The former Nation Of Islam renegade and New Black Panther Party founder is celebrated on his born day after his untimely passing
By Olimatta Taal
January 12, 1948, one of our most brilliant, bold, powerful, shining Black Prince was born. Dr. Khalid Abdul Muhammad would have been 66 today. He had a very powerful connection to the youth, especially in the music industry and the sports world.
Dr. Khalid was heavily quoted, sampled, and made guest appearances on a number of rappers’ albums, from 1988 with Public Enemy on the “Night of the Living Baseheads” to Ice Cube’s Death Certificate and Lethal Injection albums, to Tupac’s Makaveli album. Other rappers like Scarface, deadprez, The Coup, N.W.A., K.R.S. One, and X Clan have also used his work.
What would Dr. Khalid say about the messages that the hip hop artist send to today’s youth? In 1996, he made a speech about gangsta rap and the rappers, stating, “When you got a generation like that you got to work with them. You go to mold them and shape them and fashion them, they represent the best generation we ever produced, they are mad, they are angry. They are sick and tired of what has been going on in the hells of North America. So they rap, lyrics that speak to the pain, the suffering and the low down life of the Black Man and Woman, they speak to our condition at the grassroots level.”
With the glamorization of drugs, sex, alcohol, materialism, crime, and violence in the music, is hip hop being used as a tool of liberation or devastation? Minister Malik Zulu Shabazz of the New Black Panther Party and President of Black Lawyers for Justice says, “Dr. Khalid would be working with the rappers and he would be inspiring them to put some revolutionary messages in their lyrics. Dr. Khalid Muhammad worked tirelessly amongst young people, college students, gang bangers and activist. He would remind them to be fearless in our commitment to our liberation struggle. To let nothing, not gold chains, not watches, not rings, no Gucci, no Louis, no Prada is as important as the liberation and salvation of the Black Man and Woman.”
Dr. Khalid wanted the music industry to be unified and take a stand around issues that constantly oppress and affect the community. Ife Jie, a female artist from Atlanta is doing just that. “Dr. Khalid said if you are going to be a rapper, be a revolutionary rapper. For instance, the content in which we rap about, should be more relevant to the youth. To give them a more holistic picture of our reality. So if we are going to talk about drug dealing, to contextualize it. Why are the drugs in our community in the first place? Who is benefiting from its use?”
Dr. Khalid’s protege, Malik Zulu Shabazz, had this to say about his revered teacher. “He would remind the rappers of their power and influence. Their ability to either heal our people or kill our people, with that which comes out of their mouths. The attack on hip hop culture is giving us an Amos and Andy, Jiggaboo, Step n Fetchit, minstrel show type of hip hop that has no meaning, and is not a threat, while portraying us before the world as a tool and a fool.”
