By Sha Be Allah
Last week, Jay Z was spotted court side at a Brooklyn Nets game with his wife Beyonce Knowles in what appeared to be a regular celebrity couple night out at the Barclays Center. Little did Jay Z know that the medallion he wore connected to his 30″ Cuban link would be the item that will be remembered the most from that night.
The New York Post ran an article titled “Jay Z’s bling from ‘whites are devils’ group” yesterday on their website, which stirred up controversy in the blogosphere over the weekend.
The article concluded that the symbol on the medallions worn by both Jay Z and Knicks star Carmelo Anthony had origins in the Five Percent Nation, which the article says teaches white hatred. NY Post reporter Gary Buiso gathered quotes from two sources, both from outside of the New York City area where the Five Percenters originate.
The “symbol” that was shown in the picture in the article, which is the same as the above, is the Universal Flag of the 5% Nation. The symbol might be getting more attention now because of Jay Z’s superstar status, but many other Hip Hop artists such as Busta Rhymes, Erykah Badu, Brand Nubian, Digable Planets, and some Wu Tang Clan members have publicly worn the Universal Flag for decades.
The quotes that Guiso gathered were mainly from Michael Muhammad Knight, a white Muslim of American descent that was once a student of the 5% Nation and even adopted the name “Azreal Wisdom”. Knight has authored books about the 5%, even one with the title, “Why I Am A Five Percenter.”
The 5% Nation, also known as the Nation of Gods and Earths, was founded in Harlem where its international headquarters still exist. Although the organization’s teachings may be seen as divisive by some, the Five Percenters have always included white members since their inception.
The question still arises, “Is Jay Z really a member of the 5%?” Guiso quoted Saladin Allah, a well known political candidate and Five Percenter in the Niagara Falls area, as saying that “Jay Z is not a member–no one has vouched for him.”
Since Jay Z himself has said very little about the flag in the press and no one can confirm the rapper’s allegiance with the Five Percenters, one must wonder why the NY Post chose to publish such an accusatory and inflammatory article, while the cultural undertones of other public figures’ fashion choices go unnoticed.
Entertainment lawyer and The Source Publisher/Owner L. Londell McMillan, who is from Jay Z’s hometown neighborhood of Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn denounces the article’s claims and states:
“I have known Jay Z for most of our lives growing up in the same neighborhood and attending the same public middle school, he is clearly no racist and not anti-white, period,” says McMillan.
The Nation’s headquarters is at 2122 Adam Clayton Powell Boulevard in Harlem.
-Sha Be Allah(@KingPenStatus)
