Rap videos supporting the Islamist ideals of Jihad are popping up all over the Internet. They have names like “Blow by Blow” and “Dirty Kuffar.”
The videos espouse an us-against-the-world mentality, with a heavy infusion of Islamist extremism.
The songs have been doing the rounds for some time. But they’re getting renewed since the Paris attacks last week.
That’s because long before Cherif Kouachi and his brother killed 12 people in the attack on Charlie Hebdo headquarters in Paris, he was a petty thief and an aspiring rapper.
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Neo-Nazi groups have used white power rap as a recruitment tool, especially in Germany
For now, Jihad rap videos exist only on the very extreme edges of the genre and only a relatively small number are out there.
But not surprisingly, industry leaders like L. Londell McMillan, publisher of The Source, a magazine that focuses on hip-hop culture, aren’t exactly enamored with the notion that terrorist groups are hijacking the art form.
“For me personally, whether it’s Jihadi rap or gangster rap, I’m very upset with how rap is being used in any way that is harmful and hurts people,’ he said.
