A Book on the Shelf

He admitted he had a history of spousal abuse in his past,
But now he’s a God fearing, he’s a changed man,
He’s a funny kat, can always make a girl smile,
We have a good relationship, rather it gets good for awhile.

Our first argument he yells and throws things at the wall,
Then speaks loud in my face til I’m backed into the wall,
He makes jokes like nothing happened at all,
And changes the subject to get me to talk.

He admitted he had a history of spousal abuse in his past,
But now he’s a God fearing, he’s a changed man,
He’s a funny kat, can always make a girl smile,
We have a good relationship, rather it gets good for awhile.

Now when we argue he threatens me with his past,
He says that he’s a God fearing but I’m really pushing this man,
I never tell him no, I give him everything he wants,
Because if I attempt to say no he says I’m being disrespectful and treating him like a punk.
He slams doors and throws things at the walls,
And then makes jokes like nothing happened at all.

Thursday we fight and I had our child in my hands,
He tells me to put the baby down-
He’s gonna fuck me up
I done changed this man,
I hold my child closer to me because I can’t believe this is happening to me,
He slams doors and throws things at the walls,
And then makes jokes like nothing happened at all.

He admitted he had a history of spousal abuse in his past,
But now he’s a God fearing, he’s a changed man,
He’s a funny kat, can always make a girl smile,
We have a good relationship, rather it gets good for awhile.

Now he says that I deserve to get my ass kicked because I think that I’m tough,
I cry for no reason because this Muslim marriage is too much,
I want to leave him but I have no money and nowhere to go,
I know, I know that this isn’t love,
But for the life of me I don’t know what to do,
I gave up the life that I knew for this fool,
He has distanced me from my closest friends,
From non-blood relatives who have been there through thick and thin,

Walking around him my lungs feel tight,
Looking straight ahead and never in his eyes,
Feeling like a child
Crying because I can’t believe this is my life,
Afraid to gather and opinion because it sparks an argument,
Or if I open my mouth we argue because he doesn’t understand what I meant,
I just keep silent and agree because things are better that way,
My silence gives me peace at least for a few days,

He admitted he had a history of spousal abuse in his past,
But now he’s a God fearing, he’s a changed man,
He’s a funny kat, can always make a girl smile,
We have a good relationship, rather it gets good for awhile.

By: Najiyya ©2003

Hasan Salaam - The Letter Featuring Eternia

Kumasi Simmons: Illuminating Inpiration

My earliest memory of  Kumasi was an MSA potluck at Aztec Park in San Diego. I distinctively remember watching this dude with bow legs run a football through a crowd of brothers with a quickness that was definitely entertaining. Later he and few others free-styled over some beats rocking from a car parked in the grass. All the years that I’ve known Kumasi ‘Sincere’ is a word that describes him best.  His ability to live Islam so organically is a reminder to me as to why I fell in love with Islam.

In light of the release of his new “Gospel” album free to download on http://www.reverbnation.com/kumasisimmons I felt it would be a great time for an interview.

  

 Najiyya: Many of us have this picture of Compton from the images conveyed in movies such as ‘Boyz in the Hood’ and through lyrical expressions from artists such as NWA, Game, and Snoop.   In all reality, how was life growing up in Compton?

Kumasi: Compton is a place where you don’t have to many jobs. It’s called a hub city, it’s in the middle of everywhere but it feels like the middle of nowhere.  If you don’t  have a way to get there whether downtown, South central , Carson, if you don’t have a way together there you are just in that hub East side or west side Compton. You feel trapped and you try to find a way out of there, maybe through sports or gang banging or selling intoxicants and things. With that being the case Compton is a lot like other places but there is a big sense of family and a sense of if you don’t bother anybody then nobody will bother you but if you r looking for trouble then you’re  going to find it . It’s hard to escape trouble. Compton is an example of what people are going through around the world. I’ve been to many places and everywhere I go people know about Compton. Some places try to prove they’re as hard as Compton. Piru, Bloods were birthed out of Compton and now there are Bloods in New York. I think there are bloods in the Bay and the Bay prided themselves on not having that. I see people who are trying to be something where I come from and I’m trying to better their situation and mind by saying, ‘be positive, be an example, don’t be a follower, you should preserve life while others are trying to waste it.’ I wasn’t a follower. I’m a follower of God. My plot is to emerge from a source of darkness but be a light, if God gives me success. If people have one positive example it will be good because they see there is an alternative. If you have only seen darkness and have never seen a little bit of light it will be very difficult for you to choose. 

