When Jay Electronica showed up to the Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival with members of the Fruits Of Islam (F.O.I) accompanying him, Electronica earned the support of Minister Louis Farrakhan despite facing scrutiny for wearing an FOI uniform while using profanity. Electronica has gained even more support from the Nation of Islam community by appearing on the cover of The Final Call, a newspaper founded by Farrakhan that serves as the official newspaper of the Nation of Islam.

In the feature story, entitled "God's Influence In Hip Hop," the author, Ashahed M. Muhammad, gives a history on the relationship between hip-hop and the Nation of Islam, Farrakhan's view on hip-hop, the importance of Electronica appearing publicly in full Fruits Of Islam garb and Jay Z publicly supporting Electronica and the F.O.I.

In the article, Muhammad quotes Brand Nubian's Lord Jamar as saying, "That type of energy I definitely haven’t seen or felt in quite a long time especially surrounding Hip Hop. To have the brother Jay Electronica to come there with the F.O.I. dressed in full F.O.I. garb was a strong statement to make today in Hip Hop. Then to receive the chain from Jay Z that has the Universal Flag on it and to be wearing that in conjunction with the F.O.I. uniform, I thought was a very strong statement because both those ciphers are inextricably intertwined and to see that psychological display of unity I think was beautiful, especially at a time in Hip Hop— and in music in general—where finding something positive is almost non-existent.”

The full piece can be read here.

[The Final Call]

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