Malcolm X would have turned 100 on Monday (May 19) had he not been assassinated. Anybody who has been touched by Brother Malcolm, who passed as el-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz, is forever impacted by his words, voice and vision. His image still appears on t-shirts and murals, but his ideology has been diluted, commercialized or marginalized. His uncompromising truth lives. We are in a moment where white nationalism is rising, truth is curated by algorithms and history—Black History—is being scrubbed from institutions. Malcolm X’s voice won’t be fading if we have anything to do with it.
From the Streets to the Pulpit to the People
Born Malcolm Little in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1925, Malcolm X’s journey from hustler to revolutionary is a Hip-Hop origin story that isn’t officially Hip-Hop. We can call him one of the many precursors. His transformation in prison, the trials and tribulations and his ability to weaponize language without violence is very Hip-Hop. Rappers, particularly Gen X MCs, picked up the baton.
By the way, Nas and Malcolm X are reportedly related.
In Ilyasah Shabazz book The Awakening of Malcolm X: A Novel, she said, “To our cousin, the visionary multiplatinum recording artist Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones, aka Nas. We are so proud of all your accomplishments as you continue to keep your eyes on the prize.”
Nas’ grandfather Mack Little is the grandson of Celia Little; Malcolm X’s grandfather John Little (b. 1859) is cousinof Nas’ great(x2) grandmother Celia Little (b. 1865).
Hip-Hop’s First Political Prophet
Malcolm X was the face of radical resistance, a movement that Hip-Hop adopted. Malcolm demanded justice. That demand and fearlessness was infused into Hip-Hop’s DNA early on.
In the ’80s and early ’90s, groups like Public Enemy and Boogie Down Productions sampled his speeches and embodied his teachings. Chuck D once called Malcolm “the blueprint for the truth-teller in Hip-Hop.”
“When we said ‘Fight the Power,’ that was straight from Malcolm,” Chuck D said in Malcolm X: Make It Plain. “He gave us that audacity.”
“Like others before him, such as Malcolm X, it took time for them to evolve in[to] the men they would be. And I think 2Pac was actively making moves…[and]…evolving very rapidly to what I think he would have been,” I told Good Morning America nine years ago.
2Pac was often compared to Brother Malcolm for his mix of street knowledge and revolutionary politics.
“I’m not saying I’m going to change the world,” ‘Pac once said. “But I guarantee that I will spark the brain that will.” Well, Malcolm was that spark.
From Revolutionary to Relic?
But where is Malcolm’s voice now?
Today, Hip-Hop’s radical roots seems to have shriveled up. Many of the mainstream artists are trapped in cycles of excess (drugs, liquor, social media), performative street nonsense or corporate-friendly lyrics. The rebel in rap has been defanged, which coincides with a broader trend.
Conservative movements rewriting or banning Black history in schools. Florida’s curriculum downplays slavery. Textbooks are being whitewashed. Radical Black voices—Fred Hampton, Assata Shakur, Angela Davis and Malcolm X—are being edited out. And worse, if they can turn Malcolm into a mascot, they can mute a movement.
But they can’t…
Malcolm X’s early life is closer to modern thug rap than any Ivy League scholar. The criminal-turned-conscious archetype is the Malcolm story. His past as “Detroit Red” wasn’t glorified, but it was evidence of what a person could become.
Some rap is apolitical. But, there are many artists are still carrying Malcolm’s fire. Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp A Butterfly is a modern-day message to the oppressed. J. Cole, Rapsody, Noname, Tef Poe and others continue the lineage of liberation.
Malcolm spoke truth, and that’s all most rappers ever wanted to do.
Why We Need Malcolm Now
Malcolm X is not just a figure from the past. He’s the unfinished project of Black liberation. His messages about media bias, the dangers of assimilation and self-determination are relevant in the age of AI disinformation and state-sanctioned violence.
When Malcolm said, “The media’s the most powerful entity on Earth,” he was foreshadowing the social media algorithms that now control public perception.
When he said, “If you’re not careful, the newspapers will have you hating the people who are being oppressed,” he was predicting Fox News, clickbait, and cancel culture.
What about his message isn’t relevant today?
The Call To Action In Hip-Hop
Hip-Hop, as a culture, must decide what it stands for as it zooms past 50. Does it remain a vessel for Black expression, youthful resistance and straight-up truth-telling or does it become another corporate tool for benign entertainment?
Re-invoking Malcolm X isn’t about quoting him. We have to turn off the screen and channel him. The youth need an update, because Kodak Black isn’t getting it.
It’s about re-centering the rebel spirit, not just the profitable plan. The algorithm is the new power.
So on this 100th birthday of el-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz, let’s make it plain: The Mission Continues.
Related
