Fun-Da-Mental
Encyclopedia
Fun-Da-Mental is a British-based multi-ethnic hip-hop–ethno-techno
–world fusion music group formed in 1991. The group is notable for its energetic fusion of Eastern and Western musical forms, for its outspoken political stance, and for its strong Islamic affiliation and advocacy. Fun-Da-Mental's political stance has led to the group earning the label "the Asian Public Enemy". The group's work has led to international attention, and collaborations with artists from Pakistan
, South Africa
, and Siberia
.
(real name Haq Qureshi). Other members of the group have included Amir Ali, Hot Dog Dennis, Shamil Khan, Bad-Sha Lallaman, Inder "Goldfinger" Mantharoo, MC Mushtaq, Nad (a.k.a. "Made in Britain"), DJ Obeah, Nick "Count Dubulah" Page,
Lloyd Sparkes and Dave "Impi-D" Watts.
(who, after Qureshi's departure, eventually evolved into The Cult).
By 1991, Qureshi had become more interested in the artistic and political possibilities of hip hop, although he initially believed that hip hop's politics were "much more sorted" than was its music. Qureshi took on the pseudonym of "Aki Nawaz" and the stage name of "Propa-Gandhi". He formed the original lineup of Fun-Da-Mental with percussion Inder "Goldfinger" Mantharoo, DJ Obeah, and second rapper-vocalist Amir "Bad-Sha" Lallaman.
The band was formed in the wake of the 1990s British Asian merging of hip hop and bhangra music, during which time various "conscious rapper" groups began to emerge. Common themes expressed in this style of hip hop were very politically based within the sense of race and the Asian identity. “Identity politics is reactionary in fostering as apolitical, a materialist and subjectivist point of view, and that it produces a personalized politics that is inward-looking.”
This lineup of Fun-Da-Mental played the Notting Hill Carnival
in August 1991 and continued to record and play concerts over the next two years. From 1992 onwards, Fun-Da-Mental began to release singles, beginning with "Janaam" and following up with "Gandhi's Revenge". 1993's "Wrath of the Blackman" (created around a sample taken from a Malcolm X
speech) further established the group's assertive anti-racist sentiments. At around this time, DJ Obeah left the group in order to get married, and was replaced by Dave Watts.
Although Fun-Da-Mental's dedicated political stance won them both attention and admirers, it also meant that they had to deal with the backlash from disgruntled racists and from others who felt threatened by their challenging rhetoric. The intensity of the political lifestyle also put additional strain on the group's internal relationships.
According to Nawaz and Watts, the other factor was business-related. Nawaz has admitted that he had been too immersed in the group's creative and promotional work that he had not paid attention to the group's sales figures, meaning that he had neither noticed nor revealed to other group members the extent of Fun-Da-Mental's debts. Lallaman and Mantharoo, conversely, had believed that Fun-Da-Mental's press profile had translated into significant sales and were appalled to find out that the group was not making money.
Lallaman and Goldfinger quit Fun-Da-Mental in August 1993, just prior to the start of a tour. Originally the duo intended to take the Fun-Da-Mental name with them. Watts recalls "They didn’t even have the decency to discuss it with us. They told a radio station they were going to leave. They didn’t tell us. So, it’s like “Fuck off! If you’re leaving, you’re leaving. What you have, you can take with you. Goodbye. See you later. But you can’t take anything with you.” We settled with them and they got thousands of pounds. We just washed our hands of the whole affair."
Lallaman and Goldfinger subsequently formed Detrimental which built on Fun-Da-Mental's approach, upping the quotient of both the musical and political rage. Despite releasing the Xenophobia album in 1996, Detrimental ultimately failed to last as long as its parent group.
. At around the same time, Nawaz recruited lyricist Amir Ali.
This lineup released the first full-length Fun-Da-Mental album, 1994's Seize the Time (on Mammoth Records
). A forthright statement of intent, Seize the Time was both musically and politically challenging - the album name itself was derived from the Black Panthers slogan, and the group's lyrics and texts promoted a fervently anti-racist political slant. The group drew strongly on the history and philosophy of the Black Power movement in the United States, albeit focussed through a British Asian/Afro-Caribbean context and globally aimed left-wing politics. The Fun-Da-Mental members were also clear in stating their identities and beliefs as Muslims, and the album featured a strong element of Islamic perspective, commentary and assertion, most notably on the track "President Propaganda".