Najiyya: What motivated you to stay away from all the negative. Were you apart of a religious family?

Kumasi: My family was really strong. Religion was the foundation like a lot of other people. Religion as a black person you normally had the church that you went to and prayed over those who were baptized but what made it different for me was that Allah gave me the heart to be a servant. When you have the heart of a servant there is nothing that you can do to be able to fuel yourself to feel good because it’s not about me it’s about finding resources to help people. It’s not about me. I don’t know how successful I’ve been or how successful I will be but I know that Allah doesn’t need me and He will get done what he needs to get done without me.

Najiyya: How did you come into Islam?  

Kumasi: It was just written for me to be Muslim, to worship the oness of Allah and to be a servant of Allah. I’m thankful for that because no matter how I came around, I look around and He has made Muslims beautiful and He allows Muslims to have a lot of information about Him that I didn’t have in other paths of life. Everything was preparing me to become Muslim. My cousin is Muslim. My father is Muslim. I was attracted to the strength in Islam. I was attracted to black history. I was attracted to the Nation of Islam but then I realized the Nation believed that God had human attributes. I couldn’t roll with that. So I went along with my Christianity until I went to State.I came across some orthodox Muslims; Omar Ditona and Muhammad Yahya, I asked them to show me how to pray. They took me to Masjid Nur and I became Muslim that night.When I found out that Muslims worshiped God, the source and believed in the same Prophets I believed in, coming to Islam was easy.

Najiyya: When did you decide music was what you wanted to do?

Kumasi I never wanted to do music, I wanted to play football. I prayed to Allah and He made it clear to me that through music you can write your own script and benefit others. I can raise money or do a benefit concert for the poor. Music is just a vehicle to help people.

Najiyya: I know you have been all around the world, other than L.A. and San Diego, what other place has a special place with you?

Kumasi: Tunisia felt like home. People are going there on vacation in Tunisia while everyone is thinking Africa has nothing. Those tourists were from Europe. But Tunisia made me feel like home. Tunisia just had their revolution against injustice. It was beautiful to see young people ready to die for justice, not afraid of police, only afraid of Allah.  It touched home in that manner as well.

Najiyya:  Do you have any jewels for the young people?

Kumasi:  Whatever you do have a good heart and whatever your vices focus on getting grounded and getting in tuned with obtaining a good heart. Be aware of your patience and pride because they come in so many forms. Be patient, have patience. Know that God is with the patient.  You can remind yourself that God is with you because you’re being patient. 

Download FREE

 http://www.reverbnation.com/kumasisimmons

America Has Left the Struggle

I entered the world of Twitter to have an ear to what was going on in the world of hip hop. I used twitter as a tool to access information that would be impossible to gather by merely surfing the web, Facebook, or MySpace.  Naively I began to follow back anyone who followed me.  Bad idea. There was chaos streaming through my timeline from racist Towelhead radio to butt profiles. I slowly began to unfollow people as I saw fit.

As I sifted carefully through my timeline to remove all the riffraff, I came across a tweet that stated:  “America is comfortable and left the struggle, so hip hop made its home in the Middle East." As I gave this tweet the gas face I soon realized that this person does not know the hip hop I know. The person who tweeted this has no clue about those operating on the front line of grassroots organizations. This person does not understand that when it is said THE REVOLUTION WILL NOT BE TELEVISED, these words have meaning.Words have meaning and definition; to help us express and understand, to communicate and to be understood.  

