The Deen Show – My Relationship to Tupac Shakur & Islam

			But the dream also turns into a nightmare. You hear that the dream also turns into a nightmare. I
used to think that across was
		

			protecting to like people, there's like a super set like a good luck. If you look at the music
industry all around the world, even rock, pop
		

			whatever it is when a beat behind it, man, it's funny because Napoleon Muhtar actually tried to talk
to me about Islam a few times and
		

			I rejected it like a lot of people and I remind myself to this day, and I see all these names in the
Quran, Jesus Moses, I'm familiar with these and I have a big question mark says he was Christian.
		

			A Christian should really listen and try to understand the Quran if you really Christian he believed
that you will believe in it. In the Quran and
		

			Muhammad, Allah
		

			How you doing? My brother gritties of peace, peace be with you.
		

			You You reminded me of you guys remember? Our brother Napoleon? Who was with the outlaws Now you
remember Tupac Shakur? You remember him? Yeah, remember? Most of you do you're still listening to a
song you shouldn't be why you're doing that man. Come on now. You gotta rise to the next level. And
you did you rose above all that? Yes. And you actually you know brother Napoleon right? Yes my big
bro right now let's let the cat out the bag how you connected to to park she got to park you got a
moat Napoleon the outlaws? How do you fit in all this? I was about 1516 years old when I first first
met Tupac Shakur. You kind of he doesn't kind of looks like Tupac. I heard that on my life. Man.
		

			Park was uh, you know, there's a ladies man. So, you know, I won't you know, I'm not living that
lifestyle anymore. But I'm struggling still with certain things. You know, the struggle was beauty.
Because of a struggle comes.
		

			Patience. sacrifice. This is how you get to gender to struggle. Yeah, anything easy. Want to try to
stay away from it? You know, so.
		

			I'm sorry. I lost life. So you are so now? Around 15 years, okay. 15 I met two big seichim and knew
I was able to meet Tupac. So a 15 year old you're meeting to park and this was like the mic we can
say Tupac was or is considered like the like Elvis Presley was the king of rock and roll. Michael
Jackson was the king of pop music. And Tupac was I mean, can you safely say he's the king of rap
music hip hop. So you're meeting now the what would people would consider a legend in the hip hop
was and I was nervous. I never told to pop off truly thought about them. It was more of an
		

			act like I was used to the situation.
		

			How did the circumstances happened that you're actually getting to meet him? Okay, my father.
girlfriend's son name is Manu, he didn't rap. But big psych was news friend, psych rapids. psych is
one of two parks very close close partners and rap friends. Because they ordered me of course, to
park is like seven years older than me. So once I heard that, Tupac was messing with big cyclamen
knew, I knew that cuz I could get myself around a situation being close to them cyclamen, and next
thing, you know, just like this, I said, Man, I wonder when I seen the damn Show. I'm like, man, I
want to get on that. You know, what am I how do I call I say, You know what? I'm gonna let a lot it.
		

			Sharla so this is back in now. jelly jelly before Islam. You're saying now.
		

			This is how I looked at Tupac. How can I How can I go with this guy? Okay, well, girls are laughing
said I look like yes. back then. When I was coming up dorscon wasn't really too popular. Yeah, it
was the last game guys, you know. Okay. So girl was a couple girls and guys will say I don't even
like Tupac. Yeah, so next thing you know, I seen him on TV. And I kind of liked with them and say,
Man, I'm not gonna and then when I found out that Psychonauts and menuett was around them. I said,
Wow. How can I get myself around? Take a minute Who are they? these are guys hi met Tupac. These are
their rappers. Also. Luke wasn't a rapper. He was a street guy. But psych which was my new friend.
		

			He rapped people know who
		

			he passed away. Two years ago. He was part of the outlaws. And
		

			so that's how I met Tupac these two guys. And I'm 15 years old. That's our mission. Man. Napoleon
did that because he was all young, younger than Tupac in sight. These are older guys. There was no
young pups.
		

			Okay, so what happens if you fast forward now? So how so that's when you met him? And now How did
you end up in a group that the outlaws is like, was that a subgroup? Now? That's that's like, you
know, you have the famous rapper and then they start, they want to make more money. Yeah. So now
they get groups out of them. Right. So they can, they can manufacture more records get more because
all about the Benjamins sluicing in that all about the Benjamins that big. Puff Daddy, Puff Daddy.
We don't want to mention that because they would opposites right there on the east coast. West
Coast. Yeah, we know we passed in. Okay. He's He's, he's still running around doing the same thing.
		

