If You Build It…

With my first DJ gig looming in the not-too-distant future, I recently began taking stock of what equipment I have versus what I need. Laptop stands are all over the map when it comes down to pricing, and I honestly didn’t want to run out and spend $100 on something I only plan to use occasionally. So, I needed an alternative.

I needed a stand for my laptop, sturdy enough to keep it level and light enough to carry around. Since I decided to build one myself, I added a bar to hold my Numark Mixtrack Platinum DJ controller as well. The open-face architecture of the PVC skeleton left enough room to mount a banner displaying my logo and social media sites. Eight caps; ten 90s; four tees; two four-ways and five feet of pipe were used to make the stand. I finished it off with two coats of satin black. She’s functional; sturdy and the counter weight of the laptop and controller work well to keep everything balanced forward while in use.

It’s relatively small footprint and lightweight, hollow construction make it easy to move from destination to destination. With the foot-pegs angled out, the stand holds everything in place, exactly where my eyesight needs to be. In total, I put $40 worth of PVC and $3 worth of paint into the finished product. I’m pretty happy with the results.

If you’re looking for an inexpensive stand for your mobile DJ setup, SCH-40 PVC pipe may be the way to go. It worked out beautifully for my needs.

God’s House

Where it Began

The infectious power of a four-on-the-floor kick drum beat; a monster-thumping bass-line; conga accents; choice random percussion instruments like a bell here, a triangle there, a wood block pacing the metronome or a tambourine taking the beat to church; a snappy snare drum; reverb claps in between the down beat high-hat ticks; and a catchy simply hook. That’s the kind of House music I’ve gravitated toward since the late 80’s. These days, it flies by many sub-genre banners such as “Deep House”, “Tribal” and “Afro” just to name a few. But the feel is always the same, when the ingredients blend together properly. It’s pure dance music at its core.

When I first accepted Christ as my Lord and Savior, one of my daunting struggles was trying to figure out what to do about the “Worldly” music I had grown up listening to. Unfortunately, too many professing Christians were trying to teach me to walk away from anything (musically) that wasn’t either a hymnal or modern-day Contemporary Christian Music (CCM). I can actually remember someone trying to convince me that CCM was the new standard in worship and praise music. Anything different was strictly of the devil. As a new convert, I almost bought into that dogma. The problem was, because of my love for all types of music genres, CCM could never replace my deep love for differing styles. I tried family, believe you me; I tried. I really like a lot of CCM out there today, but it will never be my favorite music. So the first few years of my Spiritual walk with Christ were rough as a continually struggled to learn to love Jesus publicly while secretly continuing to dance to the rhythms of Little Louie Vega. 

Preach, Brother!

Flash forward to 2018. I’m a new man in Christ who happens to love the same style of House music I grew up listening to. Now, I make a point to stay away from the raunchy-lyric stuff out there–I’m not judging if that’s your thing–because in my opinion, it doesn’t edify the Lord. But, I do still love the groove of House music. A few key Scripture references helped me to accept the fact that I can listen to music and not worry about Jesus hating me for it:

1. We cannot earn our way into heaven, by acts, deeds or opinions. Salvation is the free gift of God granted to those who believe in Jesus and accept him into their hearts. Someone once asked me, “If Jesus walked the earth today, do you seriously think he would be caught dead at a rap concert?” My answer was then, and remains, a solid, “Yes, I do think He would be caught living at a rap concert, because He meets people exactly where they are.” Family, this was so freeing for me. God won’t disown me for listening to anything other than gospel, hymnals and CCM. If anyone tries to convince you of otherwise, you take my sound advice: RUN AWAY!
2. In Old Testament times, King David danced with all his might, as he and his entourage brought the Ark of the Covenant back into the city of Jerusalem. Now, in David’s time, musical instruments were limited to flutes, tambourines, harps, rams-horn trumpets and various percussion instruments. The exact same instruments were used by pagans during their celebrations. On the surface, it may have looked (to outsiders) as if King David and company were participating in some form of debauchery, as he stripped his clothing off. David was giggin’ hard, you see. But, he was giggin’ in praise to the LORD, and God honored him for it!
3. In New Testament times, First-century Christian Jews tried to keep the traditions of their bretheren, while simultaneously trying to spread the gospel. An example was the strict diet they tried to adhere to. One day the Apostle Peter encountered a vision as he prayed on the roof at mid-day. In this vision, the Lord revealed to Peter that Jews were now able to eat just about anything; they were no longer required to adhere to a strict dietary code. Whatever Jesus called “clean to eat” was henceforth clean to eat. It took Peter a couple times to actually accept this new word from the Lord as truth. What does that have to do with my love of music? Nowhere in the King James version of the Bible does it state, “Thou shall not listen to House Music, or thou shall be condemned to the lake of everlasting fire, where there will be groaning and gnashing of teeth.”
4. Jesus Himself attended parties. Don’t take my word for it people; read the gospel of John. Everyone knows a good party will include music and dancing. The Bible teaches us that Jesus clothed Himself in flesh, becoming fully man, and fully God. As such, He experienced humanity. C’mon, you expect me to believe Jesus didn’t dance? Of course he did. Take that Pharisees!

