X Gon' Give It To Ya: Five Rap Songs That Shine Light On Malcolm X's Brilliance
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Nas and Damien Marley “Leaders” (2010)
Album: Distant Relatives
Lyrics: “I can see myself at the Audubon, Malcolm at the podium”
Listening to Nas’ quick-witted rhymes, a hip-hop rookie wouldn’t know that the self-proclaimed God's Son is an eighth-grade dropout. Nasir's catalog covers an array of topics from Othello and pyramids to African American leaders.
Riding with Damien Marley on “Leaders,” Nas spits fire about seeing himself at the Audubon Ballroom, the spot of Malcolm’s murder, in New York's Washington Heights. Thomas Hagan, then 22 years old and member of the Nation of Islam (NOI), was charged with Malcolm's murder and was put on parol in 2010 after serving 44 years of a 25-to-life bid.
Malcolm’s larger-than-life persona and scintillating statements stirred tensions between Malcolm and high-ranking NOI members. Malcolm’s split from the Nation of Islam came shortly after his visit to the Muslims’ holy land of Mecca. According to Hagan, Malcolm’s discovery in Mecca caused his death:
"It stemmed from a break off and confusion in the leadership," Hagan told CNN. "Malcolm X broke with the Nation of Islam, separated from the Nation of Islam, and in doing so there was controversy as to some of the statements he was making about the leader. History has revealed a lot of what Malcolm X was saying was true."
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2Pac “Words of Wisdom “ (1991)
Album: 2Pacalypse Now
Lyrics: “No Malcolm X in history text, why is that?/'Cause he tried to educate and liberate all blacks”
Pac’s loud mouth, disobedient attitude and revolutionary spirit are just a couple characteristics that made him a favorite among fans and his hip-hop contemporaries. The late rapper’s “Me Against The World” mentality can be attributed to his upbringing by members of the Black Panther Party, most notably his mother, Afeni Shakur, Mutulu Shakur and Jamal Joseph.
On "Words of Wisdom," the Panther in 'Pac shines through. Don Killuminati tackles subjects like murder, legislation and lack of education that plague the ghettos of America. Like Malcolm, Tupac was upset that Blacks chose peaceful protesting led by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. instead of lashing back at cops. It's widely known that King and Malcolm held conflicting views. 'Pac even goes so far as to question why text books are filled with info about MLK and not X.
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Killer Mike Feat. Ice Cube “Pressure” (2008)
Album: I Pledge Allegiance to the Grind II
Lyrics: “It cost what Christ gave, what King gave, Malcolm X gave/One billion dollars don’t make you an ex-slave"
Killer Mike may be the most candid spitter in the game today. To a degree, KM’s raps are as a fiery as Malcolm X’s speeches.
To get a glimpse of Killer’s off-the-cuff temper, he lets loose on the Ice Cube-assisted “Pressure.” Over the The Bizness–produced track, Killer Mike waxes aggressively but poetically about prejudice Whites. He even spazzes on “monkey-ass niggas,” too. That's Malcolm all day. Malcolm didn't just attack Whites; he laid the verbal assaults on Blacks, too, which can be heard on the song's intro with one of Detroit Red’s speeches. Malcolm X asks, “What did the man do to make you as dumb as you are right now?” Jaw-dropping.
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Yasiin Bey (Mos Def) “Supermagic” (2009)
Album: The Ecstatic
Lyrics: "You're living at a time of extremism, a time of revolution, a time when there's got to be a change/People in power have misused it/And now there has to be a change and a better world has to be built and the only way it's going to be built is with extreme methods/And I, for one, will join in with anyone/I don't care what color you are, as long as you want to change this miserable condition that exists on this earth/Thank you"
Yasiin Bey has made a career of rhyming about the oppression of Blacks and Latinos. On “Supermagic,” Mighty Mos pens gems about government's treatment of minorities. While Mos Def doesn’t mention Malcolm in the song, “Supermagic” opens with one of many X’s moving speeches, particularly one that went down at an Oxford University debate back in 1964. This speech is special because we see another transformation of Malcolm in his views about Whites. After coming back from Mecca, Malcolm announced that he was now willing to work with Whites who sincerely wanted to move forward with civil rights.
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The Roots Feat. Dice Raw “Tip The Scale" (2011)
Album: Undun
Lyrics: “Lots of niggas go to prison/how many come out Malcolm X?”
The Roots stick their usual formula of uplifting rhymes and thought-provoking soul into “Tip The Scale.” The aforementioned line about Malcolm X going to prison is the perfect example. Other than carrying the legacy of a Black Nationalist leader, X’s transformation from Detroit Red to intellectual god is just as inspiring as his activism.
In 1946, a 20-year-old Malcolm Little caught an 8 to 10-year bid in Massachusetts for larceny. While in prison, an older inmate named Bambi dropped jewels on a young Malcolm by telling him, “In prison, the only way we know how to rebel is to cram some knowledge in our brains." Later, Malcolm's brother, Reginald, introduced X to the Nation of Islam and the rest was our history.
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