Monday, January 07, 2008
A Look Back: 2007, pt. 2
Peace and blessings,
Here is the second half of the '07 posting. Stay blessed, encouraged, and speekonit...
1)What Does it Take, Pt. 1 (Don Imus, Hip-hop, and moral responsibility)
2)What Does it Take, Pt. 2 (Hip-hop artists' moral responsibility)
3)Loving to Agitate (The Gadfly and the call of Christians to be agitators)
4)Worlds Apart (The separating power of classism)
5)On The Immigrant Debate, Pt. 2
6)
An Interesting Way to Look at Intercession
7)A Few Thoughtz: The Tipping Point, Pt. 2
8)A Christian, a Muslim, and an Atheist
9)Technology and Society
10)Health Nutz, Pt. 1 (How Christian living is healthy living)
11)Of Water and Diamonds (Juxtaposing the intrinsic value of water with the extrinsic value of diamonds)
12)Health Nutz, Pt. 2: Joy in the Midst of Pain
13)Truth of Inconvenience (Why I think odd encounters are sometimes God's way of speaking to us)
14)The Complexities and Challenges of the Jena 6 Case
Here is the second half of the '07 posting. Stay blessed, encouraged, and speekonit...
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
8)
9)
10)
11)
12)
13)
14)
Labels: 2007, artist, Atheist, Christian, gadfly, health, hip-hop, immigration, Intercession, Jena 6, Lecrae, moral, Muslim, society, technology, Tipping Point
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Of Water and Diamonds
"Cecil Rhodes sold war and genocide into the countryside just to get his shine on/I fear what the beards and his peers use to do/before the world really knew just to get they mind on/making paper with slave labor/and hittin' little kids with lifetime bids/making them cut and shine stones/inflatin' the price and making 'em look nice/and I wasn't thinking twice when I was puttin' mine on/ about a young shorty in Sierra Leone/ or other conflict countries that people call home/I figured I would never go to Angola/so it never did affect me/there maybe indirectly/ that my necklace was funding a rebellion or a military cool/ started by militias that don't believe in following none of Geneva's rules/I was brushin' off the haters, tryin' to be cool/didn't have a clue that rapper was helping the rapers raiders of the villages/pillagers of the schools/shooters of the innocent/torturers of the witnesses/burners of the businesses and my bracelet was the fuel"
-Lupe Fiasco, "Conflict Diamonds"
Peace and blessings,
While reading chapter four of Adam Smith's "An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations (1776)," he concludes with an interesting distinction between two forms of value. While there are other things in his general argument about economics and the accumulation of weath that I disagree with, I found his distinction between two types of value important to our understanding of how things are generally valued within the U.S. today. One way a commodity is valued is through it's utility. For example, he uses water as an example as a commodity whose utility is unparalleled by another other commodity on earth (e.g. water is essential to all life). The other way a commodity is valued is through it's worth in an exchange. He uses the example of a diamond because throughout history and currently, people have went to great lengths and trade many goods to acquire these heralded stones. He furthers suggests that these two forms of value are often in opposition to one another, such that water (except in areas where there is a significant shortage of drinking water) has little to no worth in an exchange, and diamonds have no worth in actual utility (e.g. the worth an meaning attached to them is purely symbolic).
As illustrated with the above quote, I figured that this distinction between something that is essential to life and something that is purely not, is important for two reasons. For one, the significance attributed to diamonds and the lengths that people were willing to go to acquire them, goes back many centuries. In addition, I would argue that the weight given to diamonds has increased since then, and infused within American culture in such a way that the acquisition of diamonds is nearly synonomous with that of diginity and self-worth.
1) More information on
2) Also, below is a
Labels: African, Christian hip hop, conflict diamonds, diamonds, hip-hop, Japhia Life, Lupe Fiasco, South Africa, value
Tuesday, October 02, 2007
Where's the National Attention and Response?: The Case of Dunbar Village, pt. 1
Peace and blessings,
With all of the attention given to Jena 6 and the influence of hip-hop on the youth, you would think that we as a nation would have hightened senses to ALL immoral and heinous acts which threaten the human condition. Unfortately I was wrong. As someone who is always on the internet and checking e-mail (and therefore always coming across national news headlines), I don't understand why I am just hearing about this issue. Now a couple of months back I read an article on a woman who was raped and her child watched, but I'm not sure if this is the same incident. The point is that this issue needs to get more attention. Big props toWhat About Our Daughters. for working to put this issue in the forefront of America's consciousness. Here is an update on the situation, and below is a video tralier about the incident at Dunbar Village and the lack of response from national figures and organizations. More on this issue is coming shortly. More info on this issue, as well as how to get involved, can be found at What About Our Daughters.
In the meantime, stay blessed, encouraged, and make sure to keep the victims, the suspects, and the situation in prayer. Share your thoughts and speekonit...
With all of the attention given to Jena 6 and the influence of hip-hop on the youth, you would think that we as a nation would have hightened senses to ALL immoral and heinous acts which threaten the human condition. Unfortately I was wrong. As someone who is always on the internet and checking e-mail (and therefore always coming across national news headlines), I don't understand why I am just hearing about this issue. Now a couple of months back I read an article on a woman who was raped and her child watched, but I'm not sure if this is the same incident. The point is that this issue needs to get more attention. Big props to
In the meantime, stay blessed, encouraged, and make sure to keep the victims, the suspects, and the situation in prayer. Share your thoughts and speekonit...
Labels: Dunbar Village, hip-hop, human condition, Jena 6, youth
Thursday, May 03, 2007
What Does It Take? (Pt. 2)
Peace and blessings,
It appears that as a result of theChristian Defense Coalition putting pressure on civil rights leaders, and the controversy that has surrounded hip-hop lyrics in the midst of the Imus incident, folks are taking action. On the music side, Russell Simmons is now urging companies to censor some of the artists' lyrics, a bold move given the issue of free speech and expression that characterizes all forms of music and all artistic expression. On the business side, Rev. Al Sharpton plans on purchasing stock in Time Warner and Universal Music Group, so that he can attend the board meetings and advocate for the censorship of offensive and degrading lyrics.
