15 Rappers Who Are Muslim
Islam, perhaps unsurprisingly as the world’s second largest religion, has deep roots in the world of rap and hip-hop. And with many rappers and hip-hop artists utilizing Islamic themes and phrases within their music, we figured now was as good a time as ever to explore the top 15 rappers who are Muslim.
And while not all these rappers and hip-hop artists practice the religion to a tee, Islamic teachings indicate that judging another Muslim for their faults is incorrect and should be avoided.
As the Prophet Muhammed stated,
المُسْلِمُ أخو المْسلِمِ لا يَظْلِمُهُ ولا يخْذِلُهُ ولا يُسَلِّمُهُ.
“A Muslim is the brother of other Muslims. He never oppresses them. He never abandons them. He never leaves them alone in the face of calamities.”
Wondering which famous athletes are Muslim? Be sure to check out our full article on Muslim basketball players, Muslim boxers, Muslim soccer players, and Muslim football players.
What is Islam?
Before jumping into the top 25 rappers who are Muslim, it is important to understand what a Muslim is and what Islam is.
Islam is a monotheistic religion which is centered around the Quran, or the Muslim holy book, which is considered by Muslims to be the verbatim word of God.
As the world’s second-largest religion with over 2-billion followers, Muslims believe in a merciful, all-powerful, and omnipotent God who has guided humanity through prophets, revealed scriptures, and natural signs and miracles.
As such, Muslims also believe that Muhammed was the last and final prophet sent to humanity.
A follower of Islam is thus titled a Muslim and Muslims are expected, amongst other things, to take an oath declaring their belief in Islam, offer daily prayers, give frequently to charity, complete the fast in the month of Ramadan, and make a pilgrimage to the city of Mecca at least once in their lifetime.
Lupe Fiasco
Born Wasalu Muhammed Jaco on February 16, 1982, Lupe Fiasco is a rapper, singer, record producer, and entrepreneur. Having rose to international fame following the debut of his album Lupe Fiasco’s Food & Liquor, Lupe has continued to push a mix of rap and thought-provoking melodies to his loyal fans.
Having been born and raised on the West Side of Chicago, Lupe Fiasco is of West African descent. His father, Gregory, was a member of the Black Panther Party and was a prolific African drummer, karate teacher, and owned an army surplus store.
Kevin Gates
Born Kevin Jerome Gilyard and better known as his stage name Kevin Gates, he is a rapper, singer, and entrepreneur. With Gates’ debut album, Islah, being released in January of 2016, the album quickly peaked at number two on the US Billboard 200 chart.
While many of Kevin Gates’ songs don’t actively discuss Islam or his Muslim faith, both he and his wife, Dreka Haynes, are practicing Muslims and both went to Mecca for the Hajj in September of 2016.
French Montana
French Montana, born Karim Kharbouch, is a Moroccan-American rapper. He was born and raised in Morocco and emigrated to the United States with his family when he was 13 years old.
French Montana is one of the most well-known Muslim artists and he is fluent in both his native Arabic and French. In addition, French Montana cites being a father as one of his biggest forms of inspiration.
Dave East
David Lawrence Brewster Jr., or better known by his stage name of Dave East, is an American rapper from Harlem, New York. Although he began his career in 2010, he gained fame in 2014 from his eight mixtape, Black Rose.
The release of Black Rose also gained the attention of fellow New York rapper Nas, who signed East to his record label, Mass Appeal Records and later in conjunction with Def Jam Records.
Although David was not born a Muslim, he would convert to Islam while serving a prison sentence and currently identifies as a Muslim. He would later note on his conversion, stating:
“Islam really brought a discipline to my life that I didn’t really have before… My old mindset was if they ain’t helping me, I ain’t helping them, but you can’t live life that way.”
Bas
Born Abbas Hamad, and better known by his stage name of Bas, he is an American rapper who is signed to J. Cole’s Dreamville Records via Interscope Records. Born in Paris, France to Sudanese parents, his family moved to New York City when Abbas was 8 years old.
Mos Def
Perhaps one of the most famous Muslim rapper, Mos Def, born Dante Terrell Smith and having changed his name to Yasiin Bey, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and actor.
Mos Def began his career in 1994 and quickly thereafter formed the duo Black Star with fellow Brooklyn-based rapper Talib Kweli. During his career, Mos Def has been vocal on several political and social causes, including police brutality, the status of African Americans, and with regards to the idea of American exceptionalism.
Mos Def was born on December 11, 1973, in Brooklyn, New York. The eldest of 12 children and step-children, he was raised by his mother in Brooklyn while his father lived in nearby New Jersey.
His father, Abdulrahman Smith was initially a member of the Nation of Islam and later began following the mainstream Sunni Islam. However, Mos Def was not exposed to Islam until the age of 13.
Ali Shaheed Muhammad
Ali Shaheed Muhammad is an American hip hop DJ, record producer, and rapper and is best known as being a member of A Tribe Called Quest. A native of Brooklyn, New York, Ali currently resides in Los Angeles, California.