The response to the group's approach was varied. Some young British Muslims saw the group as providing a refreshing new meaning and interpretation of the fundamentals of Islam. Others - predominantly white commentators - interpreted the group as being "anti-white" or militantly Islamist. To counter this, Nawaz made himself available for interviews and ensured that however scathing or scourging the music was, Fun-Da-Mental's topics would always be discussed with reason and dignity.
Fun-Da-Mental were subsequently given an opportunity to travel to South Africa. This inspired the single 'Gold Burger', a tribute to oppressed peoples, delivered on a global scale, and featuring samples of the ANC
choir. The group also took the opportunity to perform with Cape Town's Prophets of Da City
, one of the few hip-hop groups who rap in Afrikaans. Dave Watts was so moved by what he had seen in South Africa that he took on the stage name of "Impi-D", paying tribute to Zulu culture and history.
. Subsequent Fun-Da-Mental recordings, while still using rappers, began to tone down the direct hip hop content of the group's music. This would be replaced by a more eclectic sonic approach involving more samples and textures, and eventually more involved collaborators with musicians from other cultures (reflecting Nawaz's work as co-founder of Nation Records
).
In 1998, Fun-Da-Mental released their second album of original material – the more punk/funk-inclined Erotic Terrorism - on Beggars Banquet Records
. This was followed by 1999's Why America Will Go to Hell and the world-music-inspired There Shall Be Love! (2001). In 2003, Fun-Da-Mental released the Voice of Mass Destruction EP, which contained their typically outspoken thoughts on the September 11 bombings and the subsequent response from American and its allies.
While the group had never been far from controversy, the release of its 2006 album All is War (The Benefits of G-had) took matters to a new level. Set against the background of continued turbulence and conflict (notably the occupation of Muslim states by Western forces as part of the so-called War on Terror
, and the London bombings of 2005 carried out by home-grown Islamic militants) the album took on a notably more outspoken position as it explored the ongoing historical situation and the mindsets of those caught up in it. The song "I Reject" featured a strong condemnation of the perceived hypocrisy and immorality of the West, plus a criticism of the Iraq War. Other songs further challenged the existing Western orthodoxies of villains and heroes ("Che Bin" compared the activities and aims of Osama bin Laden
to those of Che Guevara
) and ideas of what was acceptable coverage ("Cookbook DIY" contained explicit lyrics about suicide bombings). Even before the album's release, controversy was brewing over the news of its lyrical content. After a number of issues with the management of Nation Records
over the content of the album, the record was finally released on August 7, 2006 as a download album, with a retail release on the Five Uncivilised Tribes label to follow.
Unsurprisingly, the release of the album into a tense political climate led to harsh criticism of, and verbal attacks on, Nawaz and Fun-Da-Mental. The Sun
referred to Nawaz as the "suicide bomb rapper", and two British MPs called for his arrest. However, a closer analysis of All is War (The Benefits of G-Had) revealed substance and thought behind the sensational subject matter. The Observer
s review of the album said "Strip away the outrage, then, and what's left is an album pieced together with great consideration. To provoke not just a reaction but thought and debate."
On August 6, 2007, Channel 4
aired a Dispatches
programme called "Britain Under Attack" by Phil Rees
in which Fun Da Mental were heavily interviewed.
, Afro-Caribbean
, and worldbeat
samples
. The band's music also includes "a vast mix of Indian classical and popular film music, Morrocan Eastern drum beats, Qawwali
sounds, Islamic chants, and the interweaving of dialogue from famous Hindi movies."
Musically, Fun-Da-Mental have borrowed extensive samples from Indian film music, particularly from the string sections. Through their juxtaposition with hip-hop rhythm tracks and angry raps, such samples are reconfigured, and a new hybrid Asian identity is emphasized. The band's use of "Indian Sounds" are symbolic of certain experiences for second-generation British Asians.
The band's MySpace page characterises Fun-Da-Mental's music as "Folk Rock / Alternative / Black Metal".
The themes of Fun-Da-Mental raps and spoken samples are frequently concerned with Asian and British Asian issues, often combined with broader issues of the problems of white hegemony and generalised racism as directed against non-white people. The name of the group itself deliberately invokes the idea of Islamic fundamentalism
, while the hip-hop-inspired hyphenation implies and indicates another purpose, that of combining pleasure ('fun') with thought ('mental').