Although these moves are a long time coming, I am glad that serious, concrete steps are being taken in the right direction. While we may applaud these steps, however, we must be careful as to not become complacent such that we think that by these and similar moves, the problem will be "solved." When I look at this issue in its entirety, I see a three-pronged problem that requires and three-pronged solution. Two of the three aspects appear to be addressed in the above examples. Russell and Sharpton's moves address both the artist (via personal responsibility) and corporate (business) aspects of the problem and solution. What area these moves do not appear to address (at least explicitly), is the issue of women (and young girls') choices to be participate in these videos, recite the very lyrics that degrade them, and purchase the music. A while ago I was told that the majority of consumers of mainstream hip hop are white people and women. When I thought about it, that made sense. I know from personal experience as a hip-hop fan that if I wanted an album, I could find it somewhere (bootleggers, internet) for free and probably before the official release date. For real hip-hop heads, there really was not a need to purchase an album unless you really wanted to support them, because you could find it for free (this was until they started cracking down on bootleggers and illegal file sharing). Before moving on, let me clarify that I am not supporting bootlegging or illegal file sharing, but I am simply talking about what I used to do in the past when I really wanted an album.
Ok, back to the topic at hand. The point I am trying to make is that unless we (males, females, old, young, as a community) address the factors that influence womens' choices to participate in these videos and allow themselves to be degraded in these videos, then our efforts to limit arists' offensive lyrics will only be partially implemented and successful. I'm not saying that women shouldn't be in any videos, because there are videos that present women in a respectable, "degrading-free" light. What I am saying, however, is that we cannot only address the corporate heads and artists without addressing, supporting, respecting, and caring our women as well. Moreover, it is difficulty for women who oppose these offensive and degrading lyrics to state a legitimate claim when their fellow sistas are willfully participating in the very videos the women are trying to denounce. A problem affecting the whole community requires a community-wide solution. Plain and simple.
"Any kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and a house divided against itself will fall." (Luke 11:17, NKJ AMP)
Now is the time for all of us to address this issue at many different levels. Not to point fingers, but to form a fist and knock out this problem once and for all. Check out thiswebsite clearinghouse for grassroots efforts to combat misogyny in music for more information and to get involved.
It appears that as a result of the
Although these moves are a long time coming, I am glad that serious, concrete steps are being taken in the right direction. While we may applaud these steps, however, we must be careful as to not become complacent such that we think that by these and similar moves, the problem will be "solved." When I look at this issue in its entirety, I see a three-pronged problem that requires and three-pronged solution. Two of the three aspects appear to be addressed in the above examples. Russell and Sharpton's moves address both the artist (via personal responsibility) and corporate (business) aspects of the problem and solution. What area these moves do not appear to address (at least explicitly), is the issue of women (and young girls') choices to be participate in these videos, recite the very lyrics that degrade them, and purchase the music. A while ago I was told that the majority of consumers of mainstream hip hop are white people and women. When I thought about it, that made sense. I know from personal experience as a hip-hop fan that if I wanted an album, I could find it somewhere (bootleggers, internet) for free and probably before the official release date. For real hip-hop heads, there really was not a need to purchase an album unless you really wanted to support them, because you could find it for free (this was until they started cracking down on bootleggers and illegal file sharing). Before moving on, let me clarify that I am not supporting bootlegging or illegal file sharing, but I am simply talking about what I used to do in the past when I really wanted an album.
Ok, back to the topic at hand. The point I am trying to make is that unless we (males, females, old, young, as a community) address the factors that influence womens' choices to participate in these videos and allow themselves to be degraded in these videos, then our efforts to limit arists' offensive lyrics will only be partially implemented and successful. I'm not saying that women shouldn't be in any videos, because there are videos that present women in a respectable, "degrading-free" light. What I am saying, however, is that we cannot only address the corporate heads and artists without addressing, supporting, respecting, and caring our women as well. Moreover, it is difficulty for women who oppose these offensive and degrading lyrics to state a legitimate claim when their fellow sistas are willfully participating in the very videos the women are trying to denounce. A problem affecting the whole community requires a community-wide solution. Plain and simple.
"Any kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and a house divided against itself will fall." (Luke 11:17, NKJ AMP)
Now is the time for all of us to address this issue at many different levels. Not to point fingers, but to form a fist and knock out this problem once and for all. Check out this
Labels: artist, choices, controversy, degrading lyrics, Don Imus, hip-hop, Luke, mainstream, media, videos, women
Thursday, April 26, 2007
What Does It Take? (Pt. 1)
Peace and blessings,
By now, I'm sure most of us have heard about the comments Imus made a few weeks ago. The fact that civil rights leaders came at Imus for his remarks and that he got fired was not surprising. What was surprising, in my opinion, was the fall-back that mainstream hip hop has experienced as a result. Note: I use the term "mainstream" to refer only to the more popular and accessible forms of hip-hop as portrayed on radio stations and music videos. Although I did not expect mainstream hip-hop to be criticized, I believe that this criticism is warranted. In the words of Sam Cooke, "it's been a long time coming." Inan interview with representatives form the hip-hop sites AllHipHop.com and SOHH.com,
the SOHH representative mentioned that the issue is about personal accountability on behalf of the record companies, artists, and everyone else. She also said, in response to the AllHipHop representative's claim that rappers put out offensive language because that's what consumers want (e.g. the supply and demand argument), that it is not that people want this music as much as they have grown accustomed to it.