Ali Shaheed Muhammad is a devout Muslim and with fellow rappers Jay Tee and Q-Tip formed the music-production collective known as “the Ummah“. In addition, he is close friends with fellow Brooklyn-based rapper Mos Def.
Q-Tip
Q-Tip was born as Jonathan William Davis and would change his name to Kamaal Ibn John Fareed. He is an American rapper, record producer, singer, and DJ and has been nicknamed The Abstract for his innovative jazz-influenced style of hip hop production and his philosophical, esoteric and introspective lyrical themes.
In addition to rapping, Q-Tip has appeared on a number of films, including Poetic Justice, She Hate Me, and Prison Song.
Q-Tip, however, was not born a Muslim. Rather, he converted to Islam in the mid-1990’s and would change his name to reflect the same. In addition to being Muslim, Q-Tip is a longtime vegetarian and practices Transcendental Meditation.
Rakim
Born William Michael Griffin Jr. and better known by his stage name of Rakim, he is both an American rapper and record producer. Highly regarded as one of the most influential and skilled MCs of all time, he was a part of the hip hop duo Eric B. & Rakim.
Rakim is considered a transformational figure in the world of hip hop for raising the bar for MC technique higher than it had ever been.
Rakim helped to pioneer the use of internal and multisyllabic rhymes, and he was among the first to demonstrate the possibilities of sitting down to write intricately crafted lyrics packed with clever word choices and metaphors rather than the more improvisational styles and simpler rhyme patterns that predominated before him.
As fellow rapper Kool Moe Dee would explain:
“Rakim is basically the inventor of flow. We were not even using the word flow until Rakim came along. It was called rhyming, it was called cadence, but it wasn’t called flow. Rakim created flow”
Initially, Rakim was introduced to the Nation of Islam in 1986 and he would later join The Nation of Gods and Earths or more simply known as the 5 Percent Nation, adopting the name Rakim Allah.
Busta Rhymes
Born Trevor George Smith Jr. and professionally known as Busta Rhymes, he is both a rapper and actor. Having appeared as a guest rapper on A Tribe Called Quest’s track “Scenario”, he would soon after become a popular guest rapper for other groups before debuting his own solo albums.
In his personal life, Busta Rhymes has six children and is a member of the Five Percent Nation.
Akon
Born Aliaune Damala Badara Akon Thiam and better known as simply Akon, he is a Senegalese American singer, songwriter, record producer, and entrepreneur. Having rose to international prominence following the 2004 release of Locked Up, Akon has gone on to have a successful rap and hip hop career.
And in addition to releasing his own solo albums, Akon often provides vocals as a featured artist and is currently credited with over 300 guest appearances and more than 35 Billboard Hot 100 songs, resulting in five Grammy Award nominations. He is the first solo artist to hold both the number one and two spots simultaneously on the Billboard Hot 100 charts twice.
Big Daddy Kane
Born Antonio Hardy, Big Daddy Kane is an American rapper who initially began his career in 1986 as a member of the Juice Crew. Rolling Stone would rank his song, “Ain’t No Half-Steppin” number 25 on its list of The 50 Greatest Hip-Hop Songs of All Time, stating that he is:
“a master wordsmith of rap’s late-golden age and a huge influence on a generation of MCs”
Swizz Beatz
Born Kasseem Daoud Dean, and better known by his stage name of Swizz Beatz, he is an American record producer, rapper, record executive, and businessman.
Born and raised in New York City, Dean embarked on his musical career as a DJ and at the age of 18, he started to gain recognition in the hip hop industry through his family’s record label, Ruff Ryders, as well as his friendship and work with East Coast rapper DMX. Working with DMX as his producer, DJ and hype man helped Dean gain prominence as a high-profile personality in hip hop.
Swizz Beatz is a devout Muslim and he is currently married to the reknowned Alicia Keys, with whom he has two children, Egypt Daoud Dean and Genesis Ali Dean.
Ice Cube
Born O’Shea Jackson Jr. and better known as Ice Cube, he is an American rapper, actor, and filmmaker. His lyrics on N.W.A’s 1988 album Straight Outta Compton contributed to gangsta rap’s widespread popularity and his political rap solo albums were critically and commercially successful.
In addition, Ice Cube has also had an active film career since the early 1990s and he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of N.W.A in 2016.
In 1990, Ice Cube formed his own record label and became associated with the rap group Public Enemy who introduced him to the Nation of Islam and his eventual conversion to Islam.
T-Pain
T-Pain, born Faheem Rasheed Najm, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer. He has been known for his frequent use of the Auto-Tune pitch correction effect and has had success working with major artists including Snoop Dogg, Lil Wayne, Kanye West, Future and Travis Scott.
T-Pain was born and raised in Tallahassee, Florida to parents Aliyah, a Bahamian chef and Shasheem, who founded the Homeboyz to Men program. His stage name is short for “Tallahassee Pain”, and was chosen because of the hardships he experienced while living there.
Faheem Najm was raised in a Muslim household.