Rakin Misbah Adetola Fetuga (born 21 January 1971) is an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

rapper Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

and

music producer A record producer is a recording project's creative and technical leader, commanding studio time and coaching artists, and in popular genres typically creates the song's very sound and structure.Virgil Moorefield"Introduction" ''The Producer as ...

Nigerian Nigerians or the Nigerian people are citizens of Nigeria or people with ancestry from Nigeria. The name Nigeria was taken from the Niger River running through the country. This name was allegedly coined in the late 19th century by British jour ...

descent.

Early life

Fetuga was born in

Ladbroke Grove Ladbroke Grove () is an area and a road in West London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, passing through Kensal Green and Notting Hill, running north–south between Harrow Road and Holland Park Avenue. It is also a name given to ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. His parents, both

, came to the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

in the 1960s to further their education. His

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

father was an accountant, whilst his mother was a

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

working for the London Transport. When Fetuga was a teenager his parents separated, and in his mother's care he was brought up as a Christian. Through his early life, he has been

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

Jehovah's Witness Jehovah's Witnesses is a millenarian restorationist Christian denomination with nontrinitarian beliefs distinct from mainstream Christianity. The group reports a worldwide membership of approximately 8.7 million adherents involved in ev ...

and

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...

Career

In 1985, Fetuga and his childhood friends formed Cash Crew, he left

Holland Park School Holland Park School is a coeducational secondary school and sixth form in Holland Park, London, England. In 2013, it has attained academy status. Opened in 1958, the school became the flagship for comprehensive education, and at one time had ove ...

before his A-levels when they were signed to

Virgin Records Virgin Records is a record label owned by Universal Music Group. It originally founded as a British independent record label in 1972 by entrepreneurs Richard Branson, Simon Draper, Nik Powell, and musician Tom Newman. It grew to be a worldwid ...

and

BMG BMG may refer to: Organizations * Music publishing companies: ** Bertelsmann Music Group, a 1987–2008 division of Bertelsmann that was purchased by Sony on October 1, 2008 *** Sony BMG, a 2004–2008 joint venture of Bertelsmann and Sony that wa ...

France. He was a DJ, producer,

breakdancer Breakdancing, also called breaking or b-boying/b-girling, is an athletic style of street dance originating from the African American and Puerto Rican communities in the United States. While diverse in the amount of variation available in t ...

and

graffiti artist Graffiti (plural; singular ''graffiti'' or ''graffito'', the latter rarely used except in archeology) is art that is written, painted or drawn on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from s ...

as well as a rapper, known at the time as Rakin da Authordox aka Trim. Fetuga

converted to Islam Religious conversion is the adoption of a set of beliefs identified with one particular religious denomination to the exclusion of others. Thus "religious conversion" would describe the abandoning of adherence to one denomination and affiliatin ...

along with the others members. and in 1992, the group recorded the first ever Islamic rap song "The Provider". In 1995, Fetuga left the group. Fetuga then studied Islam under the guidance of Shaykh Ahmed Ba'biker Abu Bakr As-Sudani who encouraged him to use rap for

da'wah Dawah ( ar, دعوة, lit=invitation, ) is the act of inviting or calling people to embrace Islam. The plural is ''da‘wāt'' (دَعْوات) or ''da‘awāt'' (دَعَوات). Etymology The English term ''Dawah'' derives from the Arabic ...

(inviting others to Islam) and to continue using his musical talents to make

Islamic music Islamic music may refer to religious music, as performed in Islamic public services or private devotions, or more generally to musical traditions of the Muslim world. The heartland of Islam is the Middle East, North Africa, the Horn of Africa, W ...

. In 1996, he formed the group

Mecca2Medina Mecca2Medina are a British Islamic hip hop Nasheed group. History The group was founded in 1996 and produced their first EP, entitled ''Life after death'', the same year. Since then they have released three nasheed albums, two hip-hop albums, ...

. In 1999, he graduated with a

BSc A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

Sociology Sociology is a social science that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of Interpersonal ties, social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. It uses various methods of Empirical ...

from the

University of Roehampton The University of Roehampton, London, formerly Roehampton Institute of Higher Education, is a public university in the United Kingdom, situated on three major sites in Roehampton, in the London Borough of Wandsworth. Roehampton was formerly an e ...

and then started voluntary work before being recruited to train as a mentor. As well as recording and performing, Fetuga has also presented programmes such as the Global Peace and Unity Event Nasheed Contest for

Islam Channel Islam Channel is a UK-based, free-to-air, English language, Islamic-focused satellite television channel and online media platform funded by advertising and donations. It was founded in 2004 by Mohamed Ali Harrath (born 1963), a Tunisian acti ...

in 2008. He has co-hosted and managed the urban stages at the

Islam Expo Islam Expo is an Islamic exhibition held in London in July 2006 and July 2008. In 2006 it was held at the Alexandra Palace in London, a city with a large Muslim population and it was described as being the largest Islamic exhibition ever held i ...

