Yet the "Allah" that they worshipped was still a spirit, not the Black man's Arm, Leg, Leg, Arm and Head. For most people, exposure to our unique language and other cultural elements was not something that they completely embraced. For them, hearing us greet each other with "Peace God" was no different than someone saying "Hello." They didn't, and still don't, interpret that statement as a bold declaration that we are not tethered to a religion that worships an invisible entity outside of ourselves. 

      With the growth and expansion of the internet and social media, it has become harder for everyday people to distinguish who is a Five Percenter from those "who used to be" [never was], those who have been in proximity to us, and those who try to moonlight or cosplay as the Five Percent. It is difficult to address cultural appropriation. There is also no legal mechanism in place to address cultural misappropriation. While some everyday Five Percenters often dismiss this as insignificant or unimportant, as a Five Percent public figure I have a different experience and point of view. Everyday people are not contacted by the international/national press for a statement when something related to the Five Percenters is in the news. Everyday people are also not receiving inquiry emails, DMs, and messages every day from people around the world about Five Percent culture. That is my reality. I literally see the global implications of not addressing cultural misappropriation every single day.

                        Da God, 2008                                Experiments with High Explosives, 2012

     If I were to ask someone, "Did you receive more gold?", the average person has no idea what I'm asking them, its cultural context, and what their answer implies. If I made the casual comment about something being, "14 million square miles" or "a fine mist", most people would be completely lost. Even phrases like "wisdom knowledge", "born universal truth", "cee I power her, her power I cee", and "all the above" would go over someone's head. These are just some examples of our Five Percent language that is uniquely constructed from our Supreme Mathematics, Supreme Alphabet, 120 Lessons and a variety of colloquialisms, idioms, proverbs and lingo that were all born within our community. Imagine 'trying' to learn this language without community. Imagine believing that you can get all of this in a YouTube video, social media posts, or a book.  

This May 2026 will be 18 years since I co-authored/published my first book with my educator Raheem titled Da God. To my knowledge, Da God was THE FIRST BOOK ever written using the unfiltered language of Five Percent culture. Here was its summary:

"Da God represents a New Era within The Nation of Gods and Earths (NGE)/Five Percenters! Da God is the first of a series of 'Living Mathemanuals' that are designed to transcend the abstract, intellectualized concepts of the Gods and Earths (NGE)/Five Percenters). Da God takes you into the real life of 'Be God Allah'; giving an honest, unapologetic view of his world and his struggle with defining his 'God Centeredness' in a Society that doesn't support this worldview.

This MASTERSCRIPT has simultaneously set and raised the bar in regard to NGE Literature and represents the first literary model of practically applied NGE Nomenclature."

Da God, 2008

   Because this book was intentionally written in our language, we coined the phrase Mathemanual; a book immersed in language constructed from Supreme Mathematics, Supreme Alphabet, 120 Lessons and a variety of colloquialisms, idioms, proverbs and lingo that were all born within our Five Percent community. For many people, including newborn Five Percenters, Da God read like a foreign language, because it was. It was our attempt to communicate a cultural worldview that was fleeting due to the growth of the internet, social media and antisocial behavior. Four years later in 2012 I authored/published the next Mathemanual, a novel titled Experiments with High Explosives: The Chronicles of a Big-Headed Scientist. Experiments with High Explosives is a book told through the perspective of a man striving to make sense out of his relationships and the relationships that he observed. Through exploring these thoughts & feelings, I sought to empower the reader to consider their ideas about love. 

Drink Champs, June 14, 2025

     Recently RZA was featured in a YouTube interview discussing various aspects of his life and goes into depth about his journey with Five Percent culture and experiences with religion. In this interview, RZA taking a Shahada was discussed. A Shahada is a public declaration of faith in the Muslim religion and is one of its Five Pillars. This declaration that, "I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah" is typically performed in a mosque/masjid before an Imam and serves as the foundation of the other four pillars of Islam: Salah [five daily prayers], Zakat [giving charity], Sawm [fasting during Ramadan, and Hajj [pilgrimage to Mecca]. To be clear, in Five Percenter culture we don't have a tradition of taking Shahada, practicing Five Pillars or other religious practices like getting Baptized, Christenings and etc. If someone chooses to practice any of those religious traditions, that is a personal choice and should never be interpreted as speaking for or acting on behalf of our nation of the Five Percent or Allah Youth Center in Mecca.