As I continue to strengthen my relationship with Lord, through prayer and His word (that’s reading the Bible for my secular friends), I continue to learn that following the Lord isn’t about following a bunch a rules. It’s about growing a love for and a relationship with Jesus. My taste in music has nothing to do with my Salvation. It is, in fact, because of my relationship with the Lord, that I choose whether or not to listen to certain types of music. In essence, I’m free to listen to whatever I want to listen to. 

WOO! That was our Bible lesson for today, family. Let’s get back to the beat.

Back to the Beat

Once I decided, “I simply can’t ditch the House Music itch. It’s going to stick with me forever,” I had to figure out what type of House Music I really wanted to dive into. In truth, there is a lot of wack Gospel Music parading as Gospel House Music remixes floating in cyberspace. And since it’s all free, it always popped up first in general Google searches.  But if you dig hard enough, you do find diamonds in the rough. And so it began for me. The search for God-glorifying House Music took flight. 

Around the turn of the century (it’s really cool I can actually say that accurately), it was really hard to get hands on bonifide House Music that was actually produced to glorify God…in a nonwack format. By 2008, I kept coming across Techno House remixes of CCM and the like, but genuine “Faith House” was still not really mainstream. Recent years have finally seen a upsurge in it. Even Celebrity DJs–remember I mention Little Louie Vega–are making bonifide God-glorifying bangers that would make King David himself dance right out of his royal tunic. Coupled with the awesome technology of the day, it seems that Faith House is here to stay. Any kid with a laptop computer and a decent DAW (uhh, that’s “digital audio workstation” for my non-nerds out there) can produce any type of music the mind can imagine, today. Which is exactly how I created my first Faith House track. 

In all fairness, I have no business behind a microphone. I hate the sound of my own voice. I’m short and somewhat nasally in tone. There are times when I would compare my own voice to that of “Kermit the Frog, of Sesame Street News” reporter fame. Yeah. Really…that bad. So when I absolutely have to sing my own lyrics, you better expect there to be a lot of digital engineering involved. With that said, my place is clearly behind the scenes producing beats and melodies, for someone–anyone–else to rap and sing over. But, every once in awhile I step out of my comfort zone to do something I think is God-honoring. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Sometimes, that includes singing, even when it’s bad. Jesus loves my voice.

A Song is Born

“To You, LORD” came to me totally by accident. I was really in a season of enjoying Deep House, scouring YouTube, Beatport and Traxsource for anything I could get my hands on to put together a series of DJ mixes. I was trying my best to practice DJing by rounding out the end of the year with a slew of different types of House Music, R&B and Old School Hip Hop mixes. But no matter how hard I tried to find new Faith House tracks, I kept coming across the same stuff I’d used in the past months. So I took a break from my DJ Controller to get back into actual beat production, just to scratch my musical itch. I hadn’t actually produced anything remotely close to House Music in years, so it was actually odd when I accidentally programmed a 4/4 beat kick over 4 measures and looped it, one day. My youngest son came into the room and absently began grooving to the looped beat. I caught this out of the corner of my eye and instantly added a few conga drums to give it a Latin feel. The kid loved it, and so did I. Suddenly, my accident demanded to be saved. I rode that beat, adding a few elements, and before I knew it, an actual House Music groove had formed. 