Sometimes criticised for writing "extreme" or "hard left-wing" lyrics, the band's stated aim is to try to educate the British youth about the presence of Islam and about the causes of extreme behavior. Fun-Da-Mental frequently sample the voices and rallying speeches of historically significant protest leaders from the past such as Gandhi, Malcolm X
, Louis Farrakhan
and the Black Panthers. The group have also promoted the merits of militancy and self-defense through the lyrics of their songs.
As a group, Fun Da Mental’s stated main view and issue is the fact that equality must be sought after, and until it is reached one must keep fighting for that cause. “Until the philosophy that holds one superior and another inferior is finally and permanently dismantled and abandoned, THERE SHALL BE WAR!”
Despite their apparent allegiance to black nationalism, Fun-Da-Mental's greatest recognition and fan base has been amongst white audiences and institutions, with more response from white student populations than from the less-educated urban poor generally addressed by hardcore rap. As a result, the group has gained considerably more coverage in the student-oriented British music press than any other British hip-hop act. Nawaz does not appear to regret the demographic of his audience, and claims that the group's ultimate goal is to inspire white people and inspire them to correct the behaviour and mistakes within their culture.
i flag. Notably, Aki Nawaz's mother was one of the leading activists for Benazir Bhutto
's Pakistan Peoples Party
.
Fun-Da-Mental has also been one of the first British music groups to actively and fiercely defend the Muslim community by example. In particular, Fun-Da-Mental have set out to appeal to and voice the concerns of the alienated Muslim youth of British towns such as Bradford (Nawaz's birthplace and the original hometown of the group). Consequently, Fun-Da-mental has reached a significant number of British Muslim youths who identify with the situations and topics covered in the group's lyrics, slogans and presentation.
As is common within any culture with a hybrid demographic, British-born youths of Islamic heritage were struggling to fit into either aspect of their given identity and were trying to find a place for themselves. Fun-Da-Mental made this hybrid identity accessible, and allowed the youth to explore themselves. They countered the strict views and opinions of mosque scholars and Muslim community leaders with their own political manifesto. "Fun-Da-Mental's expressions of pride in Islam appealed to Muslim youth who had been raised on British popular culture yet also felt wounded by British Islamophobia."
Islam has always played a large role in Fun-Da-Mental's anti-racist campaign lyrics. The group has taken on a role as one of the leading forces for keeping issues about the Asian population in the public eye. Fun-Da-Mental members appear actively on various television shows in the UK in order to participate in debate.
Fun-Da-Mental's work has been compared to that of the Nation of Islam
in its combination of pro-black (or pro-non-white) assertion and condemnation of racism. The group has taken direct inspiration from several black activists in the United States and their reassertion of history. A particular inspiration was Malcolm X, who notably became a Muslim as part of his political journey: the group sometimes cite his pronouncement that "I am a soldier named Alaha, so put down the cross and pick up the X". In the song “President Propaganda”, Fun-Da-Mental’s lyrics rely on the rhetoric of the Nation of Islam
to send anti-Western messages. The lines “you had us whipped, raped, and lynched/Took away the Quran, you gave us the Bible” allude to issues such as slavery and religious persecution.
Ethnic electronica
Ethnic Electronica combines elements of Electronic and World Music and was developed in the 1990s. The term Ethnic Electronica appears in music zines, in online music-related forums and blogs, and also in a title of a 2003 compilation "Another Life: A Journey Into Ethnic Electronica"...
–world fusion music group formed in 1991. The group is notable for its energetic fusion of Eastern and Western musical forms, for its outspoken political stance, and for its strong Islamic affiliation and advocacy. Fun-Da-Mental's political stance has led to the group earning the label "the Asian Public Enemy". The group's work has led to international attention, and collaborations with artists from Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, and Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
.
Membership
The core member of the group is Aki "Propa-Gandhi" NawazAki Nawaz
Aki Nawaz also known as Aki-Stani, Righteous Preacher and Propa-Gandhi, is a British singer and musician and part of the band Fun-Da-Mental. He is best known for his controversial lyrics.-Profile:...
