Friday, January 18, 2008
News Updates: Lupe's "Cool"; The Matrix And Notions of The Divine; Blacks Ride Against The Media
1)Lupe Fiasco talks about the motivation and purpose of his new album, "The Cool"
2) For the Matrix fans, here'sa 2003 article about notions of God and spirituality within the Matrix trilogy
3)Black people uniting to protest against demeaning images in the media
2) For the Matrix fans, here's
3)
Labels: demeaning images, God, Lupe Fiasco, Matrix, media, music, news, The Cool
Monday, October 15, 2007
Technology and Society, pt. 2
Peace and blessings,
In light of pt. 1 of this topic, I wanted to let you know about some alternative technological websites that provide alternatives to Youtube and Myspace. As mentioned in pt. 1, I don't have anything against Youtube and Myspace in themselves, as I use both of them. I just wanted to put people on to a couple of other sites that are more Christ-focused. The first is
What do you think of these videos? Of
Labels: alternatives, clothing, conventions, Cool Christian Friends, Flame, GodTube, Holy Spirit, music, myspace, society, technology, Youtube
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Featured Artist:Tedashii
Peace and blessings,
The featured artist for this week is another 116 click representative (in case you forgot, the other two featured thus far have been Lecrae and Trip Lee). The following tracks are from his recent release, "Kingdom People." The first featured track is called "significance," and it is about people finding their worth in JC.
The next track is called "Party Music," and addresses the misconceptions of Christian hip-hop and its relevance in today's society. The track also features another 116 affiliate, Flame, who drops a dope verse about his struggles with "secular" hip-hop and his discovery of Christ-cented hip-hop.
The next track is called "Do You Feel?" and talks about the various struggles with sin that we encounter, and how through Christ, we already have victory over sin. The goal of the song is to encourage believers to accept Christ, turn away sin, and encourage others to do the same.
The last track is the "In Ya Hood Cypha," and features the whole 116 click smashing the mics for JC. Posse cuts are my favorite types of hip-hop songs because they bring about the wide variety of MC's holding it down. For those who may be unclear as to whether or not God is relevant to and has a heart for "the hood," listen and be blessed...
U like? Enough to cop the album? Weigh in and speekonit...
The featured artist for this week is another 116 click representative (in case you forgot, the other two featured thus far have been Lecrae and Trip Lee). The following tracks are from his recent release, "Kingdom People." The first featured track is called "significance," and it is about people finding their worth in JC.
The next track is called "Party Music," and addresses the misconceptions of Christian hip-hop and its relevance in today's society. The track also features another 116 affiliate, Flame, who drops a dope verse about his struggles with "secular" hip-hop and his discovery of Christ-cented hip-hop.
The next track is called "Do You Feel?" and talks about the various struggles with sin that we encounter, and how through Christ, we already have victory over sin. The goal of the song is to encourage believers to accept Christ, turn away sin, and encourage others to do the same.
The last track is the "In Ya Hood Cypha," and features the whole 116 click smashing the mics for JC. Posse cuts are my favorite types of hip-hop songs because they bring about the wide variety of MC's holding it down. For those who may be unclear as to whether or not God is relevant to and has a heart for "the hood," listen and be blessed...
U like? Enough to cop the album? Weigh in and speekonit...
Labels: Christian hip hop, cypha, music, Party Music, significance, Tedashii
Sunday, February 18, 2007
Scripture of the Day: Stay Away from that Idol Steez
Peace and blessings,
The following is a scripture that I have been thinking about lateley. The pic is courtesy ofSuite 101
"15Therefore take good heed to yourselves, since you saw no form of Him on the day the Lord spoke to you on Horeb out of the midst of the fire,
16Beware lest you become corrupt by making for yourselves [to worship] a graven image in the form of any figure, the likeness of male or female,
17The likeness of any beast that is on the earth, or of any winged fowl that flies in the air,
18The likeness of anything that creeps on the ground, or of any fish that is in the waters beneath the earth.
19And beware lest you lift up your eyes to the heavens, and when you see the sun, moon, and stars, even all the host of the heavens, you be drawn away and worship them and serve them, things which the Lord your God has allotted to all nations under the whole heaven.
20But the Lord has taken you and brought you forth out of the iron furnace, out of Egypt, to be to Him a people of His own possession, as you are this day."
Deuteronomy 4: 15-20
One of the things that I love about God is that He allows us to glorify Him through a wide variety of interests and activities. Whether it is freestyling, listening to music, playing ball, or engaging in my academic interests, I try to give God the glory in the process. However, I am also becoming aware of the risks that are present in everything that we commit our time, energy, and resources. The point is to treat those interests and activities as a MEANS to honor God, and not as an ENDS in themselves. Whether it is our professional careers, our hobbies, our artistic expressions and so forth, we must always make sure that God is at the center and everything else revolves around Him, not the other way around. As opportunities have been and will be give to me, I am constantly struggling to acknowledge that our opportunities and accomplishements are ONLY important insofar as they revolve around God's will and purpose for our lives. In a world where it's easy to view these things as "idols" and to take credit for the things God has given us, let's strive to remain humble and focused on doing God's will, because in the end that's all that matters. Holla back and speekonit...