The melody had been with me for 18 years. Eryka Badu has a song called, “Green Eyes” on her 2000 LP entitled, “Mama’s Gun“. It’s a brilliant track incorporating a progression of Jazz styles over the length of the song. Right at 4:59 minutes into the track, the piano belts out this 12-second melody that segues into the third Jazz genre of the song. It’s totally fabulous, and when I learned to play piano in 2010, this melody was one of the first pieces I taught myself to actually play by ear. Family, I can’t even tell you what key its played in. All I know is, I needed to learn that riff. When the beat to my song was roughly 80% complete, I took it to my keyboard just to fool around with some chords and test measures against the beat. That melody stuck out like the sun, on a cloudy day. I played it over the beat, but decided to stretch it out over longer measures and drop the key by one…maybe two keys. The end result is the bones of what you hear. 

Lyrics were never planned for this track, originally. I planned to keep it as an instrumental for myself. Apparently, God had other plans. 

“I want this song. Give it to me.”

So…yyyyyyyyyyyeeeeeeaaaaaahhhhh. The Lord spoke into my heart, and told me to give him the song. It took me three days to come up with the simple lyrics. They came to me while I read through the Bible. In retrospect, it really wasn’t that hard. I was just intimidated because I was commanded to do something about this song. In the end, I thought about my relationship with the Lord, today. “How do I feel about God,” was the question. The answer was:

“I don’t wanna do this life by myself,

it gets so hard, so I…I raise my hands to you, Lord.

I can’t even go a day by myself,

I lift my prayers, and I…I raise my praise to you, Lord.”

Just like that, a song was born. I sang those lyrics into my work-iPhone’s recorder while I sat in my company truck, during my lunch period, on a Wednesday. Later, I sound-engineered the heck out of that raw recording and eventually overlaid the lyrics on top of the instrumental. When the song was completed, I forced myself to wait four days before sending it out into the world, because I worried about how it would be received. But Jesus reminded me that this song was not only about Him, but was produced to show my love for Him. When I put it in that perspective, I’m proud of what He walked me through. 

God’s House (Music)

I didn’t coin the term “Faith House”. Someone else way smarter than I, created this awesome name that is currently unrecognized as a sub-genre of House Music among the mainstream culture. I love it. It perfectly depicts God edifying lyrics over House Music instrumentals. It doesn’t matter if the instrumental is Deep House, Minimal House, Tribal House, or Techno House in composition. Just like Pentecostals, Baptists, Catholics and Lutherans all claim to love Jesus, the multifaceted genre’s all come together to praise the Lord in Faith House Music. Let’s be clear: we’re not singing lyrics glorifying degrading women, living like there’s no tomorrow, breaking laws and drinking ’til we can’t stand up. This House Music praises Jesus, preaches the gospel, and even makes alter calls before the music stops. This is God’s House. Make no mistake family, God created music long before Satan ever influenced it. Music–just like everything else, ever created–belongs to God; even House. 

Can a brother just get his praise on, for a minute? Woo!  

Can We Get A Revival?

Mumble rap. If I could time travel back to 1988 and speak with 15 year-old Ennis, he wouldn’t believe me when I would attempt to convince him that such buffoonery would actually be considered art in 2017. He’d laugh in my face trying to visualize the idea of Big Daddy Kane’s enigmatic lyrical flow replaced by a new style that barely incorporates legible lyrics over recycled trap beats.

Yeah…

Trap Music. So…I guess the fact that trap originated from the Southern dope-boy scene doesn’t really matter to mainstream music producers anymore, because it’s so widely accepted today. From commercials to suburban drama cinemas, trap music has officially saturated pop culture. Last week, I actually saw a country music video that used a trap beat under the music and lyrics.

Yeah…

2017 Artists. Let me be clear before I go here: the real beauty of music is its unwavering ability to evolve throughout generations. Music never parks. It’s constantly in a state of forward motion. Sometimes, the direction of change doesn’t always appeal to everyone, but music finds a way to touch all people through its multifaceted charisma. So what I’m about to say may not sit well with everyone. It’s my opinion and I’m sticking with it.

Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole and Drake may very well be considered the top contenders of this generation’s hip hop scene, but there is no way that any one of these young men can be considered the G.O.A.T. status. Someone, on a nationally recognized East Coast radio station actually claimed these three rappers as the greatest to ever grip the m.i.c.; the greatest of all time, people! I guess Rakim, Cool G Rap, and Ice Cube (just to name a few legends off the top of my head) must’ve ranked pretty close, but simply fell short on the radio personality’s top three list.