If Imus would have made those comments a few years ago and mainstream hip-hop would have been under fire, I would have been in the camp of those like Russell Simmons and others who argue that people should point the finger at social inequities and not artists for the degrading lyrics within mainstream hip-hop. Although this position is a legitimate one, and in fact a true "solution" to the problem with artists' degrading lyrics does require that we correct social inequalities and opportunity structures, I no longer consider myself as solely a member of that camp. The more and more I listen to hip-hop and try to analyze their lyrics (both positive and negative), the more I realize that it is not just a social issue, but a moral issue. If society is entirely responsible for hip-hop artists' degrading lyrics, then the social and economic conditions through which these artists are (or were) apart of would shape ALL of their lyrics. However, this is is rarely the case. Most artists tend to show some awareness of the moral responsibility they have to uplift others, but this awareness is thwarted in two ways. One way is through the pursuit of money, such that an artists' album will have 90-95% of their album be about violence, materialism, and misogyny, and the other 5-10% be about something positve. While this may be influenced by social inequalities (e.g. using hip-hop as a way to get out of a severely impoversished condition), I don't think that it is the only factor. Another way that this awareness is thwarted is through distortion. Again, social inequalitities can play a signifcant role as growing up in severely harsh conditions can alter one's views on what is right and wrong. For instance, a person who did not grow up with their parents may feel that it is better to not trust anyone and only look out for oneself. Further, they may, through their music, encourage youth to do the same, and believe that by telling them to not trust others and thus to avoid serious, meaningful relationships, that they are "looking out" for the youth in a good way. Even in this case, I think that social inequalities are still only a part (although a significant part) of the problem.
In light of the recent discussions on the role of (mainstream) hip-hop in the denigration of women, and after watching
part 1,
part 2, and
part 3 of the Oprah show on this issue, I've gained a better understanding as to why I now belong in both the moral camp as well as the social camp. In my opinion, Russell Simmons, Kevin Liles, and even Common were quick to talk about the larger societal (social) issue, but danced around the issue of personal (moral) responsibility on behalf of the artists. No one will argue against the fact (at least I hope not) that the structural inequalitites that exists within our country and throughout the world play a significant role in the myriad of problems we face and will continue to face unless these inequalitites are addressed. However, I feel that while this is important, the greater issue WITH RESPECTS TO THE LYRICS THEMSELVES is what can artists do, and what are they willing to do, to put an end to these degrading lyrics. Talking about one's personal experience, and even the experiences of those in one's community is one thing. Portraying these experiences as absolute truths (e.g. "this is just how it is") to the point where the youth who are listening to this music are encouraged to seek out and glorify this experience is a different thing entirely. The solution to this problem does not lie in either the social or the moral realm, but in both. Society needs to change, but society can only change when the individuals within that society change. Society is made up of people, and because people change, then society can change as well. We determine what society should be, society does not determine who we are.
A prime example of this point can be found in the history of people from African descent. If our actions and behavior are solely a result of our social conditions, then we would still be in slavery. In fact, we would have been complicit with the slavery system, such that we would seek out such a system if we had a choice, seeing that was all we knew. However, history clearly shows us that as a people, WE WERE NEVER defined solely by our social conditions. From the Nat Turners to the Mariah Stewarts, to the Nelson Mandela's to the Martin Luther King's, we have always acted (directly or indirectly) on our moral convictions despite society telling us to do otherwise. One of the main reasons I think that those mentioned (as well as countless others) always worked to change the social conditions that sought to confine them is because they recognized that, despite their own experiences, they had a moral obligation to make things better for those who looked up to and/or came after them. It became less about themselves and more about the welfare of others who would later inhabit this world. In King's famous "I have a dream" speech and also throughout his ministry (activism), much attention is often given to his goals for unity among the citizens of that time. Less attention is given, however, to his emphasis on the welfare and life chances of the children who would come after him. These are just a few exerpts of his 1963 speech to illustrate this point:
"Now is thetime to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid
rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of
God's children."
"I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of
former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down
together at the table of brotherhood."
"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation
where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content
of their character."
In closing, I think that despite the complexity of the problem with and solution regarding the degrading lyrics in mainstream hip-hop, a step in the right direction requires a fundamnetal understanding: Just as those who have come before us have never been defined by their social conditions and have worked to improve the life chances of those who look up to and/or would come after them, we must also realize that societies change because people change, and that we have a personal (moral) responsibilty to work to change things for the better. Not just for us, but for those who may look up to and/or are coming up after us. Not only are hip-hop artists targeted in this understanding, but due to their influence on the youth and their visibility, they are in the optimal position to take a stand and eliminate degrading lyrics. We can point the finger at society all we want, but until we as individuals take resonsibility for what we say to people and how we treat them, we will constanly revisit this issue to little or no avail.
What do you think? To what extent are the artists responsible for what they say? Do you think that individuals must change before society changes, or vice versa? Weigh in and speekonit...
By now, I'm sure most of us have heard about the comments Imus made a few weeks ago. The fact that civil rights leaders came at Imus for his remarks and that he got fired was not surprising. What was surprising, in my opinion, was the fall-back that mainstream hip hop has experienced as a result. Note: I use the term "mainstream" to refer only to the more popular and accessible forms of hip-hop as portrayed on radio stations and music videos. Although I did not expect mainstream hip-hop to be criticized, I believe that this criticism is warranted. In the words of Sam Cooke, "it's been a long time coming." In
the SOHH representative mentioned that the issue is about personal accountability on behalf of the record companies, artists, and everyone else. She also said, in response to the AllHipHop representative's claim that rappers put out offensive language because that's what consumers want (e.g. the supply and demand argument), that it is not that people want this music as much as they have grown accustomed to it.
