The Faculty: Muslim Music You Should Know About

Disclaimer: Taqee Khaled, one half of the superstar Muslim hip-hop team The Faculty, was once an active member of MuslimTees where he left his legacy with the Somali Star design. We have a personal relationship but this record is seriously hot fire! Thus the reason I’m writing this post.

If you haven’t heard of the Muslim hip-hop duo The Faculty consider yourself missing out in a major way. Well here’s the introduction. Meet The Faculty, a fresh new take on genre dear to all of our hearts: Muslim hip-hop.

While the team is new, the players are well experienced in their respective domains. Mohamad Elmasry, a 13-year veteran to rap writing, peppers the track with raw and intelligent lyrics reflecting the state and aspiration of today’s Muslim youth when he’s not working on his PH.D in Journalism and Mass Communication. Taqee Khaled lends his voice to act as a melodic counterbalance to Elmasry’s flow; Khaled is no rookie to music, he plays the piano, saxophone, tabla, and guitar.

The Faculty, composed of Taqee Khaled and Mohamad Elmasry, are the latest Muslim hip-hop group to hit the scene.

While the group is Muslim, the lyrics do not overwhelm the listener with Islamic overtones. Actually listeners will have to listen carefully in order to catch the full meaning behind these lyrical gems like on one of my favorite tracks ‘Like Rain’ Elmasry raps, “Who’ll be present at the sentencing, of all the weakened souls/I was present at the witnessing a long time ago/You bore witness too man – don’t act like you don’t know/You could probably find the record cuz that’s just the way it goes.” Writing it out does not give it justice.

In that verse Elmasry is referencing two specific events detailed in Muslim tradition: the Day of Judgement and the Islamic belief that all souls bore witness to Allah as their Lord prior to the creation of humans. Even if you don’t believe, the rap verse allows the listener to relate it back to their own experiences.

The track is backed by a smooth jazz-like beat and Elmasry’s reflective rap on this track reminds you of a conversation you would have with a close friend late at night.

Another noteworthy track is ‘Faces in the Crowd’ the hook is especially addictive with Khaled crooning behind a popping tabla beat, “And if it’s truth you’re looking for, then hold the prism to the colors in and white within the spectrum within yourself and ask ‘Was it worth the price?‘ ‘Was it worth the delusion to understand that this was all a dream?’“

 

At the end of the day The Faculty delivers on their introduction on their website offering “music that reflects deep political consciousness and spiritual awareness, all wrapped neatly with a mix of hot beats, dope delivery, and smooth harmony.” Professionally produced and well thought out, for a mere $10.50 The Faculty is definitely ‘Worth the price.’

Salaam. Z.

 

Check out their website FacultyProductions.com and make sure to taste some samples.