In his album I Am…, Nas also has a song that touches upon religious imagery called “Hate Me Now.” The song’s Christian influence is not portrayed through the lyrics but through the imagery in the music video. Nas depicts himself as bloodied and battered walking through a crowd of hecklers as he wears a thorny crown and carries a cross. Nas’ portrayal mirrors the crucifixion of Jesus. The video was so controversial at the time that some Youtube versions even had to have disclaimers. Nas uses this imagery to bring to light that Jesus’ crucifixion mirrors his own crucifixion in the world of media and haters. Nevertheless, Nas is thankful for his haters because that means “God has given him enough conviction and material possessions to incite
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Muslim rappers as a whole are commonly praised as being more “conscious rappers,” which implies they are especially attentive with making their lyrics meaningful and remaining aware of social issues. This voicing of social issues in lyrics challenges the “more facile, materialistic, and thuggish elements… of mainstream rap music.” A Tribe Called Quest is a Hip Hop group praised for offering an alternative sound in the 1990’s as West Coast Gansta Rap started to come up. Two of the group's members, Q-Tip and Ali Shaheed Muhammad, are both Sunni Muslims. In their album People’s Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm, A Tribe Called Quest’s insightful messages are especially evident in their song “Youthful Expressions” that sheds light on the lack of voice given to black youth. Q-Tip raps, “put out fires with a 40 ounce” and pauses before completing the line with “of water.” A Tribe Called Quest plays on the negative bias that most listeners would imagine a black male drinking a 40-ounce of malt liquor rather than water. A Tribe Called Quest’s main objectives were to promote “personal awareness, social consciousness, and the challenge to seek a Supreme Being.” A Tribe Called Quest urged its listeners to find their place in the universe and develop a spiritual …show more content…
In “Black Jesuz” from Still I Rise, Tupac searches for a saint out there that “smoke[s] like we smoke, [and] drink[s] like we drink,” thus, living the same lifestyle and feeling the same pain as gangsters. Ultimately, Black Jesuz would not be above them; he would sin and do whatever is necessary to survive in the ghetto like they do. If a Black Jesuz like that did exist, then, gangsters would find him easier to relate to because of their shared understanding and become more likely to follow him. In the same album, Tupac even goes far enough to address God in his song “Letter to the President,” poignantly writing “Dear Lord, look how sick this ghetto made us ... I'm a thug, the product of a broken home.” Tupac examines the irony in God allowing there to be ghettos with poverty stricken families forced to resort to crime to survive. Tupac argued against the shortcomings of previous or existing theologies during the present day crisis of “poverty, recidivism rates for young urban males, racism, and classism.” Tupac also brought to life more religious imagery by depicting himself being crucified. The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory was released two months after Tupac passed away. On the cover art, a cartoon version of Tupac is seen nailed to a cross by his hands and feet. Tupac is seen with his
Muslim rappers as a whole are commonly praised as being more “conscious rappers,” which implies they are especially attentive with making their lyrics meaningful and remaining aware of social issues. This voicing of social issues in lyrics challenges the “more facile, materialistic, and thuggish elements… of mainstream rap music.” A Tribe Called Quest is a Hip Hop group praised for offering an alternative sound in the 1990’s as West Coast Gansta Rap started to come up. Two of the group's members, Q-Tip and Ali Shaheed Muhammad, are both Sunni Muslims. In their album People’s Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm, A Tribe Called Quest’s insightful messages are especially evident in their song “Youthful Expressions” that sheds light on the lack of voice given to black youth. Q-Tip raps, “put out fires with a 40 ounce” and pauses before completing the line with “of water.” A Tribe Called Quest plays on the negative bias that most listeners would imagine a black male drinking a 40-ounce of malt liquor rather than water. A Tribe Called Quest’s main objectives were to promote “personal awareness, social consciousness, and the challenge to seek a Supreme Being.” A Tribe Called Quest urged its listeners to find their place in the universe and develop a spiritual …show more content…
In “Black Jesuz” from Still I Rise, Tupac searches for a saint out there that “smoke[s] like we smoke, [and] drink[s] like we drink,” thus, living the same lifestyle and feeling the same pain as gangsters. Ultimately, Black Jesuz would not be above them; he would sin and do whatever is necessary to survive in the ghetto like they do. If a Black Jesuz like that did exist, then, gangsters would find him easier to relate to because of their shared understanding and become more likely to follow him. In the same album, Tupac even goes far enough to address God in his song “Letter to the President,” poignantly writing “Dear Lord, look how sick this ghetto made us ... I'm a thug, the product of a broken home.” Tupac examines the irony in God allowing there to be ghettos with poverty stricken families forced to resort to crime to survive. Tupac argued against the shortcomings of previous or existing theologies during the present day crisis of “poverty, recidivism rates for young urban males, racism, and classism.” Tupac also brought to life more religious imagery by depicting himself being crucified. The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory was released two months after Tupac passed away. On the cover art, a cartoon version of Tupac is seen nailed to a cross by his hands and feet. Tupac is seen with his