Islamic Force
Islamic Force is an
- 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
- Nelie; vocalist whose family hailed from Germany and Albania.
Originally, their focus was on American
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
Köyden İstanbul'a vardılar
Alman gümrüğünde kontrol altında kaldılar
Sanki satın alındılar
bunları kullanıp kovarız sandılar
Ama aldandılar...
"They arrived in Istanbul from their villages / And got searched in German customs / As if they'd been purchased / They thought they’d use them and kick them out / But they were wrong…"
These lyrics express the situation and hardships of the Guest Workers in German society and the feelings of hostility they experienced, presenting the situation in such a way that empowered minority groups to stand up for their rights and not succumb to being mistreated. This also shows the group's connection to African American
While Islamic Force's lyrics were originally written in English in order to gain Western acceptance and a wider audience, with the growth of their popularity in Turkey, the group eventually switched to rapping in Turkish. By rapping in Turkish, Islamic Force felt more connected to the country and their background and also helped to merge the global genre with more local culture. They also eventually switched their name to Kan-AK so that they did not offend any conservative Islamic Turks or be mistaken for a radical group. The name Kan-AK also served to appropriate a negative act towards Turks and other minorities in Germany, effectively taking a word with a negative connotation and making it more positive.[6]
References
- ^ .
- .
- ^ Adam LeBor: A Heart Turned East: Among the Muslims. MacMillan 2001, pp. 189-191.
- ^ Elflein, Dietmar. "From Krauts with Attitudes to Turks with Attitudes: Some Aspects of Hip-Hop History in Germany" Popular Music, Vol. 17, No. 3. (Oct., 1998), pp. 255-265.
- ^ "Hip Hop in Germany: Syncretism of a Devalued Culture" 3/27/08
- ^ a b Mert, Ceren (2003). "The Vigorous Local: Culture Industry, Hip-Hop and the Politics of Resistance in the Age of Globalization". Middle Eastern Technical University: 155–188.