Native Deen brings mission of positive Muslim music to Cleveland for the 29th annual Riyaadah at Cleveland State University July 6-7

By FELICIA C. HANEY
Staff Writer

This week’s Black Music Month feature isn’t your typical song and dance. Yes, they’re Black. Yes, they make music. But Native Deen goes a little more in depth than that. Native Deen makes faith-based music. When the term “religious” is used, people are usually put on edge. But that’s exactly the opposite of what Native Deen’s music is intended to do. With a blend of R&B and hip-hop paired with a unique combination of sounds and rhythms using only percussion instruments accompanied by their voices, the trio – comprised of Naeem Muhammad, Joshua Salaam and Abdul-Malik Ahmad – add an interesting flair to the “religious” genre with their self-proclaimed hip-hop fusion music. I don’t know about you, but anything called hip-hop fusion makes me want to pop, lock, tick, head bop or do anything but be on edge. So what makes it so interesting you might ask? The lyrics. If you listen closely, like a true hip-hop fan tends to do, you’ll see past the beat to the crux of their mission – to make positive Muslim music. And next week, they’ll be bringing that mission to Cleveland for the 29^th annual Riyaadah – a national Islamic sporting and entertainment event to be held at ClevelandStateUniversity’s main campus July 6-7.

Post 9-11, Bin Laden and whatever other big media scare that has caused Islamophobia to run amuck, Muslims have had their fair share of hard knocks. In the process, Native Deen was formed to combat that way of thinking and shed light on the religion the three artists were raised under, Islam. All from the DMV area, they started out as solo artists dedicated to their communities. Then, 12 years ago, they came together and formed a professional partnership in the music industry in order to highlight issues confronting Muslims living in America. Songs such as “My Faith, My Voice” that state “Come, you’re invited | to see the real picture | Nothing hiding, here’s a free scripture | We aint gonna hurt you | try to convert you | Just so you know how easily they tricked you” and the song “M-U-S-L-I-M” are reflections of that. These three young African-American men call on their listeners to keep the faith in one God, live better lives and not be victims of the pressures and temptations of modern society.

In the hip-hop world, you’d think they’d be hard pressed to find an audience for that with the overload of negativism that penetrates the airwaves and pop culture as we know it. But, on the contrary, Native Deen has toured all over the U.S. and U.S. Virgin Islands as well as Africa, Europe, Asia and the Middle East promoting their music with a message. And now they will bring their talents to Cleveland next week.

Native Deen will be headlining the 2012 Riyaadah at 6 p.m. July 7 at the CSUMusic Hall. The Riyaadah was started by political activist H. Rap Brown turned spiritual leader who later changed his name to Imam Jamil Adbullah Al-Amin. It is a sporting and entertainment event that gathers Muslims from all over the country and sometimes the world to indulge in clean, family fun and fellowship together.

Al-Amin, like many other Islamic religious leaders has gotten a black eye from the media but his legacy of the Riyaadah and his vision of positivity for Muslims continue to live on in the form of artists like Native Deen. “Please keep us in your dua [prayers] that we can continue to grow and grow and grow in this work,” said band member Muhammad to his fans. “Thank you for sharing the journey with us. And please do your best to continue to share our work with everyone you know. Thanks. Salaams [peace] and keep the faith.”

Tickets for this event are $25 and can be purchased at Riyaadahcleveland.com. For more info, log onto the site or call (216) 282.4476.