Asalaamu Alaykum

Hope you guys are doing well. Lots of folks are asking how the album is coming along. Well we have good news and bad news. Good news is that the album is sounding really good mashaAllah. We have some really good songs and we are involving many more musicians on the album. Last time we had several featured artists, this time we will probably have a good amount of producers, percussionists, etc to help make it sound really nice. So alhamdulillah its going well.

However, the bad news is that the way things are going, we may not have it out for the beginning of Ramadan like we hoped. We had a couple tours break up our momentum for a bit, and some personal stuff came up. But more significant than that, we want to get it right. We don’t want to rush it just to meet a deadline. Many times, I have to leave the tracks alone for a while just so I can hear what sticks out like a sore thumb next time I hear it. When you hear the song over and over and over, your ear becomes used to things it shouldn’t get used to. So you can’t rush it.

But we will try to have something for you for Ramadan, maybe a single or something. We’ll see. Don’t want to make promises, but inshaAllah we will work hard to help our supporters and fans happy inshaAllah. Please make dua for us that we can finish!

Asalaamu Alaykum

Ok we are working hard on the album. This album we are doing it really meticulously and involving several producers. Yes we are still trying to have it to you by Ramadan, but we don’t want to cut any corners as they say. For this album we are really trying to feel the pulse of the youth in America and other Western countries and talk about some of the issues affecting them. All three members are involved in youth and Islamic work on a regular basis, Joshua being a youth director at one of the most respected Muslim community center in America. Naeem working in the relief area and getting to talk to youth from around the globe and seeing what is effecting them. Myself, I deal with alot of youth because I teach Pencak Silat. I think where our group Al-hamdulillah stands apart from others Nasheed artists is that we are just talking about the same things – we want to talk about things that really effect you. And so talk to us, we are listening to you. And of course Allah (SWA) is always listening to you also, and if we are inspired something, maybe it because of something you asked God for or needed advice on.

So blog number 3. As you know we are working on the album. Alhamdulillah we have some good stuff, so please make dua for us. And on that note, there are some people who are asking how they can support us. As you know the economy is down and that has effected everyone including Muslim communities who are supporting us. So we are looking for as much help from you as possible. Below are some of the ways you can help us finish the album:

1. Tell your friends to sign up on Native Deen’s facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/nativedeen) – this way we can easily spread the word much easier

2. Talk to at least two of your friends and family members to let them know about the upcoming album

3. If you know someone who can donate to the cause, please let us know – in these difficult times we are all struggling so please let us know by emailing press@nativedeen.com

5. Always keep us in your dua!

Thanks again and we hope to bring a fresh new album that you would like in the next coming months, inshallah!

Asalaam Alaykum guys. So we are working hard on our album. We have tons of songs we just have to choose which one would be the best one for the album. Inshallah you guys will enjoy it. But to help us choose which songs we want to put on the album, we need your feedback. Please go fill out the Native Deen survey at the link below:

http://www.nativedeen.com/survey

So we had a show in Phily a couple of days ago. It was a nice show. Its been a while since we performed together since we are working on the album. So we did a nice little show with like 4-5 songs. But now its time to get back to working on the album. We are trying to get the album out by Ramadan 2010. That gives us maybe 3 months. We need your dua! Please make dua that we can continue to push despite all the other commitments we have. But we don’t want to let down our fans. We want to give you a great album, but we also don’t want you to wait forever for it. Its already been like 2 years since the last one. So inshallah things will move forward.

Asalaamu Alaykum

How is everybody? Inshallah all you guys are doing well. Its been a bit since our last blog. Inshallah we will try to get more regular. The main thing on our heads now is the new album. We started working on it, and its going ok, I think we are off to a good start – Inshallah once we really start refining the material, its going to be amazing inshallah. This album we plan on really getting a good amount of input from professionals in their particular field. For example, for drums we are getting one of the best drummers around – Tariq Snare. He has been with Native Deen since our inception and he is an invaluable resource when it comes to rhythmic and percussive elements. I’d love to tell you more about some of the topics we are planning on discussing, but that would ruin a great surprise, right?

It seems many are anxious for our new album and we plan on making sure the wait is worth while. I am interested for your feedback however while we work on it. Tell us what made the last album so special and what songs really hit you and why. We love to hear your feedback.

So in order to make up for absence of a blog for several months, I and the other members of Native Deen will try to post a blog every week on the status of the new album. That way you can see how we are doing and push us to work harder on it. We need your duas!