The Five Percenter philosophy has been adopted by many incarcerated men as well as countless rappers. The documentary “Wu-Tang Clan: Of Mics and Men” explored how the Five Percent Nation influenced the Wu Tang Clan and their peers.
In the doc, RZA explained that the Five Percent Nation gave Black men and women a “sense of self-worth, hope, pride, and unity in a segregated and overtly racist city where most Black people lived in poverty.”
“Being a part of the Five Percent at that time, the mathematics and the knowledge itself…brothers was very unified,” said RZA. “We all can say that we was totally converted into that, totally immersed into it.”
“The Five Percenters influence was widespread in ‘80s and ‘90s hip-hop culture – which isn’t surprising considering that the genre was dominated by young Black rappers who were establishing their sense of identity and self-worth. Legendary rappers like Rakim, Busta Rhymes, Public Enemy, Mos Def, Nas, Jay-Z, Jay Electronica, and Brand Nubians often used the nation’s teaching in their rhymes and even donned the Five Percent Nation’s 7 and a crescent symbol on clothing,” Bustle reported.
Listen to GHOGH with Jamarlin Martin | Episode 60: Jamarlin Martin “Jamarlin goes solo and talks about Facebook’s ban on Minister Louis Farrakhan and whether or not Barack Obama’s pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, was always right. “