			May Allah guide them or you know which one I Puff Daddy, Puff Daddy. Yeah. The Creator guide all of
them. Yes. So now Okay, so now what happens? So now how do you how do you end up in this group? With
Napoleon? My brother Napoleon. How you doing? I missed that brother. Amazing brother. Yes. So now
Napoleon. Do you still stay in touch with him? Of course. Yeah. All the time we talk I follow him on
Instagram.
		

			I've been to Saudi Arabia Mashallah when I went to Dubai, he picked me up from the airport,
Mashallah. That's our brother. We've had him on the program a few times seen him he was on he asked
him I said, Man, I gotta get a Toronto. So that's what your name was. Ah, ah, ah, ah, rotter up so
we got h rotter from the Tupac crew from the outlaw. So how did you end up now in the outlaws? Okay,
so which actually sold how many like 60 was a 60 million records? How many wanted to pop out a two
pack die a lot of things change, obviously, because he was the main
		

			head of the body. Yes. And it's so much pop. You know, we lost pocket was everything to change, but
		

			two pockets to actually actually be the rat when I was 1516 years old. I was nervous. I didn't I
didn't come out of my shell until Tupac died. And then the outlaws You know, there was already a
group but they grabbed me. Put me on a first album they put out and things like I said, When Tupac
passed away, things was just very with all young, we are under 21. Yeah, and we were supposed to be
the little homies, man, Napoleon's little brother named meal. And they were supposed to be like the
big guys the big brothers down but there was only a year or two older, less. And I feel like we was
all in mature at that time. So I mean, that's the dream a young youth now that's what who they're
		

			looking at. They're looking at these hipster hip, the hip hop stars. That's what they want to be
like, right? That's what they want to emulate copy to now for you guys to be actually around. People
like that. That's like the dream, isn't it? Yes, it was. But the dream hustle turns into a
nightmare. You hear that? The Dream also turns into a nightmare. Yes. And this is well, if you look
at the music industry all around the world, even rock, pop.
		

			Whatever it is, when a beat behind it, poetry is hot. I don't know if y'all like to love words, so
much do poetry without a beat. And this allow you stay away from the beat. It controls people that
make people move and do all this stuff. And this one makes the music on. Yeah.
		

			So what happens now? So how do you end up in this group? And how did you get from living that
lifestyle to actually now living the lifestyle? That actually is if any African American goes to his
roots? Even he watched the movie roots and he looks at Kentucky into he's calling upon the creator
Allah, Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali, anyone who went back to their roots, and there's a deep history with
African American people. And they're originate in Islam. So how did you come in back to the natural
way to Islam? Man, it's funny because Napoleon Muhtar actually tried to talk to me about Islam a few
times and
		

			I rejected it like a lot of people and I remind myself to this day, that when I try it, when we give
Dawa, we have to be patient. And we have to, especially people who are not born this religion, a lot
of people are born into Islam, so it's easier for them to listen and learn things when penis is
foreign to a lot of people. And
		

			I became Muslim. I didn't go to prison. I didn't get shot up. You know, I mean, I was healthy on all
10 toes and doing a lot of things and somehow, I'm not gonna say somehow, lots of polyglots Ali Cho
chose me and I seen a sign with my eyes literally. I'm gonna tell you exactly what I saw saw a
crescent moon with the star, like a perfect like, the things that you see on the flag I seen in real
life during Ramadan, which was 19 I'm sorry, 2004. My birthday is November 30. And it was towards
the end of Ramadan. I wasn't Muslim yet. I had no understanding of Islam. But I knew about obviously
I've seen this question more than before in the story that's next to it. So on my birthday, I
		

			actually seen his son and I had
		

			choice because I was out partying that night. And I had a choice, someone called me long story
short, when I went and seeing what I saw 10 hours later,
		

			it still wasn't good enough for me to understand what that fully meant. I knew there was something
special. But I'm not going to say that that's what the loss upon the watch is truly God because that
one situation didn't really convince me because once I woke up, I was ready to get back to the doing
it, even though I saw the star and the crescent moon, right. But a lot knows his slave. So I went to
Walmart, my mother and family came in town. And then because it was my birthday, and my mother, you
know, offered to clean my house not like not like that before birthday. She said, I was better at
the time living by myself. And she said, I want to clean your house for your birthday. So I went and
		

			got a vacuum cleaner. And two men approached me.
		

