This is the start of something. I am not sure what but I have decided to share my thoughts with the world because I KNOW A LOT OF STUFF. My thoughts on everything. Without a doubt this will rub some people the wrong way. It will make some people laugh. I guess my main purpose is to get people to think critically instead of just following the flock.
There is a lot going on in the world and sometimes you just have to look at it and laugh. Life is too short to take everything soooo seriously especially rap and hip-hop culture.
So get at me if you agree or disagree with what I say. That’s why I love Hip-Hop, it is more than just fashion and music. Hip Hop is life! Besides, I KNOW A LOT OF STUFF. (subscribe)
This is where it gets controversial. I want to know why some people can’t appreciate good lyrical content. It seems as if there has to be cursing, sex and violence in the verse to make it worth radio play. What’s the deal? As the Urban Authority and Hip Hop’s best friend and publicist I think it is about time we had a heart to heart.
When I first heard Kirk Franklin’s music I was really upset. My first thought was “God won’t like this.” I mean how can you have people dancing, stompin’ and having fun and call it Christian? How dare he take Christian stuff and make it so worldly! I had to turn off my Jay Z mix-cd and listen to what Kirk was saying. As I listened to the words I was not sure if I liked it or not. If it had been Bebe or Cece Winans it would have been ok but this was clearly not Gospel music. To make matters worse I started meeting Gospel Rappers and I found out that Evander Holyfield had signed an “Inspirational” rapper to his newly formed record label Real Deal Records. I had to ask myself, “has the world gone MAD!” Christian rappers? I was not impressed. So I did what any self-respecting know it all would do. I started dissin’ it. I did not like it and that was that. To add insult to injury I started working with some of the artists and I was even less impressed. One evening while stressing over the lack of funding for the Third Coast Music Conference (TTCC) I came up with a great idea.
I decided to add a Gospel category to the event. I realized that this whole Christian rap thing was an untapped market, and as a Christian it would be a sin not to give it a platform at my conference. I looked at the schedule to see if I should put it before or after the pool party. I spoke to my staff and they thought that I had lost my mind. There is no way that we could get from the strip club to the hotel, drop of the girls and get to sleep in time to have a Gospel breakfast. That’s when it hit me. The problem isn’t the music. The problem is me. I was trying to compartmentalize my Faith. I was being luke warm.
The art form that I love and make a living from was not reflective of my beliefs, in fact most of the artists that I worked for and with, were not people that I would want my daughter to date or my sister to marry (other than them being really rich and famous). Not too long after that and in the middle of my introspection I got some work in England.
I met a guy who is now one of my very best friends. He turned me on to some really great Christian rap artists or Inspirational artists (that is a whole other issue) who blew me away. They were as good as or even better than my top 10 greatest rappers of all time. He took me to a Christian Record shop named Wesley Owen and he let me listen to Da Truth, and the conversion began. About a year later one of the guys in my Friday night Youth group played a song by Lecrae and it was game over!
The issue that most people have with Christian rap isn’t the music, it’s themselves. Similarly, people that don’t believe in Jesus can’t find any fault with what he did, they just don’t like facing their own imperfections. We have been programmed to believe that our music has to be explicit to be good. Maybe because hip-hop culture is so much about rebellion and urban life we find it difficult to appreciate the inspirational content of Christian rap. My advice is if it isn’t good then don’t listen to it and certainly don’t buy it. If it is good then give it a chance. Surly there is a much value in someone worshiping God as there is in worshiping “ice and cars.” I challenge ANY true hip hop fan to listen to Braile, Trip Lee or Sho Baraka and not give them their props for lyrical content and skills.
Last year I put together the UK leg of the Unashamed Tour for Reach Records. I spent about 8 days on the road with the 116 Clique. I have done tour management in the past and I have to say that this was one of the best weeks of my life. The guys are funny, real, intelligent and very down to earth. From a musical perspective they are on top of their game.
I would love to see Christian rap reach more people. Right now some Churches are the biggest critics of the music, not realizing that their youth are probably buying non Christian Rap and R&B anyway. I won’t get into that but I do recommend that you check out some of these artists, Canton Jones, Manafest and the whole Cross Movement crew! Enjoy
So get at me if you agree or disagree with what I say. That’s why I love Hip-Hop, it is more than just fashion and music. Hip Hop is life! Besides, I KNOW A LOT OF STUFF.
I’m not sure where I read it but recently I recall someone writting that the biggest problem with the movie Sliding Doors (with wanna be rock chick Gwyneth Paltrow) is the fact that people don’t talk to each other on the London Tube. Reading that was so gratifying because I was starting to feel like the weirdo. Riding the train in London is nothing like I thought it would be.
As a frequent New York transit (big up the 6 train) rider I was actually excited about the prospect of mingling with fellow Londoners and poking fun at funny looking people with even funnier looking clothes. I was anticipating seeing something happen that would make people look at each other and say “Only in London”. I was eager to see human beings using their daily commute to connect and engage. I could not have been more wrong. I liken the tube to that dead zone where you can not pick up a good cell phone signal. People are completely focused on avoiding any form of human contact or show of emotion. To test my theory I tried to strike up conversations with random people, that went over like an old man trying to send back soup at a deli (obscure Seinfeld quote). The shock and awe that people displayed and the leers from the other passengers was priceless. Despite the fact that people were politely British, it was clear that talking on the tube is a definite no no (unless of course you are drunk, then everyone thinks it’s funny).