              Yeah…

Lately, I’ve been listening to classic 88′ and 89′ rap, giving me a soothing sense of nostalgia. I was 15 years old the first time I heard KRS-One say, “Fresh for 88′, you suckas.” Back in the day, lyrics were so dope and intelligent, you actually had to use a dictionary to look up some of the words the artists were rhyming, and constantly rewind the tape to keep up! James Brown’s musical library provided enough sample material for the artists of the Golden Era to make thousands of songs, using his unmistakable sound to lay the foundation for beats and background melodies. Roland TR-808 beat machines created ground pounding rhythms laid over those samples. Best of all, the DJ was still an integral part of each track produced, turning two turntables into bonafide instruments utilizing scratches and cuts.

Did somebody just say Grandmaster Flash?

Today’s music has the best technology of any previous generation. But, for all the wonder and simplicity of it, the kids today lack a sense of creativity the old school artists thrived on. In a sense, the better our technology grows, the lazier today’s artists become.

Where are the Eric. B & Rakim dynamic duos of today’s generation? Where are the Female lyrical heavyweight MC Lytes of the millennials? Where are the captivating story-telling Slick Ricks of the 1-7? Once upon a time, rap was thought of as nothing more than a passing fad, until it blew the doors off the hinges of every institution that tried to stop its ascent. But now…it seems as if the music has lost that fire that was once self feeding. Some say rap died with the death of the DJ. There may be some truth to that claim.

My music needs a revival. We need real MCs and DJs to breathe new life into the oversaturated and cliched, autotuned, 75/150bpm, trap music masquerading as art. Maybe what we need is a rebirth of the cool.

Yeah…

Maybe if the old school artists got together for one last cypher, it might set the train back on the tracks. I’m all for change. But…sometimes, you have to take a step or two backward, to continue moving forward.

Chuck, Lawrence, Antonio, Doug, Eric & William, Joe & Darryl, O’Shea & Andre, James-Todd, Sandra & Cheryl, Lana–this letter is a call to arms, big brothers and sisters. The thundercats need leadership. They could really use the guidance of the legends. The curtain hasn’t fallen on your legacies. I know you all have another 16 bars to give, in the name of saving this thing we call rap; this hip hop culture you all helped to make great.

Can we get a revival?

 

Phife Dawg, The Five-Footer

I’m sitting in my hotel room, reminiscing on classic 90s hip hop. The Low End Theory is on iPod repeat. Outside my window, snow blankets everything a somber white: winter’s last stand. It’s fitting actually. A few days ago, the weather seemed to be turning toward the new beginnings of another Michigan Spring. But this morning, the season took a downturn almost as if paying homage to a fallen hip hop icon.

Whenever and wherever “A Tribe Called Quest” was mentioned, just about anyone could immediately recollect timeless classics produced and performed by the popularly recognized three man crew fronted by Q-Tip The Abstract and Phife Dawg. Ali Shaheed Muhhamad masterfully grafted east coast style beats underneath jazz and funk melodies that seemed to glue the flowetic style of Phife to the quizzically hype style of Q-Tip. Together, these three brothers ushered into the 90s a style of hip hop that would be imitated but never duplicated. To this day, classics like Bonita Applebum, Butter, and Jazz(We’ve Got) still  hype underground parties everywhere. The brothers each had a unique style, all on their own. Together, they were living legends.

Last night, the Hip Hop community lost a true pillar of lyricism and word-wizardry. Phife Dawg passed away, leaving a void within the Hip Hop community that will never be replaced. The 5-footer’s gruff voice and smooth flow made it possible for short kids like me to believe in a simple fact: it doesn’t matter what you look like because game recognizes game. Your talents will make room for you, regardless of your size and stature. Phife’s unlimited bag of lyrical bombs decimated many a seasoned rapper, in his day and complimented Q-Tip on every turn. His swagger and cool demeanor were a stark contrast to Q-Tip’s energetic stage presence, but brought balance to the duo. He was a secret weapon. Those who were unfortunate enough to go up against him, unprepared, got served. Those who came prepared…still got equally served. Phife wasn’t a Robin to Batman; he was Wolverine standing next to Batman, both dangerous and prone to lyrically hurt you, if you crossed the battle line.