If Imus would have made those comments a few years ago and mainstream hip-hop would have been under fire, I would have been in the camp of those like Russell Simmons and others who argue that people should point the finger at social inequities and not artists for the degrading lyrics within mainstream hip-hop. Although this position is a legitimate one, and in fact a true "solution" to the problem with artists' degrading lyrics does require that we correct social inequalities and opportunity structures, I no longer consider myself as solely a member of that camp. The more and more I listen to hip-hop and try to analyze their lyrics (both positive and negative), the more I realize that it is not just a social issue, but a moral issue. If society is entirely responsible for hip-hop artists' degrading lyrics, then the social and economic conditions through which these artists are (or were) apart of would shape ALL of their lyrics. However, this is is rarely the case. Most artists tend to show some awareness of the moral responsibility they have to uplift others, but this awareness is thwarted in two ways. One way is through the pursuit of money, such that an artists' album will have 90-95% of their album be about violence, materialism, and misogyny, and the other 5-10% be about something positve. While this may be influenced by social inequalities (e.g. using hip-hop as a way to get out of a severely impoversished condition), I don't think that it is the only factor. Another way that this awareness is thwarted is through distortion. Again, social inequalitities can play a signifcant role as growing up in severely harsh conditions can alter one's views on what is right and wrong. For instance, a person who did not grow up with their parents may feel that it is better to not trust anyone and only look out for oneself. Further, they may, through their music, encourage youth to do the same, and believe that by telling them to not trust others and thus to avoid serious, meaningful relationships, that they are "looking out" for the youth in a good way. Even in this case, I think that social inequalities are still only a part (although a significant part) of the problem.
In light of the recent discussions on the role of (mainstream) hip-hop in the denigration of women, and after watching
A prime example of this point can be found in the history of people from African descent. If our actions and behavior are solely a result of our social conditions, then we would still be in slavery. In fact, we would have been complicit with the slavery system, such that we would seek out such a system if we had a choice, seeing that was all we knew. However, history clearly shows us that as a people, WE WERE NEVER defined solely by our social conditions. From the Nat Turners to the Mariah Stewarts, to the Nelson Mandela's to the Martin Luther King's, we have always acted (directly or indirectly) on our moral convictions despite society telling us to do otherwise. One of the main reasons I think that those mentioned (as well as countless others) always worked to change the social conditions that sought to confine them is because they recognized that, despite their own experiences, they had a moral obligation to make things better for those who looked up to and/or came after them. It became less about themselves and more about the welfare of others who would later inhabit this world. In King's famous "I have a dream" speech and also throughout his ministry (activism), much attention is often given to his goals for unity among the citizens of that time. Less attention is given, however, to his emphasis on the welfare and life chances of the children who would come after him. These are just a few exerpts of his 1963 speech to illustrate this point:
"Now is thetime to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid
rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of
God's children."
"I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of
former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down
together at the table of brotherhood."
"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation
where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content
of their character."
In closing, I think that despite the complexity of the problem with and solution regarding the degrading lyrics in mainstream hip-hop, a step in the right direction requires a fundamnetal understanding: Just as those who have come before us have never been defined by their social conditions and have worked to improve the life chances of those who look up to and/or would come after them, we must also realize that societies change because people change, and that we have a personal (moral) responsibilty to work to change things for the better. Not just for us, but for those who may look up to and/or are coming up after us. Not only are hip-hop artists targeted in this understanding, but due to their influence on the youth and their visibility, they are in the optimal position to take a stand and eliminate degrading lyrics. We can point the finger at society all we want, but until we as individuals take resonsibility for what we say to people and how we treat them, we will constanly revisit this issue to little or no avail.
What do you think? To what extent are the artists responsible for what they say? Do you think that individuals must change before society changes, or vice versa? Weigh in and speekonit...
Labels: artist, children, controversy, degrading lyrics, Don Imus, hip-hop, inequality, Mariah Stewart, MLK, Nat Turner, Nelson Mandela, social, society, videos, youth
Monday, March 26, 2007
Suge Knight Seeing the Light?
Peace and blessings,
Pic courtesy ofThe Scoopy Doop
A couple of weeks ago I came across an article claiming that Suge Knight, after hearing two sermons, one by Bishop Noel Jones and the other by T.D. Jakes, felt convicted anddecided to pull the plug on death row
Now i don't know what the future holds, but I do believe that God planted a seed in Suge Knight, but what he decides to do with it is up to him. In the mean time, I just thank God for who he is. Can you imagine the effect Suge coming to Christ would have on not just the hip-hop scene, but the entertainment scene as a whole? Do you think his decision to end death more is more financial or spiritual? Weigh in and speekonit...
"Do not be conformed to this world (this age), [fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs], but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and its new attitude], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His sight for you]."
Romans 12: 2 ( NKJ Amplified)
Pic courtesy of
A couple of weeks ago I came across an article claiming that Suge Knight, after hearing two sermons, one by Bishop Noel Jones and the other by T.D. Jakes, felt convicted and
Now i don't know what the future holds, but I do believe that God planted a seed in Suge Knight, but what he decides to do with it is up to him. In the mean time, I just thank God for who he is. Can you imagine the effect Suge coming to Christ would have on not just the hip-hop scene, but the entertainment scene as a whole? Do you think his decision to end death more is more financial or spiritual? Weigh in and speekonit...
"Do not be conformed to this world (this age), [fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs], but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and its new attitude], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His sight for you]."
Romans 12: 2 ( NKJ Amplified)
Labels: God, hip-hop, Romans, sermons
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Fly Like an Eagle, Sort of
"But those who wait for the Lord [who expect, look for, and hope in Him] shall change and renew their strength and power; they shall lift their wings and mount up [close to God] as eagles [mount up to the sun]; they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint or become tired."