(real name Haq Qureshi). Other members of the group have included Amir Ali, Hot Dog Dennis, Shamil Khan, Bad-Sha Lallaman, Inder "Goldfinger" Mantharoo, MC Mushtaq, Nad (a.k.a. "Made in Britain"), DJ Obeah, Nick "Count Dubulah" Page,
Lloyd Sparkes and Dave "Impi-D" Watts.
Inception and original lineup (1991–1993)
Haq Qureshi, a second-generation British Asian, grew up in Bradford and came up through the punk and goth movement as a rock musician. He first came to public attention playing drums with Ian Astbury's (at the time going by the name Ian Lindsay) band Southern Death CultSouthern Death Cult
Southern Death Cult was an English positive punk band in the early 1980s. It is now primarily known for having given its lead singer and parts of its name to the multi-platinum hard rock supergroup The Cult...
(who, after Qureshi's departure, eventually evolved into The Cult).
By 1991, Qureshi had become more interested in the artistic and political possibilities of hip hop, although he initially believed that hip hop's politics were "much more sorted" than was its music. Qureshi took on the pseudonym of "Aki Nawaz" and the stage name of "Propa-Gandhi". He formed the original lineup of Fun-Da-Mental with percussion Inder "Goldfinger" Mantharoo, DJ Obeah, and second rapper-vocalist Amir "Bad-Sha" Lallaman.
The band was formed in the wake of the 1990s British Asian merging of hip hop and bhangra music, during which time various "conscious rapper" groups began to emerge. Common themes expressed in this style of hip hop were very politically based within the sense of race and the Asian identity. “Identity politics is reactionary in fostering as apolitical, a materialist and subjectivist point of view, and that it produces a personalized politics that is inward-looking.”
This lineup of Fun-Da-Mental played the Notting Hill Carnival
Notting Hill Carnival
The Notting Hill Carnival is an annual event which since 1964 has taken place on the streets of Notting Hill, Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea , London, UK each August, over two days...
in August 1991 and continued to record and play concerts over the next two years. From 1992 onwards, Fun-Da-Mental began to release singles, beginning with "Janaam" and following up with "Gandhi's Revenge". 1993's "Wrath of the Blackman" (created around a sample taken from a Malcolm X
Malcolm X
Malcolm X , born Malcolm Little and also known as El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz , was an African American Muslim minister and human rights activist. To his admirers he was a courageous advocate for the rights of African Americans, a man who indicted white America in the harshest terms for its...
speech) further established the group's assertive anti-racist sentiments. At around this time, DJ Obeah left the group in order to get married, and was replaced by Dave Watts.
Although Fun-Da-Mental's dedicated political stance won them both attention and admirers, it also meant that they had to deal with the backlash from disgruntled racists and from others who felt threatened by their challenging rhetoric. The intensity of the political lifestyle also put additional strain on the group's internal relationships.
Split of original lineup (1993)
In 1993, tensions within Fun-Da-Mental came to a head, caused by two main factors. The first of these was stress and questioning arising within the group during a trip to the Indian subcontinent to film a promotional video and documentary for the "Countryman" single in 1993. The various members of the group had been profoundly affected by what they saw in their ancestral countries, and this was expressed via internal group tension.According to Nawaz and Watts, the other factor was business-related. Nawaz has admitted that he had been too immersed in the group's creative and promotional work that he had not paid attention to the group's sales figures, meaning that he had neither noticed nor revealed to other group members the extent of Fun-Da-Mental's debts. Lallaman and Mantharoo, conversely, had believed that Fun-Da-Mental's press profile had translated into significant sales and were appalled to find out that the group was not making money.
Lallaman and Goldfinger quit Fun-Da-Mental in August 1993, just prior to the start of a tour. Originally the duo intended to take the Fun-Da-Mental name with them. Watts recalls "They didn’t even have the decency to discuss it with us. They told a radio station they were going to leave. They didn’t tell us. So, it’s like “Fuck off! If you’re leaving, you’re leaving. What you have, you can take with you. Goodbye. See you later. But you can’t take anything with you.” We settled with them and they got thousands of pounds. We just washed our hands of the whole affair."
Lallaman and Goldfinger subsequently formed Detrimental which built on Fun-Da-Mental's approach, upping the quotient of both the musical and political rage. Despite releasing the Xenophobia album in 1996, Detrimental ultimately failed to last as long as its parent group.
