If you tune in to the radio station Quran Kareem (run by Abu Dhabi Media, which also publishes The National) and Sharjah FM, you can hear nasheeds (acapella music with spiritual lyrics), accompanied by percussion instruments.
Abu Dhabi TV (also run by Abu Dhabi Media) has enlisted one of the Arab world’s most acclaimed vocalists – Lebanon’s Jahide Wehbe – to produce a series of soulful Islamic odes, complete with videos, to air between programmes.
A different direction, however, is the recently released single Ramadan Kareem by the Canadian hip-hop duo Deen Squad.
Fresh from the biggest performance of their career, supporting Justin Bieber last month at Dubai’s Autism Rocks Arena, rappers Karter Zaher and Jay Deen have produced a catchy summer jam, which is as much a celebration of life as the holy month.
The accompanying colourful video, where the boys are wearing dashikis and dancing along with friends, has already clocked up nearly half-a-million views since it dropped on May 26.
With lyrics such as “it’s Ramadan again and tonight iftar’s at my crib/ akhi, bring the samosas in/ be generous – you can bring a friend”, it is not exactly high art, but it is guaranteed to have your head nodding in no time.
“That’s really the point,” says 25-year-old Zaher, born to Lebanese parents. “We wanted to show Ramadan in a more fun and positive light, instead of it being sad and staying at home.”
Deen, who is three years younger, converted to Islam in 2009, and says the song is aimed at young Muslims who often face the holy month with trepidation. “Ramadan is promoted as sometimes depressing and restrictive. There is this idea, even among my friends, that we should go out and have fun quickly before Ramadan comes,” he says.
“But Ramadan for me is the most blessed time of the year. This is my eighth Ramadan and it is important for me as it revitalises my spirit. So I think this is something about our faith that we should positively talk about and celebrate.”
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That in a nutshell is Deen Squad’s ethos. Ever since forming in 2014 after Zaher and Deen met in Ottawa’s Carlton University, the duo teamed up with Lebanese music entrepreneur Sami Abboud and fast become one of the leading lights of the Muslim hip-hop scene, with over two dozen tracks (all shot with corresponding videos available online) detailing the young, western Muslim experience.
After making their name with "halal cover versions" of hip- hop hits such as Muslim Queen and Allah Loves You – their take on Fetty Wap's Trap Queen and DJ Snake's Let Me Love You – they have branched out to original songwriting with their debut EP Fajr.
What makes the five-song collection (available on major streaming websites) impressive is that you get the firm sense that Deen Squad’s finger is on the pulse when it comes to pop music trends and issues facing young Muslims.
A fine example is the lead single Cover Girl: the lyrics are about the backlash young Muslim females face when they wear the hijab, but it is paired with a slinky hip-hop beat that could be easily at home on an Akon track. Then there is the grittier trap sounds of On My Deen, which discusses the struggles of maintaining the daily Islamic spiritual obligations in a fast-paced life.
Deen Squad have also had their share of criticism. Conservative North-American Muslims have stated their music is nothing more than pop music in Muslim garb.
While understanding where they are coming from, Zaher says such criticism is particularly harmful in that it ultimately stops young Muslims from expressing themselves.
He states Muslim communities in the West are teeming with undiscovered talent. “There is so much out there that needs to be cultivated, but people are too afraid,” he says. “The problem with our community is that we are sometimes afraid to express our talent because of what others may think, because there are certain groups of people who view what we are doing as wrong.”
Deen says the group is merely trying to reach out to Muslim youth in a medium they are familiar with. “The community has slowly accepted us and understood what we are doing. They know what we are doing is needed,” he says.
“I mean, you just can’t put a poster on mosques saying there is an Islamic lecture happening on Friday night and expect the kids to come. They simply won’t. The whole lecture era is done with, man. I used to listen to a lot of lectures, but now I have grown up, I have a more fast-paced life and I don’t have the time. Sometimes what we put in a three-minute song or on video can do even more than all those lectures.”
Hence the group’s lyrics, which are infused with an equal mix of Islamic terms and street slang. “Look, we can write the deepest lyrics, but in 2017 people have such a short attention span,” says Zaher.
“We are in the hashtag generation and people need that message quickly.”
And it is not only their fellow spiritual brethren that Deen Squad are reaching out too.
They are amassing a growing legion of non-Muslim hip-hop fans who simply enjoy the chemistry the duo share: Zaher’s rhyming style is more stoic and menacing, while Deen is more animated and flamboyant. Both point to their time in Dubai supporting Bieber as an example of their various fans.
“We had 30 minutes to show the crowd who we are: what being a Muslim in North America is all about. It was a great crowd because they are open minded,” Zaher recalls.
Deen adds: “I remember we were walking down JBR and these group of non-Muslim young people said: “Yo, are you Deen Squad? It blew my mind’.”
With the boys recently tapped to headline a music festival to celebrate Canada Day on July 1, Deen Squad’s mission to enlighten and entertain is steadily gaining traction.
“We will just keep being focused and continue our path,” says Karter.
“It is not about the fame or the money. The cause started to help the youth – they need help and inspiration. As long as our intentions are true, then we are all good.”
• Ramadan Kareem by Deen Squad is out now
sasaeed@thenational.ae
