Panelists at the Hip Hop forum

“Forums like this are necessary and we need to get together more often to take this discussion into the community,” said Wise Intelligent, of the group Poor Righteous Teachers. He was just one of the many hip hop luminaries participating in the forum, which drew hundreds of conference delegates from all regions and of all ages.

Moderated by Final Call Assistant Editor Ashahed M. Muhammad, the standing room only audience was captivated by the brilliance, passion, and historical impact of the dialogue which some felt was long overdue for the new generation to hear.

“It truly takes real G's—not gangsters but gods and generals—to push this (Islam)” said KAM of the West Coast. Like many others on the panel, KAM spoke of how he was introduced to Islam through hip hop music. “You had people like Public Enemy putting the message in the music and I really didn't know what they were talking about until later on.”

Abnar Farrakhan, the son of Minister Farrakhan, noted that “It was artists like Wise Intelligent, KRS-One, and others, through their music, who kept me focused on Islam when my father was on the road. I am very grateful for them.”

Brother Ashahed then stated “many artists were pushing thousands of listeners to Islam,” He then shifted the dialogue to the challenges artists face in maintaining a conscious demeanor in the face of criticism, executive pressures and sometimes, lack of support.

“Some people say conscious rap comes across as preachy but that's just an excuse,” said Brother J of the X-Clan. “Nobody wants to listen to anyone complaining, but corporations have yet to learn how to package consciousness. We lack loyalty behind the conscious material.”

Y.B., the younger brother of KAM, noted that “you have to speak the language of the people and put the message in a way that a man is being taught and don't even know it. My brother has been doing that for years and we didn't catch on to it until later when we started reading for ourselves.”

Joseph Muhammad aka JT The Bigga Figga bore witness to the pressures faced by artists. “It's an obstacle not to sell out. It's a tough choice for a man because your family have to eat. When I chose to stop rapping about killing and drugs, I lost some of my fans and even some executives were encouraging me to go back to my old message.”

“The people are starving for music with a message,” said Jasiri X. “So I feel like if they won't promote me, that's fine. I will promote myself! Doors have been opened for us by the works of Minister Farrakhan,” he added.

NYOIL, who was attending his first Saviours' Day convention, stated that “just like young generations before us, we are going to do great things again—we are going to unite to get work done.” The lyricist also spoke on his present project “Where is My Dad?” which aims not to talk about absent fathers but rather to serve as a heartfelt tribute to fatherhood and its importance.

“Hip Hop brought me into the Nation. I was 15 years-old, when someone gave me the album Holy Intellect by the group Poor Righteous Teachers,” said Latonja Styles-Muhammad, who coordinated the forum. “I thought that this current youth culture needed education on the influence of Islam on this genre of music and the Believers needed a reminder of how powerful this teaching is.”

“My intention for the outcome of the workshop was to bring all the conscious voices together and to form a coalition or organization that we can sit down and strategize on how we can better affect this generation through our art form,” she added.

“The type of dialogue presented in this workshop is vitally important to sustaining and preserving this culture as well as acknowledging the ways in which Islam has infused the Hip Hop movement with fundamental and uplifting self-esteem and spiritual concepts, through music,” said filmmaker Stacey Muhammad of New York.

Other panelists and guest speakers included Queen YoNasDa LoneWolf-Muhammad, NO ID, Kenny “The Human Orchestra” Muhammad, Brother Mustapha of Lost Sheep Productions, founder and CEO of Hip Hop Detoxx, Enoch Muhammad, Hasaun Muhammad, DeeDee Murray, Terry Hunter and student Minister Aziz Muhammad.