I'm still blown away by the memories and sounds left over from that night.
I had the privilege to partake of the intense collaborative moments between the Boston-based Kominas and their para-Muslim-identified compatriot hip hop acts The M-Team and Amir Sulaiman. The event was "the 4th of July New Muslim Cool Screening, Jam Session and BBQ." An offshoot of the annual meeting of ISNA (Islamic Society of North America), this even took place at St. Stephen and the Incarnation Episcopal Church in northwest Washington DC.
Omar Waqar (of Sarmust and Diacritical) played a solo set pouring forth radiant love from his Sufi-inspired lyrical outcry. Basim Usmani came on stage and said, “there is the New Muslim Cool. But some people say that we are the ‘new Muslim bad.” The Kominas had a different lineup that evening with Basim and Shahjehan Khan on bass and guitar, respectively, and Imran Malik on drums and Elester Rechard Bostick-Latham on trumpet. They blasted the church auditorium with spiritual blasphemy. “Par Desi” and “Sharia Law in the U.S.A.” resounded. The Kominas hardcore fans skanked, slam-danced. I spotted some taqwa-converts in the audience.
The Kominas then collaborated with the Brooklyn-based Latino Muslim hip hop duo The M-Team (featured in PBS documentary New Muslim Cool) and the saintly poet Amir Sulaiman from Atlanta. The Kominas backed up the MC’s providing intense live instrumental sounds. The members of the M-Team took turns rhyming contestational words about politics around faith and race. Sulaiman then took center stage pronouncing heavyweight words about spiritual battles and social unrest. The evening ended on an emotional highpoint. A congregation full of social misfits, however defined, shared and expressed life's discontentment while swaying, dancing, hollering, throwing fists in the air all enveloped within a spiritual cacophony. The spirit was triumphant; the music elated.
These are some moments that I managed to capture by my camera:
Omar Waqar
Imran Malik
Shahjehan Khan
Amir Sulaiman
Basim Usmani
The M-Team
More from this photo set.
7.29.2009
Memories from the Fourth: The Kominas Collaborate with Like-Minded Hip Hop Artists
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
I enjoyed the influence of the stained glass windows. The arms outreached to the sky was thought-provoking in the last shot; and the unknown light or microphone or drink in the hand of the right person. If we could speak to the heavens, what would we say and what would we do as a matter of ritual? Would we be alone and forlorn with drums not drumming; would we be witnessing others; would we be speaking? What a 4th of July study, and would not the founding fathers be so proud? As I bowed to a man in the turban today, an architect, owner or project manager of construction around here. No words were spoken- but I thought of the reconstruction of the Middle East- and then I thought about Japan as the sounds of building things and the hope of better things, all at once surrounded me in a quiet solace of peace. I was happy!
Post a Comment