This article explores the hip-hop response to the hypersecuritization faced by Muslim minorities in the aftermath of September 11. Often, this confrontational style includes subverting the hegemonic narrative of Muslims as terrorists and turning the gaze to state operators and the structural and everyday discrimination faced by Muslims. Another exciting aspect of the Muslim hip-hop movement is how many hip-hoppers see their work as continuing the work of the Prophet. These hip-hoppers of the September 11 generation shirk their label as ‘enemy of the state’, instead embracing the role of flag bearers of an entire generation that has been deviantized by their ascribed status. The potency of hip-hop culture has also seen Western powers engage in hip-hop diplomacy as a form of soft power in Muslim countries. This alternative foreign policy tool is a form of soft power that acts as a more subtle C.V.E. (Countering Violent Extremism) policy that has been institutionalized.
Kamaludeen Mohamed Nasir (Thu,) studied this question.