Islam has been a part of hip-hop culture since it sprang from New Yorks street culture in the 1970s. Today hip-hop has evolved into a truly global artform with a diversity of Muslim Islamic discourses expressed. Using tools from the field of social semiotics, this book examines how Islamic themes feature in US hip-hop culture, maintaining a particular awareness that both Muslims as well as non-Muslims participate in their production. The book also argues that there is a historical continuity in the use of Islamic semiotic resources in US musical culture that runs through the entirety of the 20th century and can be observed in gospel, blues and jazz. It is also often connected to African American religious initiatives and African American empowerment politics.
Explores how Islam is produced in American hip-hop culture by both Muslims and non-Muslims.
List of Figures
Acknowledgements
1. Introduction: Signs, Symbols and Artefacts
2. The Study of Religion and Hip-Hop
3. Islam in African American Music-Making
4. From Planet Rock to Indigoism
5. Paid in Full: The Serendipity of Islamic Semiotics in Hip-Hop
6. Sights and Sounds of Malcom X in US Hip-Hop
7. America Under Attack! Depicting 9/11 In Hip-Hop
8. Conclusion: The Semiotics of Islam, Creativity and Blurred Lines
Bibliography
Index
Anders Ackfeldt, PhD in History of Religions with specialisation in Islamic Studies from Lund University, is the Deputy Director of the Swedish Research Institute in Istanbul. His latest book, Islamic Themes in US Hip-Hop Culture, has been published by Edinburgh University Press in 2025.