“I’m just a short brother, dark skin face/ Weigh a buck-fifty, 36 waist/ Hair is crazy curly, front like Mr. Furley/ To this day, I still believe that no MC can serve me.” – Phife: Vibes and Stuff

 

Rest in peace, brother. You will be missed.

Beach Dreamin’

Listen to “Bro. E’s Lunchtime (Beach) House Mix No. 9” on YouTube

 

Now that the weather is officially breaking toward Spring, here in Michigan–I heard thunder storms last night–I’m starting to get a familiar itch. Those native to the 313 know that late Springtime brings the anticipation of a Downtown Detroit tradition: the Movement Electronic Festival. House Music, in all its shapes, variations and forms will be celebrated over three days. Historically, I’ve always found some reason NOT to attend, despite a deep love for House. The excuses are endless, but all boil down to the same thing: I refused to be the old guy in the crowd. As a Christian man, I’m also conscious of staying away from scenes that might take me back to a life I left behind a long time ago. Maybe this will be the year I hit the downtown scene and dance my cares away.

I’d love to be able to afford to take my wife to a tropical island and simply dance along the white sands, to the smooth sounds of chill and deep house. International DJ Dimsa comes to mind, when I think of sunset House Music, celebrated with a sophisticated lady, virgin daiquiris, palm trees, warm waters, and a decent sound system. Yeah man…that’s my idea of an awesome night. That dream was the motivations behind my latest “Lunchtime House Mix”. Check it out. Immerse yourself in the  atmosphere of the music and let it take you on vacation.

 

Find me (and my music) on Facebook – Bro. E

 

15 Minutes of Electric Funk

Listen to “Bro. E’s 15 Minutes of Electro Funk

 

How many Generation X parents remember the nostalgic feeling of leaving everything on the dancefloor? I’m talking about cutting free of your inhibitions and dancing to the electronic sounds of fledgling House and Electric Funk jams. It really didn’t matter if you could dance or not, because the music was all about moving your body. For the few hours you were in the club & on the floor, you were free from all cares and distractions.

In Detroit, Club Inferno was open until 4am back in the early 90s. Tracks like “Clear”, “The Party Has Just Begun”, “Blow Your House Down”, “Perculator” and “Jack Your Body” were already a few years old by then, but continued to be bona fide party ignitors. Through the years, DJs began to crank the speed up on the classics to cater to the new generation Thundercats, but the classics still remain timeless to this day.

With 2016 officially in full swing, I pay homage to some of those classics with several DJ mixes featuring some of the old school “dress-to-sweat” jams. These days, my 43 year old muscles, joints and ligaments down move as smoothly as they did some 20 years ago, but the classic tracks work wonders to motive me on the treadmill.

Good music never dies.

 

 

“Wake Up!” – Verse 1 Lyrics

This is a new project I’ve been working on. My plan is to produce this track with collaboration vocals contributed by my step-son, T.1.T.O.

Wake Up! (Snippet) – Listen Here

Verse 1

1       Wake up; it’s time to rise

2       Pick your head up off the pillow brother, open your eyes

3       A little sleep; little slumber; little folding of the hands to rest

4       You’ve fallen victim to the enemy’s test.

5       LAZY (Lazy);             that’s the word we use

6       If you snooze, you lose; it’s up to you to choose

7       Either choose life or live for death

8       Whichever choice, you’re gon’ chase it ‘til your very last breath

9       Hustle and bustle;                       paper chasin’

10               Shirking the call of God; time’s wastin’

11     Too busy racin’ to be on top

12     Gotta deal, for a meal, for real, it don’t stop

13     That’s how it is, when you’re runnin’ for gains

14     Got you playin’ in the dirt and can’t wash the stains

15     Still…                 makin’ it rain in the club all night

16     Celebrating with your crew like everything’s alright

17     But it’s not (not);         it’s all rot (rot)

18     The Lord died, just to cover your spot

19     With that said, there’s a debt to pay; His way

20     No doubt, he’ll collect on it one day

21     You better be ready; your character steady

22     You can’t be double-minded otherwise you can’t find it

23     You can’t grind for the gift of grace

24     It’s given free, but it means you need to leave the race

25     Rat (rat);    get off the wrong track

26     Turn your heart back, to the one who brought the news that

27     Saves (saves); every creed, every nation

28     Blessing the believers with the gift of Salvation, but…

29     You can’t take it, if you gon’ fake it

30     If you wanna fake it, then you won’t make it

31               Brother, you don’t have to listen to me

32     Check 3 verse 2, of the book of Second Timothy

My Take On “Ima Just Do It”

