Divine Styler

Divine Styler (born in 1968), is an alternative Hip-Hop musician who is widely recognized for his variety of styles in his work (from genres like noise, electronic, spoken word, funk to a more common hip hop), his Islamic/Afrocentric inclination whom can be appreciated on various of his songs, and his participation on several tracks with his friend and co-worker Everlast in the last album of House Of Pain.

Born as Marc Richardson or Mikal Safiyullah, his Islamic convert name, in 1968 from Brooklyn, New York, he starts his career during his participation with Ice-T’s Rhyme $yndicate label.
Even tough he never gain much commercial success, he is recognized as one of the most representative figures in the underground hip hop scene.

The first musical release was the 1989 album “Word Power” on the Rhyme Syndicate imprint which was hailed by critics and fans alike, but failed to sell well. Divine made use of a strong rhyme style along with visionary beats on songs as “Ain’t Sayin’ Nothin” and “Tongue of Labyrinth” that ushered in a new approach of the genre at the time.

“Spiral Walls Containing Autumns of Light”, released in 1991 on Giant Records, was a wildly experimental work which gave more importance over the lyrical elaboration, but mixing with a reshaping musical range of sounds to frame the ideas.
Definitively one of the most underrated and ignored release of the 90’s, this mind-blowing album marks a point in the professional career of Divine.

With only four albums, a few singles, and some guest appearances over a 25 year career, he’s become a cult figure, known for his hard-to-categorize esoteric brilliance.
Everlast has cited Divine Styler as a major influence on his conversion to Islam.

Discography

1989: Word Power
1992: Spiral Walls Containing Autumns of Light
1999: Word Power, Vol. 2: Directrix
2014: Def Mask
2017: Warporn Mixtape