It's hard to be an artist these days. The industry is flooded with so much music that I think most people are fatigued by the overwhelming promotion that's done, especially on social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter and Myspace. On top of that if you're a Christian hip hop artist you get even less looks by the average person, because if a person is not a Christian they typically won't be interested in your music and if they are Christian, they are probably turned off by the fact that you do hip hop music.
I don't make music for fame or financial gain, however I can't continue to pursue a career as an artist if there isn't much support. It's just too time consuming to continue doing it with little or no support...
I'm sorry I'm not trying to complain, God has covered me with so much grace and has provided me all that I need. I'm just saying that if the music that I'm making is glorifying the Lord and it's good music on top of that, show your support. I mean that not only pertaining to me but for any artist that is making good music for the purpose of spreading the Gospel. Because honestly music that is lifting up violence, sex, drugs, and all other nonsense gets more support than positive, encouraging, and inspiring, music.
Jay Z, Eminem, Lil Wayne, T.I. ect... All big names in the hip hop industry. Yeah I get that they are talented at their craft, but have you heard what these guys talk about? Jay Z basically calls himself God, Eminem lifts up almost everything that is evil (rape, homosexuality, drug abuse murder). T.I. and Lil Wayne glorify anything that is not Godly. These artists get artist get support from around the world and sell millions of records every time they have a new release. Nothing good comes out of their mouths... I don't get it...
I don't condone it but I can understand why there are some artist/bands that start off making music that promotes Christ and then turn secular once they realize that most people don't support Christian music.
I'm sorry if this blog comes off the wrong way, I'm just venting. But the point that I'm trying to make is support good music ya'll, go to concerts and buy albums of artists and bands that are making music that promotes the Gospel, otherwise there could be a time when there is no good music left...
Friday, June 25, 2010
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Does He know you?
I still got get used to this blog thing...
I was at church today and I hear an sermon that should I think everyone should hear, especially Christians.
www.solidfoodmedia.com
In Matthew 7:21 Jesus says that on the day of judgment there will be many professing Christians who will be cast into Hell. The reason that they will be turned away from the kingdom of God is not because they didn't do enough good works in His name. In fact the people that he's talking about will have done tremendous works in the name of Jesus. Jesus said that on the day of judgment that He will reject them because He didn't know them...
Do you know Him? Does He know you?
No matter how good you think you live your life, if you don't know Christ in a intimate way, on the day of judgment you will hear the worst thing that you could ever here. "Depart from me, I never knew you."
I was at church today and I hear an sermon that should I think everyone should hear, especially Christians.
www.solidfoodmedia.com
In Matthew 7:21 Jesus says that on the day of judgment there will be many professing Christians who will be cast into Hell. The reason that they will be turned away from the kingdom of God is not because they didn't do enough good works in His name. In fact the people that he's talking about will have done tremendous works in the name of Jesus. Jesus said that on the day of judgment that He will reject them because He didn't know them...
Do you know Him? Does He know you?
No matter how good you think you live your life, if you don't know Christ in a intimate way, on the day of judgment you will hear the worst thing that you could ever here. "Depart from me, I never knew you."
Monday, May 24, 2010
I made it!
This past Friday (May 21st) I did a concert a Minnesota Teen Challenge. Teen Challenge is a Christian organization that helps people overcome their addictions. My whole music career I wanted to become a successful artist, sell lots of records and perform in front of packed houses. And in the past if my records didn't sell or if people didn't come to my concerts I would feel down and depressed and wonder if I was good enough to pursue a career in music. When I started writing songs that were more centered on the gospel and less on myself, my idea of success started to change. I wanted to see people affected by my music in way that brought them closer to Christ. I still had/have that sense of wanting to be successful in a secular sense but on Friday I had a minor revelation.
I talked to a lot of people during and after the concert at Teen Challenge. Their were a number of people that said that they were encouraged, bless or touched by my music. One person came to me and said that he thought that I was as good as Lecrea, Trip Lee and other Christian emcees. He told me that if I kept at it he knew that I would "make it". At that point I remembered some of the conversations that I had earlier, and I remembered seeing tears in people's eyes as I performed "The Struggle" and that's when it hit me. I already "made it".