KB – Ima Just Do It

Released as the third single from his sophomore album “Tomorrow We Live”, KB’s “Ima Just Do It” has firmly planted itself into my heart as one of the most motivating CHH tracks of 2015. The track production itself is fueled by a pop culture trap beat, hard-hitting melodic sub punches, an alternating/repeating three note key progression, various miscellaneous sound bites and a banner sample. That seems to be the staple instrumental formula for both CHH and secular hip hop tracks of the day. But, the vocals are the element that truly set this track apart from the pack.

KB has always been a masterful witty rapper, with a virtual bottomless bag of quick snaps, and this track did not disappoint. He not only told a story, but sent a message of belief and confidence for folks to follow. That message translated to me like this: If you really want something, don’t fiddle around with excuses. Just go do it. It doesn’t have to be perfect; it doesn’t need to be flashy; just do it!

KB enlisted PGA champion Bubba Watson to contribute a closing verse to the track.

“Wait, did you just say…a PGA golfer?”

Yep, I did. And guess what? That southpaw raps, and swings a mean slice! His lyrics might not have been super complex, but the message of his faith in God came shining through. Nothing corny about it, at all. Score one for the old guys.

All these elements came together to make a truly dynamic and inspirational track. This one gets heavy rotation on my iPod Classic. Well done young brothers; well done.

Christian Hip Hop’s Age Cap

I subscribed to the Wade-O Radio Show podcast a while back, to stay in touch with the latest in Christian Hip Hop music. While there are a plethora of Contemporary Christian music radio and Gospel music radio stations nationwide, American broadcast companies have yet to latch on to the exploding Christian Hip Hop scene, which (as of this writing) is already decades old. Thank God for the internet! Christian Hip Hop is alive, well and thriving, over the not-so underground net stations.

Jesus-glorifying lyrics interwoven between punchlines, spit over trap beats injected with moog basslines and phaser/flanger effected melodies are running rampant across the genre today. And the music is colorblind. You won’t be surprised to hear a seasoned young black Christian rapper—KB—alongside a white Christian PGA golfer—Bubba Watson—spittin’ lyrics for Jesus. Likewise, it’s not unheard of to hear a Contemporary Christian songstress like Kari Jobe lay down a hook for a Lecrae track. The music is on fleek, and the kids hungry for Jesus are absolutely loving it.

Now, if you don’t understand a word of what I just said, take heart. You’re exactly who I’m writing to, friend. While I dig the sound and feel of the music, I’m just too old to personally relate to much of it. It’s not that I don’t understand it, because I do. It’s just that the young brothers and sisters aren’t really speaking to the needs and struggles of a dad with college-age kids, a wife of 10-plus years, a mortgage and property taxes, and the troubles of the world that they haven’t even come across yet.

See, I’ve got bad knees, high blood pressure and my bedtime is usually right around 10pm these days. With that said, I’m not looking to be “turnt up” on the floor, after hours, even listening to Jesus music, especially when I’ve got church in the morning! My body just doesn’t respond to hyper beat music of any genre the way it used to. Plus, once I got saved, I actually gave up a lot of that type of music because it took my back to Egypt, spiritually. So, while I admire current Christian Hip Hop’s creativity, I honestly would rather leave it for my kids and the generation between theirs and mine. I’m not hatin’ at all, because young brothers like Bizzle, Sevin, and Trip Lee are in heavy rotation on my iPod (yep, still rockin’ the 80GB classic instead of my smartphone). My question is simply this: where is the Christian Hip Hop for the 30 and 40-plus crowd?

I am a child of the 80’s. Okay…really I was born in 1973, so…yeah; I’m old by some standards. I loved Hip Hop from the time I was introduced to it around the age of eight. Hip Hop was always with me through every major life event, like a tried-and-true friend. Even when it transformed from feel-good-vibe to pop-pop-pop-murder-murder, I still kept it close to my heart. Then, Jesus called and I answered. I was 36 years old at the time. One of the first things he commanded me to do was to distance myself from the style of music I’d grown up with. I did, faithfully praying that God would replace it somehow. Maybe he would give me a love for Contemporary Christian music, or set my heart ablaze for Gospel. Instead, he brought me full circle to Hip Hop, by introducing me to Lecrae’s music. I was immediately smitten. This young brother spit expertly crafted lyrics reminiscent of Rakim, LL Cool J, Big Daddy Kane and even DJ Run. Not only was he speaking about the kingdom of God, but the beats and instrumentals used were bananas!