			And they asked me, can we talk to you for a minute and I say, guess what's going on? They said,
we've been alerted that you have a restraining order against you from one of our employees in the
store. You're not supposed to be such and such feet from them. So I say wait a minute, I'm young
restraining order, the person knows about it correct. So I never knew I had a restraining order in
my life. So I tell the two gentlemen, that approached me that this is a mistake. And
		

			I don't have a restraining order and show me the individual and said I have a restraining order
against me. And they took me to this woman. She looked me dead in my face and say yes, that's him.
So I'm like, wait a minute, this is remind you are seeing what I seen about 10 hours ago.
		

			So I go on the back, they find out it's not me, they run my name and said, Okay, we're sorry, we
made a mistake. But you have a track a traffic ticket, we call Metro you have to go to jail. So I'm
like, wait, I just told you this wasn't me. He made a mistake and identity. This is my birthday I
showed you today is November 30. I show you my ID says November 30. And he still took it was taking
me to jail. So I was a little frustrated. I get to jail. And it wasn't present. Because I don't want
people to think oh, he went to prison and became notice I happen. But I went God sent me to jail for
about 10 hours out of those 10 hours. As I'm telling, you know, everyone goes to jail. And they're
		

			innocent. I don't know if you've been to jail. Hopefully not. But when people go to jail, you
actually Wish you went there for like, man do nothing. This is everyone's story, right? Yeah. But I
really didn't do nothing. You know, I'm saying so.
		

			Long story short, they.
		

			As I'm in jail, and I'm telling my story to a person, all of a sudden, I get the vision of the star
and the crescent. So I stopped by having to quit telling the story. And I pondered and said, Wait a
minute.
		

			All of a sudden I seen this miraculous sign and all of a sudden I'm in jail for this for I couldn't
even control me getting here. I knew I put two and two together said this is from God. Even though I
wasn't Muslim. I knew this was some spiritual situation. So when I got out of jail, which is only 10
hours bailed out, and the person that picked me up I told him to take me to the library. Immediately
I didn't want to go eat food. I don't want to go nothing does take me to the library some deeper my
heart right now. Go to the library and go to the Middle Eastern section pick up some literature. The
Quran for example, I think was first and I see all these names in the Quran Jesus Moses I'm familiar
		

			with these have a big cross and Mark says he when I was Christian, I was not the angel but I love
God so you were like most most people and this is not to cause offense to any of our Christian
friends out there anybody in humanity but you see many of the rappers and many of people doing
opposite to the teachings of Jesus and the prophets and God but they were you know, certain emblems,
right the way the cross the morning star all those things. And out of ignorance they end up doing
things so you were wearing across thinking because we were told just like 50 you know you boy 50
years you ever met 50 cent? No No but who had the cross and others a lot of ignorance don't have the
		

			cross and it becomes more like a good luck charm or something. Right? So then what?
		

			Long story short that
		

			I used to think that across was
		

			protecting to like people yeah, it's like a superset like a good luck. Yeah, he's gonna protect you.
So don't want to protect you is the one who created you. Yes. But I brought that up to say, and let
me say this too. For the record. I don't want people you know, shout out to Christianity. And I
always the law says in the Quran, a true Christian when he hears the words of his Lord, he would
know that this Quran is from Allah isn't his maker. Yes. You know, I'm saying so we people that said
a Christian should really listen and try to understand the Quran because if you really crushing it,
you believe that you will believe in it, and the Quran and fix the little difficulties that you're
		

			struggling with with Christianity. This is why people don't go to church and things of this nature
Goodman doctrine has been tampered the Trinity and all the teachings of theology and so people
actually believe in God, yes, but they just don't believe in the doctrine so you find them not
struggling to go to church or struggle.
		

