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If you’ve been around the rising Muslim entertainment industry, chances are you may have run into Christie or her husband Pop Master Fabel. They have been a part of the hip hop  scene long before Muslims decided to finally get involved.

We had the chance to speak with her about what it’s like to be one of the first Muslims involved in hip hop, and what the difference is between that and the mainstream rap industry.

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Tell us a little bit about yourself, how did you get involved in the hip hop scene?

As salaamu alaikum! I loved Hip Hop music from the first time I ever heard it on the radio. I stayed up late taping DJ Sly Jock’s Hip Hop radio segment on WAMO out of Pittsburgh. I especially loved the sampling of Soul, Rock, Doo Wop, etc. in earlier Hip Hop and I loved the DJ and dance elements the most. It was not until the 90s that I actually endeavored to throw my own little Hip Hop parties in Pittsburgh. By mid 96 I had moved to NYC. Then everything really took off from there – by 1998 I was organizing DMC USA’s national DJ battles and many other major DJ battles ever since and by 2003 we began throwing Tools of War True School NYC Summer Park Jams in the NYC parks!

I remember the first time I saw you at a break dance competition in Urbana-Champaign at the University of Illinois. And I thought WOW a hijabi! How hard is it to be a hijabi in the entertainment industry?

It’s easy to be a hijabi on the cultural side. Hip Hop culture includes the dance, graff, djing and MCing. On the Rap industry side, it might be harder – I’ve never worked on that side. As you might remember, when a girl was handing out flyers at that bboy event – she completely skipped over us – that in particular burnt me up. Why wouldn’t we want to know about more dance events like the one we were attending? That assumption that Muslim Sisters aren’t interested or wouldn’t go is plain insulting and defeats the mission of bringing community together. It’s better to offer the flyer and get turned down than to not offer – as a rule! Sometimes people treat me like I don’t know what’s going on – or they try to talk man to man with my husband about things that they need to talk to me about. My husband keeps telling them, “You gotta talk to my wife about that…” and some guys really just want to believe that my husband runs every event for me!

At first I did wear scarves tied behind my head or Kangols with my hair tucked up. The Muslim Sisters in Philadelphia who came to a DMC DJ battle we threw, inspired me. Even though it was a nightclub and people were drinking – they rolled in rocking hijabs like “we do this everyday”. I said to myself, that is way more comfortable than this Kangol anyhow! Eventually I became less self conscious about wearing hijab in the clubs at events in which I am involved. Lots of women I know in Hip Hop, Muslim or not, cover their hair anyhow.

Funny story about the DJ documentary “Scratch” (in which I have a little cameo) – I found a message board where DJs were writing that I think I am a pirate with my red scarf on and hoop earrings – and they wrote to me in pirate talk LOL! God bless the battle DJs – there are so few women on the battle scene – and they could have said so many other so the fact that I think that I am a pirate was endearing.

Your husband is well known in the scene as a member of the Rock Steady Crew, have you faced anything from his friends or fans for being so visibly Muslim?

Thank God, I can’t remember having any problem in that regard, but he embraced Islam long before me. I do hope that we break down any negative stereotypes anyone might have had about Muslims.

What is your advice to young women who are interested in the arts, but feel they can’t be both Muslim and involved?

You can be involved! Make a place for yourself by contributing something special. Try to apprentice yourself or intern with someone who’s work you admire.

We often hear that the hip hop industry is very anti-women.. what has been your experience?

I hear – on the Rap industry side – that some business meetings are actually done in strip clubs! That is insane to me – and so inappropriate. I’ve never worked on that side and I am quite happy not to if it requires me paying for a client to get a lap dance! I wont even buy anyone alcoholic drinks – I might not last in the Rap world lol. But on the cultural side of Hip Hop – there are lots of respected bbgirls, graff writers, DJs and underground MCs. I think the misogyny comes from each individual man and his issues – not all men or all of Hip Hop as a whole. I set events up where our hosts KNOW not to utter anything offensive at all because we want everyone – esp. women to feel welcome. I wish there were more female battle DJs. Women pretty much run the biggest DJ battles in the world – we are here, waiting to encourage them, just like we encourage the guys. Women, however, should not expect special treatment or for anything to come to them easier than the guys. As a woman, you NEVER want to hear that you got ahead by just being a female. For me I KNOW and STRIVE to do things 200% better than any guy because I want to be respected for being a through and organized event organizer – not “good for a girl” but over all! I don’t seek the spotlight myself. I think there are a a lot of women, in Hip Hop, not artists but behind the scenes people like myself – who only want credit for what they did and to be respected for their work. I will say that men trying to take credit for my work drives me crazy! But people with false claims and embellished bios don’t get too far – eventually they burn their bridges and can’t deliver.

I am very touched when men want to take pictures with me based on my contributions – that’s when I know that no matter how I dress – they are regarding me for the body of work.

What do you think can be done to change the portrayal of women as video vixens in mainstream hip hop?

I would not call that mainstream Hip Hop – I would say that is “commercial rap”. What can we do if the women still keep taking those gigs? It’s not like anyone is forcing them. Sometimes it’s even women in the Rap industry at the labels hiring them and producing the videos! The best we can do is shut the videos off and help young and old alike understand what it means to sexualize and objectify.

Too often boys in American society get the message that objectifying and sexualizing is a natural part of being a man – and some mothers don’t address it because, as one said “at least I know he’s not gay…” We need to teach both genders what a person who has respect for themselves does and behaves like. I am sure the video vixens are paid well, the money is easy – and they can even have self respect within themselves – I would just have to ask them if they considered that young people are exposed to their R and X rated performances. Especially now that youth roam the internet virtually unsupervised…. They still have a moral responsibility.

There are some artists who have become Muslim and left the scene entirely, they allege that it’s horrible and degrading and that we (Muslims in general) shouldn’t be involved at all, what are your thoughts?

They were probably in the Rap industry too – where this is less of the culture and less of the morals. I can’t see why anyone can’t find their own comfortable place – maybe the MCs/Rappers with a positive message would do better on the “underground” scene instead of the cut throat world of the Rap industry.

Did you face any backlash from Muslim community for the work that you do?

Not that I know of … but most of the Muslims I know are on the same page as me.

What is your favorite part of doing the work that you do?

When an event is well attended, goes smoothly and everyone leaves happy!

Where do you see the Muslim community in the next 10 years in relation to the arts?

I pray that the Muslims, especially those surviving on their own terms, within the Rap industry, can take commercial Rap back to the time when Islamic words and references were commonly heard. I would love to see conscious Rap be the norm, where political, social, moral issues etc. where addressed.