Meeting Everlast and falling down the stairs
November 3rd, 2009
When I was just a wee college girl back in the day, there were rumors floating around that the musician known as Everlast was Muslim.
My friends and I thought that was SO cool and anytime we found out a bit of news we’d share it. There was an article in some magazine that floated through people’s emails for awhile and it talked about how Everlast had a near death experience and found out about Islam through his friend and fellow musician Q-Tip.
We analyzed his music and noticed that he had Islamic terms in there and were so excited by it. This was back when people were still shunning music and there were no Muslims, or at least those who admitted they were Muslim, in the mainstream music industry.
Lo and behold one day we find out that Everlast is coming through our small town of Urbana-Champaign during his music tour and would be performing at a nearby venue.
His tour was passing through our town in the middle of Ramadan so on the evening of his performance after Taraweeh prayer at the mosque, my friends Takeya and Nadia, myself and one of my younger brothers Imran, decided to go and stalk the venue in hopes of catching a glimpse of Everlast. For some reason we though if we went there we could yell out Ramadan Mubarak or something cheezy.
Right next to the place Everlast was performing was a local coffee shop. We hung out inside plotting and planning what to do. The concert wouldn’t be out until late that night, so we figured we’d be able to catch him if we hung outside by his tour bus.
Takeya, Nadia, Imran and I walked around the tour bus. We tried to peer inside the window by the door, we took out our disposable camera and just as we were about to take pictures of ourselves in front of the bus a stout little bald man appeared out of nowhere.
“What are you guys doing?”
I noticed he had one of those VIP badges hanging from his neck. I guessed he must be one of the people working the concert.
“We just wanted to take some pictures and meet Everlast.” I said.
Honesty is the best policy right?
“Why don’t you guys just come into the concert?” He was eying us up and down.
I was thinking hmm maybe he was going to give us free tickets. And then I started to think well, we’d have to lie because everyone I was with was under 18. I was the only one old enough to go in.
Before I could say anything Nadia blurts out, “We’re underage, we can’t go in.”
I decided honesty was still the best policy. “We just want to wish Everlast a happy Ramadan.”
The stout little bald man seems to mull the idea over in his head and then disappears inside the building.
We figured he just gave up and went inside. At least we could still hang out by the tour bus.
A few minutes later he appears and motions for us to come over.
All of a sudden my super paranoid thinking kicks in. “What if these are bad people who want to let us inside so we can get intoxicated or something?”
I was totally wrong of course.
He told us to follow him and let us come in from backstage and watch the last song Everlast was performing that evening. Everlast looked over and saw the desperate little hijabis and my brother and he got off stage and told one of the handlers something in their ear and left.
We were content enough just having gotten to see him in person and next thing we know we’re being told to come to the building next door so we can meet him.
We could not believe it. My legs were shaking and I felt like this was completely surreal.
Somehow I end up walking in front and we go down these steep dark steps. Everyone else is behind me. I suddenly trip and miss the last 3 steps and smash my knees into a concrete floor.
I could barely move. My legs hurt so bad. Imran is hissing behind me, “Mariam get up, get up, come on!”
I look up and there is Everlast standing there.
Nadia, Takeya, Imran and I proceed to the room where Everlast must have been hanging out during breaks from performing. The stout little bald man is with him. It turns out he’s Everlast’s manager.
We have small talk with Everlast and yes we tell him Ramadan Mubarak. Then Nadia asks him if he went to Jumah. Leave it to Nadia to ask a question like that. Everlast looked at us sheepishly and said something like, “It’s been hard to keep up with the prayers, I’m really trying.” Then Nadia asks him if he can come talk to our youth group.
I remember thinking, “Nadia stop bugging him with these weird questions, he’ll never talk to us again.”
Then Imran holds up a sad little piece of ripped newspaper for an autograph. Everlast signs it and then his manager busts out some photos and Everlast asks us all for our names and he personally signs a picture for each of us.
We all just about fainted when we left and could not contain ourselves.
WE MET EVERLAST CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?
DID THAT JUST HAPPEN, SERIOUSLY?
PINCH ME PINCH ME!
That night and the night after we stayed up talking and going over the whole event.
Imran kept saying over and over, “I’m not washing my hand, he shook my hand!”
Takeya, Nadia and Imran kept making fun of me for falling, until I showed them my knees were black and blue.
“I really did fall down very hard. I can barely walk now!”
We were young and excited that we met a real live celebrity, but we were also thrilled we could go and tell everyone that Everlast really is Muslim, it wasn’t just another internet rumor.
No one would have believed us, but the fact that all four of us were together when it happened and we had the autographed pics to prove it, people in town gave in and accepted that yeah we were pretty cool in Urbana-Champaign, even if it was just for one night.
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wow what a great story that was a fun read for me, thanks for sharing. btw mabrook on your new addition i love her name. just a wee college girl, lol thats cute you cant be over 30!!!
Wow looking back that sounds like an awesome adventure
lol do u still have those pix???upload them
thanks for making me laugh 