Where's Your Integrity???

"I dumb down for my audience and double my dollars/They criticize me for it yet they all yell "Holla"/If skills sold truth be told/I'd probably be/Lyricly Talib Kweli/Truthfully I wanna rhyme like Common Sense/(But i did five Mil)/I ain't been rhymin like Common since"

Jay-Z is one of my favorite hip-hop artist. Despite all the rumors of his affiliation with Freemasonry and Illuminati, no one can deny his ability to use words to paint a picture. The above lyrics are from his song "Moment of Clarity" from The Black Album. These series of lines display not only an issue found in the hip-hop community but it is found in the church as well and that is the "dumbing down" lyrics/sermons for the sake of money, profits, or popularity.

Jay-Z says that he has the ability to rap like Talib Kweli and Common (both are associated most with a form of rap that is conscience based). However Jay-Z is convinced that this style of rap and pure skill does not sell. So he says he "dumbs down" or gives a diluted form of rap in efforts to make a larger financial profits. Not only did this work for him ("But I did 5 Mil") but the audience tends to like this diluted music as well.

The same can be said about preaching. There are many gifted preachers throughout the world but how many of these preachers/pastors have "diluted" the gospel and revelation of God in efforts to gain financial profit, popularity, or increased numbers in the congregation. If you would allow me to remix Jay's lyrics for a sec "Dumbed down for my congregation to double my tithes/they criticize me for it but they all yell Hallelujah." I know it doesn't rhyme but I hope the message is clear.

In sanctuaries and studios across this nation, integrity needs to be re-established. Preachers/Pastors and Musicians (rappers, singers, producers, etc.) have the ability to influence the moves of all those within the reach of their voice. We must all hold fast to our integrity and not allow the outside pressures of money, fame, and fortune compromise the integrity of the art.

Pastors/Preachers hold fast to your integrity when preaching the Word of God. So many people trust the words that come out of our mouths. Therefore we must handle the Word of God with care. Also we must not be afraid to preach the truth and not fear that "people won't like us" or "my church won't grow." If your primary motive for preaching is to be known as "the best preacher in America" or for people "to like you" or "to have the largest congregation" do the world a favor and stop preaching now.

Pastors/Preachers integrity and faithfulness to God is more important than the accolades and ovations of others. Remember they cheered for Jesus at the beginning of the week and screamed "Crucify Him" at the end of the week. So we must hold fast to our integrity and preach the truth even if that means to the point of death.

I'm committed to trusting God in all I do and not compromising my integrity...who's joining me???

God Bless,

Rev

Tight Beats, Tight Hooks, Malnourishing Lyrics

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2lS283bmKM

Above is a link to one of my favorite songs, "We Are One" by Frankie Beverly and Maze. While riding in the car yesterday afternoon, I was flipping through the radio stations and I stopped on the Michael Baisden show. I don't listen to that show often but they were discussing the current crisis in Haiti and in dedication to our brothers and sisters there he played this song, "We Are One." The song in itself is a beautifully composed song but when I listened to the words and listened to them in light of the crisis in Haiti, I began to get emotional. The words "we are one" that all of us-humanity, nature, and all of creation-are ONE.

This also caused me to think about the power of music and its ability to bringing healing and hope in times of crisis. Music has had an unique ability to speak to the various social ills and calamities of the time. From Marvin Gaye's classic album What's Going On to the reggae freedom songs of Bob Marley ("Redemption Song" & "Exodus") to the revolutionary music of Public Enemy and NWA, music has played an instrumental role in mobilizing the people to create change in this world.

What I am sad to say is that there is not a SUFFICIENT amount of substantive music available in the 21st century. Music has been reduced to a tight beat with a tight hook with malnourishing lyrics. When I think back on Marvin Gaye using a whole album to address the ills of his time or when I think about the spirituals and slave songs that got our people through the ills of slavery and Jim and Jane Crow, it reminds how music was not used solely for financial gain but for communal survival. When I listen to the radio, I hear the same playlist which spout nothing but obscenities and demeaning and destructive words. It's one thing to paint your life story but it's another NOT to use this creative freedom responsibly.

I guess my question is what kind of inspiration is music providing in the 21st century, in particular hip-hop music. Is our music inspiring our children to pursue greatness or just to simply "wake up in the morning 10 o'clock drinking" #imjustsaying. I AM guilty burying myself in tight beats and tight hooks and malnourishing lyrics. However, it is time for me and all of us to Detox (will Dr. Dre ever put out that album lol). I challenge my artists, my rappers, my singers, my producers to pursue greatness in your music and not money. Make timeless music that will have impact and carry influence over ages. Make music that will have meaning 20, 30, 40, 50 years from now.

Don't sell the integrity, soul, and life giving and sustaining power of the music for money. To paraphrase a passage from the biblical text, "What does it profit a man or woman to gain the world and lose his or her soul." Or let me rephrase it this way, what does it profit artists to make a dollar while killing and damaging the souls of their brothers and sisters.

Let our music inspire and uplift instead of damage and degrade.

God Bless,

Rev