So with my social experiment in full swing I decided to set an example to prove that it is actually ok to have a conversation on the train. As the Central line train navigated its way to Ealing I noticed that everyone in the car was looking in the same direction. I looked through the train load of passengers dressed in their Summer clothes due to the unseasonably warm weather and saw the source of everyone’s intrigue.
His name is Angelo Pangalos, I know this because after manoeuvring my way through the car and stepping on a few open toes, I managed to get close enough to see what was going on. I am not even sure how to describe it because his display of dexterity with cards defied the laws of physics. I can only compare it to what Gambit did in Wolverine thanks to CGI. This guy was amazing and everyone was smiling. My first thought was that he was getting some last minute practice on his way to audition for ‘Britains Got Talent’. I tried to avoid being decapitated by one of the hovering cards and got close enough to ask him if anyone ever talks to him or encourages him since he did not ask for money in return for his in-train entertainment. He said, “occasionally but not often” we spoke for a while and he told me about his website forwardthesmile.com. I knew that I would have to share it with everyone. This guy has a unique talent that should be applauded and who knows it might just change the way people view their tube journey because I for one am happy I took the time to look up from my twitter, BBM, Facebook, Bebo (not!) to actually see the true ‘social network’
So get at me if you agree or disagree with what I say. That’s why I love Hip-Hop, it is more than just fashion and music. Hip Hop is life! Besides, I KNOW A LOT OF STUFF.(subscribe)
I’ve been back in England for a while and I still can’t get used to certain things. First of all calling the ‘Bathroom’ the ‘Toilet’ just sounds rude. The fact that so many people go and have a ‘fag’ on their lunch break is alarming. Why is everything ‘brilliant’? Why does color have a “u” in it? Why do they call an elevator a lift? Why haven’t I met the Queen and had tea and crumpets? Since when was it ok for banks to advertise savings “schemes”?
The most annoying thing is British people’s lack of understanding the size of the US, despite watching American TV, eating American food, listening to American music, wearing American clothes and going to Florida and New York every year on their ‘holiday’.
I just don’t get how they make statements like “the weather in America is so nice” not taking into consideration that most states are bigger than their whole country and it is night for 6 months out of the year in Alaska. When will British people realize what customer service is? Come on mate, I’ve been standing here for 10 minutes trying to buy this postcard! I really don’t like when total strangers call me ‘mate’.
If you have ever visited England you were probably surprised by what you saw. When Justine Timberlake was out here accepting a GQ award a few years back he said the funniest thing. He said, “I’ve never been in a room with so many ‘famous’ people I’ve never heard of” Thanks Justine, welcome to my life! Plus I guess it is better than being French. And finally am I the only one that almost fell out of my seat when you first heard Craig David talk? I mean come on, really. Who talks like that? Maybe that’s why we don’t have any top 10 British rappers. Who knows?
Things that I dislike about England Jordan (she gets on my nerves), People’s inability to be upfront, Television, Music and Midgets, especially ginger ones.
*this message was brought to you by the British Board of Tourism. “Come see England and stay for tea!”
So get at me if you agree or disagree with what I say. That’s why I love Hip-Hop, it is more than just fashion and music. Hip Hop is life! Besides, I KNOW A LOT OF STUFF.(subscribe)
This one will really come as a shock to some people. Depending on your age and your knowledge of the entertainment industry you might not even realise that some people are talented enough to make a complete transformation from music to film/TV. In some cases artists still continue with their first discipline, while others put that incarnation behind them.
1) Mark Wahlbert
2) Queen Latifah
3) Ludicris
4) Tupac
5) Mark Wahlberg
6) Will Smith
7) Eminem
8 Ice T
9) LL Cool J
10) Ice Cube
So get at me if you agree or disagree with what I say. That’s why I love Hip-Hop, it is more than just fashion and music. Hip Hop is life! Besides, I KNOW A LOT OF STUFF.(subscribe)
Come on. Really? WTF? His grand kids are going to laugh, and laugh and laugh! Why does he look constipated? I’m sure he won’t get the job. Yo son, check out my nu joint on Youtube. I’m spittin bars! Can you tell me where the I could find a book quantum physics? I was just holdin the gun for my boy.
They says a pictures says a thousand words. Unfortunately I don’t have time to get mine in right now.
This is the start of something. I am not sure what but I have decided to share my thoughts with the world because I KNOW A LOT OF STUFF. My thoughts on everything. Without a doubt this will rub some people the wrong way. It will make some people laugh. I guess my main purpose is to get people to think critically instead of just following the flock.
I’ve been back in England for a while and I still can’t get used to certain things. First of all calling the ‘Bathroom’ the ‘Toilet’ just sounds rude. The fact that so many people go and have a ‘fag’ on their lunch break is alarming. Why is everything ‘brilliant’? Why does color have a “u” in it? Why do they call an elevator a lift? Why haven’t I met the Queen and had tea and crumpets? Since when was it ok for banks to advertise savings “schemes”?