			With that also, of course, God was a lot more important point point to many people struggle with the
same issues. Yeah, but Islam now I go to the masjid every day. Yeah, when Christianity you go once a
week and you still don't go? Yeah, you offered to come just once a week, we still can't come to a
concert we rapping, singing songs, everything you still want to show is the entertainment if they
show me how God, Jesus or Moses or any of the prophets, may God peace and blessings be upon him.
They show me anytime that they
		

			worship God in this manner, then I will come to so like most of the rappers and people in general,
they believe in God. But there is no structure. There's no blueprint. And then you're confused over
here with the theology and nothing is straightforward, cut and clear. So you start making up your
own thing as you go that path of doing it and then you got the material world so you can forget it.
So what happens now you were in the cross, and then what happens? So I read the literature. Yes, I
see Jesus, Moses, Noah, Adam, all these names. I'm on the ground verbatim Word of God. I'm already
familiar with these words, because that's why I say, I don't want to talk bad about Christianity,
		

			because if it wasn't for Christianity, I wouldn't have understood who those names were. So we're not
putting down anybody. No, I'm not putting you down but you have to grow. Gotta go from white belt.
To blue belt, from what from GED to high school to college in Islam, we still going into the day we
leave this earth the Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said, This Deen is like sipping
from the ocean. So we have to be aware and understanding on how much knowledge you get Humble
yourself. And not only that, you can tell the knowledge you have by the people that you have given
Shahada. That's how I like to look at it. Because if you have all this knowledge, then you will be
		

			given charlas you'll be helping to teach it people. This Deen is not about learning this long, sit
in the corner, rocking back and forth and think you're going to heaven. This is not what this is
about.
		

			So now what happens now so you're learning about the clear message of pure monotheism, connecting it
with all the messengers of God there in the Quran. It's really anybody who looks at it sincerely,
genuinely, it's so captivating believable message boot proof evidence beyond what any reasonable
person needs. So what happens next?
		

			About two months later, I end up saying let you know how
		

			that is.
		

			But I study first Like I said, I went you studied there's nothing worthy of worship except the
Creator of the heavens and earth. And Muhammad is the messenger just like Jesus Abraham, Moses
before him. They all brought the same message worship the One God what happens next? So you say the
Shahada, I say the Shahada and become Muslim and 14 years later here I am, I'm still struggling with
a lot of things, but the difference is lost. First of all, last point, I don't want you to get
discouraged. Yes, you're gonna mess up You're still messing up I understand. I am too so we don't
want to feed the junctions that you have to be perfect to be Muslim. You know, you're gonna make
		

			some mistakes. And last point I want to Allison if you didn't make mistakes, I will wipe you out.
And creative people who did call upon me for the sake of My Mercy, that they messed up. This is not
purpose we're not Angel, angelic form creatures we are human beings. In a profit I mean, a loss upon
I want to Allah says that humans are made from clay and we have intellect and desires. The angels
are made from like, half intellect with no desires, the animals they have this desires with no
intellect. Now if the human being was to put his intellect over his desires, will be like that with
the Malacca with the angels on a day Yama, Yama. If the human being puts his desires over his
		

			intellect will we live with the animals on the day just so what what advice now you accept Islam as
a struggle life is a Jihad it's a struggle struggle to stay up right to be doing what the creator
wants you to do but he's the most loving most merciful make a mistake you turn back APS is set on
Jenna so you do your best to Deus human being possible that you can be living by God Almighty
guidance not by your desires you fall short but you keep turning back to God. So what advice now do
you have the message because you live that life of the rap industry of having the instead of the you
know the call to prayer shakedowns of them right music you know the industry you know that life all
		

			you know the
		

			glitz and glamour fame and money and all you know everything that the bling bling, just standard
metal My best advice you got to you got to have some desires that overwhelm you which is cool a lot
gave you that right? But just tasted don't get wrapped in it it's one thing to taste something you
know, but don't
		

			get fooled to the point where you're gaining weight from it you know, I'm saying this is how life is
we all want to curiosity is what makes a human being It's okay. We forgetful people were made to
forget but I don't want you guys to think that just because you listening to music, and they got to
say time give you an excuse to not to pray because once you pray and is the main
		

			If you hold on to your prayer, you can be you get it. What about people to get people? Now? You
know, some of the rappers out there to 50 cents, you know some people who never looked into Islam?
Why should they look into Islam?
		