     While some things in that interview were clarified about where RZA stands regarding the distinction between culture and religion, there were other things still left unclear to outside onlookers. Much of that interview was a conversation taking place before a virtual audience of mixed company [outside onlookers]. That mixed company was exposed to language spoken in and referencing our Five Percent culture that most outside onlookers do not understand. I think that it is important to understand that whichever way that RZA chooses to define himself is his prerogative. What is not a prerogative is what we say and do within the context of Five Percent culture. In other words, a woman cannot simultaneously be the Earth and work as a prostitute. We cannot claim that we are not a "poisonous animal eater" yet eat creatures from the bottom of the sea. We also cannot say that we are the true and living God and simultaneously pray to an entity/person outside of ourselves. There are certain differences between a culture and a religion that are simply irreconcilable. From my experience seeing and being around RZA, it's not uncommon for him to say and do things that are, or appear to be, a contradiction. I remember in the late 90s attending our Five Percent Nation's annual Educational Show & Prove and when RZA pulled up with Poppa Wu [Freedum Allah] and some Wu-Affiliates he was wearing a gold necklace with a huge cross pendant. Eventually a heated exchange took place where some Gods had RZA cornered outside of the event demanding an explanation for showing up wearing that religious symbol, especially around the children who might get confused. I think all of us may say and do things that are, or appear to be, contradictive. RZA is no different. When this occurs, the questions that I always ask are: 

• What are we doing to become better for ourselves, others, and our planet Earth? 
• How can we support others and/or what support do we need? 

    These questions don't dismiss actions that are, or appear to be, a contradiction. These questions are meant to critique something and refocus the conversation on what we are actually doing. It opens up a conversation for potential collaboration as opposed to criticism and contention. While I can relate to the frustration some of us experience when seeing confusing representations of our culture, I also understand the importance of how we choose to appropriate our time and resources to address it. I think that some of us spend too much time and resources talking about what we see as a problem and not enough time and resources creating actual solutions. 

    Culture is the sum total of all of our people activities that is centered/rooted in our language. And as I shared, our language is uniquely constructed from our Supreme Mathematics, Supreme Alphabet, 120 Lessons and a variety of colloquialisms, idioms, proverbs and lingo that were all born within our Five Percent community. As Five Percenters, we strive to be thoughtful about what we say and do, how it aligns with our culture, and the results of our words and actions. If we are honest, we would also acknowledge that some days we do better than other days. We are always a work in progress. Our way of life is not a religion nor are we religious. We are not missionaries spreading a gospel and we don't try to convert people to follow what we know. We don't have a house of worship; we create community outreach and youth advocacy spaces to serve as cultural anchor institutions in our cities. We are intentional about teaching those who are sincerely invested in learning our culture. Others will still learn, just being exposed to how we live. We are not followers and we don't have a hierarchal structure with a leader. We teach leadership and that people should only follow to the extent of learning to lead themselves. There is no other group of people on the planet who can make these collective claims. 

Peace,

Saladin #Atlantisbuild

Anchor Institutions and the Fate of Allah School in Mecca

 

   When the elders in our Nation of the Five Percent spoke and speak about the olden days, when our Parliaments were standing room only, how we had a working relationship with our local government, and when our influence in our communities spanned the boroughs, they are articulating how we were an Anchor Institution. Anchor Institutions are institutions, such as nonprofits, universities, hospitals, and corporations that serve as socioeconomic engines rooted in the communities they serve. According to National Academies, anchor institutions "play an important role in uplifting community conditions through a series of multilevel strategies and economic investment, including the creation of workforce training and living-wage jobs with good benefits, creating and improving affordable housing, increasing local safety and access to parks, and many others." Since its founding in 1967, our Allah School in Mecca Street Academy was established as our brick-and-mortar anchor for youth/community outreach within the Harlem community. Over the last fifty-seven years, we have fought to maintain that identity as an anchor in the public domain where mainstream media has historically mischaracterized us as a gang. With the expanding gentrification of Harlem, its subtle erasure, and redefinition as "North" or "Upper" Manhattan, it is important for us as Five Percenters to consider ways to protect our institution as the historical anchor it has been. 

     Within our Nation, it was always assumed among our members that our Allah School in Mecca is a parcel that was gifted to us by the Lindsay Administration with a 99-year lease. It was only recently discovered that no legal document exists to substantiate that claim of a 99-year lease. While some Five Percenters have argued that Allah School is Defacto ours because of our historical use, we are not the legal property owners. This parcel is classified as a miscellaneous religious facility owned by the New York City Department of Citywide Administrative Services [NYC DCAS]. From a legal standpoint, we as Five Percenters have been occupying this space based upon a non-verbal, undocumented memorandum of understanding with each City Administration since June of 1967. Because there is no legal documentation to substantiate our Defacto claim, our occupancy can be legally defined as squatting by the current or future City Administration. Luckily in New York, if squatters occupy a property continuously, openly, and exclusively without permission for a specified period, they can take its title. While this may be possible with a private owner, it is questionable if the New York City Department of Citywide Administrative Services would allow this to happen for prime commercial real estate that continues to appreciate in value over time.

