Christie Z-Pabon and husband Jorge Pabon aka “PopMaster Fabel” aka “Shukriy”
photo credit: Joe Conzo via Tools Of War
NYTimes interviews PopMaster Fabel to discuss what it’s like being a Muslim and being so heavily involved with Hip-Hop, especially breakin’ which is deemed sinful by conservatives. He is pictured above with his wife Christie Z-Pabon who is an unsung hero of this culture. Her Tools of War newsletter is the premier aggregator for Hip-Hop cultural events.
Read: In Harlem, Reaching Out to Muslims Through Hip-Hop
As a teenager he emerged on the scene as PopMaster Fabel. But today he prefers to be called Shukriy, “the thankful one” — the name he took 20 years ago when he converted to Islam.
Now he is part of an “Islam and Hip-Hop” movement in the United States that is reaching out to Muslim young people via the hip-hop beat.
At a recent “Islam and Hip-Hop” concert in Harlem, young men in wide trousers and women in head scarves made waves in the air, trying to simulate Shukriy’s robotic movements. They did not touch each other unless they were a married couple.
Shukriy, 43, has come under fire from conservative Muslims who accuse him of sinning by dancing on stage with women or acting as D.J. for a mixed audience. Some argue that even listening to music is a taboo in Islam.
via Harry Allen
