Return of the Mecca: Muslims and Hip-Hop from Rumi to Rakim

Sohail Daulatzai
Film and Media Studies
UC Irvine

This project supported an art exhibition titled “Return of the Mecca: Muslims and Hip-Hop from Rumi to Rakim.” This exhibit, part of the larger city-wide L.A./Islamic Arts Initiative, was a community collaboration with the iconic South Los Angeles serving William Grants Stills Arts Center. Our exhibit, sponsored by the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, documented via trans-/multi-media productions the intersecting histories of Black Muslims and the arts, and disseminated this history to communities traditionally marginalized by mainstream arts initiatives. Interactive and innovative, the exhibit included film, photography, album art, and other ephemera, as well as performers and speakers to enrich this cultural history.