Say It Aint So Lupe Fiasco!
Posted on April 11th, 2008 by Azeem
Tags:BET, Lupe Fiasco, Mos Def, Sell Outs
So Lupe sells out (on Islam) like every other Muslim rapper who has made it to the mainstream. What am I talking about? His lyrics are still conscious right? Yes they are, but today (it was aired today) Lupe did what Q-tip did with his Vibrant thing video. He performed on stage at BET’s Spring Bling Event in Palm Beach, FL with 10 chicks in bikinis. Mad haraam.
Muslim youth need to wake up. Mos Def, Q-tip, Lupe nor anyone else will represent Islam properly. They are selling themselves for money. All of this comes with the territory. It would be a shame for Muslim organizations like IMAN to call Lupe back to perform at their annual event.
Filed under: Social Commentary
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As salaam alaikum wa rahamtullahi wa barakatuhu
I think your post is unnecessarily harsh. To claim that a Muslim brother “sold out” to Islam is not fair.
You dont know his intentions - you dont know why he was there. He has a contract with a major record label - maybe they forced him to appear there. Or maybe he didnt know that the girls would be there with him, who knows? Wait …. Only Allah knows. What happened to giving your brother 70 excuses?
Moreover you dont know his surroundings, the impact the people have on him around him. I doubt the music industry he is a part of is conducive to his deen - he wasnt a part of a MSA or YM, or other organization for what i know. Who your friends are and who you surround yourselves with has an immense impact on yourself, and the decisions that you make in life. Alhamdulillah you and I are very blessed in those regards, but we have thousands of brothers and sisters here in the US who unfortunately dont have that.
Instead of saying that he sold out - why not write a letter to him, or give him naseeha, or make dua that he refrains from such appearances. The music/entertainment industry is not at all conducive to a Muslim lifestyle - as many other Muslims like Dave Chappelle to as far back as Yusuf Islam can attest to. That may very well be the reason Lupe is going to “retire” from music after his next contractually obligated album (Allahu’alim).
Lupe Fiasco never asked to be a role model for Islam. For young Muslims to hold Muslim entertainers to be their role models is another problem. But to put the brother down for one isolated incident as if no one else has done/said haraam things is entirely unfair. Also to claim that hes selling himself out for money is entirely unjustified as well.
I hope Lupe continues to get invited to and remains involved with Muslim organizations so that i’A their work and actions and rub off on him as well.
We need to support our Muslims around the world , expecilaly those we see struggling with their actions, not always condemn them and claim them to be selling out on Islam, or selling out for money etc. Especially not someone like Lupe who is such a great example of what is good and positive about hip hop - and the example he can potentially hold for young hip hop fans, including young Muslims! Lets enjoin the good and forbid the evil, and that includes praising the good in people, and make excuses for their mistakes.
May Allah guide Lupe, and purify his actions, heart, and intentions. And May He forgive him and forgive us all for our mistakes.
@Haseeb
Thanks for taking the time out to share your views. I primarily wrote this post out of being upset (shocked) about this.
You make some good thought provoking points, but I have to disagree about giving 70 excuses to someone being all over naked women on national cable TV.
Performances are done obviously for money. I hope he wouldn’t act this way on his own without any other factors pushing him to do so.
In Islam we try to hide someones sin, but when its broadcasted on cable TV its better to address the actions of that person. When someone sins openly that makes them a Fasiq and we should definitely pray for the brother. May Allah Accept all the nice duahs you made for him. Ameen.
There are plenty of entertainers who are Muslim who do messed up things, the difference about Lupe is that he (unlike Charles Barkley) accepts that he is seen as a role model. After all isn’t that the reason why so many Muslims support him? Because of the way he carries himself? Because of the message he conveys and because of his simplicity and composure? (which is anti-industry-culture)
This show had rehearsals and everything. I am speculating here but couldn’t he have said.. I don’t agree with this setup. Lets do something else or just perform solo, and leave the chicks for Lil Wayne. But you are right that we don’t know the circumstances. Maybe his family was kidnapped and he had to do this or else they would have been killed (sarcasm).
He has enough star power to have all the red M&Ms removed from his candy dish because they are haraam, but not to have a handful of stage props removed (which are haraam’er)?
What Muslim Youth who are aspiring rappers need to do is recognize that the game will change them over time and it isn’t worth the detriment to their Imaan. The first question which has to be reconciled Is…. Is Islam our Deen or is it HipHop?
Salam, I’m not suprised, it’s hard maintaing iman in the industry when your surrounded by it everyday. On the flip side, it’s a test for him, how would we act if we were getting as much as attention as him with all that money and girls.
The bottom line is he’s our Muslim brother and he’s still Muslim, Inshallah He comes back to the realization that he’s getting distracted and he’s shifting into disobedience.
Let’s be optimistic, Allah swt brings people from the dark to the noor all the time. No one is perfect, continue to make dua for him if you really care about him and be patient. Again, I am not surprised by this turnout, it’s something bound to happen. With that environment and interaction with worldly people, it’s hard to keep a relationship with Allah swt.
May Allah swt keep us all strong and guide all the artists who are Muslim and are trying to make a difference. Ameen!
I think I need to clarify something:
When I said Lupe “Sells out (on Islam)” I don’t mean to say he’s an apostate or traitor or anything to Islam and Muslims. When the term Sell out is used in hiphop particularly in talking about underground or positive artists, selling out means becoming commercialized. I put “(on Islam)” in Parenthesis to denote a different kind of selling out. He didnt sell out on purist positive hiphop but he sold out on his Islamic values. Also I used Parenthesis to soften what might seem to be a harsh statement.
Also when you say someone sold out its not meant to be taken that seriously (harshly). Its like when Rob Van Dam showed up on Monday Night Raw in Philadelphia while he was under contract with ECW in 97 i think. The crowd chanted “You Sold Out!”
Also when you are hanging out with your friends and someone backs out on the plans, what do you call them? a Sell out right? or you say don’t be a sell out.
Anyways, I hope when Muslims see him, they give him good nasihah (positive reminders).
Salaam Azeem!
I pray everything is well with you and the new shorty. I think Lupe explains that he is some one not to be emulated in terms of everything of Din, and such a compromise with booty shakers and BET (which is really wack) is in that realm. What I do appreciate from these artists is that they do bring a level of consciousness and Islamic values that arent just surface level but deep and in sink with our teachings.
They also have the ability to penetrate many circles which others arent not able to reach.
I see them sometimes in the same way as some Sufis of the past, who were “drunk” with the love of Allah, would sing/write poems to bring people to Islam but when it came to Sharia’ in some aspects they became very lax and exceeded the bounds. This was prevalent in the sub-continent.Qawalis being one example. Now of course there is still a wide difference between the two, one being that the latter still spoke in the name of Islam while the former I dont feel for the most part say I am one to emulate and acknowledge their deficiencies.
Still Nasiha is crucial, I just hope that it is done with adab and proper akhlaq.
Salaam,
MT