Message to a Muslim Artist: The 5 W’s + 1

by Brother Dash

Singer. Poet. Rapper. Dancer. Sculptor. Photographer. Painter. Cartoonist. Comedian. Writer**.Artist. Entertainer. Muslim. Black. Arab. Pakistani. Latina. Revolutionary. Pacifist. Feminist. Human.

We all have descriptors. We label who we are, what we do, where we are from and what we believe. The fact that we use these descriptors means that they are significant to us. They inform our identity. The assumption that I am making with the title of this opinion piece Message To A Muslim Artist: The 5 W’s +1 is that the descriptor or label “Muslim Artist” means something to you.  But before we continue let’s have a working definition of the term Muslim Artist.

When we say “Muslim” we are referring to that individual who affirms a belief in the one God* and that the Prophet Muhammad is the messenger of God. When we talk about an artist we are referring to that individual who “creates art for a beneficial purpose”. Many commentators use this definition of an artist in contradistinction to someone who is a mere “entertainer”.  Entertainment is a form of creative expression but without the sense of purpose associated with Art. Entertainment is normally for recreational, escapist, or economic benefit. While the debate over Art vs. Entertainment is a fascinating one it is not within the scope of this article. What we are most interested in are the working definitions pertaining to our social and artistic purposes. With this as our introduction let us now talk about this Message To A Muslim Artist.  Let us talk about the Who, What, When, Where, Why and How of understanding, navigating and flourishing in an artistic space. We begin with the question of Who.

Who?

Who Are You?

This seemingly simple question is perhaps the most challenging to answer. The question demands that you be honest with yourself and it holds you to account for your answers. If for example you describe yourself as a Muslim poet then this speaks to #1 your identity (Muslim) and #2 your function (poet).  This would suggest that Islam is informing your identity so much so that you even correlate your function i.e. your art with your religion. But is that who you are? This is important because when you self-identify in a society that already has definitions for a particular identity then certain expectations will apply.  The Muslim and even Non-Muslim public will expect your Art to have certain qualities indicative of Islam or at least the perception thereof.  Who you are is one of the most critical of questions to answer.

Who Do You Want To Be?

This question is actually more critical than the first.  Part of the beauty of being an artist is the appreciation one has for creativity and the creative process. Creativity is exploration. Creativity is experimentation. Creativity has a process and from this process you learn, grow, and develop. This creative development should give you desire for personal development as well. So it’s not just who do you want to be as an artist. Who do you want to be as a PERSON? Why is this important? It is important because who you are and who you want to be plays a critical role in informing your art.

What?

What informs and what is the purpose of your art?

Does your Art have a point or purpose? Are you a social commentator? Are you a spiritual motivator? Are you using your Art as a teaching tool? Is it a form of leisure like most literary fiction**? Your art should have a purpose and you need to know what that purpose is especially as a Muslim. In Islamic belief deeds go with intentions so what do you intend with your Art? You will be held to account…so start accounting now.

Related to the crafting of that purpose will be that which informs your art. What themes, ideas, or perspectives go into your self-expression? Are you consumed with gossip TV shows? Do you look at the aesthetic in mainstream music and want to be a so-called “Rock god”? Do you read history and stay informed on current events? Part of knowing who you are, who you want to be and formulating an artistic purpose is looking at what actually “fills your vessel” RIGHT NOW! Are you filling your vessel with ingredients that will make for a soothing or medicinal elixir or something that contributes to entertainment inebriation?

What are you doing with your artistic expression? The issue of actual talent.

Are you truly gifted? Have you studied your craft? Are you in training? What are you doing with the talent you think you have? As someone who has studied poetry, is a published poet, and has performed across the U.S. and the U.K. I take my artistic expression very seriously. To this day I will still practice my spoken word in a little room in my home. I still rehearse leading up to every performance. I continue to try to hone my skills as an observer, thinker, writer and performer and I’ve been doing this for years. Now that’s my particular process. What are you doing to get into a professional mindset even if you are not yet a “professional?” Maybe you are just starting out. That’s fine but what distinguishes you from someone who doesn’t take their art seriously? It’s okay to be an amateur. It’s not okay to be amateurish! One of the biggest problems with so-called Muslim performance art is the plethora of amateurs that think they are professionals and the organizers that treat them that way. Take your craft seriously and take the audience seriously. Study, practice, practice, practice and also be honest with yourself. Take constructive criticism. Demand it in fact. Challenge yourself to get better or look at other areas that may be more suited to what you have to offer. Maybe your talents lie behind the camera, directing the stage, or holding the plume and writing a masterpiece. We all have skills…yours may be in another area.

