On Monday night I was honored to be a part of an online discussion about rap, race, and faith.
It was hosted by author Seth Tower Hurd and included hip hop artist/urban missionary Kareem Manuel and Ta-Tanisha Jordan, a Chicago-based actress who will be opening up a Children’s Theater Company this fall.
Our talk was sparked by the release of Sho Baraka’s Talented Xth
album (which hit #3 on iTunes’ Hip Hop/Rap charts yesterday) and his
“Jim Crow” song that uses the “n-word” and “b-word” – something that
surprises and shocks people given Sho’s past affiliation with one of
Christian hip hop’s most visible record labels.
Our hour long conversation covers:
The “Jim Crow” song and its “controversial” language
Today, Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday, marks the release of Sho Barka‘s Talented Xth album.
The well-produced and though-out project comes from an artist who used to be signed to the biggest Christian rap label around (Reach Records)
but who now says that, although he’s still firmly a believer in Jesus
Christ, he’s no longer interested in making music for the “Christian
market.”
It’s also garnering some buzz for the song “Jim Crow” that was previously titled “N—a Island” and uses that term within its hook.
The subject matter tackles the narrator’s frustration about what
constitutes blackness in America – a topic publicly discussed as
recently as last month when an ESPN personality called former Baylor University quarterback Robert Griffin III a “cornball brother.”
I talked to Sho Baraka about the song and its title a few months ago at the release party for Lecrae‘s Gravity record here in Houston. In our conversation,
he explained why he changed the title and even gave a parental advisory
that this particular song may not be one you want young children
repeating.
You can stream the album in full with the player below. I’m also told there are edited versions (aka “Colored Island”) available on the physical CD format.
And while this song/album are buzzing because it’s being released
today, it’s not the first time a Christian rapper has used the “n-word”
on his record.
Plenty of MCs fresh off the street continued to use the term in an
affectionate tone on their post-conversion albums and 20 years ago the
group S.F.C. (Soldiers for Christ) featuring the Alliance of Light who would later be known as top-selling rappers Gospel Gangstas) even tackled the entire notion of the word on the song “Kill that Spirit.”
Question: Is the “n-word” off-limits for Christian rappers?
The four-day event is described as the South by Southwest
of new media and the world’s largest conference and trade show for
bloggers, podcasters, webTV and video series creators.
Keynotes will be
given by Apple evangelist Guy Kawasaki, tech head Leo Laporte, and UFC president Dana White.
It’s not a Christian or hip hop event, although all three of us come out of and represent that life.
Para-DOX has been involved in a number of Christian hip hop affairs over the years as a rapper and as part of Much Luvv Records.
And you might remember my reporting
of sintax’s creative venture where, once or twice a week, he writes,
records, and posts a rap song about a serious news story on his ThePressJunket.com blog.
Prayerfully, we’ll make great connections there and learn about a grip of cutting edge ways to use new media for God’s glory.
I recently caught up with Serge from the group Authentik via e-mail to ask about prison ministry, putting Bible stories into rap form, and unique band names.
Sketch: The guys in your group are from Florida but some of
them spent time in Texas and the South basically being homeless
evangelists after some training by the Global Gospel Movement.
How did that experience impact the music?
Serge: While on the mission trip, we saw the effects of sin on
mankind first hand and they’re total and absolute hopelessness without
Him. We ran into thousands of people, lost and found, who DESPERATELY
needed the Gospel, so as we minister through music, we want to ALWAYS
relay to the listener whether lost or found, we never graduate or go
away from the Gospel, but instead we go deeper into the Gospel, as it is
our only hope.
Sketch: You also told me this album, Groans Before Glory, is somewhat based on a pamphlet called “No Cross, No Crown” that was written by a Quaker named William Penn.
That’s got to be a first for a rap album, right? How did you
guys run across that piece of work that ultimately inspired your rhymes?
Serge: We actually heard about it from Gus Cruz (our manager).
Somewhere in the pamphlet the writer mentioned groaning before glory and
that just stuck with us. We decided to study more on that topic and
what it means, so after searching through the scriptures we just found
that that theme was all throughout the Bible, so we ran with it!
Sketch: Your group is working a series of songs/videos that
illustrate famous Bible stories including like Abraham and Isaac and the
Fall in the Garden of Eden.
Which one has been the most challenging so far? Which story are you most looking forward to fleshing out via hip hop?
