Mecca2Medina
Encyclopedia
Mecca2Medina were the first Islamic
Hip hop
/Nasheed
group in Britain
.
, entitled "Life after death", the same year. Since then they have released three nasheed albums and two hip hop albums and one mix CD. They make music for both Muslims and non-Muslims. Rakin Fetuga
created Mecca2Medina after leaving his previous rap group, Cash Crew in 1995.
The group aims to make music which expresses their Islamic views and they also comment on social issues related to 'ghetto life'. They rap over a music style which uses African drum rhythms aimed at conservative Islamic audiences. And for real hip-hop fans they use soulful rhythms and electronic beats. The first members to join Rakin were Ismael Lea South
and Imran Kazi. Later Doaud Saifallah and Abdul Kareem Talib joined. All of the members converted to Islam apart from Imran Kazi who was born as a Muslim. All five are married with children. As a group of five Mecca2Medina (M2M) performed at many Islamic events around the United Kingdom.
Many non-Muslim community organizations also invite them to perform at events. The group contains youth workers Daoud and Ismael, a social worker Abdul-Karim, a teacher Rakin and a civil servant Imran, these qualifications led the group to do many workshops around the country with disaffected young people and prisoners. The first member to leave the group was Doaud Saifallah. He now works with the youth and is also doing solo Islamic rap music. Imran Kazi was next to leave and now has formed a duo called 'The Planets'. The remaining trio went on for many years and travelled outside of the UK to many countries including Nigeria, USA, France and The Republic of Ireland.
They also are community event organizers and use the name 'The Salam Project'. They have organized grassroots events in the community such as talks with prominent Islamic scholars such as Sheikh Abdul Hakim Quick, Shaykh Ahmed Ba'biker Abu Bakr As-Sudani and Sheikh Michael Mumisa. They also have organized Muslim Comedy events with comedians such as Prince Abdi and Jeff Mirza. Along with comedy events they also arrange many tours around the country with the influx of new Islamic rap artists. They have worked with many new artists including with The Blind Alphabets and Mohammed Yahya, Missundastood of the USA, Poetic Pilgrimage
, Pearls of Islam, Masika Feesibillah and Muslim Bilal. They have collaborated on Malaysian group 'Raihan
's' album.
Abdul Kareem Talib was the third member to leave the group leaving the duo Rakin and Ismael. They still perform together whilst also working on solo projects. Rakin Fetuga has produced a solo album "The Road Less Travelled" under the name 'Rakin Niass' and Ismael organizes community events and tours.
Islamic music
Islamic music is Muslim religious music, as sung or played in public services or private devotions. The classic heartland of Islam is the Middle East, North Africa, Iran, Central Asia, Horn of Africa and South Asia. Due to Islam being a multi-ethnic religion, the musical expression of its adherents...
Hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
/Nasheed
Anasheed
Anasheed , is Islamic vocal music that is either sung a cappella or accompanied by percussion instruments such as the daff...
group in Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
.
History
The group was started in 1996 and produced their first EPExtended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
, entitled "Life after death", the same year. Since then they have released three nasheed albums and two hip hop albums and one mix CD. They make music for both Muslims and non-Muslims. Rakin Fetuga
Rakin Fetuga
Rakin Misbah Fetuga Niass is a British rapper, music producer, presenter and teacher.-Early life:Rakin Fetuga was born in Ladbroke Grove, West London. His parents, both Nigerian, came to the UK in the 1960s to further their education. His Muslim father was an accountant, whilst his mother was a...
created Mecca2Medina after leaving his previous rap group, Cash Crew in 1995.
The group aims to make music which expresses their Islamic views and they also comment on social issues related to 'ghetto life'. They rap over a music style which uses African drum rhythms aimed at conservative Islamic audiences. And for real hip-hop fans they use soulful rhythms and electronic beats. The first members to join Rakin were Ismael Lea South
Ismael Lea South
Ismael Lea South is a British rapper, community activist and youth worker.-Background:Born Lea South in Willesden, North West London, United Kingdom. Both his parents are from Jamaica, his father came to the UK in the late 1950s and his mother in the early 1960s. He was raised as a...
and Imran Kazi. Later Doaud Saifallah and Abdul Kareem Talib joined. All of the members converted to Islam apart from Imran Kazi who was born as a Muslim. All five are married with children. As a group of five Mecca2Medina (M2M) performed at many Islamic events around the United Kingdom.
Many non-Muslim community organizations also invite them to perform at events. The group contains youth workers Daoud and Ismael, a social worker Abdul-Karim, a teacher Rakin and a civil servant Imran, these qualifications led the group to do many workshops around the country with disaffected young people and prisoners. The first member to leave the group was Doaud Saifallah. He now works with the youth and is also doing solo Islamic rap music. Imran Kazi was next to leave and now has formed a duo called 'The Planets'. The remaining trio went on for many years and travelled outside of the UK to many countries including Nigeria, USA, France and The Republic of Ireland.