-Isaiah 40:31 (NKJ Amplified)
At church a couple of weeks ago, pastor gave a powerful message based on this passage. In particular, he emphasized the importance of being eagles, and the implications that being "eagle people" has for our lives. He mentioned that the strength of their wings and the fact that they fly alone. With regards to their wing strength, it is important to always be aware of our own weaknesses as individuals, and that it is only through the power of the Holy Spirit that we are able to triumph ("soar") in a given situation. In terms of flying alone, pastor just as eagles fly alone, we as Christians, because we are in the world but not of it, must sometimes stand alone and face ostracism (i.e. there are just some things that, because we know Christ, we can no longer get down with). Although we may feel alone, however, we are never actually alone because God is and will always be with us. He is the very reason we fly.
While realizing the importance of being "eagle-minded" and what the eagle symbolizes, I couldn't help but think of
What are your thoughts on Isaiah 40:31, and on what it means to be an eagle?
What do you think of the "Flap Your Wings" video?
Any connections between the two?
Stay blessed and until next time, speekonit...
Labels: Christ, Christians, degrading, degrading lyrics, eagle, eagle-minded, Flap Your Wings, fly, God, hip-hop, Holy Spirit
Thursday, February 08, 2007
Holding it down: Salome Thomas-El
Pic courtesy of
Peace and blessings,
A couple of months ago, a friend of mine sent me a
Pic courtesy of
About a month later, I came across this article on
In sum, this story, and other personal stories I hear about friends of mine who view teaching as their calling, lets me know about the power education, and how teaching and connecting with students go hand in hand. More on Salome Thomas-El can be found on
Labels: chess, education, hip-hop, lyrics, Salome Thomas-El, youth
Friday, February 02, 2007
Video of the day: Common and Will i Am's "I Have a Dream"
Peace and blessings,
With the things that have recently been taking place in the news regarding MLK day, I figured it wouldn't be right not to include this song and video. Have a safe, blessed weekend, and speekonit...
With the things that have recently been taking place in the news regarding MLK day, I figured it wouldn't be right not to include this song and video. Have a safe, blessed weekend, and speekonit...
Labels: Common, hip-hop, I Have A Dream, MLK, music, videos
Monday, January 22, 2007
Rhyme, Reason, and Revolution
Peace and blessings,
I pray everyone had a safe, blessed, and productive weekend. Below are a couple of links about rappers who are contributing to righteous causes domestically as well as internationally. Ahh, the power of the voice...
The first link is about rappers in the Bay Area, California who are tryiing to raise awareness of the struggling schools in the Bay Area, as well to raise money to improve those schoools. One of the rappers, Kontac, is also a teacher at a school in East Palo Alto.
http://www.allhiphop.com/hiphopnews/?ID=6597
On a similar note, 20 or so rappers are coming together for a "Save Darfur Tour," aimed at raising awareness of the past and current genocide going on in Sudan, and the plight of its refugees. Peep the website below for more info.
http://www.savedarfurtour.com/
Man, could you imagine a concert in the likes of like a summer jam, but whose sole purpose was to raise awareness about and pull resources together to address domestic and international injustices? Call me an idealist, but a pray that the actualization of such a vision is on that rear-view mirror steez: It may be closer than it appears! What do you think? Speekonit...
I pray everyone had a safe, blessed, and productive weekend. Below are a couple of links about rappers who are contributing to righteous causes domestically as well as internationally. Ahh, the power of the voice...
The first link is about rappers in the Bay Area, California who are tryiing to raise awareness of the struggling schools in the Bay Area, as well to raise money to improve those schoools. One of the rappers, Kontac, is also a teacher at a school in East Palo Alto.
http://www.allhiphop.com/hiphopnews/?ID=6597
On a similar note, 20 or so rappers are coming together for a "Save Darfur Tour," aimed at raising awareness of the past and current genocide going on in Sudan, and the plight of its refugees. Peep the website below for more info.
http://www.savedarfurtour.com/
Man, could you imagine a concert in the likes of like a summer jam, but whose sole purpose was to raise awareness about and pull resources together to address domestic and international injustices? Call me an idealist, but a pray that the actualization of such a vision is on that rear-view mirror steez: It may be closer than it appears! What do you think? Speekonit...
Labels: Bay Area, California, Darfur, domestic, education, Heart of Racial Justice: How Soul Change Leads to Social Change, hip-hop, international, revolutionary, teacher
Friday, January 05, 2007
Media With a Meaning
Peace and blessings,
Below are a couple of videos that I think convey important messages. The first is called "when a gun draws" by Pharoah Monch, and talks about the consequences of guns, from the perspective of the bullet. I think it provides a powerful counter-narrative to the over-saturation of violence that is promoted in movies and music videos. Although i may sound corny for saying this, but a minor warning that this video contains explicit language and content, lol.
The second video is of Common's "I have a dream." It is off the soundtrack of the movie "Freedom Writers," which opens today. The trailer for the movie is also below. The video and message is dope for a couple of reasons. One is the emphasis it gives on writing as an avenue for personal and social change. Two, anything inspired by MLK deserves notariety. Enjoy, take care, and speekonit...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFeb4AH_NV8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zoVLmRzwzZk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lejN7Ulh10s
Below are a couple of videos that I think convey important messages. The first is called "when a gun draws" by Pharoah Monch, and talks about the consequences of guns, from the perspective of the bullet. I think it provides a powerful counter-narrative to the over-saturation of violence that is promoted in movies and music videos. Although i may sound corny for saying this, but a minor warning that this video contains explicit language and content, lol.