Serge: Both stories we’ve done so far actually came pretty easy,
however we have a list of Bible stories that the ministry wants us to do
for them and it looks like the story of Joseph in Genesis will be the
toughest. Its such a long and
interesting story so its going to be a challenge trying to pack all of that into one song!
The story that we’re looking most forward to doing has already been done, The Fall of Man, we’re most excited about that one because we felt it came out pretty good!
Sketch: You guys do a fair amount of prison ministry as well.
How well would you say that hip hop is accepted in that environment?
Why is that?
Serge: Hip hop is very well accepted in the prisons! People just in
general love stories, so when we go into the prisons we try to do some
Bible stories to get them to reflect on scripture and then we like to
turn it up after that, the inmates love loud bass and dope lyrics.
Sketch: The record company you formed for this release is called CTF or “Conformed to Facts.” However, I can’t help but notice you didn’t conform to the
fact that the word “authentic” is spelled with a “c” at the end and not a
“k.”What happened there when it came to naming the group?
Serge: Haha! We just wanted our name to be easier to find when people
search for us! SO many different bands and random videos pop up when
you search “Authentic” with a “c” so we wanted to better serve the
people while they search.
“It’s awesome to see an athlete like Zach who is so upfront about his faith do so well on the football field,” Rawsrvnt said.
“His passion for the game is evident and even though I’m from Miami,
it feels like I’m starting to become a Tennessee Titan fan,” the rapper
joked.
Fans wanting to get their own #IMONFIRE apparel can order them online here or
ReTweet this story (including tags for @Rawsrvnt, @ZachBrown_55, and
#IMONFIRE) for a chance to receive a wristband or two from the artist
himself.
The three founding members of the 5th Ward Boyz, a group whose hardcore gangsta raps helped make Houston’s Rap-A-Lot Records a nationwide brand, will reunite on Sunday, December 23 from 2pm – 6pm for a “Stop the Violence Unity Concert” at Brewster Park in their old neighborhood.
The free event will feature music, a memorial time for victims of
violent deaths, and “empowerment moments” of inspiration from community
leaders including Houston City Councilman Jerry Davis who represents 5th Ward’s district B.
Andre “007″ Barnes
5th Ward Boyz member Andre “007″ Barnes said he
organized the affair in response to a rash of violence in the area – a
reported eight murders in a two-month span, including four that took
place back-to-back.
“When we were releasing records the 5th Ward used to be unified. But
now, there’s some Hatfield and McCoy stuff going on with retaliatory
shootings and killings,” Barnes said. “We just felt the need to talk to
the brothers in our community and tell them there’s a better way.”
For many of the members of the 5th Ward Boyz that way includes a 180
degree life change through a faith in Jesus Christ. Barnes, who once
served felony time for a bank robbery, now owns a Christian bookstore, serves as a youth mentor, and records and performs gospel rap music. Richard “Lo Life” Nash and Eric “E-Rock” Taylor‘s lives and music appear to be following similar paths.
Barnes said that on Sunday he anticipates appearances and/or musical contributions from artists such as Bun B, Gifted da Flamethrowa, and Derrick Chism. The day will also serve as a toy drive for underprivileged youth.
Here’s an example of what the 5th Ward Boyz are about these days:
Rapzilla.com (a site with a good reputation for reporting information about Reach Records) recently published a report about a possible group album by the “retiring” Trip Lee, KB, and Andy Mineo. The story is based in part on this recent Tweet from Andy Mineo.
An emotional night watching @triplee116 perform 4 the last time on tour w us. That is, unless me, him & @kb_hga do a group album…
— Andy Mineo (@AndyMineo) November 19, 2012
Since KB was in town for the “No Boundaries” concert with Tedashii and Suzy Rock, I had to ask him about the “rumor.”
Here is his response.
Fans may recall that the trio got together for the “One Sixteen” song/video which has been a crowd favorite throughout the year.
Questions: What are you thoughts? Is this confirmation of the collab? Is this something you’re excited about?
Sketch the Journalist is a freelance hiphop writer living in the thriving country metropolis of Cut-N-Shoot, Texas. Down with gospel rap since Stephen Wiley’s “Bible Break” in 1986, he has chewed, reviewed, and interviewed most of Christian hiphop’s major players. Sketch holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from Sam Houston State University and was once an intern at the New York Times Houston Bureau. He can be reached at sketchwrek@dasouth.com.
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