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Interview on NPR on Riyaaz Qawwali

I was recently interviewed on NPR about Riyaaz Qawwali, a group out of Austin, TX. Hussein Rashid, a professor of religion at Hofstra University, says that many qawwaliartists working in South Asia today have limited themselves. He believes this American group is bringing the music back to its roots.  “You know, I think there’s been so much concern about what is Islam, and what isn’t, politically speaking and artistically speaking,” Rashid says, “that there’s been a push in modern qawwali to actually sanitize it and make it very sterile — and almost rule-bound — rather than ecstatic and devotional. For me, I think…

Hip-Hop’s Reluctant Hero – LA Times Magazine

Hip-Hop’s Reluctant Hero – LA Times Magazine. In pure Lupe Fiasco style, nothing about Lasers is obvious, starting with the title. According to the artist, it either stands for “Love Always Shines Everytime Remember 2 Smile” or it’s a reworking of the word losers where the O is replaced with an anarchy A symbol. And in keeping with the wordplay, Fiasco raps brilliantly about everything from the contradictions of fame to corporate greed to ghetto culture.

Music, #Iran, and the #IranElection

With my passion for music, I’d be remiss in not pointing out some resources on Iranian music, especially with the conflict surrounding the Iranian election. This piece from Religion Dispatches is good, but I think it takes the “all politics is personal” a little too far. It’s not always about the music. Hawg Blawg is always excellent, and Talk Islam has some work as well. Andrew Sullivan is running an intermittent series called “Outing Iran” that includes a lot of music.

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