Recorded in Paris, this short for the exhibit “Return of the Mecca: The Art of Islam and Hip-Hop” features excerpts from an interview between Yasiin Bey (aka Mos Def) and curator Sohail Daulatzai, as well as music by Oddisee, and art work from the exhibit which includes Jamel Shabazz, Ernie Paniccioli, B+, Cognito, Katina Parker, Coleman, Nema Etebar and more.
Rakim. Public Enemy. A Tribe Called Quest. Gang Starr. Ice Cube. The Wu-Tang Clan. Mos Def. Lupe Fiasco. Jay Electronica. To many, these are some of hip-hop’s most significant artists. But few know that these artists, like many others, identify as Muslim and/or are connected to the global religion of Islam. Through the influence of figures such as Malcolm X and Muhammad Ali, hip-hop culture was dominated, if not deeply influenced by its relationship to Islam, from the foundation of Zulu Nation in the early 1970’s, to the “Golden Age” of hip-hop (1986-1995), and onto the present. Return of the Mecca will showcase how Islam deeply impacted the world of art and culture, creating an alternative Black consciousness, one where Black people imagined themselves not as a national minority, but as part of a global majority.
Exhibition runs until
November 22, 2014
Gallery open:
Tuesday to Saturday,
12-5 pm
Limited Edition, 120 page full color commemorative book that features an extended interview with Yasiin Bey (aka Mos Def), essays by Chuck D and Sohail Daulatzai, photos by Jamel Shabazz, Ernie Paniccioli, B+, Katina Parker and Cognito, as well as other artwork and ephemera, is available.
Limited Edition print of the official artwork for the “Return of the Mecca: The Art of Islam and Hip-Hop” exhibit, is also available.
Cover design, illustrations and official print by Joseph “Joe Buck” Buckingham.
Eric B. & Rakim. Microphone Fiend. UNI Records, 1988. Courtesy of Mark Bijasa.
A Tribe Called Quest. The Low End Theory. Jive/Zomba, 1991. Designer: ZombArt. Photographer: Joe Grant. Courtesy of Sohail Daulatzai.
Malcolm X. By Any Means Necessary. Douglas Communications Corporation. 1964. Designer: Bob Cato and Ira Friedlander. Illustrator: Abdul Mati. Courtesy of Alden Kimbrough.
Gang Starr. Daily Operation. Cool Tempo/Chrysalis Records, 1992. Courtesy of Sohail Daulatzai.
Black Star. Black Star. Rawkus Records, 1998. Art Director: Tim Ronan. Photographer: Eddie Otchere, Tasleem, Jake Septimus, and Franck Khalfoun. Courtesy of Sohail Daulatzai.
Ice Cube. Death Certificate. Priority Records, 1991. Art Director: Kevin Hosmann. Photographer: Mario Castellanos. Courtesy of Sohail Daulatzai.
960a.png)
Bumper Stickers. Million Woman March. Philadelphia, PA. 1997. Photographer: Katina Parker.
Public Enemy. It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back. Def Jam Recordings, 1988. Photographer: Glen E. Friedman. Courtesy of DJ KALEEM.
The Ahmad Jamal Trio. The Awakening. ABC Records, 1970. Photographer: George S. Whiteman. Courtesy of A-Ski (Unique74).
Message to to the Blackman. East Flatbush section of Brooklyn. 1980. Photographer: Jamel Shabazz.
Muhammad Speaks: Allah Is The Greatest. Courtesy of Alden Kimbrough.
Queen Latifah. Photographer: Ernie Paniccioli.
Wu-Tang Clan. Protect Ya Neck. RCA Records, 1993. Courtesy of Mark Bijasa.
