Review
. . . absolutely scintillating expression of controversial ideas by one so gifted in language to become known as "Rap" . . . Al-Amin is still using his gift . . . to call the people to action. -- The Black Collegian, Jan.-Feb., 1994
. . . stresses that the [real] revolution begins within every individual [upon recognizing] the greatness of Allah as the Creator and Lord and [submitting] to His natural laws. . . universal, timeless truth which frees the mind and allows the soul to draw near its Creator. -- Muslim Journal, Sept. 3, 1993
Al-Amin thoroughly explains the principles of Islam and its role in the struggle against oppression . . . Many of the young African-Americans who are struggling for equality, idolize Al-Amin and choose to raise the consciousness of people through what is called rap music...reminiscent of his former nickname "Rap"...earned on the streets because of his mastery of the Black vernacular. --South Carolina Black Media Group, Sept. 2, 1993
About the Author
...a disenchanted ex-poverty worker who affects sunglasses indoors and out, a droopy mustache, a bushy "natural" coif and a curdled view of the white world...He preaches armed eye-for-an-eye self-defense for Negroes and packs a 12-gauge "cracker gun" in his own dusty Plymouth. A national figure, H. Rap Brown was in great demand as a speaker. In July 1967, he addressed a civil rights rally in Cambridge, Maryland, an Eastern shore town of approximately 13,000 people. Brown arrived late and a crowd had already gathered in the streets of the city's Black neighborhood, along with a contingent of police and National Guardsmen. Reportedly, Brown addressed the crowd in his usual fiery style. From the hood of a parked car, he stormed: "...take your violence to the honkies...You've got to get some guns...Burn and tear Cambridge down! If Cambridge doesn't come around, burn it down...Get yourselves some guns. This town is ready to explode...If you don't have guns, don't be here. You have to be prepared to die..." The aftermath: Pine Street Elementary School, along with two blocks of homes and businesses, went up in flames. Brown disappeared, some say concealed in a coffin and driven out of Cambridge in a hearse. Maryland State Police and the FBI issued warrants for his arrest. Two days later, he was arrested by FBI agents in Washington, D.C. and charged with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution. Three weeks later, the State of Maryland charged Brown with inciting to riot. Freed on $100,000 bond, Brown continued to speak boldly to the nation. In 1967, within hearing distance of the White House in Washington, D.C., he roared, "If you're going to loot, loot yourself a gun store. You got to arm yourself, brother." By 1968, much of SNCC's leadership had merged into the Black Panther Party, which had been organized in Oakland, California, by Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale. The Black Panthers supported th
