Posted by BeautyandtheEast on 02-03-2010 | Comments | Share | Filed under: Entertainment, Music
Junoon—which in the Urdu language means passion—is the name of the band led by Salman Ahmad. Ahmad’s new autobiography, Rock & Roll Jihad: A Muslim Rock Star’s Revolution, is the story of his passion for making music and of rock as a force to unite people.
Here’s a little bit more about Salman:
Tags: Salman Ahmad, Rock-n-Roll Jihad
Posted by BeautyandtheEast on 02-01-2010 | Comments | Share | Filed under: Entertainment, Music
Ahmad Zahir is the latest of NPR’s 50 Great Voices: influential singers around the world — living or dead, famous or not. Zahir was, and still is, the most famous singer in Afghanistan, often compared to Elvis. Like Elvis, the Afghan singer touched generations and kept his fan base for decades after he died in the 1970s.
Zahir’s rendition of Elvis Presley’s “It’s Now or Never” :
Tags: Ahmad Zahir, NPR's 50 Great Voices
Posted by BeautyandtheEast on 01-27-2010 | Comments | Share | Filed under: Entertainment, Music
Famous Muslim faces in hip-hop: Chamillionaire (aka Hakeem Sekir), T-Pain (aka Rasheed Najm), Akon (aka Aliaune Badara Akon Thiam), Ice Cube, Lupe Fiasco (aka Wasalu Muhammad Jaco), Ghostface Killah, Mos Def, Busta Ryhmes, Q-tip (aka Kamaal Ibn John Fareed), and more
Tags: muslim hip-hop
Posted by BeautyandtheEast on 01-05-2010 | Comments | Share | Filed under: Entertainment, Music
DJ Khaled, born November 26, 1975 in New Orleans, Louisiana is a Palestinian-American rapper and DJ. His debut album, Listennn… The Album, was released in stores on June 6th, 2006. He is DJ in South Florida and has worked with some of the biggest names in hip-hop.
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Posted by BeautyandtheEast on 10-16-2009 | Comments | Share | Filed under: Entertainment, Music, Comedy, Film/TV, Leaders/Stories, Travel, Art/Books, Fashion-Eastas, Fashion, Beauty, Episodes
Got talent? Beauty and the East TV is looking for emerging Muslim musicians, comedians, actors, film-makers, designers, dancers, and hosts to feature in our new episodes! For details, watch this video:
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Posted by BeautyandtheEast on 09-29-2009 | Comments | Share | Filed under: Entertainment, Music
In a post-911 era, one of many identities that are being asserted is a Muslim punk rock movement which began in 2003 when convert to Islam, Michael Muhammad Knight self-published his book, The Taqwacores, about a fictional Muslim punk scene in Buffalo, New York. From there emerged the real deal - bands like The Kominas, Vote Hezbollah, Al Thawra, Omar Waqar, and Secret Trial Five, an all-girl punk band out of Vancouver, Canada.
The most popular out of the bunch - The Kominas - are a Boston-based band who feel punk music is a way to rebel against their conservative cultural upbringing and the frustrations of growing up Muslim in America. Punk is not my favorite type of music (I’d rather get bashed in the head with a frying pan), but it’s still interesting to see this movement spring up in the U.S. In the summer of 2007, five of the Taqwacore bands organized a “taqwa-tour” of the northeastern United States. Here is a clip:
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Posted by BeautyandtheEast on 08-08-2009 | Comments | Share | Filed under: Entertainment, Music
For those of you into dance music, you probably have heard of Nadia Ali’s 2001 hit Rapture. Since then, she has become an international sensation, with tracks like Who is Watching, a collaboration with DJ/ Producer Armin Van Buuren. Something to Lose and Crash and Burn followed suit in 2006 and 2008. Crash and Burn became a club smash, reaching the top 10 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Club Play Chart. On February 10, 2009, Nadia released her follow-up single to Crash and Burn, called Love Story exclusively on BeatPort. The single proved to be a club success, reaching number one on Billboard’s Hot Dance Club Play Chart in April of 2009.
Nadia Ali was born in Libya to Pakistani parents in 1980. The family relocated to Queens, New York City, when she was still a small child, and has remained there until this day.
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Posted by BeautyandtheEast on 07-28-2009 | Comments | Share | Filed under: Entertainment, Music
“Hip-pop” duo Francis and Ku are a worldwide hit in less than a year since releasing their first full length album which mixes political awareness with haunting melodies in an appealing way. They formed The Sound of Reason in their basement and in a short time, have been featured as MTV’s artist of the month and international radio. Definitely ones to watch! Check out their interviews in Dubai (starts out in Arabic and moves into English):
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Posted by BeautyandtheEast on 07-15-2009 | Comments | Share | Filed under: Entertainment, Music
British pop singer Peter Murphy is the last sort of character one would expect to be a Muslim. Referred to as the “Granddaddy of Goth” by many in the music press, his deep, baritone vocals and shadowy theatrics helped define the genre of post-punk that would come to be known as goth. His band, Bauhaus (named after the German art movement) was minimalistic, highly visual and experimental. They took the makeup and gender-bending of glam rock—David Bowie, T. Rex—and painted it all black.
After leaving Bauhaus, his solo work became more pop-friendly, with an air of mystery and romance to it. I actually think Dave Gahan from Depeche Mode sounds a lot like him (I actually like Peter’s voice better and I’m a huge Depeche Mode fan….speaking of Depeche Mode, I saw Dave Gahan the other day in my neighborhood walking with a cane and a limp. Apparently he is hurt and has cancelled many concerts. Fans must be bummed).
Anyway, back to Peter Murphy. When he relocated to Istanbul in the 1990’s, the rhythms of life and the call of the muezzin would captivate him. He converted to Islam and has been a practicing Muslim ever since. Gotta love the sound!
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Posted by BeautyandtheEast on 07-07-2009 | Comments | Share | Filed under: Entertainment, Music
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Are you a Muslim/Middle-Eastern musician/singer, comedian, designer, film-maker/actor, journalist/host, dancer, or leader? Show us what you got!