They also are community event organizers and use the name 'The Salam Project'. They have organized grassroots events in the community such as talks with prominent Islamic scholars such as Sheikh Abdul Hakim Quick, Shaykh Ahmed Ba'biker Abu Bakr As-Sudani and Sheikh Michael Mumisa. They also have organized Muslim Comedy events with comedians such as Prince Abdi and Jeff Mirza. Along with comedy events they also arrange many tours around the country with the influx of new Islamic rap artists. They have worked with many new artists including with The Blind Alphabets and Mohammed Yahya, Missundastood of the USA, Poetic Pilgrimage
Poetic Pilgrimage
Poetic Pilgrimage is a British Muslim hip-hop duo founded in 2002. It is one of only a very few female Muslim musical groups.Poetic Pilgrimage is a female Hip Hop and Spoken Word duo who wish to take the world by storm with their sounds, lyrics and individual, personal characters...
, Pearls of Islam, Masika Feesibillah and Muslim Bilal. They have collaborated on Malaysian group 'Raihan
Raihan
Raihan is a Malaysian nasheed group originally composing of five members that took Malaysia by storm with the release of their debut album Puji-Pujian in October 1996. The group's original lineup comprised Nazrey Johani, Che Amran Idris, Abu Bakar Md Yatim, Amran Ibrahim, and Azhari Ahmad as the...
's' album.
Abdul Kareem Talib was the third member to leave the group leaving the duo Rakin and Ismael. They still perform together whilst also working on solo projects. Rakin Fetuga has produced a solo album "The Road Less Travelled" under the name 'Rakin Niass' and Ismael organizes community events and tours.
See also
- Black BritishBlack BritishBlack British is a term used to describe British people of Black African descent, especially those of Afro-Caribbean background. The term has been used from the 1950s to refer to Black people from former British colonies in the West Indies and Africa, who are residents of the United Kingdom and...
- British hip hopBritish hip hopBritish hip hop is a genre of music, and a culture that covers a variety of styles of hip hop music made in the United Kingdom. It is generally classified as one of a number of styles of urban music...
- Islamic musicIslamic musicIslamic music is Muslim religious music, as sung or played in public services or private devotions. The classic heartland of Islam is the Middle East, North Africa, Iran, Central Asia, Horn of Africa and South Asia. Due to Islam being a multi-ethnic religion, the musical expression of its adherents...
- NasheedAnasheedAnasheed , is Islamic vocal music that is either sung a cappella or accompanied by percussion instruments such as the daff...
- Ismael Lea SouthIsmael Lea SouthIsmael Lea South is a British rapper, community activist and youth worker.-Background:Born Lea South in Willesden, North West London, United Kingdom. Both his parents are from Jamaica, his father came to the UK in the late 1950s and his mother in the early 1960s. He was raised as a...
- Rakin FetugaRakin FetugaRakin Misbah Fetuga Niass is a British rapper, music producer, presenter and teacher.-Early life:Rakin Fetuga was born in Ladbroke Grove, West London. His parents, both Nigerian, came to the UK in the 1960s to further their education. His Muslim father was an accountant, whilst his mother was a...
- List of converts to Islam
- Fun-Da-MentalFun-Da-MentalFun-Da-Mental is a British-based multi-ethnic hip-hop–ethno-techno–world fusion music group formed in 1991. The group is notable for its energetic fusion of Eastern and Western musical forms, for its outspoken political stance, and for its strong Islamic affiliation and advocacy. Fun-Da-Mental's...
- Native DeenNative DeenNative Deen is an Islamic musical group from the Washington, D.C. area. Native Deen's music combines a hip-hop style with lyrical themes grounded in Islam.The group uses percussion instruments and synthetic sounds...
- Blak-stone
- DAM (band)DAM (band)DAM is a Palestinian hip-hop group. Based in Lod, Israel, DAM was founded in 1999 by brothers Tamar and Suhell Nafar and their friend Mahmoud Jreri, and their songs are largely about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and poverty...
- Dirty KuffarDirty KuffarDirty Kuffar is a controversial 2004 Jihad style Islamist extremist rap video produced by Muslim British rappers Sheikh Terra and the Soul Salah Crew, or, as the video says: featuring the Soul Salah Crew....
- Soldiers of Allah
- Poetic PilgrimagePoetic PilgrimagePoetic Pilgrimage is a British Muslim hip-hop duo founded in 2002. It is one of only a very few female Muslim musical groups.Poetic Pilgrimage is a female Hip Hop and Spoken Word duo who wish to take the world by storm with their sounds, lyrics and individual, personal characters...
External links
- Official Website
- BBC Radio 1Xtra on Islamic hip hop
- Yvonne Ridley on Mecca2Medina
- Muslims in the House. emel. Issue 8, November/December 2004
- Mecca2Medina page on FacebookFacebookFacebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...