From Staff Reports
Muslim, father, mentor, writer, author, advocate for the upliftment of women through hip-hop, and overall servant for the Black community, is a summation of Jihad Hassan Muhammad and his body of work.
Born and raised in St. Louis, MO, Muhammad recalls the challenges of growing up in a place that has long been referred to as one of “America’s most dangerous cities.”
“In St. Louis, at the time it was popular to be a Blood, Crip, playa, pimp, hustler, or you could take the positive route, Muslim, or some degree of consciousness,” Muhammad said, adding that these aspects reflected the wide array of hip-hop, in the late 80’s and 90’s, which would forever affect him.
As Muhammad began to see various friends and classmates influenced by the negative aspects of society, he would yield to the positive, that he would hear from greats like Public Enemy, X Clan, Poor Righteous Teachers, Ice Cube, Rakim and Big Daddy Kane.
At the age of 16, Muhammad became a Muslim, following The Most Hon. Elijah Muhammad, under the leadership of The Hon. Min. Louis Farrakhan; making a decision that would guide the rest of his life.
“This one decision led to everything, even journalism,” Muhammad recalls.
It was The Final Call, the Nation’s news- paper, that Muhammad became enamored with, “not just delivering them to our people in the hood or wherever we found them, but I read the compelling news that was so bold and Black,” remembered Muhamma.
His intrigue inspired him to be a journalist, working on behalf of Black media.
He first landed at the St. Louis American, one of the country’s major Black newspapers; reporting on community solutions and writing stories about how the culture of hip-hop can be an agent of change.
Along with being a writer, he co-founded Dynasty Hip-Hop Mentoring Program, which resolved conflicts amongst at-risk youth, utilizing the culture of hip-hop.
With the help of judges, community partnerships, and hip-hop artists like Nelly, they were able to intervene in the lives of thousands of youth in St. Louis; keeping them away from violence, and incarceration, while putting them on a path to more productive lives.
While in St. Louis, Muhammad became a father, which he said is one of the greatest accomplishments one could ever fulfill.
In 2010, Muhammad moved to Dallas, where he began writing for The Final Call nationally, and reporting for The Dallas Weekly. He started the newspaper’s hip-hop section, and later became the managing editor.
It was here that he met his longtime mentor, Cheryl Smith, former editor of ‘The Weekly’, and publisher of I Messenger Media.
Before Muhammad would leave the news- paper, he also started the media platform’s partnership with the CW TV network, and Radio One where he began a movement uplifting women, with their station 97.9 The Beat. The movement, called She Represents, can still be heard every Saturday morning on the station.
“Seeing the continued degradation of women through the industry of hip-hop, I said we must utilize the airways to uplift our sisters,” said Muhammad.
Now Muhammad has a new endeavor that he is so excited to take the helms of. He is the new digital media editor for I Messenger Media which includes Texas Metro News, and The Garland Journal.
“Cheryl Smith, in my opinion, is Dallas media royalty, and I am so thankful that she has always taken time to give me guidance and mentorship,” he said. “Now she is giving me this wonderful opportunity to advance Black media in the realm of social media and digital.”