Lecrae’s music opened up a door to the world of modern Christian Hip Hop, that I never knew existed. There was just one problem. Not all Christian rappers were effectively representing the kingdom. There were a few older artists on the underground circuit, pushing their songs, but their messages were dull and ineffective. I think this may have inadvertently placed an age cap on the Christian Hip Hop culture, because today’s artists are not really interested in reaching out to the older community of fans. If some old-heads jump on the bandwagon, it’s all good, but the youth are the primary target for these artists.

That can be a problem for several reasons:

1. In Matthew 28:19, Jesus told the disciples to “go and make disciples of all nations.” He didn’t put an age cap on discipleship. As I said, I was saved at the age of 36. Personally, I would have loved to have a dope Christian Emcee speaking life into relevant situations I dealt with, as a new convert.
2. Many mature, new Christians coming to faith are turning away from the Hip Hop of the world. If today’s artists hit them with this attitude, “Yo, this really isn’t for you. Why not go check out that gospel station on WXXX radio? Be blessed, fam,” there’s a real possibility that some of these new converts will go right back to the music that kept them in bondage.
3. Where is it written that at 35, you should stop listening to Christian rap and move on to a new genre? For me personally, I can’t just turn it off. I gave up my collection in the first place because I believed, by faith, that God had something greater in store for me. But, on the real, do you know how hard it was to give up my NWA, Tupac, and Run D.M.C. collections!? Tomorrow, some 50 year old straight from the hood will give his heart to God. He’s going to want to give up his Dr. Dre and Public Enemy collections. Should he be given the ultimatum to either get with the young crowd of Christian artists or start listening to Hillsong United?

Now I digress. There are some brothers out there my age who are blazing paths for Christ, while speaking to the old-head crowd and the youth as well. That’s right, I’m looking at you Lavoisier; you too, KJ 52. Sho Baraka, under the banner of Louis Portier, is also holding it down for the 30-plus crowd. Even Da’ T.R.U.T.H. is doing shows dressed grown and speaking on grown-grown-man struggles. So my generation isn’t entirely left to conform or fend. But, with that said, it would be nice to see and hear more mature Christian artists produce music for the brothers and sisters who simply want to hear the message of the gospel laced over a slower tempo beat. We are, after all, still alive and still hungry for the gospel over Hip Hop instrumentals.

I would think that a savvy DJ might recognize a market for Christian Hip Hop fans over 35. Tracks toting lyrics like, “This ain’t a song for you to get turnt up; I’m tryin’ to keep your soul from bein’ burnt up,” might find its way to that crowd who grew up listing to East Coast lyricists of the 80’s and west coast O.G.s of the 90’s. Generation X is now the parent generation of doomed millennials, and a lot of us are turning to the Lord. As such, we need Hip Hop glorifying God, that we can actually relate to. Tell me friends. What are your thoughts on the subject?

Judgment Day (Revelation)

Listen to Judgment Day (Revelation) here:

Chorus

(Our) Time is up

The hour’s comin’ for the Lord’s return

Jesus is ridin’ on his enemies

And hearts will burn

Our eyes are unbelievin’

Satan’s been deceivin’

Rev   -el   -a   -tion

Judg  -ment    -Day

Game is over

Saints are waitin’ on the Lord’s return

Jesus is comin’

So you’d better make that U-turn

No more blatant lies

Or sinful alibis

It’s done

Judg  -ment    -Day

 

Verse 1

Your eyes are unbelieving,

Your mind just can’t conceive it,

The Bible warned you, but you shirked it

Choosing not to read it.

Blow-in’ from the sky above, and

Ri-sin’ from the grave below

The trumpet sounded; dead in Christ, wake up

It’s time to go.

All the unbelievers panicking

At mass-confusion’s reign.

They’re looking for the answers,

Knowing that they search in vain.

They’ve wasted precious time,

Chasin’ after selfish gain;

Runnin’ for the dollars; the toys;

For the fortune and fame.

