Native Deen is an

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

musical group A musical ensemble, also known as a music group, musical group, or a band is a group of people who perform instrumental and/or vocal music, with the ensemble typically known by a distinct name. Some music ensembles consist solely of instrumen ...

from the Washington, D.C. area. Native Deen's music combines

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

and R&B styles with

lyrical Lyrical may refer to: *Lyrics, or words in songs * Lyrical dance, a style of dancing *Emotional, expressing strong feelings *Lyric poetry Modern lyric poetry is a formal type of poetry which expresses personal emotions or feelings, typically ...

themes grounded in Islam. They have three albums: '' Deen You Know'', '' Not Afraid To Stand Alone'' and ''

The Remedy (Native Deen album) ''The Remedy'' is the third studio album by American hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characteri ...

''.

The band and its music

"Deen" in

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

means "religion" or "way of life." Native Deen comprises Joshua Salaam, Naeem Muhammad, and Abdul-Malik Ahmad, young Muslim men who were born and raised in the District of Columbia. Their music seeks to inspire young people to keep their Islamic faith amidst the pressures and temptations of daily life.''Native Deen's Muslim Rap'', by Phyllis McIntosh, at usinfo.state.gov
/ref> Group members identify themselves as Muslim, and wear traditional Islamic dress such as

kufi A kufi or kufi cap is a brimless, short, and rounded cap worn by men in many populations in North Africa, East Africa, West Africa, South Asia, and the Middle East. It is also worn by men throughout the African diaspora. The cap has strong ass ...

s and

shalwar kameez Shalwar kameez (also salwar kameez and less commonly shalwar qameez) is a traditional combination dress worn by men and women in South Asia, and Central Asia. '' Shalwars'' are trousers which are atypically wide at the waist and narrow to a ...

. They say there is more than one way to identify as a Muslim, both by etiquette and dress. Their music typifies the subgenre "positive hip-hop".

Charitable work and activism

At the third annual

Islamic Relief Islamic Relief Worldwide is an international NGO founded in the United Kingdom in 1984. It has international headquarters in Birmingham and a network of national offices, affiliated partners, registered branches and country offices spread over ...

"Evening of Inspiration", in

Costa Mesa Costa may refer to: Biology * Rib (Latin: ''costa''), in vertebrate anatomy * Costa (botany), the central strand of a plant leaf or thallus * Costa (coral), a stony rib, part of the skeleton of a coral * Costa (entomology), the leading edge o ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, Muhammad narrated a powerful slideshow, projecting images of needy, hungry children from around the world to illustrate why Islam demands that Muslims give to the less fortunate. He said that Islamic Relief "helps the most vulnerable people from all walks of life. People don't understand how much a dollar can do. That's why this event is more than just a concert – it's a call to action."''Evening inspires hope through music diversity'', by Shahla Khan, Southern California InFocus, August 2008

Performances

Native Deen performs at Islamic conferences, fundraisers, and holiday gatherings (often during

Ramadan Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It is observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting (''Fasting in Islam, sawm''), communal prayer (salah), reflection, and community. It is also the month in which the Quran is believed ...

and

Eid-ul-Adha Eid al-Adha () is the second of the two main Islamic holidays, festivals in Islam alongside Eid al-Fitr. It falls on the 10th of Dhu al-Hijja, the twelfth and final month of the Islamic calendar. Celebrations and observances are generally carri ...

). The group is relatively well known among Muslim youth in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

, and has toured internationally. Native Deen's music typically features drums, synthesized instruments, and vocals. Due to the belief of the majority of the Islamic scholars on the matter, wind, string, and metal instruments are never used.

Origins and development

Native Deen's members met through Muslim Youth of North America (MYNA). Each appeared on MYNA RAPS, an album produced to spotlight the work of aspiring Muslim

songwriters A songwriter is a person who creates musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music genre and film scoring. ...

and recording artists. Salaam, Ahmad, and Muhammad, who were performing as solo acts, joined together to form Native Deen.

Discography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Native Deen African-American Muslims Performers of Islamic music American contemporary R&B musical groups American hip-hop trios Musical trios from Washington, D.C. Muslims from Washington, D.C.