     According to public records, the total assessed value of 2122 Adam Clayton Powell Jr Blvd [Allah School] in 2021 was $186,300. In 2022 it increased to $202,950. Its current value is $215,000. The value of the building [Youth Center], which measures 1,200 square feet, was $69,300 in 2021. In 2022 it increased to $85,950. The value of its land, which measures 12,490 square feet, has remained $117,000. Its market value, or the actual price someone was willing to pay for this property in 2021 was $414,000. Its current market value is $478,000 and continues to increase each year. Although there have been and continue to be conversations about the economic development of our Allah School, what has not increased are actual facade improvements or economic development on this property. 

     The value of any property is not based on the parcel itself. The property value is based on the surrounding neighborhood and the community. Sometimes to raise property value, community members are systematically excluded from economic development projects to redesign the neighborhood. This displacement process to change the character of an area for outsiders to move in is called gentrification. Regarding the Five Percent, this displacement of our Nation began during COVID-19. During the shutdown, we were restricted from using P.S. 154 Harriet Tubman Learning Center [250 W 127th Street] for our Universal Parliaments and Annual Show & Prove. Harriet Tubman was an adjacent Anchor Institution and community partner whom we have collaborated with for four decades. According to the School Administration Staff whom I spoke with at that time, the auditorium/cafeteria space was not available to the public due to COVID-19 gathering restrictions and unclear vaccination status protocols. This was understandable, seeing that most public spaces were closed during the shutdown. Yet four years later, our Five Percent Nation still has not set foot back in Harriet Tubman. This single maneuver displaced our most critical mass of Five Percenters who gathered monthly at Harriet Tubman for our Universal Parliaments and yearly for our Annual Show & Prove. Whether intentional or not, this maneuver undermined our ability to remain anchored in our community. As an alternative site, our Nation has been using P.S. 92 Mary McLeod Bethune [222 West 134 Street] for our Universal Parliaments and our upcoming Annual Show & Prove.

Allah School, PS 154 Harriet Tubman, PS 92 Mary McLeod Bethune

     Although this alternative site at P.S. 92 Mary McLeod Bethune is only half a mile away, it still displaces our Nation. Without our critical mass of Five Percenters gathering monthly and yearly within our community and at Harriet Tubman, a huge socioeconomic void was created that now erases our historic public visibility. How can we consistently engage our community members and provide resources where we are not present? How can we demonstrate that we are an asset rooted within our community, when we are not actually in the community? 

Aerial view of Allah School and its surrounding economic development

     When you look at the above aerial view of our Allah School, you can see the economic development and economic development potential around it. What you cannot see are the socioeconomic anchors that are being rooted around Allah School as engines to serve our community in ways in which our Allah School is not. While there are brothers who consistently show up in person/virtually once a week to talk for hours about our culture, there are no professional revenue-generating workshops, classes, or projects being facilitated at Allah School every day. We have no grant-funded youth advocacy/community outreach programs being offered in the neighborhood. We have no collaborative initiatives with area organizations and institutions that are available on-site or virtually. Nothing is being offered by/for women and girls; even though women represent 75% of the professional non-profit workforce in the U.S. and the Allah School is a non-profit. Additionally, according to a recent April 23rd Five Percenter Newspaper Facebook Group Post and my follow-up confirmation with School Officials, we are now in jeopardy of losing P.S. 92 Mary McLeod Bethune as the current location of our Universal Parliaments and the upcoming Show & Prove. A petition is being circulated by the surrounding school community to stop us from utilizing the space due to adult Five Percenters loitering, urinating, drinking alcohol, smoking marijuana, and being noisy on school property. 

April 23rd, 2024 Five Percenter Newspaper Facebook Post

     While some understandably see all of these things as a huge deficit, I see them as a unique opportunity for those of us who have the knowledge, wisdom, character, and consistency to make some positive productive workshops, classes, projects, programs, and initiatives happen. However, this will require some deep fundamental changes at our Allah School which some may not be willing to make. So where does this leave us? It leaves our Nation in an unprecedented time of growth and development if we are open to exploring solutions that may be beyond our personal scope. To continue our legacy as an Anchor Institution, we must be rooted in the same youth advocacy, community outreach, and capacity to secure resources as our founder, Allah. He was a doer, and his self-styled wisdom was evidenced in the way he actually shaped his community; the complete opposite of the deficits that I shared above. If we clearly do not have the character, experience, expertise, or credentials to lead these workshops, classes, projects, programs, and initiatives, we should proactively support the best knowers who do, regardless of our age or gender. Our survival literally depends upon this support, and our Nation will not thrive without it. 

