YRAC SPOTLIGHT INTERVIEW- Mohammed Yahya, Spoken word Hip Hop Artist

By: Nadirah Angail
YRAC Editor/Journalist

Merriam-Webster defines the word “artist” as “one who professes and practices an imaginative art.” It should be defined as “Mohammed Yahya.” This Mozambican-born wordsmith pours his bold thoughts and opinions onto the page and wraps them up in infectious beats. Though he shies away from labels like Muslim rapper and conscious rapper (or anything that would put his music in a box) he is unmistakably Muslim and most definitely conscious of the messages he sends. Now residing in London, he’s taking his unique music wordwide.

Having to flee his home country at a young age showed Yahya, first hand, the effects of war. And though he’s been through something so traumatic, he still sees himself as blessed and uses his story as inspiration to help others. “Coming from a war torn country has made me feel like I have a duty, and to speak out against injustices that are being committed worldwide. I feel so blessed that I wasn’t one of the 1 million plus people that were killed in the Mozambican Civil War. I could have been one of those people who didn’t have a voice, or didn’t have anyone to speak on my behalf, but instead God blessed me with a talent, so I feel I should never take it for granted and always use it for a positive cause,” Yahya explained.

Not only does he use his music to affect positive change, but he is also the president of Speech for Peace, an organization that seeks to promote social justice by breaking down the barriers that humans create. What started as community development work grew into a full-fledged organization whose purpose, he explains, is to “create positive movements that will inspire all communities towards constructive engagement between one another, exemplifying understanding and compassion in the work for social justice and human dignity beyond the barriers of religion, ethnicity, and nationality.” Yahya thrives on youth work and has “bringing people together” as a common goal in all his endeavors.

Take, for example, his interreligious rap duo, Lines of Faith, UK’s first-ever, Muslim-Jewish Hip Hop act. Along with his band mate, Daniel Silverstein, Yayha performs across Europe and America, promoting religious tolerance and understanding through collaborative music. “Our music is a fusion of Islamic and Jewish concepts, with jazz, Hip Hop, reggae, funk and elements of rock. The direction of the project is focused on bringing the ancient traditions of both faiths alive in a way that highlights the common ground of the two communities as well as all humanity, something that we feel is very necessary in the current climate.”

It’s obvious that Mohammed Yahya isn’t your average rapper. Not only does his music teach valuable lessons, but it is also an eclectic mix of the cultures and languages that have colored his life. Having lived in both Portugal and London, Yahya’s music is bursting with diversity. He takes from all that he’s experienced to create a new and refreshing sound:

"Living in Portugal has opened me up to a wide variety of music such as “Fado” and a lot of Brazilian music too, because in Brazil they also speak Portuguese. One of my favourite Portuguese singers is a female singer called Amelia Rodrigues, and my favourite Brazilian singer is Maria Betanhia, who is extremely poetic singer… There was always music being played in my household. My mother absolutely loved music and my father was a singer back in Mozambique, so I was introduced to African Music from a very early age. Growing up I listened to a lot of music from Mozambique, Angola, Cape Verde, Congo and Latin music. I guess my sound is constantly developing and is influenced by all of this, from the political messages of the Brazilian singer Bezzera da Silva, to the poetic wordplay of Maria Betanhia, to the energy of the Mozambican Marrabenta."

These rich influences have helped to form a multilingual (he speaks Portuguese, English, and some Spanish, Italian and French) force that is spreading beyond its British borders. He has worked with various artists and refuses to let naysayers stop his progression. He reminds those that down artists with a positive message that “there are many rappers worldwide who are positive and yet sustain themselves from their art form.” Though popular American Hip Hop is dominated by party music with shallow lyrics, British Hip Hop is different. Says Yahya, “The British Hip Hop I listen to has a very positive, strong political and social empowering messages. I think the sound is quite different, but as time goes by it’s starting to sound like a lot like Hip Hop from U.S….” No matter how similar most Hip Hop begins to sound, there will always be others like Yahya that have their own sound. These are the artists that he gravitates towards. “I love music coming out from West Africa, especially Mali and Senegal. Senegalese Hip Hop is great! Shout out to Magee from Nomadic Wax for introducing me to a world of African Hip Hop in general. I’m also feeling K’naan, Zion I, Brother Ali, and of course everyone I work with, such as Poetic Pilgrimage, Masikah, Sound Species, Big Samir and The Reminders, Fidel, and many more.”

In the years that Yahya has been performing professionally, he’s faced many challenges as an independent artist and has continually turned to Allah for help and guidance. He has created a delicate balance between his career and his personal life, and appreciates the fact that his wife, who is also a musician, understands the sacrifices of being a full time artist. Along with the challenges have been triumphs that consistently remind him of how blessed he truly is. After fleeing his native country of Mozambique in his early years, he was able to perform there and reconnecting with his people. Mohammed Yahya is constantly reaching new heights as he “contribute[s] towards this universal musical movement that human beings have been working on for centuries.”

To hear some of Mohammed Yahya's music, visit his myspace page and youtube channel
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