InFocus: Tell us a little about yourselves and what your specialty is in the group.

Joshua Salaam: I've been a part of Native Deen since the beginning. I was one of the three founders. I work with the youth, that's my job. My specialty would be crowd interaction. I don't know, sometimes when they need somebody to jump off the stage.

 IF: Kind of like the hype man?

Joshua: Yeah but not in the Flavor Flav sort of way (laughter). More like the Imam Siraj sort of way.

Naeem Muhammad: Imam Siraj is a hype man? (laughter) Okay anyways, I'm pretty mush the pessimist in the group. I think what's kind of cool about us is that since we all come from different music backgrounds, growing up and where we lived, we sort of bring all that to live performances, recordings or whatever.

IF: What was you music background?

Naeem: I grew up inner-city Baltimore. Even though we grew up with hip-hop music, my mom was always on what we were listening to. There were so many different things like Tribe and Public Enemy -- just people making sense. My mom was brought up in the whole Back to Black movement so she was into anything political at the time. My mom is my biggest influence musically. People like Cat Stevens and James Taylor were inspiring. It was sort of an eclectic mix of different music we grew up with.

Abdul-Malik Ahmad:  I clean floors in the group (laughter). I am the resident janitor. No, Alhamdulillah, I do the website and take charge of a lot of the recording aspects. We all have our roles Alhamdulillah -- rolls, biscuits, you name it…
 
IF: Masha’Allah you guys are world renown artists and usually perform for large crowds. It was really touching to hear that you came down for this. What inspired you to come out to La Verne and do a Graduation ceremony?
Joshua: We first heard about this place through a sister named Shirley. She told us about it.

Naeem: Shirley? (laughter)

Joshua: Just kidding. You guys never heard of Laverne and Shirley?

Naeem: Oh Laverne and Shirley (laughter). Yeah, okay anyways, back to the topic. This is kind of new for us, the whole graduation thing. One of our good friends from the east coast's mom is one of the main organizers of the event which is how we heard about it. We've always had a strong commitment to youth work and working with students. It's kind of cool to spend time with them and their families. After all, how many kids are going to be able to say that the keynote speaker at their graduation was Native Deen?!

Abdul-Malik: Let me also add that the California area, it has something special to it. We've been to several different parts now like Los Angeles and San Francisco, every time we get a chance to meet Muslims over here...

Naeem: What is it?

Abdul-Malik: I don't know, maybe they got the whole Zaytuna thing and its penetrating (laughter). I don't know.

IF: So you guys started in 2000 right? Tell us how you came together.

Naeem: It actually started even before 2000. I met Abdul-Malik when I was 13 or 14 in the Muslim Youth of North America (MYNA) camps. So we grew up being involved with those camps and conferences and at some point they would have an entertainment night. That was where the kids who worked on stuff all year could present their work. This would be their venue. The three of us would always be in that group who presented something in the form of music. We met Josh when I was 16. Then MYNA put together MYNA raps. Basically it was a way for the those who came up with different artistic expressions to display them. Why would you need to wait to listen to the music performed at the MYNA camps when you could listen to it in your car? Basically, it was a group of amateur recording artists and youth from around the country. It started out to be a bunch of people, but later we became the only people involved. Much later, Josh moved to D.C. and we met up at ISNA a few times. He would ask us, "Hey can you guys do back up for me on this number?" We eventually moved out there with him and decided to get serious. In 2000, we put some effort into it and started to practice some of the old MYNA raps stuff and it felt good. It was something the community needed and we were activists. We were trying to make an effort in this front.

IF: Tell me more about the MYNA Camps and why you think events like that are important for the youth in terms of expressing yourself.

Joshua: It was all about youth finding their identity. Muslims came from all over, from states away to listen to lectures, develop brotherhood/sisterhood, formulate leadership skills, and do some extreme bonding. A lot of people came and left MYNA, others went on to become leaders themselves.

Naeem: A lot of that is a form of expressing yourself. Yeah, it wasn't an artists colony camp, but it gave youth a voice; the organization gave them the opportunity to say what's on their mind. All that teenage angst, rather then telling them to go out on a basketball court or go sit in their room, it allowed them to channel that energy and gave it a way to express it in positive terms.

Joshua: Is that really expression though?

Naeem: Well think about it. If you go to high school and you have this weight on you that parents and family cant help you deal with, the camps finally gives you a place to relate to others and say, "Hey, I'm going through this too." That was the role of MYNA raps. Often they would go to a counselor or other non-Muslim who might not understand their personal issues, like why they can't have a girlfriend. In MYNA, they now have a circle of friends they can relate to and help them deal with the rigors of growing up Muslim in America.

IF: Music has become the new venue for Muslims in expressing themselves. Elaborate on the importance of that. Why do you think so many youth come to your music in terms of getting closer with their deen and what is your response to those who may be opposed to this sort of venue?

Joshua: Wow!
 
Abdul-Malik: Generally, youth have always been attracted to music. When you're young, you find the type that you like and stick with it. So youth basically build upon their different tastes, so they have a unique interest in what they like. A lot of new bands are developing based off of what they have learned from their faith and culture and applying it to music they listen to. I think its imperative that Muslims encourage that. For any society, or minority for that matter, the way they establish themselves in this culture is through art. A lot of scholars have mentioned this. If you look at African American culture, they've established certain musical forms like Jazz. The way you gain acceptance in a certain culture is through your art works. As Muslims, we need to have that, our own form of Islamic music that expresses us. If we want Islam to stick around, we have to start developing our culture.

Joshua: I think Allah blesses us sometimes to come up with a certain melody. There are so many artists that are better singers than us, have better ranges, are more experienced, but as long as they can come up with a good melody, that's the most important thing. I think it's important for youth to remember that.

Naeem: I think music is natural. The most essential part your heart is the rhythm, and if it gets off that rhythm, there's a problem. Arts in the Muslim community are repressed. A lot of people come to us and are like, "I had this, but I want you to use it." I hope people don't take us wrong when we tell them no. I'd rather we create more artists than let Native Deen be their voice of expression. I want to hear a bunch of different people's perspectives. I can go to a coffee shop nowadays and hear a hijabi sister do her piece, and be like, "Wow, that was tight!" It has been held back for too long. Especially now in post 9/11, people want more than just what happens in the masjid parking lot. They want faith in all aspects of life. We need to create more voices for change.

IF: When you're writing a song or performing on stage, what message are you hoping people walk away with?

Joshua: I think when you're first starting, there's no theme. All we know is that it needs to be something positive, make somebody reflect on themselves, life or a situation. None of our songs are just like "Hey..." There's usually a general message in the song. We usually have enough songs to create a theme before a show.

Naeem: If something happens and I'm affected by it strongly, it will move me to write. For example, I started watching TV one day and it made me think "How much is a life worth?" But like what Josh said, it needs a purpose.

IF: What's the best part about being on stage?

Joshua: Leaving with a good reaction. That's what you're there for.

IF:I know that your last album came out not too long ago, but are there any songs you are working on for a future album?

Abdul-Malik: Usually an album takes about two years to develop and come out. Our last one released pretty recently, so it will be a while until another comes out. It terms of writing though, we are always coming up with new songs. Melodies are always forming, so the process of making music never ends.

IF: Anything else you'd like to add?

Naeem: I think the best thing about being a part of Native Deen is making a connection with the audience. We love getting kids excited about something their parents want them to do, like Salah (prayer).

Joshua: We're proud that Allah chooses us to continue. There could have been three entirely differently people in our spots right now, but he chose us and we are grateful. People need to remember that Islam is moving forward. You have to make the decision whether or not you want to jump on and move forward too.