Second lineup and Seize the Time
Meanwhile, Nawaz had restructured Fun-Da-Mental to add two new rappers – MC Mushtaq and Hot Dog Dennis. The group was strengthened by the extra musical input of Nick Page (a.k.a Count Dubulah) a member of Fun-Da-Mental's labelmates Transglobal UndergroundTransglobal underground
Transglobal Underground is a London-based music collective who specialise in a fusion of western, oriental and African music styles...
. At around the same time, Nawaz recruited lyricist Amir Ali.
This lineup released the first full-length Fun-Da-Mental album, 1994's Seize the Time (on Mammoth Records
Mammoth Records
Founded by Jay Faires in 1989 in Carrboro, North Carolina, Mammoth Records was one of the premiere independent record labels of the 1990s. Its roster featured such diverse talent as Antenna, Blake Babies, Chainsaw Kittens, Dash Rip Rock, Dillon Fence, Far Too Jones, Frente!, Fun-Da-Mental, Fu...
). A forthright statement of intent, Seize the Time was both musically and politically challenging - the album name itself was derived from the Black Panthers slogan, and the group's lyrics and texts promoted a fervently anti-racist political slant. The group drew strongly on the history and philosophy of the Black Power movement in the United States, albeit focussed through a British Asian/Afro-Caribbean context and globally aimed left-wing politics. The Fun-Da-Mental members were also clear in stating their identities and beliefs as Muslims, and the album featured a strong element of Islamic perspective, commentary and assertion, most notably on the track "President Propaganda".
The response to the group's approach was varied. Some young British Muslims saw the group as providing a refreshing new meaning and interpretation of the fundamentals of Islam. Others - predominantly white commentators - interpreted the group as being "anti-white" or militantly Islamist. To counter this, Nawaz made himself available for interviews and ensured that however scathing or scourging the music was, Fun-Da-Mental's topics would always be discussed with reason and dignity.
Fun-Da-Mental were subsequently given an opportunity to travel to South Africa. This inspired the single 'Gold Burger', a tribute to oppressed peoples, delivered on a global scale, and featuring samples of the ANC
ANC
ANC commonly refers to the African National Congress, a revolutionary movement which became the ruling political party in South Africa in the 1994 election.ANC may also refer to:-Organizations:...
choir. The group also took the opportunity to perform with Cape Town's Prophets of Da City
Prophets of Da City
Prophets of Da City is a hip hop crew from Cape Town, South Africa. They are composed of about eight members, though the exact membership fluctuates frequently; these include Ishmael Morabe , Mark Heuvel , Shaheen Ariefdien, Ramone and DJ Ready D. Their style uses elements of hip hop music,...
, one of the few hip-hop groups who rap in Afrikaans. Dave Watts was so moved by what he had seen in South Africa that he took on the stage name of "Impi-D", paying tribute to Zulu culture and history.
Further releases
Seize the Time was followed by a 1995 remix album With Intent to Pervert the Course of Injustice! released on Nawaz's own record label, Nation RecordsNation Records
Nation Records is a record label set up by Kath Canoville and Aki Nawaz in 1988.-History:The label was set up after major labels declined to release their fusion of world music and dance music, an album called Fuse...
. Subsequent Fun-Da-Mental recordings, while still using rappers, began to tone down the direct hip hop content of the group's music. This would be replaced by a more eclectic sonic approach involving more samples and textures, and eventually more involved collaborators with musicians from other cultures (reflecting Nawaz's work as co-founder of Nation Records
Nation Records
Nation Records is a record label set up by Kath Canoville and Aki Nawaz in 1988.-History:The label was set up after major labels declined to release their fusion of world music and dance music, an album called Fuse...
).
In 1998, Fun-Da-Mental released their second album of original material – the more punk/funk-inclined Erotic Terrorism - on Beggars Banquet Records
Beggars Banquet Records
Beggars Banquet is an English independent record label that began as a chain of record shops owned by Martin Mills and Nick Austin, and is part of the Beggars Group of labels...
. This was followed by 1999's Why America Will Go to Hell and the world-music-inspired There Shall Be Love! (2001). In 2003, Fun-Da-Mental released the Voice of Mass Destruction EP, which contained their typically outspoken thoughts on the September 11 bombings and the subsequent response from American and its allies.
