Biography
Salaam started rapping at the age of 10. After seeing a preview for the movie Malcolm X in 1992 he read the Autobiography of Malcolm X, which inspired him to become Muslim.
In 2005 he won an award for Best Live Performance and Best Underground Song of the Year for the song "Blaxploitation" from his debut album Paradise Lost at the third Annual Underground Music Awards.
Together with Hicoup, Rugged N Raw, Impaq and Badsportt he is a member of the group 5th Column.
Salaam featured on the UK Hip hop group Mecca2Medina's Truthseekers album in 2006.
Salaam is a deeply spiritual Muslim MC who has been described as having "the powerful delivery of Chuck D, the racial love of Mos Def, the instructional attitude of Krs-One, and the anger of Immortal Technique." Salaam's third album proper, Children of God, was released in 2008, featuring guest appearances from Lord Jamar, Masta Ace and Salaam’s 5th Column crew. Exclaim! described the album as "well rounded" and "handled superbly", saying that Salaam has a voice that is "trained like an instrument, commands attention". Children of God has been described as " themed deeply in all religions", and was described by HipHopDX as possibly "the new archetype in what religious-minded rap can be".
Read more about this topic: Hasan Salaam
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