What space are you in?

Popular culture, entertainment and performing arts are specific targets for the cultural politics of competing groups because they are very influential in people’s daily lives and lifestyles. Art and popular culture are vital in identity construction of individuals and communities. Art is a boundary marker between different cultures, subcultures and ethnicities. It can therefore be expected that in art and expressive culture different imaginations of identities, ideals and belongings compete.

-Karin Neuwkirk Journal of Contemporary Islam

As an artist you need “space” for your Art. Rappers need a stage. Poets need stages and pages, etc. Artists need venues and distribution channels to show their work. But in most cases artists don’t actually own their own space. No writer owns Barnes and Noble where she can just stock the shelves with her own novels. As an artist you need to think about what spaces are realistically open to you? If we look at Muslim Entertainment for example, meaning the kind of expression targeted to and almost exclusively made up by religiously minded Muslims, who owns this space?These events are largely organized by charities and non-profit organizations. Have you looked at the content they usually sponsor and the artists they book? What gender dominates? What ethnicities dominate? What nationalities dominate? This is not to cry racism (though I can share a story or two). It is to make you aware of the role cultural familiarity plays in notions on what is “Islamic” or not. These facts will affect your very opportunities to share your Art.  For example organizers often equate nasheeds and qawwali with being “Islamic”. But in reality both are simply cultural expressions of devotional art. But what Black Muslim does Qawwali? How many Latino Muslims do Arabic nasheeds? White British Muslims have a 100 year old history of Muslim hymns written and composed by White converts! If you are a Chicano Muslim sister that does devotional odes from your cultural reality and not Pakistan’s or Egypt’s then ‘what’ is your space? The problem is that the owners of that space are not making it hospitable. Even the genre of Islamic poetry which is steeped in tradition all the way back to the Prophet Muhammad is rarely included in events. Interestingly though when Muslim audiences are exposed to Spoken Word Poetry they often comment that it resonates with them moreso than other genres. This is indicative of organizers’ predispositions to cultural familiarity as opposed to a market driven response to what people actually want. So you need to look at the reality of YOUR style of artistic expression. Are their spaces for YOU?

What About Women?

And  if you are a woman there are even additional gender dynamics that will either stifle your creativity or pressure it to go in directions you are uncomfortable with. Let’s say you want to be a rapper. Let’s look at the mainstream first. In the mainstream hip-hop world what has been the content and style of ‘successful’ female rappers? You have either had to be a female thug or a sex kitten. More often the latter. What is the atmosphere of the rap world? Is it female friendly? Look at the female “stars” from practically any genre not just hip-hop. Is talent or sexuality promoted? Are powerful, socially empowering lyrics promoted? Is your style of dress even conducive to the rap game? Are you going to somehow change an industry being “all covered up” like that? It will be easier for you to change who YOU are rather than an industry changing what IT is. Do you want to change who you are for an industry? And as a Muslim female rapper will the mainstream accept your modest dress and lack of public sensuality? And if you say you’ll stick with the Muslim Arts/Entertainment scene what is that reality? You will have organizers who have certain views on what is Islamically permissible for Women and/or what they think the community (i.e. their market) will bear. This is why you’ll find that most Muslim female performing artists “live” in the “world music” or “spiritual music” space instead. So as a woman these are the unique realities you need to ponder as well.

When?

‘When are you’ in the practical timeline?

Sales of CDs are ½ what they were 10 years ago. The record industry’s album based model has crumbled. With the advent of digital downloads you no longer have to spend $15 to get the 2 songs on the album that were worth anything anyway. You can just spend $2! This isn’t 1980, 1990 or even 2000. Making money from record sales is very unlikely especially in a world of bit torrent and a multitude of other forms of entertainment competing for a finite number of hours humans can give to entertainment daily.  So it won’t be about selling records and it also won’t be about “new voices”. Record companies don’t like taking chances with “different” and “out of the ordinary”. Few will take a chance on your “Art” especially when entertainment is what sells. So knowing “when” you are on the timeline will help to inform the practicalities of your Art.

‘When are you’ in the performance timeline?