The second video is of Common's "I have a dream." It is off the soundtrack of the movie "Freedom Writers," which opens today. The trailer for the movie is also below. The video and message is dope for a couple of reasons. One is the emphasis it gives on writing as an avenue for personal and social change. Two, anything inspired by MLK deserves notariety. Enjoy, take care, and speekonit...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFeb4AH_NV8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zoVLmRzwzZk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lejN7Ulh10s
Labels: Common, Freedom Writers social change, hip-hop, I Have A Dream, media, MLK, personal change, Pharoah Monch, videos, violence, When a Gun Draws
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
Access (not) Granted Pt. 2
Peace and blessings,
I last left off with the lessons learned and the implications from the seminar I attended on hip-hop and Christianity. Before I move on, I want to emphaisze that the focus of the seminar was to discuss 1) How we as Christians can become more aware of and use hip-hop culture to expose our youth ( I say "our" to indicate that we must take back our youth!) to Christ. The summer of my sophomore year, a friend of mine introduced me to many Christian hip-hop artists, among them being Cross Movement, KJ-52, Sev-Statik, and Grits. From then, I was hooked. They provided me with a springboard into another dimension of hip-hop music and culture that I was previously closed off from. In the past, when I would hear of the term "Christian rapper," I would automatically assume that their lyrical content and skill would be lacking in relation to the secular artists who I listened to. And although, like with anything there are people who are more talented than others, I have found that from the Christian artists that I constantly keep in rotation (most of which are included on the "hip-hop" section of the website), having a relationship with Christ does not stifle artistic expression, creativity, or breadth (the ability to address mutliple issues and experiences). On the contrary, a relationship with Christ stimulates and enhances these things! And as I reflect on this notion it makes perfect sense. Since God is the creator of all this good, of which gifts. talents, and skills are included, it makes sense these things would be exponentially improved if they are used in a way that gives credit and glory to God, the source and creator of these gifts, talents, and skills. Which brings me to my last point...
As I have become more engulfed in Christian hip-hop, and learning more and more how within the broader hip-hop culture, God is raising up biblically-sound, Christ-filled, and lyrically gifted MCs who are out to reach the youth and the lost, the resistance to this movement is become more and more evident as well. In my opinion, the lack of visibility and access many Christain MCs have faced and are currently facing can be illustrated by the following hypothetical situation. Imagine a child who, for whatever reason, is intentionally starved. Once the child is to the point where he or she is really hungry, they are only given bad-tasting food. Now, the fact that they eat this food demonstartes that they were hungry, but simply eating the food in no way suggests that the food itself was good to them or for them. However, because the child was starving and that was the only food available to them, they got their grub on for real. Further, and more devastating, is that because we often form perceptions of others and their behaviors based on a superficial analysis of that person, the child's eating of the food is perceived as meaning that 1) the child likes the food and 2) the food must be good. It's the same with the current hip-hop scene. Many youth and people who are going through difficult times or do not have a relationship with God are looking for some kind of guidance or "blueprint" for how to navigate life. In other words, they are hungry, to the point where they may be starving. To these individuals (as it was to me during early adolescence), mainstream hip-hop (e.g. the same 8 songs that get played on every major radio station, each with catchy, hypnotic hooks and touch on the similar themes of sex, violence, crime, and materialism) becomes their bad-tasting food. Because this appears to be the only food gaining mainstream visibility, they are quick to consume and eat because they are not aware of a quality, healthy alternative. Therefore, although listeners may call in to these stations and request these songs, I argue that they are not FREELY choosing to hear these songs in a way that attests to the song's quality. To freely choose something, one must also have a somewhat comparable alternative to validate one's choice. For instance, In order for a child to choose to do their homework, he or she must weigh that choice against a comparable alternative, such as not doing their homework and hanging with friends. Until these major radio stations and other media outlets present the public with comparable alternatives, the public will never have a FREE choice when it comes to which music they want represented in the mainstream. And we all know that the opposite of freedom is slavery, but let's not get into that right now, lol. Now i'm not saying that hip-hop should not address issues of sex, crime, violence, drugs, or whatever. These are all aspects of people's life experiences, so i think they should be addressed within hip-hop culture. However, my beef is not with WHAT is being addressed, but HOW it is being addressed. For instance, many mainstream hip-hop artists address these issues and the negative affects they have on people, but fail to mention how people can overcome these and other vices. Further, the argument that artists are ONLY speaking their reality and would have more positive, uplifting lyrics if that was their experience does not hold hold weight for two reasons. One, I know that many if not all of these artists are aware of God, and know of his power. As Shabach, one of my favorite Christian MC's puts it:
"I pray for secular rappers with dope music/who have that Godly intuition but they don't use it!"
-From the song "Speak to me" off of the album, "From Sin to Shabach: The Rebirth"(album info in the "hip-hop" section)
Second, because of hip-hop's influence, artists must realize that millions and millions of people look up to them from throughout the world, and thus they are obligated to steer the youth and others they influence in a more positive direction. As I conclude, I would like to ask those who read this to pray that God continues to add more avenues for Christian hip-hop to gain access to the masses. Although I'm a humble dude, I am overly confident, actually 150% certain that if the youth and the lost were aware of positive, quality Christian hip-hop and were thus able to choose between the bad-tasting food and the food that helps us (by directing us towards a relationship with Christ) transform our earthly lives and solidifies our spiritual lives, I know they will choose the latter. This is an issue that I felt God has laid on my heart for a while, and thus I will continue to address this issue in the future. I'm interested in hearing people's thoughts on this, so please speekonit...
I last left off with the lessons learned and the implications from the seminar I attended on hip-hop and Christianity. Before I move on, I want to emphaisze that the focus of the seminar was to discuss 1) How we as Christians can become more aware of and use hip-hop culture to expose our youth ( I say "our" to indicate that we must take back our youth!) to Christ. The summer of my sophomore year, a friend of mine introduced me to many Christian hip-hop artists, among them being Cross Movement, KJ-52, Sev-Statik, and Grits. From then, I was hooked. They provided me with a springboard into another dimension of hip-hop music and culture that I was previously closed off from. In the past, when I would hear of the term "Christian rapper," I would automatically assume that their lyrical content and skill would be lacking in relation to the secular artists who I listened to. And although, like with anything there are people who are more talented than others, I have found that from the Christian artists that I constantly keep in rotation (most of which are included on the "hip-hop" section of the website), having a relationship with Christ does not stifle artistic expression, creativity, or breadth (the ability to address mutliple issues and experiences). On the contrary, a relationship with Christ stimulates and enhances these things! And as I reflect on this notion it makes perfect sense. Since God is the creator of all this good, of which gifts. talents, and skills are included, it makes sense these things would be exponentially improved if they are used in a way that gives credit and glory to God, the source and creator of these gifts, talents, and skills. Which brings me to my last point...
