Muslim in The Books Store

Noted musicologist Joachim Braun explores the music of the Holy Land region of the Middle East, tracing its form and development from its beginnings in the Stone Age, through the Bronze and Iron ages, and into late Roman times—a span of time ranging from the twelfth millennium B.C. to the fourth century A.D.

This is not a study of "music in the Bible" or music in "biblical times" but a unique, in-depth investigation of the historical periods and cultures that influenced the music of the region and its people. Braun combines significant archaeological findings—musical instruments, terra cotta and metal figures, etched stone illustrations, mosaics—with evidence drawn from written (mainly biblical) texts and anthropological, sociological, and linguistic sources.

Five Percenter Rap: God Hop's Music, Message, and Black Muslim Mission examines the phenomenon from musical, historical, and cultural perspectives. Such a kaleidoscopic approach is necessary given the Five Percent Nation's complex theology—grounded in Black Muslim traditions, black nationalism, Kemetic (ancient Egyptian) symbolism, Masonic mysticism, and Gnostic spirituality—its historical ties to major movements and moments in American history, and its deep involvement with popular culture.

After establishing the theological and historical underpinnings of Five Percenter Rap, Felicia Miyakawa considers its marketing approaches and its use of specific musical techniques such as sampling, groove, and layering (often in significant numerical groupings). These techniques, she argues, are in service to the greater goal of Five Percenter rappers, who see themselves primarily as teachers and as bringers of a specific type of redemption and self-knowledge to benighted souls.