Peace,

Saladin

-Recorded Live in his Cell in Build Understanding ('83)-

What's above yo' head?!

Peace Ya’ll! In the 9/1-14 we learn that neophytes/adepts who are devoted to the study of Righteousness and the Original Man were allowed to wear the Sun, Moon and Stars as symbols of adherence to this universal order, b.u.t. a sword was “placed on the upper part of the Flag” to remind them of their obligation to this order. If you’ve ever taken a moment to look at the fez-like head covering of Shriners you’ll cee this sword above the symbol of the Moon & Star on a Sunlit background. In the 9/1-40, we learn that “they (the 85%) also ‘hear thunder above their heads’ but do not try to learn who is causing all this to happen by letting the 5% teach them. They believe in the 10% on face value”. What makes the 9/1-14 and 9/1-40 congruent is the fact that both of these Lessons emphasize ‘learning’ and the idea that something exists above one’s head; ‘a sword’ (9/1-14) and ‘thunder’ (9/1-40). I cee this two ways:

1. There are certain things that can be “above our head” in the process of learning because it seems very complicated. This means that certain circumstances and situations may be hard to figure out and simply goes right over our head. An example of this is: a Student having problems with Algebra in Math Class.

2. There are certain things that can be “above our head” meaning ‘held against us’. Sometimes the circumstances and situations we have gone through, are going through and will go through is strategically used against us by others or hung above our heads as a means to manipulate (control) us. An example of this is: a Man cheats on his Wife and now has a child with a Mistress that he’s been hiding from his family. Someone finds out about this affair and threatens to tell the Man’s Wife and destroy his Family unless he pays them to keep their mouth shut.

What makes both of these instances relative is the fact that the things that are held against us are often hard to figure out, or the things that are hard to figure out are often held against us. This is not always because of “a filthy affair” (8/1-14) though. This can often be because of our own idiosyncrasies or personality glitches; sword(s) we add or thunder that exists above our own heads. Sometimes these problems simply arise from living right in a problematic Society. Whatever the case may be, what it ultimately comes down to is this: We must take charge in resolving them because these problems limit or impedes our ability to strive for perfection in vital areas of our lives.

So what is the difference between having ‘a sword’ above one’s head in comparison to having ‘thunder’ above one’s head? Well first and foremost, a person has more control over a sword because it’s forged, unsheathed and welded with the human hand. This means that confronting this problem has a human element in it! This is very important because it suggests that as a human ourselves, we have a certain amount of control in resolving the problem; there’s an obvious relationship. It’s mentioned in the 9/1-14 that learning is a formal study; 35-50 years, thus it’s all about being humble, devoted, trying to do, being discipline and applying ourselves. One of the greatest ways Original People have combated the injustices we have and continue to be subjected to is through education -and the greatest education is Knowledge of Self. So the most effective way to remove the sword that we -or others- have put above our heads is to educate ourselves; become a Swordsmith! -smile- This is advantageous because we develop the skills to distinguish swords, the quality of a sword, techniques used by Swordsmen/women, etc.. Ultimately, becoming a Swordsmith gives us the ability to protect our neck or attack those who seek to test our swordplay! LOL!

Having thunder above one’s head is an entirely different situation altogether. First of all, you damn near lost the human element of control. So in otherwords, now the shit over ya head is basically “outta control”! Accepting this often harsh reality is fundamental to dealing with this problem. Now for all you Mathcentrics out there, yeah, yeah, yeah, “all the above is caused by…blah blah blah blah blah.” (8/1-40). All I’m just saying is that I’ve yet to cee a Meteorologist named Lord Akwon Scientific Wyndchime Allah building about the Pacific Northwest Weather, in Today’s Math, on the 11 O’clock News. Cee, unlike the sword, when you hear thunder above ya head all you can do is prepare for the weather because light (lightening) was already shined on the problem; now you gotta deal with the rumblin’ that comes along with it! -shakes head- And every excuse we try to make by saying, “But this” or “But that” will bring nothing b.u.t. more thunder -along with rain, hail, snow and earthquakes (13/1-40); it’s not a good forecast. Thunder is waaaaaay above ya head; approximately “six miles” (8/1-40). Thunder is also impossible to grasp; intangible. When thunder is about your head it’s like the cloud that sat over the Flintstones Neighbor’s House; The Gruesomes. Dealing with this natural phenomenon, we must first accept the circumstances and either adapt to it or relocate to Pleasantville. Since relocating suggests one’s reorientation, it’s important to know exactly where you’re presently at: Mentally, Emotionally, Physically & Financially. Also keep in Mind that regardless if you are living in Pleasantville now YOU BROUGHT YOURSELF WITH YOU!

