Episode 5:Move the crowd! To Jesus

"Instead of broadcasting how you smoke them trees/what we need to here is more local MC's/ where u at? c'mon where you at ? this is the difference between m.c.-in and rap/ Rappers spit rhymes that are mostly illegal/ M.C,'s spit rhymes to uplift they people!!!"

These are the the immortal words of KRS-One from his verse on the song "Classic", the best part is he said those things on a song that featured Nas, Kanye West, and Rakim, all people who's track-lists include content that would classify them as the rapper KRS was speaking, of (Rakim to a much lesser extent), KRS, a man who has set himself as the historian/keeper of the art of M.C.ing seemed to be preaching something that many of us had already known , that content and intent go hand in hand. That the excuse of "I'm just reporting whats happening in the world" often used by rappers is no longer a valid. If you observe our culture it would be much more accurate to describe that man  with the mic in his hand as a prophet or pastor than an anchorman (stay classy, San Diego). Many of the songs that fall into the rap/hip hop genre sound prescriptive more so than descriptive. Most of them are actually phrased as commands and recited over and over again to hammer in the point (I hate when people do that. yep, you know it) But I digress, my point here isn't to start some right wing movement to restrict rap's content like the fruitless ones we saw in the 90's. But rather this message much like K's verse on the song mentioned previously is a call to action on two fronts:

 First to the local M.C.s who are also believers in CHRIST, I know you are probably few and far between due to the culture but if you are one these rare birds (especially scarse in Utah), find cyphers, battle contests, mixtapes, whatever and use your talents to uplift people through the greatest medium you can that being the Gospel. Be excellent, be creative, and most importantly be 100% authentically genuine. If you struggle rap about that, if you've struggled in the past , spit about that too. Let the world and you're local scene hear how through it all you're hopelessly dependent on JESUS through it all. Affect the culture from the ground up.

(This is a christian battle rapper named Th3 Saga, who reps CHRIST in rap battles. This video does have explict language, so to skip that go to 4:33 to here his round)   

Second I call to the hearers of Hip Hop/Rap who follow JESUS, my challenge to you is simple; find positive, GOD honoring M.C,'s and commit to support them, especially the local ones ( Now I realize how self serving this sounds, but if you live near me and find a better MC than me, support him/her. Then find some taste, just kidding ). Notice I didn't say Christian either, an M.C. doesn't need to identify himself as Christian to honor GOD or give a GOD honoring message.The time, internet clicks and money you sacrifice to enjoy music can actually serve dual purpose in supporting the cause of the Gospel if spent discerningly.  After that I also encourage you to take a long hard honest look at the content of your musical library and decide, does the philosophy of your iTunes match the theology of the GOD you claim? If you feel the spirits conviction, take the steps to correct., it s yours to steward faithfully.

 I leave you with this: the music may not be responsible for moving you to the action or affecting your thoughts but every life, just like every movie, has a soundtrack that sets the tone for the scenes to come. Don't get caught up tryna play horror music in the background of the tale of victory that is the Christian life.............                         

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Episode 4: A conflict of philosophy

A sociological quandary....

The other day while shuffling through my iTunes  library I realized how many of my favorite songs were acquired through free album giveaways. Many of my favorite artists like Social Club, Andy Mineo, and even the great Manchild of Mars Ill have blessed my ears and my soul with many no charge masterpieces. Being an artist myself I recognize the thought, sweat, and sacrifice that goes into making music and whether there motive be love, exposure or an act of faith in their talent or GOD I am grateful for the free gift they have given strangers like me. But let me get back to my discovery, as I was enjoying this music and imagining a world where great music is given freely to all for their own pleasure and enjoyment, I was suddenly transported back to an irritated reality as I heard the vocal stylings of U2's Irish crooner Bono. As I gazed upon the digital album cover I was reminded that U2 and iTunes had already tried to lay a cornerstone for the societal utopia I was framing in my mind with their latest album that they graciously placed into all iTunes user accounts for free without so much as a is this okay. It was an act of generosity that I believe was done in the same spirit and mindset as I was describing earlier,  but it had epicly failed. Well, sort of....