Olympia The name Olympia may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film * ''Olympia'' (1938 film), by Leni Riefenstahl, documenting the Berlin-hosted Olympic Games * ''Olympia'' (1998 film), about a Mexican soap opera star who pursues a career as an athlet ...

and the Global Peace and Unity Event in

ExCeL Exhibition Centre ExCeL London (an abbreviation for Exhibition Centre London) is an exhibition centre, international convention centre and former hospital in the Custom House area of Newham, East London. It is situated on a site on the northern quay of the Roy ...

. In September 2010, Fetuga released a solo album ''The Road Less Travelled'' credited to the

stage name A stage name is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. Such professional aliases are adopted for a wide variety of reasons and they may be similar, or nearly identical, to an individu ...

"Rakin Niass", featuring other hip hop artists, including

Poetic Pilgrimage Poetic Pilgrimage is a British Muslim hip-hop duo, founded by Muneera Rashida and Sukina Abdul Noor in 2002. ''Hip Hop Hijabis'' documentary ''Hip Hop Hijabis'' is a 2015 Al Jazeera documentary about Poetic Pilgrimage, directed by filmmaker M ...

. Fetuga is the CEO of Crescent Moon Media record label. He runs workshops to support youth, teaches Religious studies at

Oasis Academy Hadley Oasis Academy Hadley is an all-through academy school located in the Ponders End area of the London Borough of Enfield, England run by Oasis Community Learning. It is the second Oasis academy in the London and has close links with Oasis Academy ...

. He also teaches

Islamic studies Islamic studies refers to the academic study of Islam, and generally to academic multidisciplinary "studies" programs—programs similar to others that focus on the history, texts and theologies of other religious traditions, such as Easter ...

at the weekends, and is also life coach. Fetuga's latest initiative is to bring awareness to the epidemic of youth violence in the inner cities. He formed an organisation called 'Save Our Boys' which holds events in the community and in schools. He is also part of the Rumi's Cave team working as a teacher, events host, speaker and Imam for Friday congregational prayers and Ramadan taraweer prayers.

Personal life

Fetuga is a

muqaddam ( ar, مقدم) is an Arabic title, adopted in other Islamic or Islamicate cultures, for various civil or religious officials. As per the Persian records of medieval India, muqaddams, along with khots and chowdhurys, acted as hereditary rural in ...

(student) of the

Tijaniyyah The Tijāniyyah ( ar, الطريقة التجانية, Al-Ṭarīqah al-Tijāniyyah, The Tijānī Path) is a Sufi tariqa (order, path), originating in the Maghreb but now more widespread in West Africa, particularly in Senegal, The Gambia, ...

Sufi Sufism ( ar, ''aṣ-ṣūfiyya''), also known as Tasawwuf ( ''at-taṣawwuf''), is a mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality, ...

order Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * Heterarchy, a system of organization wherein the elements have the potential to be ranked a number of d ...

. He now lives in Kilburn, London with his wife, Adwoa-Amina Elsie Ofori, and four children.

Discography

The Road Less Travelled (2011)

Track listing

Clarity (2011)

Track listing

References

External links

*
Rakin Fetuga
on ReverbNation
Mecca2Medina website
*Coughlan, Sea
How mentors make a difference
''

BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broadca ...

''. 24 January 2001
Muslims in the House
''

emel Emel may refer to: * ''Emel'' (magazine), a British Muslim lifestyle magazine *EMEL Fashion, US based fashion designing firm co-founded by Taiwanese fashion designer Michelle Liu and Ken Wu in Los Angeles, CA. People *Emel Aykanat (born 1975), Tur ...

''. Issue 8, November/December 2004 *Fetuga, Rakin
Rooted in Our Lives
''Arts and Islam Hip Hop Debate''. 14 June 2008 {{DEFAULTSORT:Fetuga, Rakin 1971 births Living people English Muslims Sunni Sufis English people of Nigerian descent English former Christians Converts to Islam from Christianity British hip hop singers English male rappers Black British male rappers Hip hop record producers Performers of Islamic music Life coaches Rappers from the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea People from Ladbroke Grove Alumni of the University of Roehampton Former Roman Catholics Former Jehovah's Witnesses Former Methodists

Early life

Career

Personal life

Discography

The Road Less Travelled (2011)

Track listing

Clarity (2011)

Track listing

See also

References

External links