Quest Rah – The 5th Element of Knowledge Video

– December 27, 2011Posted in: Arts

**Just updated with the brand new video below**

“I am Ibn Taymiyya, I am Ibn Arabi, I am the middle way like Al-Ghazali.”

I spent the afternoon recently with Quest Rah and Global Faction in an underground London car park as they were filming a new video for Quests new single. “5th Element” is one of the standout tracks on Quests latest LP “Ancient Tapes Volume 2 – The Lost Art” which is available for FREE download from here: www.quest-rah.bandcamp.com

I collared Quest to break down the track for us in his own words:

“5th Element is a metaphor for Knowledge. Knowledge has changed our world and individual lives throughout time and lack of knowledge or misuse of it affects our daily existence in ways we may not even realise. As I say on the track: “Men like to control populations that lack me, won’t find me much in newspapers or TV.” These two points are all interrelated – the media controls our thoughts and opinions, and only a sufficient knowledge and wisdom can make us see “above the water” i.e more clearly. A population devoid of knowledge will be more easier to control, take a look at what can happen when the masses “awaken” and take to the streets as in recent events.

In 5th Element I explore the wonderful past in the ups and downs of civilizations in relation to knowledge: “I was owned by many through war and through calm, I was thrown in the river by Hulagu Khan”, “Catch me in Egypt sprayed on walls like graffiti” and “I am Ibn Taymiyya, I am Ibn Arabi, I am the middle way like Al-Ghazali.”

As you can tell, this is a track written in the 1st person. The idea of naming the track 5th Element is taken from the history of Hip Hop culture. Aside from the first 4 elements of MCing Djing, breakdancing and graffiti – a 5th element was added to the mix in Hip Hops early years, and this was the element of Knowledge. For the early hip hop community, this was seen as the only solution to get people off the streets killing each other and to empower their ‘Self’, to know where they are coming from so that they can know where they are going to.”

You can find Quest here https://www.facebook.com/quest.rah