Page 17 The Islamic Bulletin Issue 18 Rapp Artist Embracing Islam Everlast: Taking Islam one day at a time An interview by Adisa Banjoko Rapp music has seen more than its share influence from the religion of Islam. With groups such as Public Enemy rapping about their respect for the Nation of Islam, to people such as QTipof ATribeCalledQuest embracingmainstream Islam, the re-ligion seems to be a recurrent theme in the genre, both impacting lyrics and lives. One artist more recently touched by Islam is Eric Schrody, bet-ter known inmusic circles as Everlast. While Everlast began his musical career as a rapp artist, he has recently shown himself to have much greater depth and diversity. His current album, Whitey Ford Sings the Blues (currently ranked#49 on billboard’s charts after peaking at #9) exhibits this in its reflective and somewhat philosophical tone, showing glimpses of the influence Islam has had on his life. What follows is an interview in which Everlast discusses his journey to Islam and the challenges he faces as a new Muslim. Tell me about the first time you learned about Islam? It was probably around the late 80’s. I was hangin’ out with Divine Styler (a popular Los Angeles rapp artist). He was basically at the end of his 5% period (referring to the pseudo-Islamic “Nation of Gods and Earths” sect). Hewas starting tocome into Islam.He livedwiththeBashir family.Abdullah Bashirwas sort of his teacher; andmine itwoundup later.Ashewasmaking the transition from 5% into Islam I would just be around and hear things. I’m trying to think of the first time I recognized it as Islam. I think it was whenoneofDivine’s friends tookShahada (theMuslimprofessionof faith) and I was there. I heard him say, “I bear witness that there is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is the servant and messenger.” And I remember me being like, “What is this? I’mwhite. Can I be here?” It was outta ignorance, you know? ‘Cause here in America, Islam is considered a “Black thing.” And that’s when someone pointed out to me, “You have no idea howmanywhiteMuslims there are in theworld.” I was like, “Really,” and somebody broke it down. I said, “That’s crazy. I had no clue.” Do you feel any extra pressure being a white Muslim in America? I don’t think of it on the grand scale. To me, Islam is mine. Allah is the God of all the worlds, and all mankind and all the Al-Amin (worlds/ universe). Islam is my personal relationship with God. So, nobody can put any more pressure on me than I can put on myself. But as far as the mosque where I pray, I have never felt more at home or more welcome. And it’s not just mine. The few mosques that I’ve gone to around the country, I’ve never ever been made to feel uncomfortable. Like in New York, the mosque is big and there’s so many people that nobody is lookin’ to notice you. There were Chines, Korean, Spanish - everything, which was a good thing for me because at my mosque I’m the only white male, [although] there are some white females. I think at first, I thought about it more than anybody else the first couple times I went to Jumma (the Friday congregational prayer). The first time I went to Jumma, I was taken by a friend of mine in New York. It was in Brooklyn in Bed-Stuy (Bedford Stuyvestant). I was nervous about the neighborhood I was in, not the mosque. But I was just so at ease once I was there. I was like, “This is great.” I didn’t feel any different than anybody else in the mosque. How did your family take your turning to Islam? Because you were raised Catholic, right? Well, you know my mom is very open minded, very progressive. My mother lives with me. And I’ve been raised all my life with not a belief in God, but a knowledge that he exists. I was taught [that] if [I were to know] anything in the world, [I should] know there’s a God. And my mom, even though shewas Catholic shewas the first person to point out hypocrisy in the church. Mymom really hasn’t attended church in a long time. But as far as me, my mom is just happy that I have God in my life. She sees me making prayers. And Divine is one of her favorite people in the world. She knows how much different we are than when she first knew us as kids. When me and Divine first hooked up, we were wild. We were out partyin’, fightin’, doin’ whatever we had to do. We thought, “Yeah, that’s what being a man is about. We’re gonna go out here and be thuggish.” [But] she has seen howmuch it’s changed me and him; and howmuch peace it’s brought me since I’ve started to really accomplish something with it. I actually had a long talk with my mother the other day and we were on the topic of religion. We were actually talking about life and death, and the future and when she might go (die, pass away). That won’t be for a long time, inshallah (God willing). But I asked her to do me one favor. I said, “Mom, when you die there might be some angels who ask you a question, and I want you to answer it; and I’m not sure exactly how it goes, ‘cause I ain’t died yet. Remember that there’s only one God, and he’s never been a man.” She said, “I know what you are trying to tell me.” [And] I said, “Jesus wasn’t God, Ma”. Some of what I know has definitely shown up in my mother. She’s no Muslim, but she knows there’s only one God. And that makes me very happy. I know guys that have turned towards Islam and their families have turned them out (i.e. rejected them). My family tried to. I just can’t understand that. But you know what? That’s a trial. Although I’ve changed my name for like 8 years now, they still run up calling me by my birth name. Then it’s, “Oh I forgot that you’re Muslim.” Then it’s the pork jokes. It never stops. It’s one of those things where people laugh at what they don’t understand. Or they fear what they can’t grasp. The thing is that nobody can pretend that they don’t understand it. Because I’ve never come across anything more simple in my life. Like I remember that when I sat down and asked, “So, what does a Muslim believe,” and I got the list run down to me. I was like, “You don’t put up the wall between Christianity and Judaism.” They were like, “Nah, it’s all the same story.” continued on page 22
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