They consist of three young African American Muslim men who were born and raised in United States of America. Joshua Salaam, Naeem Muhammad, and Abdul-Malik Ahmad who grew up in Washington, DC. Their music seeks to inspire young people to keep their Islamic faith amid the pressures and temptations of daily life.
"Deen" in Arabic means religion or way of life. The group identifies themselves as Muslim, and wear traditional Islamic dress such as kufis and shalwar kameez. Of course, they say there is more than one way to identify as a Muslim, both by etiquette and dress. Their music is hip-hop style, with lyrics on Islam and several of their songs focus on living as a Muslim in America amidst pressures and temptations.Their music typifies the subgenre "positive hip-hop".
At the third annual Islamic Relief "Evening of Inspiration", in Costa Mesa, California, Muhammad narrated a powerful slideshow, projecting images of needy, hungry children from around the world to illustrate why Islam demands that Muslims give to the less fortunate. He said of Islamic Relief
[It] helps the most vulnerable people from all walks of life. People don't understand how much a dollar can do. That's why this event is more than just a concert – it's a call to action.
Native Deen perform at Islamic conferences, fundraisers, weddings, and holiday gatherings (usually in Ramadan and Eid-ul-Adha). They are relatively well known among the North American Muslim youth, and have toured internationally.
Many Muslims believe that string and wind instruments should be avoided in Islam. In order to please the widest audience, the group does not use any string or wind instruments in their music. The main instruments are drums, synthesized percussion instruments, and vocals. Some of their more popular songs and raps include Intentions and Paradise.
Native Deen came about through M.Y.N.A. or Muslim Youth of North America. The project was a gathering of amateur recording artists who've written their own work and MYNA featured these artists on the MYNA RAPs' album. Three of the artists from these albums, Joshua Salaam, Abdul Mailk Ahmad, and Naeem Muhammad, who were all solo, started a group where they could do this professionally, and the result was Native Deen. Their music is produced under the "Mountain of Light" label, which was founded by Yusuf Islam (previously known as Cat Stevens).
Native Deen's latest album includes the track Still Strong, featuring Isam Bachiri of Outlandish. In support of this album, they recently toured Australia performing at the Sounds of Light Concert in Melbourne, Sydney, and Queensland
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