Human depravity judged by the Almighty Lord

Four Horsemen ride;

They shatter pride;

They slay by the Heavenly sword.

The sixth seal breaks

The great quake shakes

Blood shrouds the moon

The sun’s black at noon

World dominating powers

Simply hide and cower.

They tryin’ to hustle the Lord,

In this: the final hour.

Fed up with blasphemies,

And disrespectful virtues.

Revelation’s here at last.

The time has come to pick and choose.

 

Chorus

(Our) Time is up

The hour’s comin’ for the Lord’s return

Jesus is ridin’ on his enemies

And hearts will burn

Our eyes are unbelievin’

Satan’s been deceivin’

Rev   -el   -a   -tion

Judg  -ment    -Day

Game is over

Saints are waitin’ on the Lord’s return

Jesus is comin’

So you’d better make that U-turn

No more blatant lies

Or sinful alibis

It’s done

Judg  -ment    -Day

 

[Sho –Ryu- Ken!!]

 

Verse 2

Seven trumpets blasting,

Signifying earth is under siege

Poisoned waters; demon locusts

Forcing heathens to their knees.

The second terror sets

The horsemen into hellish flight:

Smokin’ fire; burnin’ sulfur;

Killin’ everything in sight.

Two Holy witnesses

Granted authority

To shut the sky and prophesy;

Converting the minority.

Terror number three,

Scared the devil outta me.

The complete wrath of God’s

About to be set free.

I saw Satan

Cast down through the skies,

Given free reign to spread

His propaganda and lies,

And with no shame,

Defame the Lord’s name

as he conquered the land, branding

His mark on everybody’s right hand.

But God sealed His own,

While seated high on the throne.

Settin’ the stage for war;

It’s time to settle the score.

The three angels are sent;

There’s still time to repent,

But you’d better get it done,

Because the worse is yet to come.

Chorus

(Our) Time is up

The hour’s comin’ for the Lord’s return

Jesus is ridin’ on his enemies

And hearts will burn

Our eyes are unbelievin’

Satan’s been deceivin’

Rev   -el   -a   -tion

Judg  -ment    -Day

Game is over

Saints are waitin’ on the Lord’s return

Jesus is comin’

So you’d better make that U-turn

No more blatant lies

Or sinful alibis

It’s done

Judg  -ment    -Day

 

[You are not prepared!!!]

 

Verse 3

Seven bowls about to fall,

Sores afflicting one and all,

Water turned to blood;

There’s nothin’ left to drink, for none of y’all.

Sun’s scorchin’ unbelievers

As they curse His Holy name.

Babylon engulfed in darkness;

Haughty splendor, turned to shame.

The Euphrates dried up;

Nothing is holdin’ back

The armies of darkness, to the east,

Are on the attack (Armegeddon).

(The) Last quake struck,

Everything is turned assunder.

Hail – stones rain

Through the lighting and thunder.

The clouds parted ways,

I saw something new,

The white stallion with the rider

Called Faithful and True.

His eyes blazed like fire,

(His) words cut like a sword

slashing through a hundred billion

Of the enemy horde.

They couldn’t stand against the Lord

You can’t fight against truth

He killed all rebellious men

From the old, to the youth.

Jesus looked in my eyes

My mind started to scream

Told me to keep it alive

‘cause it was more than a dream.

Outro Verse

I woke up; chest pounding;

Screaming, in a cold sweat.

But then I realized

This hasn’t come to pass yet.

Reached for my pencil; script the lines;

Did what I had to do;

Spit the verses; pass the message on

From me to you.

The Lord is comin’,

So you’d better get your life in line.

Don’t waste your time

Then wake to find, you’ve been left behind.

God is patient

But the Revelation’s on the way

Be prepared, and repent

Before Judgment day.

Chorus

(Our) Time is up

The hour’s comin’ for the Lord’s return

Jesus is ridin’ on his enemies

And hearts will burn

Our eyes are unbelievin’

Satan’s been deceivin’

Rev   -el   -a   -tion

Judg  -ment    -Day

Game is over

Saints are waitin’ on the Lord’s return

Jesus is comin’

So you’d better make that U-turn

No more blatant lies

Or sinful alibis

It’s done

Judg  -ment    -Day

 

 

No man knoweth the day, nor the hour of the Lord’s return

Text copyright © 2011 by Ennis C. Smith