Need I say more?

Today’s video of the day is John Legend’s new single “Green Light.” I’m not sure how I feel about it yet, but Andre 3000 is a BEAST!!!

Success, McLaren, women starin’
My villain appearance
Sacred blood of a king
In my vein ain’t spillin’
Ghetto Othello, Sugar Hill Romero
Camaro driven
I climax from paper then ask why is life worth livin’
Is it the hunt for the shit that you want?
To receive is great but I lust giving
The best jewelers want to make my things
I make Jacob shit on Lorraine,
Just to make me a chain
Niggas mentioned in One Love, came
home to paper in hand
Ain’t got to brag about the feds young man
Old cribs I sold, y’all drive by like monuments
Google Earth Nas, I got flats in other continents
Worst enemies want to be my best friends
Best friends want to be enemies,
like that’s what’s in
But I don’t give a fuck, walk inside the lion’s den
Take everybody’s chips, about to cash them in
Up your catalogue dog, mines worth too much
Like Mike Jack’s ATV Pub, Mottola can’t touch

Here are some books that I’ve been (re)reading recently:

In the Name of Allah: A History of Clarence 13x and The Five Percenters by Wakeel Allah

Because of Race: How Americans Debate Harm and Opportunity in America’s Schools by Mica Pollock

Lessons in Being Chinese: Minority Education and Ethnic Identity in Southwest China by Mette Halskov Hanson

The Anthropology of Christianity by Fenella Cannell

Notorious H.I.V.: The Media Spectacle of Nushawn Williams by Thomas C. Shevory

Appropriating Blackness: Performance and the Politics of Blackness by E. Patrick Johnson

The First Billion is the Hardest: Reflections on a Life of Comebacks and America’s Energy Future by T. Boone Pickens

The Age of Turbulence: Adventures in a New World by Alan Greenspan

The Obama Nation: Leftist Politics and the Cult of Personality by Jerome R. Corsi

On Tuesday, Imam Warith Deen Mohammed (RA), one of the most powerful Muslim leaders in the modern world, died at the age of 74. Given the current obsession with the presidential election, as well as the strong anti-Islamic sentiment of the current political moment, Mohammad’s death went largely unnoticed by the mainstream media. Still, his passing marks a significant loss not only for black Muslims, but for the entire world religious community.

In many ways, Warith Deen Mohammed’s ascendance within the ranks of American Islam marked the first major blow to the Nation of Islam’s power in America. As the son of The Honorable Elijah Muhammad, Warith Deen assumed the reigns of the organization after his father’s death in 1975. Soon after, he shifted the name and mission of the organization, slowly shifting it from a hybrid of Christianity, Islam, and Black Nationalism to a more mainstream form of Sunni Islam. For some, Warith Deen’s moves were a literal godsend to Black Muslims in America, redirecting them from hatred and heresy (their words, not mine!) to a newfound place of truth, orthodoxy, and global community. To others, Mohammed took the political and cultural teeth out of the Black Muslim movement, effectively undermining the extraordinary work of Elijah Muhammad, one of the most influential, innovative, and woefully underappreciated figures in American history. At the end of the day, neither description fully captures the complexity and significance of Warith Deen Muhammed.

In reality, Warith Deen Mohammed was a flawed but principled leader who was simply more religious than radical, more pious than political. Unlike his father or Minister Louis Farrakhan (who eventually rebuilt the Nation of Islam under the original doctrine), Warith Deen never aspired to be rich or famous. In contrast to many of today’s religious leaders, he did not want the public to worship him, but rather the creator that made them. In a world filled with hate, intolerance, and xenophobia, Warith Deen Mohammed devoted his life to building bridges to other faith traditions. Rather than engaging in centuries-old internecine arguments with other Islamic sects, Mohammed focused on developing understanding and reaching common ground with Muslims of all kinds. This was no more apparent than in 2000, when he and Minister Farrakhan put aside years of bad blood and stood together as brothers in faith. While many of us were disappointed by his role in the separating radical black politics from religion, we would be unwise to ignore the fine example that Warith Deen Mohammed has left not only for Muslims, but for all of humanity.

Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji’un