Performance Art is mostly youth oriented. Look at Hip-Hop. Hip-Hop is a young person’s genre. It is made up of young artists and promoted to the youth.  Are you all of a sudden going to be some rap star at 40 years old? Heck if you are in your late 20’s and you still haven’t “made it” as a rapper you’re fooling yourself thinking you are going to be the next Kanye West. 30 is not NOT the new 20 in Hip-Hop. 30 is 30. Name me the rapper in the last 20 years who BROKE IN being over the age of 25? You’ll stand a better chance as a musician and slightly better as a singer. In fact the only genres where age doesn’t really matter are the ones that are truly talent driven such as visual art, literature and Spoken Word (including comedy). And in terms of strictly Muslim entertainment the novelty has worn off. This isn’t 2001, 2004 or even 2007 where Muslim amateurs and professionals or those with professional talent were indisti. So when are you in the timeline?

‘When are you’ in your Islamic development?

A few years ago I met a Muslim artist who happened to be a convert to Islam. I had asked this artist how long he/she had been Muslim. The artist replied “Six months”.  Six months after I took my shahada I was still struggling with saying my obligatory prayers in Arabic.  I was a baby in my Islamic development. How as a new Muslim are you going to navigate the entertainment world when it is highly unlikely that you even looked enough into the issue of Islam and music, poetry, singing, dancing, comedy, drawing, etc to know what you are doing is on a firm ground?  And this is not to mention the trappings that come with being in the entertainment industry such as the ego. And the negative manifestations of the ego will be your downfall in many situations be it arrogance, selfishness, self-centeredness, lack of empathy for others, feelings of entitlement,etc.   So before going into expressing yourself creatively put the ego and desire “to shine” aside, get to know your new Islamic self and do some development. You certainly won’t learn your religion being in Muslim entertainment.

*Side note. Historically some traditional Muslim cultures have identified entertainment, especially Western entertainment, as competition to Islam. It is common for artists to be used as the “repentant entertainer” by people with agendas. These artists would be paraded around Muslim events and through media as the one who “used to do music”, “used to be a rapper”, but later found the “light of Islam.” In my opinion (this is an opinion piece remember?) these artists are being used in this power struggle for the hearts and minds of Muslim youth especially. It is critical to understand who you are, who you want to be and the timeline of your development. You don’t want to be used as the “repentant entertainer”. Again…just a side note.

Where?

Performing in “problematic” venues

As a poet I perform in many venues whether it’s for 25,000 at the ExCeL Centre in London, 500 at Yale University or 35 at a weekend deen intensive. These are all safe venues as far as the atmosphere goes for your spiritual equilibrium. But what about bars, pubs and clubs? What about these doubtful or perhaps even haram environments? If you are doing devotional artistic expression then be honest with yourself (remember how we began?).  How does a song about the Prophet Muhammad work in a pub? But you may now say to me. “But Brother Dash I am not doing devotional music per se I am doing “conscious” rap and “conscious” poetry.”  But I would retort by questioning how much “consciousness” there can be in an establishment whose purpose is for people to imbibe “un”consciousness? But again who do you want to be? What are your goals? If your goals are to be a performer period… then yeah…bars, pubs, clubs, strip clubs, whatever…you’ll perform anywhere and everywhere and you might just make it. Joe Jackson had 8 year old Michael and his Jackson brothers performing in strip clubs. The Beatles performed over 1,000 shows in strip clubs as unknowns. They made it big. But if Islam informs your identity is that you? Do you see why it was so important to begin the article the way we did? But if you are trying to promote conscious rap, poetry, R&B, and/or so-called Islamic rap then performing in pubs do not seem to work too well with Islamic principles.  If a Non-Muslim were to ‘call you on this’ how do you explain Islam is against alcohol, smoking weed, and inappropriate interaction with Men and Women but it’s okay for you as a Muslim to perform in the very venues that promote these things?

Now at times there may be an exception. It depends on the situation. After I had long stopped performing in venues that had a primary function to sell alcohol or were dance clubs I did have a request to perform in a lounge, that had a separate section with a stage for performances, from an old Non-Muslim friend. Due to a temporary personal situation I chose to make an exception in this SPECIFIC circumstance but NOT as a matter of habit. So if you have a “one off” for a good reason? God knows best but I personally don’t take issue with it. If however it is merely to perform because that’s nature of your genre, etc you may want to seriously evaluate that. And certainly if you are a Muslim that is actually ORGANIZING events I don’t see any excuse to organize them in pubs and clubs unless you actually change the environment of the evening.