While the group had never been far from controversy, the release of its 2006 album All is War (The Benefits of G-had) took matters to a new level. Set against the background of continued turbulence and conflict (notably the occupation of Muslim states by Western forces as part of the so-called War on Terror
War on Terror
The War on Terror is a term commonly applied to an international military campaign led by the United States and the United Kingdom with the support of other North Atlantic Treaty Organisation as well as non-NATO countries...
, and the London bombings of 2005 carried out by home-grown Islamic militants) the album took on a notably more outspoken position as it explored the ongoing historical situation and the mindsets of those caught up in it. The song "I Reject" featured a strong condemnation of the perceived hypocrisy and immorality of the West, plus a criticism of the Iraq War. Other songs further challenged the existing Western orthodoxies of villains and heroes ("Che Bin" compared the activities and aims of Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden was the founder of the militant Islamist organization Al-Qaeda, the jihadist organization responsible for the September 11 attacks on the United States and numerous other mass-casualty attacks against civilian and military targets...
to those of Che Guevara
Che Guevara
Ernesto "Che" Guevara , commonly known as el Che or simply Che, was an Argentine Marxist revolutionary, physician, author, intellectual, guerrilla leader, diplomat and military theorist...
) and ideas of what was acceptable coverage ("Cookbook DIY" contained explicit lyrics about suicide bombings). Even before the album's release, controversy was brewing over the news of its lyrical content. After a number of issues with the management of Nation Records
Nation Records
Nation Records is a record label set up by Kath Canoville and Aki Nawaz in 1988.-History:The label was set up after major labels declined to release their fusion of world music and dance music, an album called Fuse...
over the content of the album, the record was finally released on August 7, 2006 as a download album, with a retail release on the Five Uncivilised Tribes label to follow.
Unsurprisingly, the release of the album into a tense political climate led to harsh criticism of, and verbal attacks on, Nawaz and Fun-Da-Mental. The Sun
The Sun (newspaper)
The Sun is a daily national tabloid newspaper published in the United Kingdom and owned by News Corporation. Sister editions are published in Glasgow and Dublin...
referred to Nawaz as the "suicide bomb rapper", and two British MPs called for his arrest. However, a closer analysis of All is War (The Benefits of G-Had) revealed substance and thought behind the sensational subject matter. The Observer
The Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
s review of the album said "Strip away the outrage, then, and what's left is an album pieced together with great consideration. To provoke not just a reaction but thought and debate."
On August 6, 2007, Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
aired a Dispatches
Dispatches (TV series)
Dispatches is the British television current affairs documentary series on Channel 4, first transmitted in 1987. The programme covers issues about British society, politics, health, religion, international current affairs and the environment, usually featuring a mole in an organisation.-Awards:*...
programme called "Britain Under Attack" by Phil Rees
Phil Rees
Phil Rees is a Welsh writer, reporter and television producer who has specialised in international relations. He has won more than a dozen international awards for his work.-Background:...
in which Fun Da Mental were heavily interviewed.
Musical style
Fun-Da-Mental's music combines and juxtaposes Eastern and Western musical and cultural influences. These include British dance club electronics and American militant hip-hop inspirations, plus IndianMusic of India
The music of India includes multiple varieties of folk, popular, pop, classical music and R&B. India's classical music tradition, including Carnatic and Hindustani music, has a history spanning millennia and developed over several eras. It remains fundamental to the lives of Indians today as...
, Afro-Caribbean
Afro-Caribbean music
Afro-Caribbean music is a broad term for music styles originated in the Caribbean area, most notably music of Cuba, music of Puerto Rico, music of Haiti, music of Jamaica, music of The Bahamas, music of Belize, music of the Dominican Republic, music of Trinidad and Tobago, music of Venezuela, music...
, and worldbeat
Worldbeat
Worldbeat is a music genre that primarily refers to a blending of Western pop music with traditional/folk or world music influences...
samples
Sampling (music)
In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
. The band's music also includes "a vast mix of Indian classical and popular film music, Morrocan Eastern drum beats, Qawwali
Qawwali
Qawwali is a form of Sufi devotional music popular in South Asia, particularly in the Punjab and Sindh regions of Pakistan, Hyderabad, Delhi, and other parts of northern India...
sounds, Islamic chants, and the interweaving of dialogue from famous Hindi movies."
Musically, Fun-Da-Mental have borrowed extensive samples from Indian film music, particularly from the string sections. Through their juxtaposition with hip-hop rhythm tracks and angry raps, such samples are reconfigured, and a new hybrid Asian identity is emphasized. The band's use of "Indian Sounds" are symbolic of certain experiences for second-generation British Asians.
