“The mandem celebrate Eid, the trap still runnin’ on Christmas Day.” These lyrics by Central Cee catapulted the London-based rapper to worldwide success after his song, ‘Doja’, went viral and topped the charts three years ago. The aforementioned lines were subsequently sung by listeners in clubs, at parties, on social media and beyond.

This isn’t the first time that contemporary rap music has referenced Islam in its lyrics. From A$AP Ferg and Nicki Minaj chanting Arabic phrases like ‘Alhamdulillah’ and ‘Masha Allah’ on their track ‘Plain Jane’, to Drake saying ‘wallahi’ and ‘Masha Allah’ on his record ‘Sweeterman,’ Islam and the Arabic language seem to have permeated popular culture—but not without controversy.

As references to Islam, Muslims and the Arabic language, become seemingly more prevalent in genres such as rap, hip-hop and grime, this can simultaneously increase positive representations of Muslims within mainstream media while arguably trivialising or erasing core values and beliefs of the Islamic faith. What are the origins of the connection between rap and Islam? Has it always been present in the genre, or is there a specific reason for its recent rise?

Rakin Fetuga is an Ustadh, teacher and author, who was previously in two chart-topping hip-hop groups, Cash Crew and Mecca2Medina, and has performed his music across the country. “Rap is just poetry with a beat, and if we go all the way back to Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, he had his own poets with the most famous one being Hassan ibn Thabit,” Rakin tells me about the link between the Islamic faith and rap.

“Inside the masjid, Hassan would recite his poetry about the Prophet ﷺ and Islam. Then when the disbelievers of the Quraysh would arrive, they would write poetry in opposition,” he continues. “Then, Hassan and other poets would defend Islam in their writing. People speak about Drake and Kenrick Lamar, but this was the first ever rap battle of sorts.”

While there is a difference of opinions within Islamic fiqh about music and its permissibility, poetry is allowed and often encouraged, with the likes of poets such as Hassan ibn Thabit, Imam Al-Ghazali, Rumi and many more using their wordsmanship to worship Allah ﷻ and praise Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. 

Since its origins, rap and hip-hop have been closely linked to Islam. The 1960s saw a wave of civil rights movements erupt in the United States, with political and religious organisations like Five-Percent Nation and Nation of Islam causing a rise in Black Americans, in particular, turning to Islam. Simultaneously, the genres were born from the same communities on the streets of New York City.

Since then, many veteran hip-hop artists and groups such as The Last Poets, Yasiin Bey (formerly known as Mos Def), Wu-Tang Clan, Nas and many more have studied the teachings of the Five-Perfect Nation and Islam and incorporated them into their lyricism. From Rakim rapping “Allah, who I praise to the fullest,” on his song ‘R.A.K.I.M,’ to Lauryn Hill singing “Don’t forget about the deen, As-Sirat Al-Mustaqim” on ‘Doo Wap (That Thing),’ Islam has been ever present in the genre.

Rakin points to these earlier references to Islam as examples of “conscious music.”

“The word ‘woke’ comes from rap and it means to be conscious and open. Conscious music is music with a message,” he says.

But, with more recent examples from the aforementioned likes of Central Cee, Drake, Nicki Minaj and more, he feels that mentions of Islam in hip-hop, rap and grime are slowly losing their consciousness.

“It isn’t Islamic,” he says. “Lyrics can encourage you to stay on the deen, such as the likes of Khalid Siddique and Mona Haydar. But, we have others, musicians who are Muslim, but you wouldn’t know it. Maybe they’re not practicing the deen or if they are, they feel they need to keep it separate from their music. For me, personally, if you’re a Muslim musician then you need to be conscious in your lyrics.”

Plus, while there are a growing number of Muslim musicians who are outward with their faith, such as Mustafa and Nemahsis, they can often come under heavy criticism on social media, while artists (Muslim and non-Muslim alike) who are less conscious in their lyricism may receive accolades over judgement. But, what exactly is causing this recent increase in the Islamification of such music genres?

Rakin cites the growing Muslim population in Britain as the main factor. “Islam is on the rise. The most popular name for a boy in this country is Muhammad but, at the same time, there’s this split, of sorts, between those who are following the deen and those who aren’t. You have Muslims in clubs, taking or even dealing drugs. For example, the Muslim prison population is growing and if you want to be protected inside, you can take your shahadah,” he says.

With the growing number of Muslims–both practising and non-practising–in Britain, those who have encountered the faith, even without being a part of it themselves, may find surface-level inspiration from it for their songwriting. “Central Cee, for example, likely knows and was brought up around Muslims,” Rakin adds. “He understands what Islam is but doesn’t fully comprehend the faith. Also, in the rap and drill scene, there are many Muslim rappers such as Krept and Konan. But, from their lyrics, you wouldn’t know they are Muslim,” he says.

While the mention of Islam in rap, hip-hop and grime music is not a new phenomenon, given the origins of the genre and the likes of veterans such as The Last Poets, Yassin Bey and many more, the growing Islamification of the genre has, as Rakin said, lost its consciousness. While such references can introduce listeners to Islam in a way they may not have experienced otherwise, it is important to remind ourselves that many of the other lyrics in such songs may directly oppose the values and teachings of Islam.

“Music has always been seen as a medium to reach and enlighten people,” Rakin concluded. “Unfortunately, many of these movements started well and conscious but today, lyrics speak to materialism, crime and topics that are against the teachings of Islam.” While lyrics can bring listeners closer to the faith, if not done with tawakkul, it can also do the opposite.