'Knowledge of self': How a key phrase from Islam became a pillar of hip-hop
- Written by Su'ad Abdul Khabeer, Associate Professor of American Culture, University of Michigan
The popular phrase 'knowledge of self' -- invoked by numerous rappers who adhere to Islam -- is nearly a millennium old.Paul Hawthorne for Getty ImagesI was 9 years old when Eric B. and Rakim’s “Paid in Full” dropped. I have vivid memories of the bass-laden track booming out of car stereos and hearing it on Black radio, like Kiss...
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