We have brothers like Hasan Salaam and Immortal Technique who not only spit fire on a mic but leave Timberland tracks in the gravel of cities and countries that most would never bother to tread. The Remarkable Current family tells the stories and struggles of the American Muslim to audiences around the world. Mark Gonzalez, is a spoken word poet but also a teacher, who appears to seamlessly bring together struggles of the world harmoniously, allowing you to walk away with a song of unity in your heart. Although I've named very few, it's a start in the right direction.

The hip hop that I know is not about favoritism. The hip hop I know has ample love. The hip hop that I know is embraced all around the world. Hip hop is beyond racism, class-ism, ageism, or any other -ism. She is beautiful and unique in that way. Hip hop is an expression of the people; whoever those people are that embrace her. Some people utilize hip hop to document social changes while others utilize hip hop to tell a story. Some have taken hip hop as an opportunity to exploit others as a modern-day minstrel.  To find the hip hop that documents the struggles of the American people you would have to travel outside Pandora's box .com.  Hip hop and all her loyalty has never left the American struggle as I’m sure she’ll never leave yours. 

Serve the People

 Najiyya♥

For a list of more artist in the struggle inbox me at muslimhiphop@live.com

Digital Martyrs x Mikial - "Heaven Isn't Like This"

The ReMINDers- The Way It Is

Luck One - King Of The Northwest

King Of The Northwest by Luck-One

TEDxRamallah - Mark Gonzales

Luck-One *Sounds Of My City

A Complicated Relationship with Music

From the time the sweet words of the shahada had escaped my lips I have had a complicated relationship with music.  I too was the new Muslimah that handed over my stereo and tossed out my CD’s so that “I didn’t participate in the spreading of its evil.” I later discovered the world of qasidas and nasheeds. It was such a daunting task trying to find qasidas and nasheeds that I could vibe with, especially in the years prior to my limitless access to the internet.

                As a person who enjoys writing, music has a history of luring words out of me and rhythm has had the ability to move my pen. I can hear music and emotions that had not yet been given a word had a lyrical composition. Tribe Called Quest came out with Love Movement (1998) I could not fight the desire to pick it up.  I began to write again. I wrote for every tear that fell on the face of that young single mother who had no support and was forced to face the reality that her child’s father was sentenced to life without.  

                Once married with a growing family my music selection had to change. Having my three year old sing I Don’t Want No Scrubs (TLC, 1999) from the top of her lungs was no longer cute.  Busy keeping up with the responsibilities of maintaining a family spiritually, emotionally, and financially, music again took a back seat in my life.

                One day I was awakened by a fellow hip hop junkie who played for me Immortal Technique. I was enraptured by the arrangement of lyrics, the intense delivery, and production. He was my best kept and favorite secret. Online, I dabbled into music like a married man sneaking a peak at porn sites. I rested in the company of Remarkable Current by day and Poison Pen (Chino XL, 2006) at night.

                As a student and traveler on the path towards our Creator, I had arrived to a place within myself that demanded a rectification and purification of my heart and soul. I realized that the path to Allah (AWJ) was a pure one. Great attention had to be given to the influences on my heart. Honestly, some of the music I had dabbled into gave me road rage.  I had to consciously remove myself from the music that did not benefit me in my deen or encourage me towards good.

                Ramadan 2009 was a very difficult time for me. I dove deep into qasidas, nasheeds, and a lot of dhikr. I did dhikr until I felt high, literally. I needed Allah’s help so passionately that I stopped listening to music period because I feared that if Allah were to answer my request for guidance I would miss the call. One day in 2010 I needed a Mary J. Blige moment.  The song, Take Me As I Am (The Break Through, 2005). Again, this single mother of 7 wrote to this song for every tear, to the palpitation of every fear and insecurity, and exhaled a whisper, “Bismillah” as I was inspired to unleash any apprehensions stepping out on my own, again.

Najiyya Alim, 2011