My true goal is to point people to Christ, and I did that the other day and I make the effort to do that all the time through the music that I write. So there's no need to get down and depressed if my records don't sell or if I don't rap in front of large crowds because I've already made it, I have already reached success because by the grace of God I spread the gospel through music and I get to be used as instrument of God. And that's is the true reason why I do this... Praise God!
I talked to a lot of people during and after the concert at Teen Challenge. Their were a number of people that said that they were encouraged, bless or touched by my music. One person came to me and said that he thought that I was as good as Lecrea, Trip Lee and other Christian emcees. He told me that if I kept at it he knew that I would "make it". At that point I remembered some of the conversations that I had earlier, and I remembered seeing tears in people's eyes as I performed "The Struggle" and that's when it hit me. I already "made it".
My true goal is to point people to Christ, and I did that the other day and I make the effort to do that all the time through the music that I write. So there's no need to get down and depressed if my records don't sell or if I don't rap in front of large crowds because I've already made it, I have already reached success because by the grace of God I spread the gospel through music and I get to be used as instrument of God. And that's is the true reason why I do this... Praise God!
Monday, May 17, 2010
Sin is a sniper...
Do you really know what sin is? I believe that most people, Christians and non-Christians live most of their days without any acknowledgment of their sin. Most people would consider themselves to be good people. But "good" is subjective. What is "good" anyway? Who decides what the standard of good is? Some would say that society decides what good is by the laws that they put in place. There are some cultures where cannibalism is accepted, so if you were to tell the people of that culture that the ritual of cannibalism was bad or sinful, they would strongly disagree. So who is the judge of what is good? I would argue that if the true definition of good was left up for us to judge, it would be different for all of us, and it would change often. I believe that God is the only true judge of what is good and what is evil, because He is ultimately good He sets the standard based on His nature.
So what is the standard? Perfection. Not just in what you do, but in what and how you think, your motivations behind the things you do. Jesus said that if anyone looks at a women with lust, he commits adultery with her in his heart. When was the last time that you looked at someone with a sexual eye or had a sexual thought about someone who isn't your spouse? Most men have a number of sexual thoughts a day, and I bet that not all of those thoughts are about their wife. Jesus also said that if you are angry with another person, that's tantamount murder.
Sin is the air we breath it's all around us and it's inside of us. I've just named two sins that we are all guilty of committing. There are also a number of other sins that we commit everyday that you might not know that you are guilty of. Did you know that penalty for sin is death? Of course we will all die but the Bible talks about a second death, it's called hell. Hell is a place where you would be completely separated from the grace of God. The Bible says that it is a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth, utter darkness a bottomless pit. Hell is where the not so good people go after death. But we already established that perfection is the standard of good, we also know that we are not perfect. So based on that we all deserve hell right?
God has set a standard for us to live by, not because he wants to restrict us but because like a loving father he set up boundaries for our good. But the truth is, that we hate those boundaries and we want to be our own gods and make up our own standard to live by. Our rebellion to God is called sin. We fail to love him as we should, we lie, we live a life of complaining, we lust, we live to fulfill the desires of our own selfishness, and I could go on and on about the ways that we sin against God. So people go to hell because God is essentially giving them what they want. While alive they wanted to live a life basically with out God, and its demonstrated by their rebellion. God is not some cosmic rapist who forces his love on people and drags them kicking and scream into Heaven. Hell basically gives unbelievers what they want, a life with out God, and it lasts forever.
Sin is a sniper. It can kill you with out you even knowing it's there. But God has provided a way of escape. The eternal Son of God became a man and lived that perfect life that we could never live and bore the weight of God's wrath on himself, for those who would believe in Him.
God is calling you to repent, and live a life of repentance. Trust in Jesus for the forgiveness of your sin. Stop trying to be your own god and live for the one and only true God. Sin is lurking around every corner, ready to take you out, but God can save you from your sin! Jesus defeated sin and He did for all those who would trust in Him.
