Islamic Force

Islamic Force is an Oriental hip hop group, originally from Berlin, who ultimately began the Oriental hip-hop movement as a way of creating an identity for minorities in Germany. The group was founded in the late 1980s during a time of growth for hip-hop in Germany and was made up of members of different ethnicities, including lyric writer and rapper: - Boe-B, the founder of the group and is of Turkish origin - Killa Hakan; vocalist whose families originally were from Turkey, - DJ Cut Em' T; co-founder and scratcher whose real name is Tamer Yiğit and whose family is originally from Turkey as well, - Maxim36; who is also Turkish origin and an activist from Berlin, - DJ Derezon; producer whose ancestry was Spanish and German, - Nelie; vocalist whose family hailed from Germany and Albania. Originally, their focus was on American hip-hop, and the group felt a strong connection to African American hip-hop, but they soon began experimenting with Turkish music and were the first group to combine computer drum rhythms with Arabesque breaks. Islamic Force chose their name partially because of the negative stereotypes of Islam in Germany at the time, with hopes that their music would positively combat these hostile feelings and make German society more accepting of Muslims. They were also influenced by Afrika Bambaata and his music. Their first record, My Melody/Istanbul was released in 1992, during a wave of racism towards Turks in Germany and combined popular hip-hop with traditional Turkish music as an attempt to decrease racism towards Turks in Germany by combining Western and Turkish cultures. As part of the attempt to break down racism, "My Melody/Istanbul" serves as a prime example of Oriental Hip-Hop's use of the English language as well as Afro-American beats, Turkish arabesque and Pop Muzik. This...