As I have become more engulfed in Christian hip-hop, and learning more and more how within the broader hip-hop culture, God is raising up biblically-sound, Christ-filled, and lyrically gifted MCs who are out to reach the youth and the lost, the resistance to this movement is become more and more evident as well. In my opinion, the lack of visibility and access many Christain MCs have faced and are currently facing can be illustrated by the following hypothetical situation. Imagine a child who, for whatever reason, is intentionally starved. Once the child is to the point where he or she is really hungry, they are only given bad-tasting food. Now, the fact that they eat this food demonstartes that they were hungry, but simply eating the food in no way suggests that the food itself was good to them or for them. However, because the child was starving and that was the only food available to them, they got their grub on for real. Further, and more devastating, is that because we often form perceptions of others and their behaviors based on a superficial analysis of that person, the child's eating of the food is perceived as meaning that 1) the child likes the food and 2) the food must be good. It's the same with the current hip-hop scene. Many youth and people who are going through difficult times or do not have a relationship with God are looking for some kind of guidance or "blueprint" for how to navigate life. In other words, they are hungry, to the point where they may be starving. To these individuals (as it was to me during early adolescence), mainstream hip-hop (e.g. the same 8 songs that get played on every major radio station, each with catchy, hypnotic hooks and touch on the similar themes of sex, violence, crime, and materialism) becomes their bad-tasting food. Because this appears to be the only food gaining mainstream visibility, they are quick to consume and eat because they are not aware of a quality, healthy alternative. Therefore, although listeners may call in to these stations and request these songs, I argue that they are not FREELY choosing to hear these songs in a way that attests to the song's quality. To freely choose something, one must also have a somewhat comparable alternative to validate one's choice. For instance, In order for a child to choose to do their homework, he or she must weigh that choice against a comparable alternative, such as not doing their homework and hanging with friends. Until these major radio stations and other media outlets present the public with comparable alternatives, the public will never have a FREE choice when it comes to which music they want represented in the mainstream. And we all know that the opposite of freedom is slavery, but let's not get into that right now, lol. Now i'm not saying that hip-hop should not address issues of sex, crime, violence, drugs, or whatever. These are all aspects of people's life experiences, so i think they should be addressed within hip-hop culture. However, my beef is not with WHAT is being addressed, but HOW it is being addressed. For instance, many mainstream hip-hop artists address these issues and the negative affects they have on people, but fail to mention how people can overcome these and other vices. Further, the argument that artists are ONLY speaking their reality and would have more positive, uplifting lyrics if that was their experience does not hold hold weight for two reasons. One, I know that many if not all of these artists are aware of God, and know of his power. As Shabach, one of my favorite Christian MC's puts it:
"I pray for secular rappers with dope music/who have that Godly intuition but they don't use it!"
-From the song "Speak to me" off of the album, "From Sin to Shabach: The Rebirth"(album info in the "hip-hop" section)
Second, because of hip-hop's influence, artists must realize that millions and millions of people look up to them from throughout the world, and thus they are obligated to steer the youth and others they influence in a more positive direction. As I conclude, I would like to ask those who read this to pray that God continues to add more avenues for Christian hip-hop to gain access to the masses. Although I'm a humble dude, I am overly confident, actually 150% certain that if the youth and the lost were aware of positive, quality Christian hip-hop and were thus able to choose between the bad-tasting food and the food that helps us (by directing us towards a relationship with Christ) transform our earthly lives and solidifies our spiritual lives, I know they will choose the latter. This is an issue that I felt God has laid on my heart for a while, and thus I will continue to address this issue in the future. I'm interested in hearing people's thoughts on this, so please speekonit...
Labels: access, artist, choices, Christian hip hop, degrading lyrics, God, hip-hop, influence, lyrics, media, Shabach, visibility, youth
Access (not) Granted Pt. 1
Peace and blessings,
As you can see, I have recently been making many updates to the site. Although I have updated many of the site's components, I have recently been focusing more on the "Holy Hip-Hop Resources" section. This focus is the result of two factors. One is that I am a serious hip-hop head and would not turn down a freestyle or cypha if my ife depended on it, lol. Quiet as kept, I was actually one of two MCs in a live hip-hop band for a semester while in undergrad. The other reason why I have been adding more media, artist info, and other Christian hip-hop related stuff is because I know that God has created this subculture within the broader hip-hop culture for a reason. In my early teens, I got real heavy into the whole hip-hop/rap culture. My first hip-hop cd that I consistently rocked was Snoop's first album, "Doggysyle." From then on, I got my hands on any and every rap cd there was, from Ice Cube to DMX to Jay-Z to Bone Thugs and Harmony. You name it, I either had it on cd or used cassetts to record their songs off of the radio (real talk, that was the thing to do in the mid to late nineties, lol). In high school (in particular Junior and Senior year), I became more engulfed in the music and culture, to the point where if my boys and I did not freestyle either during lunch, after school, or driving home from school, then a brotha didn't feel right. In college my love for hip-hop grew stronger, but little did I know that God was working out something within me.