When we don’t deal with the ‘sword’ (9/1-14) above our heads it becomes ‘thunder’ (9/1-40). As I said, whether it’s ‘a sword’ or ‘thunder’ it can be there because of our own idiosyncrasies or personality glitches. Sometimes these problems simply arise from living “right and exact” (1/1-40) in a problematic Society. Whatever the case may be, what it ultimately comes down to is this: We must take charge in resolving them because these problems limit or impedes our ability to strive for perfection in vital areas of our lives. We “write (right) Holy Koran or Bible” (1/1-40), so having unresolved issues festering in our lives is like being stuck in a Surah or Chapter. By being “bound” to a Surah or Chapter it’s impossible to completely renew our History (a New Koran/Bible itself, not just a different Surah or Chapter in the same old Koran/Bible). Even if we have rationalized that we’ve moved on, we’ll find this same Surah/Chapter poppin up time and time again -with different characters b.u.t. the same ole theme! The fact that this problematic pattern is well established Shows and Proves that it’s the same Ole’ Bible/Koran. This is why people can often accurately “read us like a book” -smile-, and no matter how we’d like to change the interior décor or rearrange the furniture in our ‘house’, it always “equals our ‘home’ circumference” (1/1-40). I drew particular attention to the words ‘house’ and ‘home’ because a ‘house’ is just a building, a ‘home’ is where we actually live and like the saying goes “Home is where the heart is”. So in otherwords, with People in general and Gods/Earths in particular, sometimes there’s a huge variance between our building (house) and how we’re actually living (home).

So to conclude Today’s Article I just want to encourage all of you to “give all you have and all within your power” (40/1-40) to resolve your problems while you can. One of the main indicators that shows that there is no reciprocity going on is when there’s “no Peace amongst us” (1/1-14); genuinely. I’m talking about reaaaaaaaly being at Peace with ourselves, not manufacturing attention from others, seeking entertainment and/or indulging in substances/tasks as a means to numb ourselves from the pain of Inner War and calling it Peace! I’ve been there, I’ve done patchwork like that and I clearly recognize when I have an egocentric inclination to do these things. Realizing this and coming to grips with how we choose to think and what we’ve chosen to say/do is the essence of true Self Knowledge. Also, it must be realized that having 120 is just that; ‘having it’. There are many Gods/Earths who have ‘had it’ for “years, months and days” (36/1-40), yet their steps towards grasping the meaning of Civilization is unperceivable or they actually atrophied into Black Devils. There are still many other Gods/Earths who've had120 for a few weeks yet they been making strives in their growth and development before they even got their Student Enrollment! So having it is cool b.u.t. it’s about using it -and using it will be shaped by the ciphers that existed before we got this Math; The Cipher (0) proceeds Knowledge (1)! In otherwords, Gods/Earths talk all day about how 120 or “This Math” is their foundation without ever realizing that the mortar to that foundation is a substantive mix of years of conditionings, our own idiosyncrasies or personality glitches and how we assess our socioeconomic reality. These ciphers give context to our Math and accounts for why one God/Earth carries this Math differently from the next God/Earth. Knowledge of Self is essentially a systematic process of unlearning in order to learn, not putting frosting on bullshit and calling it a cake. The cake may look reeeeeeeal nice, b.u.t. underneath it all, you’ll always be able to smell the bullshit. To drive this point home, consider this: When it comes to the Math, the Alphabet & 120, they’re like the Diagnostic Computer you hook your car up to when you’re getting your Inspection done. Unfortunately, many of us have vehicles that are alittle too old to hook up to this Computer so we need to get our Inspection done the ole school way; manually! So although this Diagnostic Computer is very useful, regardless if a person has Math, the Alphabet & 120 or not, WE’RE ALL GONNA NEED to get inspected one way or another in order to drive our vehicle! LOL! Also, “KEEP IN MIND” (9/1-14) that regardless if somebody has a brand new ‘09 Dodge Charger or a ’82 Chevy Oldsmobile on the road (registered, inspected and insured), it doesn’t tell you shit about their driving skills! LOL! Anyway ya’ll, if we don’t resolve our issues our issues will resolve us!

PEACE!