This is for Christians and non-Christians alike. We all struggle with sin, and the way we escape from sin is the same for everyone. Life a life of repentance and trust in the one and only God Jesus Christ!
So what is the standard? Perfection. Not just in what you do, but in what and how you think, your motivations behind the things you do. Jesus said that if anyone looks at a women with lust, he commits adultery with her in his heart. When was the last time that you looked at someone with a sexual eye or had a sexual thought about someone who isn't your spouse? Most men have a number of sexual thoughts a day, and I bet that not all of those thoughts are about their wife. Jesus also said that if you are angry with another person, that's tantamount murder.
Sin is the air we breath it's all around us and it's inside of us. I've just named two sins that we are all guilty of committing. There are also a number of other sins that we commit everyday that you might not know that you are guilty of. Did you know that penalty for sin is death? Of course we will all die but the Bible talks about a second death, it's called hell. Hell is a place where you would be completely separated from the grace of God. The Bible says that it is a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth, utter darkness a bottomless pit. Hell is where the not so good people go after death. But we already established that perfection is the standard of good, we also know that we are not perfect. So based on that we all deserve hell right?
God has set a standard for us to live by, not because he wants to restrict us but because like a loving father he set up boundaries for our good. But the truth is, that we hate those boundaries and we want to be our own gods and make up our own standard to live by. Our rebellion to God is called sin. We fail to love him as we should, we lie, we live a life of complaining, we lust, we live to fulfill the desires of our own selfishness, and I could go on and on about the ways that we sin against God. So people go to hell because God is essentially giving them what they want. While alive they wanted to live a life basically with out God, and its demonstrated by their rebellion. God is not some cosmic rapist who forces his love on people and drags them kicking and scream into Heaven. Hell basically gives unbelievers what they want, a life with out God, and it lasts forever.
Sin is a sniper. It can kill you with out you even knowing it's there. But God has provided a way of escape. The eternal Son of God became a man and lived that perfect life that we could never live and bore the weight of God's wrath on himself, for those who would believe in Him.
God is calling you to repent, and live a life of repentance. Trust in Jesus for the forgiveness of your sin. Stop trying to be your own god and live for the one and only true God. Sin is lurking around every corner, ready to take you out, but God can save you from your sin! Jesus defeated sin and He did for all those who would trust in Him.
This is for Christians and non-Christians alike. We all struggle with sin, and the way we escape from sin is the same for everyone. Life a life of repentance and trust in the one and only God Jesus Christ!
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Do you trust God?
Written on Mar 19, 2010 at 01:14 AM
Today was a very challenging day.. It started off as a normal day and somewhere around noon my day changed. I don't want to go into details but let just say that I'm put in a position where all I can do is trust God.
Do you trust Him? We say that we trust God but do we really?
It's easy to trust in Him when things are going good. But what happens when your life takes a few unexpected turns and you find yourself struggling?
Did you know that Peter walked on water for a brief moment until he took his eyes off the Lord?
Through Christ we do all things... But it is through Him! Not based on our level of skill, knowledge or access to resources.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. Acknowledge him in all your ways and he will direct your path.
Remember that God doesn't always give us want we want, but He gives us what we need and be certain that the only thing that need is him.Christian Artist?
Written on Mar 23, 2010 at 03:28 PM
What makes a Christian artist a Christian artist? Is it an artist that only writes "Christian" songs? Or can it be an artist who is Christian but doesn't necessarily go out of their way to write Christian themed music. Can you be a true Christian and not write songs that point to the Gospel in some way? We all know or heard of some secular artists claiming that they are Christians when their music clearly goes against Christian principals. Are they Christians?
Certainly Christianity is not summed up in the type of songs you may or may not write or listen to. But we have to carefully consider the content of the songs we write/listen to. Why do you write the songs that you write? What is the purpose of your music? We need to think about these things not only from a music standpoint but also with life in general. If you are a Christian are you living your life in a way that brings glory to God? Of course we fail in that everyday, but is that our goal as believers? Or do we have our own agenda? Do we take our own agenda and try to merge it with God's agenda? Our goal should be to do God's agenda alone... Just something to think about.
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