Investigative Group

These Big Name Rappers Are Tight With Anti-Semite Louis Farrakhan

Facebook_Logo | Circa January 2017 | AlvaroMolina

• Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan has received support from high-profile rappers for decades.
• Farrakhan is a notorious anti-Semite who was recently banned from Facebook and Instagram.
• Snoop Dogg publicly defended Farrakhan after the bans, but he’s far from the only rapper who’s a Farrakhan fan.

Nation of Islam leader and notorious anti-Semite Louis Farrakhan has long enjoyed support from high-profile names in the rap and hip-hop industry.

Snoop Dogg responded to Farrakhan’s recent ban from Facebook and Instagram by denouncing the social networks and calling on his followers to post Farrakhan content in protest of the ban.

The rapper said Farrakhan, who has repeatedly demonized Jews as “satanic” and railed against interracial marriage, was banned “for telling truth.”

Snoop Dogg’s support for Farrakhan is far from unique in the rap community.

Farrakhan received a warm welcome while speaking at Nipsey Hussle’s funeral in April, where Farrakhan praised the slain rapper for his efforts to combat gang violence.

Farrakhan released a music compilation project in October 2018 that featured rappers Snoop Dogg, Rick Ross and Common, in addition to other artists including Stevie Wonder.

“One of many voluminous things about the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan is the beloved Nation of Islam leader’s secured relationship with Hip-Hop culture,” hip-hop website The Source wrote following the collaboration’s publication.

The Nation of Islam touted Farrakhan’s collaboration as featuring “a literal ‘who’s who’ of the music industry in terms of featured vocalists, musicians, producers and musical engineers, many of whom are award-winning and critically acclaimed experts and professionals.”

Farrakhan, who has long accused Jewish people of controlling the music industry, defended Kanye West in 2013 after criticism from the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), an anti-Semitism watchdog. The ADL criticized West for saying that black people “don’t have the same level of connections as Jewish people,” but Farrakhan insisted West said nothing wrong.

Ice Cube has had a years-long relationship with Farrakhan and credited Farrakhan in 2012 with ending his feud with Common.

Farrakhan and Ice Cube posed for photos together in 2018 when Farrakhan attended the launch of Ice Cube’s three-on-three basketball league.

Farrakhan received a flood of support and publicity from high-profile rappers in 2015 ahead of his “Justice Or Else! Million Man March 20th Anniversary” rally he held that October.

Rappers The Game and 2 Chainz posted photos of themselves with Farrakhan in June 2015, as did the rap group Migos.

“Farrakhan has received support from well-known rappers and others, who are helping bring Farrakhan’s message to a broader audience,” the ADL observed that month.

Farrakhan’s support in the rap and hip-hop community extends back decades.

His 2001 hip-hop summit was well-attended by a number of high-profile names in the industry, including LL Cool J, Ja Rule and Sean Combs (whose current stage name is “Diddy,” but has previously gone by “Puff Daddy,” among other pseudonyms).

Actor Will Smith, a former rapper, was also present. Smith faced criticism in 2015 after he and his wife donated $150,000 to Farrakhan’s Million Man March in 2015.

The Nation of Islam did not return The Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment. TheDCNF reached out to publicists and representatives for every rapper mentioned in this article but did not receive any responses by press time.

Farrakhan’s influence isn’t just limited to the music industry.

Left-wing activist group Women’s March has faced criticism over its leaders’ support for Farrakhan. Farrakhan also has ties to a number of Democratic politicians at the national level.

House Majority Whip James Clyburn once shared a stage with Farrakhan and, when asked for comment by TheDCNF in 2018, declined to denounce the Nation of Islam leader.

Democratic California Rep. Maxine Waters in 2005 attended a Nation of Islam rally where Farrakhan praised her by name and then later defended Palestinian suicide bombers.

Democratic Illinois Rep. Danny Davis repeatedly praised Farrakhan in multiple interviews with this reporter in 2018 and defended Farrakhan as “an outstanding human being.”

Davis said in one interview that Democratic politicians don’t criticize Farrakhan publicly because they don’t want to hurt their chances of re-election.

Follow Hasson on Twitter @PeterJHasson