From the early 1980s, Gods and Earths are found among the American
East Coast,
West Coast, and
Midwest. This spread, in part, uses the
language of
Supreme Mathematics, which represents universal law and order, and the
Supreme Alphabet, which represents universal principles of life, ostensibly to forge solidarity with the inner-city youth through a common language.
[10] The main theme of the Nation of Gods and Earths doctrine that can be heard on hip-hop records were the teachings that Black people were the original, or first, human life to walk the planet, Black man is God, the Black woman is Earth, and through the inner
esoteric powers of the Gods and Earths, the youth can transform and possess its true
potential, which seems to overthrow the overbearing
oligarchy by becoming just rulers of themselves.
Early Hip-Hop acts affiliated with the Five Percenters, and who spread its teachings through Hip-Hop, include two highly regarded MCs of the late 1980s/early 90s conscious rap era,
Rakim of
Eric B. & Rakim and
Big Daddy Kane. These two acts, as well as some of their other contemporaries, infused Five Percent teachings and symbolism throughout their music and videos. This reputation brought fans of Rakim in particular to refer to him as "the God MC." Not soon after Rakim and Kane's heyday rose acts who were even more explicit with allegiance to the NGE, most notably
Brand Nubian,
Poor righteous Teachers, and the
Wu-Tang Clan. The popularity of these acts sparked a boom of new NGE students.
Many terms that originated as Five Percent
jargon have been adopted into the
Hip-Hop slang. Popular terms such as
word is bond, while having significantly older roots than the Nation of Gods and Earths, were believed to have gained prominence through its use of the term, referring back to the original Nation of Islam's and the Five Percent's shared 120 Degrees.
[3]
The Nation of Gods and Earths in New York City were even known as a visible presence at parties around town in Hip-Hop's formative years of the 1970s. Scene pioneer
DJ Kool Herc recalled that while there was a heavy gang presence in attendance, the Five Percent were also there as a
de facto peace-keeping element.
[11]