My first year of college, hip-hop played an important role in getting me through. By this I mean that in college everyone needs a healthy outlet to relieve stress and relax from the academic demands, and for me my outlets were hooping and freestyling, although freestyling occured much more often. When we couldnt find anything to do on the weekends or just wanted to "take a mental break," my friends and I would have freestyle sessions that would last hours. My sophomore year, my love for hip-hop remained the same, but what I loved about it started to change. Upon attending "Atlanta '02," a black student christian conference put on every three years in Atlanta by Black Campus Ministries (a branch of Intervarsity Christian Fellowship), I was most looking forward to attending the seminar on Hip-Hop. At the same time, however, I was alittle reluctant because I just knew that going to a Christain conference and discussing hip-hop (especially as it is represented in the mainstream), would mean that I would have to throw away all of my "secular" hip-hop cds (which at the time was all of them because I was not yet exposed to Christian hip-hop). To my surprise however, I did not leave the seminar feeling convicted to throw away all of my secular hip-hop cds. What I did learn from the seminar and thus took from it was that 1) "the church" (both in an institutional sense and in the sense of we as a collective of believers) should pay more attention to hip-hop culture because we cannot deny the influence it has on the lives of youth and young adults. 2) We also discussed how there are some "secular" artists (i.e. DMX, Pac, and Nas) who at times offer their perspective on who God is and what the power of God can do for people who are disenfranchised. It is important to note that the seminar's speaker did not condone the lyrics, behaviors, and messages of these artists, nor do I. He was just using them to illustrate the point that as Christians, we need to be aware of the cultural messages permeating the minds of our youth, and hip-hop is no exception. 3) Lastly, and probably most importantly, we learned that there is a spiritual battle going on within the the culture of hip-hop, and thus because of the culture's many facets and what it's often associated with in the mainstream, it is not for everyone. For example, although I did not feel that I had to throw away all of my secular cds, I did throw away most of them, not necessarily because I felt a strong conviction to do so, but because as God was widening my perspective in terms of the influence of hip-hop and how He intended it to be used, I no longer had the desire to listen to most of the stuff I used to let infiltrate my spirit. Now there are still a few secular artists I listen to from time to time (some pac, some jay-z, some nas, some AZ), but I have become alot more cautious of the type of music I listen to. In order to avoid making this post super long, the rest of this messsage will be included in part 2. Speekonit...
As you can see, I have recently been making many updates to the site. Although I have updated many of the site's components, I have recently been focusing more on the "Holy Hip-Hop Resources" section. This focus is the result of two factors. One is that I am a serious hip-hop head and would not turn down a freestyle or cypha if my ife depended on it, lol. Quiet as kept, I was actually one of two MCs in a live hip-hop band for a semester while in undergrad. The other reason why I have been adding more media, artist info, and other Christian hip-hop related stuff is because I know that God has created this subculture within the broader hip-hop culture for a reason. In my early teens, I got real heavy into the whole hip-hop/rap culture. My first hip-hop cd that I consistently rocked was Snoop's first album, "Doggysyle." From then on, I got my hands on any and every rap cd there was, from Ice Cube to DMX to Jay-Z to Bone Thugs and Harmony. You name it, I either had it on cd or used cassetts to record their songs off of the radio (real talk, that was the thing to do in the mid to late nineties, lol). In high school (in particular Junior and Senior year), I became more engulfed in the music and culture, to the point where if my boys and I did not freestyle either during lunch, after school, or driving home from school, then a brotha didn't feel right. In college my love for hip-hop grew stronger, but little did I know that God was working out something within me.
My first year of college, hip-hop played an important role in getting me through. By this I mean that in college everyone needs a healthy outlet to relieve stress and relax from the academic demands, and for me my outlets were hooping and freestyling, although freestyling occured much more often. When we couldnt find anything to do on the weekends or just wanted to "take a mental break," my friends and I would have freestyle sessions that would last hours. My sophomore year, my love for hip-hop remained the same, but what I loved about it started to change. Upon attending "Atlanta '02," a black student christian conference put on every three years in Atlanta by Black Campus Ministries (a branch of Intervarsity Christian Fellowship), I was most looking forward to attending the seminar on Hip-Hop. At the same time, however, I was alittle reluctant because I just knew that going to a Christain conference and discussing hip-hop (especially as it is represented in the mainstream), would mean that I would have to throw away all of my "secular" hip-hop cds (which at the time was all of them because I was not yet exposed to Christian hip-hop). To my surprise however, I did not leave the seminar feeling convicted to throw away all of my secular hip-hop cds. What I did learn from the seminar and thus took from it was that 1) "the church" (both in an institutional sense and in the sense of we as a collective of believers) should pay more attention to hip-hop culture because we cannot deny the influence it has on the lives of youth and young adults. 2) We also discussed how there are some "secular" artists (i.e. DMX, Pac, and Nas) who at times offer their perspective on who God is and what the power of God can do for people who are disenfranchised. It is important to note that the seminar's speaker did not condone the lyrics, behaviors, and messages of these artists, nor do I. He was just using them to illustrate the point that as Christians, we need to be aware of the cultural messages permeating the minds of our youth, and hip-hop is no exception. 3) Lastly, and probably most importantly, we learned that there is a spiritual battle going on within the the culture of hip-hop, and thus because of the culture's many facets and what it's often associated with in the mainstream, it is not for everyone. For example, although I did not feel that I had to throw away all of my secular cds, I did throw away most of them, not necessarily because I felt a strong conviction to do so, but because as God was widening my perspective in terms of the influence of hip-hop and how He intended it to be used, I no longer had the desire to listen to most of the stuff I used to let infiltrate my spirit. Now there are still a few secular artists I listen to from time to time (some pac, some jay-z, some nas, some AZ), but I have become alot more cautious of the type of music I listen to. In order to avoid making this post super long, the rest of this messsage will be included in part 2. Speekonit...
Labels: access, ATL, Black Campus Ministries, Christian hip hop, degrading lyrics, God, hip-hop, influence, lyrics, mainstream, visibility, youth
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