Jin

Former battle rap champ Jin is making his way back into the spotlight as a Christian rapper signed to Universal Hong Kong.

Now a born again Christian residing in Hong Kong, Jin has changed the content of his music, but still manages to showcase his lyrical prowess.

Recently Jin released a new track titled “Welcome to the Light Club,” which is fueled by a catchy beat.

Here is an except from the track:

“I got a session booked for7 and its 6:35/ so I got 25 minutes to conjure up this rhyme/its been a long time right stepped away from the limelight/ but the breaks over Holy Spirit takeover/they say the truth will set you free if you so believe/ Jesus is the truth with Him freedom can be achieved”

Via his ayojin.com webpage, Jin chronicles his adventures in this new lifestyle and he describes one trip by saying, “Did a quick performance, gave a testimony and just enjoyed God’s presence.”

I first picked up the news of Jin’s conversion a couple weeks ago on Rapzilla. I remember being excited when Jin’s first album, the Rest is Hisotry, came out. He represented the globalization of Hip-Hop and his lyrics, though some times vulgar and self-indulgent were honest. Now that he is a Christian, I am hoping that he allows God to use his gifts to bless the world. I hope he doesn’t become a “christian rapper”.  Nothing against my boys LeCrae or Tedashii, but the overt Evangelism can become tiresome if that is all that Christian’s who rap do. Of course I want Jin to give glory to the father, if he wasn’t I would question his authenticity, but I hope he doesn’t it with the same social concern that he showed on his first album. Talk about the street, talk about Hong Kong and Chinatown, talk about injustice etc. just do it with the telos (ends) of bringing honor and glory to God. Through that, as my father would say, “souls would be saved and Christians will be strengthened” .

Thoughts?

Former battle rap champ Jin is making his way back into the spotlight as a Christian rapper signed to Universal Hong Kong.

Now a born again Christian residing in Hong Kong, Jin has changed the content of his music, but still manages to showcase his lyrical prowess.

Recently Jin released a new track titled “Welcome to the Light Club,” which is fueled by a catchy beat.

Here is an except from the track:

“I got a session booked for7 and its 6:35/ so I got 25 minutes to conjure up this rhyme/its been a long time right stepped away from the limelight/ but the breaks over Holy Spirit takeover/they say the truth will set you free if you so believe/ Jesus is the truth with Him freedom can be achieved”

Via his ayojin.com webpage, Jin chronicles his adventures in this new lifestyle and he describes one trip by saying, “Did a quick performance, gave a testimony and just enjoyed God’s presence.”

Chuck D, Hip-Hop, Music and Civil Rights

Chuck D. speaks personally about the intersection of music and civil rights. Check D. will be apart of a  PBS special called Freedom Songs. The show will include several other famous African-American personalities including; Louis Gossett Jr. Gladys Knight; Pete Seeger; Ruby Dee; Jerry Butler; and the Blind Boys of Alabama. They will all be exploring the role of music in the civil-rights movement – both personally and socially. Here in Huntington the program is airing on PBS, this Sunday night at 6:30, but I would check your local listings to make sure you know when it is going to be on in your area.

Rap’n’ Roll

For Kids: School of Rock ‘n’ Roll

Aspiring rockers can enroll in any of the three semesters throughout the year. Students can learn how to play the keyboard, guitar, drums, or bass, and take voice instruction. Every week, students participate in a 45-minute lesson and a three-hour group rehearsal. The school also offers summer camp sessions where students get lessons in recording their own music and marketing. Last summer, students at the school came up with their own band names and made T-shirts and fliers.

C.S. Monitor

What about something like this with a hip-hop twist. Urban students could easily be introduced to a variety of music by mixing various musical genre’s together. Learning a mixing board is a considerable skills, drum machines are valid instruments, learning the skills of a turntable is more difficult than turning a record and students can utilize “traditional instruments” like the Roots do.  Creating lyrics can improve linguistic skills – intelligent rap artists like, Common, Lupe Fiasco, Listener, Deepspace 5 , the Roots, Jurassic 5, La Symphony, Kanye West, and Crossmovement actually have a great deal of linguistic competency.

Can we publicly and academically establish rap as art? I hope so. I would love it if my child comes home and has to evaluate the cultural relevance and musical structure of  Grandmaster Flash’s “The Message”

Happy Hip-Hop Christmas

“Wisemen,” – Cross Movement- Gift Rap

“Fading in the distance
the place where all of us faced a twist deeper than the 6th Sense
Wasn’t what I expected to see
someone as great as him living lesser than me
And truthfully we were blown away
by a King with no bling, just a throne of hay
Even shepherds had heard of him
Somehow they got word of him
Wisemen, herdsmen, all of us worshippin’
Anybody notice how the sheep and cow
seem to peek and bow to the sleepin’ child?
We went home a different way
not just geographically, but he impacted me, never forget the day
we got to sit back
and see God’s presence, a present – Gift Rap
And I hope you get that
cause when you got Jesus you don’t have to wonder where the gift’s at”

If I were President – Mos Def

I don’t agree with everything in this video. But It is some good social commentary, by one of my favoirte rappers. I apologize for language that offends anyone.