Now before I explain let me give full disclosure that I am the exact opposite of  what you would call a "U2 fan". I think they are very talented but in all honestly the only song of theirs I have ever liked enough to buy was one from a Batman soundtrack and I cherished it so much that I'm unable to recall it's name at this time (the Edge, if your reading this, it doesn't mean I wouldn't feature on a song...I would, for the right price of course). But that's the variable in the experiment that skewed the results, it's not that it isn't a great idea, it's that the idea was forced upon everyone instead of just allowing those who want it to yield the fruit of the sacrifice. Imagine if France made visiting the Louvre and viewing a certain Van Gogh painting a requirement for citizenship (actually, you may not have to imagine this, it could very well be true), wouldn't that depreciate your enjoyment and value of it? This is the fatal flaw with U2's free gift, its actually a burden (all be it a light one). I now have to go to the trouble of deleting it from my account and I will because having things in my iTunes account that I have not hand selected to be there annoys me ( Note to Mrs. CDZ: Please stop buying Beyonce songs under my account!Oh wait, that was me. Note to self: delete this before publishing). Music is personal, if we take away someones ability to choose what they listen to, you also inadvertently decrease its value.

The result of U2's act of kindness has been mostly negative and has significantly hurt their public image and perception. Which got me thinking about salvation, and GOD's value: many people I know have asked why a loving GOD would ever allow people choose not to have his salvation from their sin or why he allowed a choice to sin at all. But if all of us had to love him whether or not we wanted it, wouldn't the prospect of spending eternity with a GOD we actively rebelled against unrepentedly feel an awful lot like a burden forced upon us?  Is it not then the greatest act of love to name a fair price for his own standard of life and come down and offer to pay it for all who could not afford it in return for them genuinely receiving it as a gift? It is HE that gave us the choice to sin, the command not to, and the punishment for doing so. But also he who makes it possible for us to arise from our sin induced walking death sleep and receive his gift.  Either way whether a heart set on its own desires or a transformed heart that is set on him, that heart ultimately gets what it wanted in the end. GOD is faithful and generous in either instance. Unlike the U2 album he didn't download his act of sacrifice into my hearts account by force, but rather opened my deaf ears to salvation's sweet sound and drew me in with gentle power into the rhythmic patterns of his own beautiful melody, and now that I've heard it I cant delete it from my hard drive. Because music is just purposeless noise without the perfect anthem of his sovereign standards. All else loses its value if that file is removed from the library, it now is contained in my soul and sustains my being. It defines the whole of me.          

This metaphoric comparison is a but a fingernails swipe at the base of  the mountain that is is the full glory of GOD's grace, sovereignty and justice interacting, but I hope it causes you to aspire to scale peaks and plant flags on the heights of his character and love. You'll have to excuse me if this number carries on the same old gospel time signature as the last couple ditties.I cant help it, like I said, the free songs are some of  my favorite tunes.

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Episode 3: The Soothing Stage vs. The Pressure of the Pulpit

A challenging opportunity.....

During a leadership meeting for my home church about a month ago, I was asked by our Senior Pastor to fill-in the pulpit while he was away. All at once I was struck simultaneously by fear and excitement, I felt at war with myself because part of me wanted to run home and start preparing while the other wanted to run for the border (and I ain't talking Taco Bell). While this conflict of wills raged on the inside, I managed to give a confident nod on the outside to calmly agree. I was hoping this would be followed by Pastor John assigning me a passage, he didn't...  Knowing John as I do this was absolutely intentional, he has been faithfully committed to not just train up people to serve in the church he shepherds, but also has been faithful in training up people for whatever and wherever GOD may lead them in the future. I admire his ability to keep a watchful eye on the local church's needs, while also keeping in view the universal church. I don't think he would claim to absolutely know where each person who serves in his church will end up, but I do think he can identify their individual strengths and weaknesses and is committed to developing both to their max potential.I have had the honor of serving only under Pastors with this heart. I hope the rest of this post doesn't detract from the reputation I just described .....