The following is a scripture that I have been thinking about lateley. The pic is courtesy of
"15Therefore take good heed to yourselves, since you saw no form of Him on the day the Lord spoke to you on Horeb out of the midst of the fire,
16Beware lest you become corrupt by making for yourselves [to worship] a graven image in the form of any figure, the likeness of male or female,
17The likeness of any beast that is on the earth, or of any winged fowl that flies in the air,
18The likeness of anything that creeps on the ground, or of any fish that is in the waters beneath the earth.
19And beware lest you lift up your eyes to the heavens, and when you see the sun, moon, and stars, even all the host of the heavens, you be drawn away and worship them and serve them, things which the Lord your God has allotted to all nations under the whole heaven.
20But the Lord has taken you and brought you forth out of the iron furnace, out of Egypt, to be to Him a people of His own possession, as you are this day."
Deuteronomy 4: 15-20
One of the things that I love about God is that He allows us to glorify Him through a wide variety of interests and activities. Whether it is freestyling, listening to music, playing ball, or engaging in my academic interests, I try to give God the glory in the process. However, I am also becoming aware of the risks that are present in everything that we commit our time, energy, and resources. The point is to treat those interests and activities as a MEANS to honor God, and not as an ENDS in themselves. Whether it is our professional careers, our hobbies, our artistic expressions and so forth, we must always make sure that God is at the center and everything else revolves around Him, not the other way around. As opportunities have been and will be give to me, I am constantly struggling to acknowledge that our opportunities and accomplishements are ONLY important insofar as they revolve around God's will and purpose for our lives. In a world where it's easy to view these things as "idols" and to take credit for the things God has given us, let's strive to remain humble and focused on doing God's will, because in the end that's all that matters. Holla back and speekonit...
Labels: academic, careers, Deuteronomy, God, hobbies, Idols, interests, music, purpose, scriptures
Monday, February 05, 2007
Featured Artist: Lecrae
Peace and blessings,
I pray everyone's weekend was blessed and refreshing. Below are some tracks from Lecrae's two albums ("Real talk", 2005 & "After the music stops," 2006). He's one of my top five Christian Mcees, and after listening to these tracks, you'll be convinced of his gift.
This first track is entitled "Take me as I am," and it is about the common misconception we have about coming to Christ, namely that we must "get ourselves right" before we come to Christ. Actually, we alone are able to "get ourselves right" in any sense of the word, but only through Christ are we changed. What's the point of the song? That we must come to Christ as we are, regardless of what we've done, because through Him, all things are made new.
The next track is called "crossover," and it's basically an anthem about the importance of developing a relationship with Christ and doing away with destructive behavior. In addition to the potency of his lyrics, the beat is sick. It sounds like that old memephis bleek cut called "do my ladies..."
The next track is called " Praying for you," and it is about him interceding in prayer on behalf of someone. The song is deep, as I think it really touches on some of the issues that we as believers wrestle with in our minds. The beat is one of the sickest i've heard in a while. It reminds me of jay-z's "song cry."
This last track isn't even a full song, but I had to include it because it's vicious. It's him dropping a minute-long freestyle. I'm not going to say anything else, just peep it...
Enjoy the soulfood, and speekonit...
I pray everyone's weekend was blessed and refreshing. Below are some tracks from Lecrae's two albums ("Real talk", 2005 & "After the music stops," 2006). He's one of my top five Christian Mcees, and after listening to these tracks, you'll be convinced of his gift.
This first track is entitled "Take me as I am," and it is about the common misconception we have about coming to Christ, namely that we must "get ourselves right" before we come to Christ. Actually, we alone are able to "get ourselves right" in any sense of the word, but only through Christ are we changed. What's the point of the song? That we must come to Christ as we are, regardless of what we've done, because through Him, all things are made new.
The next track is called "crossover," and it's basically an anthem about the importance of developing a relationship with Christ and doing away with destructive behavior. In addition to the potency of his lyrics, the beat is sick. It sounds like that old memephis bleek cut called "do my ladies..."
The next track is called " Praying for you," and it is about him interceding in prayer on behalf of someone. The song is deep, as I think it really touches on some of the issues that we as believers wrestle with in our minds. The beat is one of the sickest i've heard in a while. It reminds me of jay-z's "song cry."
This last track isn't even a full song, but I had to include it because it's vicious. It's him dropping a minute-long freestyle. I'm not going to say anything else, just peep it...