The band's MySpace page characterises Fun-Da-Mental's music as "Folk Rock / Alternative / Black Metal".
Political approach
Fun-Da-Mental are an explicitly political and controversial band with an outspoken concern with social justice (particularly in regard to Britain's treatment of its Asian and Afro-Caribbean citizens) and have been described as "articulat(ing) eclectically a kind of militant Islamic-influenced, pro-Black anti-racist identity politics." The group takes pride in its militant stance, stating "We are hard politically, uncompromising musically and we won't be led by marketing angles. We try to give people a bit of confidence. People have to start educating themselves, respecting themselves." Because of their political stance, the group have earned the label "the Asian Public Enemy."The themes of Fun-Da-Mental raps and spoken samples are frequently concerned with Asian and British Asian issues, often combined with broader issues of the problems of white hegemony and generalised racism as directed against non-white people. The name of the group itself deliberately invokes the idea of Islamic fundamentalism
Islamic fundamentalism
Islamic fundamentalism is a term used to describe religious ideologies seen as advocating a return to the "fundamentals" of Islam: the Quran and the Sunnah. Definitions of the term vary. According to Christine L...
, while the hip-hop-inspired hyphenation implies and indicates another purpose, that of combining pleasure ('fun') with thought ('mental').
Sometimes criticised for writing "extreme" or "hard left-wing" lyrics, the band's stated aim is to try to educate the British youth about the presence of Islam and about the causes of extreme behavior. Fun-Da-Mental frequently sample the voices and rallying speeches of historically significant protest leaders from the past such as Gandhi, Malcolm X
Malcolm X
Malcolm X , born Malcolm Little and also known as El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz , was an African American Muslim minister and human rights activist. To his admirers he was a courageous advocate for the rights of African Americans, a man who indicted white America in the harshest terms for its...
, Louis Farrakhan
Louis Farrakhan
Louis Farrakhan Muhammad, Sr. is the leader of the African-American religious movement the Nation of Islam . He served as the minister of major mosques in Boston and Harlem, and was appointed by the longtime NOI leader, Elijah Muhammad, before his death in 1975, as the National Representative of...
and the Black Panthers. The group have also promoted the merits of militancy and self-defense through the lyrics of their songs.
Anti-racism
Fun-Da-Mental is known for a fervent anti-racist stance, performing at multiple antiracist benefits, carnivals, concerts, and rallies. The group has also demonstrated common cause with African-American Islamic radicalism and with black separatist groups.As a group, Fun Da Mental’s stated main view and issue is the fact that equality must be sought after, and until it is reached one must keep fighting for that cause. “Until the philosophy that holds one superior and another inferior is finally and permanently dismantled and abandoned, THERE SHALL BE WAR!”
Despite their apparent allegiance to black nationalism, Fun-Da-Mental's greatest recognition and fan base has been amongst white audiences and institutions, with more response from white student populations than from the less-educated urban poor generally addressed by hardcore rap. As a result, the group has gained considerably more coverage in the student-oriented British music press than any other British hip-hop act. Nawaz does not appear to regret the demographic of his audience, and claims that the group's ultimate goal is to inspire white people and inspire them to correct the behaviour and mistakes within their culture.
Promotion and discussion of Islam
Fun-Da-Mental's lyrics consistently express the group's Islamic and ethnic pride, as well as the political issues which Muslims face within Britain. Exploring the position that Muslims are oppressed within Western culture because of their religion, the group aims to express the hardships and rejection which Western Muslims experience at the hands of their governments, and to assert though their lyrics the beauty of being Muslim. Nawaz has also directly incorporated quotations from the Qu’ran into Fun-Da-Mental tracks. The band's symbol is a crescent, which not only invokes the sense of Islam but also of the PakistanPakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
i flag. Notably, Aki Nawaz's mother was one of the leading activists for Benazir Bhutto
Benazir Bhutto
Benazir Bhutto was a democratic socialist who served as the 11th Prime Minister of Pakistan in two non-consecutive terms from 1988 until 1990 and 1993 until 1996....
's Pakistan Peoples Party
Pakistan Peoples Party
The Pakistan Peoples Party , is a democratic socialist political party in Pakistan affiliated with Socialist International. Pakistan People's Party is the largest political party of Pakistan...