			Because what they see is tricky because even if, like I said, As the saying goes, if Allah subhana
wa Taala guide you, no one can take you from this path. If a lot doesn't guide you, no matter how
many times we tell them, it's not gonna happen. It's actually within the heart. So these a lot of
people want this really life, Allah subhanho wa Taala is so merciful, he gives these people with the
heart one, the heart wants to worry life and that's what they give me. So sometimes we look at these
people and say, Man, what God did I serve I want to serve 50 cent God, he got a private jet, all
this stuff. But we have to remember what the prophet muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said, for
		

			those who struggle, Allah loves more, I might send you can have money, but the money a lot knows us
better than we know ourselves. Some of us if we have money, we will not only will we not pray, our
hearts will become part of this table. And a lot of us want that for us. So he keeps the money from
this. You know, I'm saying we want it so bad. I'm different. I'm gonna handle it. And, okay, give it
to us. And then
		

			it's what I often leave people with is the homework to understand that just like Biggie, he was at
the top of his game, but he'd gone at the time. He was at the top. He had the money and fame on
everything but he died. We're gonna die, Tupac, same thing at the top. And he's dead. So think about
death. And I leave people with his homework and you did it anyone that I talked to and interviewed
most people like you did, I'm sure at one point now you asked the crater alone to guide you very
simple homework as the one who created this universe, everything in it, the one who created Tupac,
the one who created Biggie, the one who created the sun, the moon. And Jesus asked, Who Jesus asked
		

			the One God to guide you. Why am I here? What's my purpose? guide me to the way of life you want me
to be upon? That's simple, right? Yes. Did you do that? Yes, I did. And I'm still doing it. And my
mother, my biggest Shahada I give was my mother, a witness, my mother become Muslim, she should tell
me she was covered by the blood of Jesus, she should tell me I was on the wrong path. We used to
argue about it. I said, You know what? Because I used to, because me and my mother had a difficult
		

			relationship for the sake of Allah subhanho wa Taala. When I read the verse that I'm in debt to the
woman that bored me, I had to change that relationship. I had to fix it. And I had to try to
		

			not
		

			do as I failed, you know, I'm saying so that alone, was the guidance. And these are the things I
mean, Islam is a way of life, we teach you how to use the restroom, how to wipe yourself, eat
everything, we all need this, we just we are create, we are creation. So we need an instruction
manual to operate this creation. Yeah, that's what the Quran is beautiful. So you have another
example. We've interviewed many who lived that lifestyle, they're running away from it to come to
the dean to come to this way of life from the Creator, why you run in towards what they're running
away from. So we left you a few things, remember the reality of death, it's coming. Second is ask
		

			the creator for guidance alone, and look at the verbatim Word of God the crown, look at the evidence
upon evidence of signs and signs that are there. I want to thank you so much for being with us.
		

			We started with peace, we end with peace, peace be upon you. This is the greeting of Jesus Moses and
all the messages of God. Let me say one thing about this brother right here, man, may Allah bless
him and his family on me because he's doing, you know, this is a first of all, the idea is beyond
like this, this this, this the thought of having a show that speaks on the deen and people's
struggles and everyday lives and trying to, you know, have people looking up to so many people have
nothing that benefits us. We look for these people. Like I said, they have money. That's it. They go
on to the grave, they don't take the money with them. This money is the root of distractions. This
		

			money makes you forget yourself to the poor. We enter heaven several 100 years before the rich So
why do we want money? That's my question. I struggle with this thing too. I want money. And I'm
like, Why? Why do I want money? Am I gonna feed the people? Am I gonna build masjids and I fight
myself every day. inshallah Allah does give me this money. I treat it right. So when I'm in my
grave, it would benefit me. And I go off that no, but what I was saying about this brother, may
Allah bless him and he's a beautiful brother. I'm touching a lot of people's lives. Not by not
because you're getting paid to do it. Like everyone else in this life. everything they do is about
		

			money. This guy is doing this for us. He's taking this time out, and he's doing things for the sake
of Allah subhanho wa Taala from Allah blessing the goddess family Sharla I mean, does that go hand
in hand? Thank you. I hope this has been of benefit. Continue to tune in here to the deen show.
We'll see you next time God Willing inshallah, don't forget to do
		

			The homework