First, the soothing stage.
I've never been able to understand the calmness I feel with a mic in my hand. But seriously, I can remember even from my first experiences with a small stage on an open mic night, to battling strangers off the top of my head in front of a crowd of even more strangers at local clubs, to even opening for regionally successful acts in full venues (hundreds, not thousands), feeling a certain at home-ness on that elevated platform. Don't get me wrong, I've lost battles, I've forgotten song lyrics at shows, but even mistakes seemed like small speed bumps on a summer Sunday cruise. I don't think words can sufficiently express the freedom I feel there. I absolutely am nervous leading up to it,  but once the beat starts, verses and hooks seem like a jog on an old familiar trail. The only other place that could feel like that for me is probably a basketball court ( don't be mislead by that, its definitely due more to experience than skill) In either place I know what I'm supposed to do to be successful and I know how to improvise if things go wrong. That leads us to the second part of this post....
The Pressure of the Pulpit
I think it would be accurate to describe my feeling when I preach in front of my church family who I know and love as being the exact opposite of the feeling I described of the stage during a concert. I wanna be excellent at it like I was John Piper jr. but as the morning worship leads up to the point when I must climb the two to three steps up to the pulpit at my church (which, in the moment feels like 200) the pressure does not lessen, it increases. I feel absolutely nervous and awkward as I attempt to take the 500lb weight of truth that GOD has placed on me and try to place upon those listening. I mispronounce words, loose my place in my notes, and nervously and ineffectively try to display calm confidence as a cover for the terror I feel inside. I would affectionately compare the act of of preparing a sermon and preaching it to catching an infectious disease. You walk around all week being affected and convicted by the truth GOD's word is teaching you and then drag your weak and battered carcass up to the pulpit in hopes that your church family will catch it as well and experience the same loving torment you have just gone through (I don't know if Piper feels like that). I try to always approach this situation expecting nothing but pleasing GOD with my faithfulness. I approached yesterdays guest preaching opportunity the same way, having said that I think it best to leave my self evaluations from yesterdays adventure between me, and GOD. Besides, I don't have time seeing as how I have to change my name and look for a new church this week (Watch for my new album ZDC presents Jehovah's Witness Protection EP, just kidding)

Many have asked if teaching the Bible will be apart my future life's work and my answer to that is absolutely yes; to my children, my youth group and in my music. Beyond that I leave my ministry future where it is absolutely best left, in GOD's hands.
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Episode 2: Feeling the Pressure

The heat is on.......

My first meeting with my producer David (aka David Elijah, aka the Professor) went well..... too well.
First the good, while we discussed where we were musically and how we felt about that, I could tell that David had something on his mind.Upon engaging him a little I began to realize I had made a potentially huge mistake, I had asked him on this project to bottle his immense and diverse talent,so I could slap my clearly designated Hip Hop label on it and therefore make it easily stocked by the figurative store that was receiving our product. Problem is, that's not how great art works. I began to see that everything great about the music he and I had made was a collaborative effort that offered the best both parties had to bring to the table. You see, David is not just Rap, he's not just rock, nor is he just pop, he is the greatest aspects of all those genres of music. He is a major league musical genius that GOD, in his providence,
has chosen to use in minor league setting, which has allowed him the luxury of being humble through it all (but please don't let me endanger that by continuing in my complements of him.).   Amidst the conversation and my own personal epiphany, the decision was made to scrap everything we had started and begin a new project. As we began, it was as if I had shaken that aforementioned bottle and twisted off the top (in the sink, like mama told me) causing greatness  to explode into the music David created. Before I knew it my ears were drinking in the delicious concoction of drums, keys, filters, and buses that were produced by his mad scientist like, feverish work. Which then leads us to the bad.....

