We have the pleasure of introducing a head turner from the DMV that goes by the name, Ali Kulture. He's had the opportunity to perform at numerous venues in DC and Virginia opening up for major acts in the game. Born in Pakistan, raised in San Jose CA and currently residing in Virginia. Mr. Kulture has been turning heads for quite some time now with his witty lyrics, brash delivery and unique rhyme patterns. Life is a test of will and Ali has an uncanny ability of capturing moments in his life with his music. Connected with family from the bay area under the umbrella of Greenhouse / Hunnitproof records, he carries the torch in the DMV. The recent momentum of hip hop in the Washington Metropolitan area has created a great arena for talent to shine and Ali Kulture is turning a lot of heads. Lyrics without substance are a façade and Ali puts soul into what he speaks. Being Muslim and an entrepreneur, Ali is dedicated to bringing about a change in the industry and leaving his mark one way or another.
Let it be known that Muslim rappers have influenced Hip-Hop for many years now. There are prominent players in the industry that share the same beliefs as Ali. Some are only rumored to be Muslim while others have proudly displayed their beliefs in the media. Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube, Mos Def, Freeway, Beanie Siegal, T-Pain, Jurassic 5, Rhymefest, AZ and Akon have all publicly expressed their religious beliefs using Rap music as their medium. Q-Tip, a former member of A Tribe Called Quest, converted to Islam back in the 1990s as well as Flesh-n-Bone of Bone Thugs & Harmony. Both Nas and Common have written lyrics inspired from the teachings of Islam.
How is Islam connected to Hip-Hop?
"It's part of our history and culture in Islam," says Tai, 25. "The traditional books of law and philosophy in Islam were written in poetry, and students memorize them with drums, basically singing out the poetry. And if you `beat' that up, it sounds just like rapping."
The connection between hip-hop and Islam was a natural one in the African-American community, where the religion already had strong roots.
"Islamic beliefs and values are seen as the standard in hip-hop," says Adisa Banjoko, a San Jose author who is writing a book on hip-hop and Islam. We used to go by Jihad, which means struggle in Arabic, but after Sept. 11, it was misinterpreted to mean holy war, and that's not the message we bring at all. Islam says to keep positive and be a role model, to make a difference. We try to reflect that in our music."
Read more about this topic, here.
Needless to say, Ali Kulture is making his way to the top of the DC music scene. You can catch him LIVE IN CONCERT this Thursday, November 10, 2011 at Dirty Martini located at 1223 Connecticut Ave NW, DC. Doors open at 8:30pm with performances scheduled to being at 10:30pm. Also performing that night will be Dope Inc. of the DMV and Paradise Inya Citi, lead vocalist for Cultural Affairz Band.
0 comments:
Post a Comment