During a newly-published interview with Vlad TV, Brand Nubian rapper Lord Jamar, who has been a member of the Five-Percent Nation for 30 years, shared his thoughts on fellow artist Jay Z wearing a Five-Percent Nation chain last year.
He says that he’s unaware of what Jay Z’s standing with the organization is, and clarified that he is not upset with the Brooklyn lyricist’s decision to wear the chain. Lord Jamar then added that if anything, the rapper wearing the chain raises awareness about the Five-Percent Nation.
“There’s been little hints,” Jamar said. “I’ve heard him for a while now dropping little things in his music. Saying little—Giving slight acknowledgement to the Gods. And shit, even to us. You know? ‘Only God can judge me, so I’m gone. Either love me or leave me alone.’ And especially on the last album. On that Holy Grail he got a song called ‘Heaven’ where he’s shouting out the Gods basically…But as far as actually coming out and proclaiming that he’s God and coming amongst the Gods and building with the Gods. And making knowledge born. Making understanding understood. He has not done that. That’s something that if he is interested in obtaining the knowledge of self or if he has been studying unbeknownst to us, that’s something that we’d like to know. Because we’d love to welcome him in and make sure what he’s learning he’s learning correctly.
“But usually someone who’s not in the Five-Percent Nation doesn’t wear our flag,” he added. “You know what I mean? That’s something that’s usually reserved for people within the Nation…I’m not upset with him. It’s not like I’m upset that he’s wearing it. I think it’s actually—It’s helping to raise awareness about us.”
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Lord Jamar was later asked if he agrees with the alleged Five-Percent Nation belief that the white man is the devil. He replied with a yes, but then broke down the Five-Percent Nation’s beliefs about devil and God as well as black and white.
“Yep,” Lord Jamar said when asked if he believes the white man is the devil. “But now with that being said white people come from the black man. And the original devil, the strongest devil is a black devil. So, are white people devils by themselves? No. They come from a stronger version of the devil, which was the original black man. And when we speak of God and devil we are not speaking in the same terms that you would think of a God and devil how you’ve been traditionally taught as far as within religion. We redefine what God and devil is and what it means to us. And it’s not anything spooky. It’s a frame of mind, basically. And even white and black is not necessarily a skin color. It’s a frame of mind. So, is the white man the devil? Yes, he is.”
The release of Vlad TV’s interview with Lord Jamar comes weeks after Jay Z presented rapper Jay Electronica with a Five-Percent Nation chain during his performance at the Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival this month. Jay Z gifting the New Orleans lyricist with the chain was recently addressed in a letter Minister Louis Farrakhan wrote.
“So, if someone offered me what Brother Jay Electronica was offered by Brother Jay Z, I too would accept it with the biggest smile on my face, for I too, as all of us in The Nation of Islam, are The Five Percent: Poor Righteous Teachers who are called to teach the 85 Percent, and free them from the chains of slavery and subservience as tools of the 10 Percent,” Minister Farrakhan said in his letter, which was posted on the Final Call website this week.
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