I knew once I heard it that my contribution to this was going to have be better than anything I had ever done before. And before you go thinking that  this is all some disingenuous marketing ploy please read on as I inform you that I put so much pressure on myself that I seemingly incarcerated myself into writers block. You may now be saying "but wait, look how long this blog is...", I didn't say talkers block, I said writers block. The prospect of my contribution to this masterpiece being what brought it down to earth from its interstellar heights mixed with a unexpected/confusing/frustrating/unsolvable conflict I experienced with a particular member of my family during the past weeks has left me somewhat paralyzed creatively. No, I haven't forgotten how to rhyme, I just haven't wrote anything that in the words of the philosopher Master P would "make em say ugggghhhh, nah, nah. Nah,nah". Stuck here, I've resolved to do freestyle push ups in my cell in hopes I can survive when I hit the proverbial yard.....


There is one practically applicable nugget this experience has made me aware of: I think too often in collaboration, whether in work, church, family or art we ask others to conform to us to make it easy. But I think we miss greatness in preference to simplicity by avoiding the more difficult task of learning how to take the individually GOD-given talents of all involved and create balanced synergy. Maybe we too, should pop the top and unleash other's pinnacle of ability onto our endeavors

Episode 1: The Conffesion

In the midst of a (somewhat) familiar journey...

Here I am, again. Heading down the final steps of a path that leads to a much anticipated destination, that being the release of yet another attempt to share my expression of art with the world (or anyone who will take the time to listen to it), the A.B.E. EP.
While some of it seems so familiar, most of it still remains very foreign. The studio time is booked (aka me and my producer got our wives/families to be cool with us putting in late nights to finish this project), and the concept for this project is mapped out. As those who support this en-devour and I will most certainly examine and strategize the most efficient and productive ways to get this message out to the world (music videos, marketing strategies, social media blitzes, networking etc.) I can't help but be turned off by the prospect of the whole process, the  thought of having to convince the world that what I have to say is worth their time seems so counterproductive . I loathe being told which artist I should emulate. I hate being treated as some sideshow act, and much to the regret of many around me I don't spend endless hours buying clothes, shoes and jewelry trying to look like a christian rapper, or rapper who's christian, or whatever. I can't help but look like me, a 30 something guy from Utah that stills struggles with sin, happens to love JESUS, Hip-Hop, and expressing that through rhyme.

(This is a pic of me playing a character that looks like most peoples perception of a rapper at a murder mystery night for my youth group. My voice for the night sounded like a mix between Mike Tyson and Lil' John)

I've always thought that the best medium for effective advertising of music is quality, sincere, music (props to Beautiful Eulogy). But in a crowd where so many voices are speaking, the guy with the megaphone stands out....I guess. Although, in the midst of that logic I cant help but think that people are much more thoughtful and intelligent than most marketing strategies give them credit for. This blog is admittedly, a strategy within itself, but unlike most, I'll tell you exactly what I hope to do with this buffet of words for your consumption. My hope is that by giving you an honest look into the final stages of the process and the man behind the music being made that you will be encouraged to take the same look (with your ears) into my latest EP. I have no visions of grandeur, I fully understand that I'm a local artist with only one other project under his belt.  I'm a father of 3, who is a Youth Pastor and Full Time employee of a delivery service (If your thinking "Does he have time for this?",  let me calm your worries by saying "maybe") . I have a shoestring budget (Oh snap! The marketing books said I wasn't supposed to admit that) and my impact on Hip Hop as a whole would be flattered to be referred to as minimal. I have no desire for fame and I already think I'm financially living far beyond what I deserve. No, no, you should know my hope for this music is that it causes worshipful, GOD honoring thought for believers and a thought provoking testimony to those who would not classify themselves in that way. That it would inspire young MC's to take this same honest, sincere approach as they develop their image and craft and that this single drop in the caverness lake that is Hip Hop would ripple out to redeem its once lost soul. My hope is that GOD will use my faithfulness in small things to do much bigger things for his glory.

This time around I want to embody the command of JESUS and be nothing more than  a faithful witness. As I do this, others who may disagree with my approach have the position the Sadducees had in Acts, but I say to them as Peter did "Whether it is right in the sight of GOD to listen to you rather than to GOD, you must judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard."  
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