.
Fun-Da-Mental has also been one of the first British music groups to actively and fiercely defend the Muslim community by example. In particular, Fun-Da-Mental have set out to appeal to and voice the concerns of the alienated Muslim youth of British towns such as Bradford (Nawaz's birthplace and the original hometown of the group). Consequently, Fun-Da-mental has reached a significant number of British Muslim youths who identify with the situations and topics covered in the group's lyrics, slogans and presentation.
As is common within any culture with a hybrid demographic, British-born youths of Islamic heritage were struggling to fit into either aspect of their given identity and were trying to find a place for themselves. Fun-Da-Mental made this hybrid identity accessible, and allowed the youth to explore themselves. They countered the strict views and opinions of mosque scholars and Muslim community leaders with their own political manifesto. "Fun-Da-Mental's expressions of pride in Islam appealed to Muslim youth who had been raised on British popular culture yet also felt wounded by British Islamophobia."
Islam has always played a large role in Fun-Da-Mental's anti-racist campaign lyrics. The group has taken on a role as one of the leading forces for keeping issues about the Asian population in the public eye. Fun-Da-Mental members appear actively on various television shows in the UK in order to participate in debate.
Fun-Da-Mental's work has been compared to that of the Nation of Islam
Nation of Islam
The Nation of Islam is a mainly African-American new religious movement founded in Detroit, Michigan by Wallace D. Fard Muhammad in July 1930 to improve the spiritual, mental, social, and economic condition of African-Americans in the United States of America. The movement teaches black pride and...
in its combination of pro-black (or pro-non-white) assertion and condemnation of racism. The group has taken direct inspiration from several black activists in the United States and their reassertion of history. A particular inspiration was Malcolm X, who notably became a Muslim as part of his political journey: the group sometimes cite his pronouncement that "I am a soldier named Alaha, so put down the cross and pick up the X". In the song “President Propaganda”, Fun-Da-Mental’s lyrics rely on the rhetoric of the Nation of Islam
Nation of Islam
The Nation of Islam is a mainly African-American new religious movement founded in Detroit, Michigan by Wallace D. Fard Muhammad in July 1930 to improve the spiritual, mental, social, and economic condition of African-Americans in the United States of America. The movement teaches black pride and...
to send anti-Western messages. The lines “you had us whipped, raped, and lynched/Took away the Quran, you gave us the Bible” allude to issues such as slavery and religious persecution.
Albums
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 1994 | Seize the Time |
| 1995 | With Intent to Pervert the Cause of Injustice |
| 1998 | Erotic Terrorism |
| 1999 | Why America Will Go to Hell |
| 2001 | There Shall Be Love! |
| 2003 | Voice of Mass Destruction |
| 2006 | All Is War (The Benefits of G-Had) |
Singles
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 1992 | Janaam |
| 1992 | Gandhi's Revenge |
| 1993 | Wrath of the Blackman |
| 1993 | Countryman |
| 1994 | Dog Tribe |
| 1994 | Cointelpro (promo only) |
| 1994 | Gold Burger |
| 1996 | Goddevil |
| 1997 | Ja Sha Taan |
| 1998 | Demonised Soul |
| 2001 | The Last Gospel |
See also
- Soldiers of Allah
- Native DeenNative DeenNative Deen is an Islamic musical group from the Washington, D.C. area. Native Deen's music combines a hip-hop style with lyrical themes grounded in Islam.The group uses percussion instruments and synthetic sounds...
- Blak-stone
- DAM (band)DAM (band)DAM is a Palestinian hip-hop group. Based in Lod, Israel, DAM was founded in 1999 by brothers Tamar and Suhell Nafar and their friend Mahmoud Jreri, and their songs are largely about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and poverty...
- Dirty KuffarDirty KuffarDirty Kuffar is a controversial 2004 Jihad style Islamist extremist rap video produced by Muslim British rappers Sheikh Terra and the Soul Salah Crew, or, as the video says: featuring the Soul Salah Crew....
- Mecca2MedinaMecca2MedinaMecca2Medina were the first Islamic Hip hop/Nasheed group in Britain.-History:The group was started in 1996 and produced their first EP, entitled "Life after death", the same year. Since then they have released three nasheed albums and two hip hop albums and one mix CD. They make music for both...