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Brother Ali

Read an article about a new rapper Brother Ali. Tunes sounded slick, but his name caught my attention. Was he Muslim? Was he Muslim-chic (yes, it exists in hip-hop and in dress)? Did some b/g, and he is Muslim. Tunes are slick. Technorati Tags: Islam in the US, hip-hop

How the Jews Saved Islam

I was hoping that title would get someone’s attention. More specifically: I was reading The Hundred Thousand Fools of God: Musical Travels in Central Asia (And Queens, New York) and learned quite about the relationship between Bukharan Jews and Muslims in Transoxiana (modern day Uzbekistan and Tajikistan). In brief, Muslims started giving up aspects of their musical heritage and the Bukharan (here, basically meaning Central Asian) Jews took up the craft and helped preserve Islamicate music, especially the shash maqām. It’s a good read, and I highly recommend it. While it’s also a bit late for Diaspora Month, the last…

Video: Every Beat by Aashiq al-Rasul

I really like these guys musically. I think it’s a riot they have taken a Bollywood reworking of a devotional song and turned it back into an devotional. The video is a bit campy, but fun. I’d love to see a Fez Meghani and Aashiq al-Rasul collaboration. > Music