Enjoy the soulfood, and speekonit...
Labels: Christian hip hop, Lecrae, music, Real Talk
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
Sunday, November 19, 2006
It's Time to Get "Exposed"
Peace and blessings,
I pray all is well with everyone. About two months ago, a great friend of mine and woman of God, Tiffani Johnson, released an album entitled "Exposed." The album is a hybrid of the most intricate sorts. It successfully and beautifully combines neo-soul and gospel, while incorporating alittle rock where appropriate. I'm a firm believer in the idea that the strength and quality of an album is often determined by its intro. And needless to say, this intro, in which Tiffani proclaims that when it comes to God's goodness, she "just can't hold it in," sets the tone for the rest of the album. The next track, "after the love is gone" starts off as sort of a love ballad addressing the frailty of human relationships and the security of a relationship with God, before switching to a more up-beat, gospel sound towards the end. "My plea," which is undoubtedly my favorite track on the album, features a destiny-type match between the Brandelyn's annointed voice and the smooth, "just sit back and groove"-type beat. This song expresses the hurt and sorrow one feels for their fellow brothers and sisters who are suffering for whatever reason, with Tiffani dropping a verse at the end imploring us to do something about the individual and social injustices we are constantly made aware of. "You gave you" is a ballad about showing appreciation for Jesus' ultimate sacrifice (bearing the burden of our sins), and trying to return the favor by giving ourselves to Him. "I surrender all" picks up where the previous song left off, emphasizing the importance of not just giving God our problems, struggles, and concerns, but striving to give God every aspect of our lives to God. This track concludes with Tiffani charging the body of Christ to lace up our shoes and run this race in the name of social justice: to live not just to attain our personal blessings, but to be a blessing to and advocate for the marginalized and oppressed. The album ends with "David's poem" and "David's song," where the poem serves as an intro into the song, which is a plea for God to continue to shower us with His grace and love, despite our shortcomings.
Overall, the album's themes revolve around the life of David (his trials, triumphs, and his hear for God) and social justice, and how these implications for all of us seeking to know God and thus ourselves, more. Although only seven tracks, this album is a "banger" that challenges not only our conception of what constitutes gospel or Christ-centered music, but our conceptions of what is means to follow Jesus. I recommend everyone cop this album, for either the music, the message, or both. Below is a link to the album's info at cdbaby.com. Take care, enjoy, and as always, speekonit...
Album info: http://cdbaby.com/cd/tiffanimarie
I pray all is well with everyone. About two months ago, a great friend of mine and woman of God, Tiffani Johnson, released an album entitled "Exposed." The album is a hybrid of the most intricate sorts. It successfully and beautifully combines neo-soul and gospel, while incorporating alittle rock where appropriate. I'm a firm believer in the idea that the strength and quality of an album is often determined by its intro. And needless to say, this intro, in which Tiffani proclaims that when it comes to God's goodness, she "just can't hold it in," sets the tone for the rest of the album. The next track, "after the love is gone" starts off as sort of a love ballad addressing the frailty of human relationships and the security of a relationship with God, before switching to a more up-beat, gospel sound towards the end. "My plea," which is undoubtedly my favorite track on the album, features a destiny-type match between the Brandelyn's annointed voice and the smooth, "just sit back and groove"-type beat. This song expresses the hurt and sorrow one feels for their fellow brothers and sisters who are suffering for whatever reason, with Tiffani dropping a verse at the end imploring us to do something about the individual and social injustices we are constantly made aware of. "You gave you" is a ballad about showing appreciation for Jesus' ultimate sacrifice (bearing the burden of our sins), and trying to return the favor by giving ourselves to Him. "I surrender all" picks up where the previous song left off, emphasizing the importance of not just giving God our problems, struggles, and concerns, but striving to give God every aspect of our lives to God. This track concludes with Tiffani charging the body of Christ to lace up our shoes and run this race in the name of social justice: to live not just to attain our personal blessings, but to be a blessing to and advocate for the marginalized and oppressed. The album ends with "David's poem" and "David's song," where the poem serves as an intro into the song, which is a plea for God to continue to shower us with His grace and love, despite our shortcomings.
Overall, the album's themes revolve around the life of David (his trials, triumphs, and his hear for God) and social justice, and how these implications for all of us seeking to know God and thus ourselves, more. Although only seven tracks, this album is a "banger" that challenges not only our conception of what constitutes gospel or Christ-centered music, but our conceptions of what is means to follow Jesus. I recommend everyone cop this album, for either the music, the message, or both. Below is a link to the album's info at cdbaby.com. Take care, enjoy, and as always, speekonit...
Album info: http://cdbaby.com/cd/tiffanimarie
Labels: David, Exposed, God, gospel, Jesus Christ, music, neo-soul, social justice
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