Why?

Why do you want to be an artist? If it is because of some “need” to express yourself you can do that in the comfort of your living room. So the real question is why do you want to express yourself IN FRONT OF PEOPLE? Why do you want the world to know your art or yourself? Personally speaking I do what I do primarily to express myself FOR MYSELF (i.e. therapeutic value) and secondarily or perhaps concurrently to enlighten and ignoble others via creative expression placed in me by Allah. I’m not trying to make a living at this. I’m not trying to be a superstar. I don’t desire to go on world tours. I’m just trying to do my art. Art with a purpose. But that’s me. That’s my “why” based on years of introspection, learning and experience. I didn’t always feel that way. Why do you do what you do? Some artists have told me that they are using their artistic expression to convey the message of Islam i.e. dawah? That is quite noble. And the intention is quite praiseworthy. If that is your reason then are you also looking at your artistic space? Who is your audience. If they are 99% Muslim then “dawah” may not be the right intention.  Or is it an excuse for the “who you are” part? Is what you are doing really for your own ego? Are you in Muslim entertainment because the audience is so uncritical and brotherly to almost a fault that they will support your amateur talent and even shower praise on you that no one else would? Is it because you could not get mainstream gigs? Be honest about the why.

Why do you want to be involved in an activity that feeds the ego? Remember no one asks a teacher, construction worker even a lawyer for her autograph? No one is clamoring to take a picture with Fulan Fulan but they want a picture with you.  And as a male you will get a great deal of attention from women.  Often times the fully hijabed sisters will be the most forward! Are you truly prepared for that? Even if we recognize all of the pitfalls of being involved in entertainment or artistic expression are you honest enough to admit that perhaps you desire the attention? You like people asking you for autographs. And if you do desire that then that should be an indication of “when” you are on your Islamic development timeline.

How?

So how do you go about expressing yourself creatively in a way that is within an Islamic framework? Well first you start with an understanding that most of the parameters are universal anyway. Imitating the lewd antics of some R&B performers or putting nude sex scenes into your film are obviously out of bounds. But what about risqué or borderline material that may have an artisticly sound purpose? Muslim artists are Muslims too.  They have no special rules.  Art is not given a license to operate under an ends justifies the means paradigm. You may be in a genre that has its own mores antithetical to Islam but that just means you get creative.  What a beautiful thing!

The previous point reminds me of the issue of Muslims using profanity in rap and poetry today. In most cases the use of profanity is laziness or ignorance.  You could not come up with a creative use of language to express anger, frustration or displeasure. You could not use a proper adjective or a proper noun so you went with the lowest common denominator.  Is that how you want to craft your art?  In only some rare instances have I actually approved of profanity in art. There was a particular instance when I heard a poet speaking from a place of deep personal pain and truth regarding the true story of him being thrown in solitary confinement in prison. The truth of his experience was so powerful that the profanity was a truth that needed to be told. It was actually “art” to me. Again this is my opinion. Where I find no room is in the area of obscenity. This is a violation of the public trust. It is a violation of the relationship you have with the audience and the community. Honor that trust. Honor that relationship.

Conclusion

Allah says that he is Al-Jamil and loves that which is Jamilah. God is the ultimate beauty and he loves that which is beautiful. As an artist you are in a wonderful place. You have been given a God given talent. You cannot learn talent. You either have it or you don’t. You can grow your talent. You can hone your craft and you should. But your actual talent is born. Value what you have been given. Take it seriously. Use your talent for the benefit of others as that relationship is cyclical. You will in turn benefit from that which you give and not only in this world but God willing in the next. If you know who you are, what your goals are, when you are on your personal development and artistic timeline, where you are in terms of community, business and genre, and why you express then all that’s left is how you go about doing it. And thus concludes my message, my message to you…the Muslim Artist.

Brother Dash

December 2009

www.brotherdash.com

brotherdash[at]gmail.com

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*The Arabic translation for God is Allah just as for example Dios is the Spanish translation for God. When Muslims refer to Allah they are not referring to a different diety.  The Islamic faith holds that there is one and only one Creator of the Universe. As such Christians and Jews and any monotheist is in essence worshipping the same God as Muslims and in the case of Christianity and Judaism they share many of the same prophets, messengers, and historic locales.

**While many of the themes relate to those involved in literature as well there are some unique concerns. As such a separate “Letter To A Muslim Writer” is forthcoming.