[Skywalk]

As a now-and-then hip hop fan, I'm quite familiar with the Five Percenters. As I see it, guys like Busta Rhymes use the mysticism(or looniness) the same way many use various scriptures from around the world. It gives an air of the mystical to their music, just as the words of the Bible give an otherwise mundane speech about doing the right thing an added "oomph."

Understand, I'm not comparing the two, and there are SERIOUS believers in this Five Percent garbage, but there're also a lot who just use some cool or off-the-wall concepts they learned "back in the day."

All of the members of the Wu Tang Clan seem to be serious adherents to the "religion."

[VaBthang4]

Yeah...it is still grounded in NYC. Still draws the same corny coterie as it did when I was young. "Vain and cant be told what to do" types.

The heart of East Coast hip hop. Versus the shallow hillbilly style of rap that pushed out of the West Coast.

Nothing to be mesmerized by [but the simple will be].

[Route66]

Not being a hip hop fan, Your post might help explain how the shooter was influenced by this belief system. If it's passed by street lore and music, he could have been influenced by either or both. I would expect this was most likely the case with Malvo.

I do still think John Muhammad - as evidenced by his name change and his security guard affiliation with The Nation of Islam - was most influenced by that organization.

It is possible that some ideology from the 5 percenters, which was considered a religion in competition with NOI in the 60's, may have sort of merged into what is now just known commonly as NOI. I'm no expert here, just speculating.