Hip-Hop Legends Embrace Their Five Percent Nation Experience

One of the most defining appeals of hip-hop culture is the dimension of cultural references to ideals that appeal to Black audiences.

The culture of the Five Percent Nation of Gods and Earths has served as a foundation for hip-hop’s most notable acts including Rakim, Wu-Tang Clan, Big Daddy Kane, and Busta Rhymes.

The Five Nation of Gods and Earths (NGE) was established on October 10, 1964, when Allah the Father, born Clarence Smith on February 22, 1928, introduced his interpretation of the Supreme Wisdom Lessons from the Nation of Islam (NOI) to the youth in Harlem.

As a registered Muslim in Temple №7 under Malcolm X’s leadership, Clarence Smith, known as Clarence 13X at the time, experienced a profound revelation. He came to understand that he was Allah and set out to educate the Original Asiatic Black People about their inherent divinity and true identity. In 1963, Clarence 13X left Temple №7. Known as Allah, he went on to teach this understanding to the promising Black youth of Harlem.

From the mid-1960s to the prime of the 2000s, male practitioners or “the Gods” of the Five Percent Nation can be found in prime areas of Black neighborhoods throughout New York City, in “ciphers” or gathering circles, serving as community leaders as they shared the teachings of the nation to curious Black youth.

Primarily during the 1980s and 1990s, Five Percent Nation terms in the likes of “cipher,” “peace,” “knowledge,” “magnetic,” “wisdom,” and “square” were prevalent in hip-hop lyrics as ideals along the route of staunch Black culture were highly favored.

Big Daddy Kane recalled his experience with the Five Percent Nation of Gods and Earths, as his infancy with the culture started during the mid-1980s in Brooklyn at the “Head of Medina” in Fort Green Projects. The “Smooth Operator” rapper had encounters with several of the Gods, who ultimately showed him a sense of community and a profound understanding of self; “The Original Man is the Asiatic Blackman. The maker, the owner, the Cream of the planet Earth, father of civilization, and God of the Universe.”

“They told me what they wanted to say and left it at that,” said Kane. “They felt like anything other than that needs conversation amongst Five Percenters, not with the 85. I’m like well, I think this is something that I want to engage in. This is something I want to be a part of. I just want to learn more about it.”

The works of the Wu-Tang Clan are the most successful and globally renowned records that contain the Five Percent Nation aesthetic. Most members are practitioners of the nation’s teachings, as the 1990s are their most active years involved. From their names to their lifestyle and lyrics, the Wu-Tang Clan is partially responsible for the international exposure of Five Percent Nation teachings.

Several fans of the group have become dedicated members of the Five Percent Nation as a result of its representation in Wu-Tang Clan music.

“I live it,” said RZA. “The father was very pragmatic. He is a man, if you go through his history, he was military trained and he always said you got to do for yourself and take what somebody else brings to you, consume it, build yourself with it, and use it. If you don’t use it, you’re gonna lose it. So I’m living it.”

As of today, not all members of the legendary group are members of the Five Percent Nation of Gods and Earths. Raekwon and Ghostface Killah converted to the Sunni Muslim sect of Islam over a decade ago. Similarly, Big Daddy Kane is also a practitioner of Islam through the sect of the Nation of Islam. Wu-Tang Clan members such as RZA (Rakeem Zig-Zag-Zig Allah), Masta Killa (Jamel Irief Allah), and GZA (Allah Justice) remain passive practitioners of the Five Percent teachings while Method Man (Shaquan God Allah), U-God, and Cappadonna hold appreciation.

The late Ol’ Dirty Bastard (Ason Unique Allah) was also an avid practitioner, even at the time of his return to the essence (death). From the 1990s until his 2019 death, the clan was privy to the guidance of Popa Wu (Freedum Allah), one of the most prolific Gods in the Five Percent Nation of Gods and Earths. Among them is a lifetime lingering appreciation that is tied to the foundation of their journey to self-awareness and hip-hop was the vehicle of expression.

“The Five Percent teachings is always gonna be something that I respect because it was a door opener for me to finding myself,” said Raekwon. “Now I am at a more peaceful educated place and seeing things from a different lens. And, it’s still all one in its own way.”