I just got back form church and the sermon was very interesting. It made me wonder, how many people know their calling in life, their life’s purpose. No matter who you are you have a purpose, you are uniquely designed to fulfill something special. I’m 30 now, and I love to do so many things, and I’m good at them, but I feel like I’m missing my life’s purpose. I know my heart is drawn to helping others, but we live in a time of wealth, and part of me want to pursue money before I do what I know I’m rightfully designed to do. So, how do you step out on faith, and just give your life over to it’s calling.
This really became apparent Friday when we were discussing hip-hop over at Hagar’s Daughter Blog. I take offense when people talk about hip-hop, and I know it’s not perfect, but I think I’m much like David Banner in this way; I understand it’s music of inflicted people, people that are dispossessed. This is not a means to justify it, but those that are the most critical seem to do very little to help or educate the youth, instead they talk down upon them as if they should just know better for the sake of knowing better, instead reaching out a helping hand to enlighten. I can’t look down on the music or the rappers because I feel our inner city youth have been let down, and we blame the music because it’s so easy to do, but what does the music really say about us, all of us as a whole. It reveals some serious truths that we as a community don’t want to deal with publicly or privately. Why are our children rapping about drugs and not about Christ? Why are our women being disrespected instead of lifted up? How did music come to this? Who are our rappers’ heroes? Is it you?
My life purpose is to be the light, to offer hope in a child’s life where there is none. I will give the youth something different to sing about, because I believe they are better, they can be better, and they are asking us how. This doesn’t mean I’m going to listen to rap music and support it, this means I’m not going to degrade the people accused of degrading other people. Everyone is human and redeemable, and I believe that as much as I believe in Christ. I don’t care if people don’t agree with me, I don’t care if people see it as the music of the devil, I don’t care if people boycott it, I don’t care if people turn their radio off when they hear it. But I do care, if you sit on the sidelines pretending it’s someone else’s problem when it’s our problem. People can continue to hear the trash in the music, I will continue to hear – S.O.S.
I will heed to the calling…
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What an awesome statement…I am still in flux on what to write about on my Sunday Inspirations…this being one of the topics.
I think you hit the nail on the head; blaming the music is the easy thing to do…but what about everything else? Will eliminating the music also eliminate poverty, drugs, gangs, etc., etc., etc.? I think not…it will continue to be a place where people feel like they have been forgotten and life will still be not valued.
Wonderful post today, sis!
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Much obliged, Mrs G. for stopping by today. It seems that many of the Sunday Inspirations posts today are coming from the same place… a place of encouragement or the need to be encouraged. Your’s is no different.
As you know, I’m not all that hip to hip hop. But, “viewing” it thru the eyes of a “baby boomer” with “millenium kids”, I often shake my head and wonder how? why? excuse me. The parent in me has some real issues with much of what I hear coming out of hip hop. The “intellectual-educated” me knows that the music of each new generation has always been accused of causing the demise of each and every society. Bach, Beethovan, and Mozart all shared this characterization with the Rhythm & Blues (race music), the Jazz of Louie Armstrong and New Orleans, the “drug influence” of Funk, and now Rap and Hip Hop.
I don’t know…I really just don’t know…. that’s my 2 cents
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@ SJP:
I don’t know either, but I do know if this all the kids have to sing about after 30 years of hip-hop, then something is wrong, and it’s not just the music, or the generation, it’s something wrong with our community as a whole.
I’m a mother, too, and that’s why I feel for the kids behind the music, and those that emulate rap stars instead of their mothers, fathers, teachers, or preachers.
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God Bless You! Very powerful post that is coming from your heart. I lost touch with rap music about the time when the rise of gangsta rap took hold. It does bother me that my 8-year old son and 11-year old daughter know the words to some of the raunchy music that is played on FM-radio stations. I agree with your sentiments. We have to take personal responsibility for giving our community and our children something else to sing about…
My Sunday Inspiration meme is up & running this week. For some reason I was driven to Psalms 112 and I invite your blog readers to check it out.
peace, Villager
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while i don’t participate in ‘sunday inspirations’, i did find your post to be very interesting and i agree with much of what you said, especially as it concerns the state of hip-hop and why there is so much disdain for it.
while i am not the biggest supporter of hip-hop, i do listen to some of the music. and while i do not agree with all of the views uttered forth by hip-hop, i do still listen to some of the music. rather than sit and talk about how much it supports the ills of the community, it’d be good for “haters” to take a listen to what is being said. now, i am not going to sit here and believe for a minute that every fool that picks up a mic to rap has actually been shot, shot at some one, sold drugs, did drugs, was sent to prison and all of the other stuff that most rappers talk about. 50 cent said in one of his dvd interviews that a rapper is no more than a glorified liar of sorts. i am big fan of 50 cent because i believe his life story to be true and after reading his book, listening to his music, and looking at his dvd’s, i know that he is honest in his tales of his rags-to-richest journey; i respect an artist that can do this. sure he stretches the truth of his life and again, he glorifies, his story, but to a degree, he has earned this right. there are only a few other hip-hop/rap artist that garner this respect from me including jay-z, the game, as well as t.i. again, i am not saying that i support their views or their past lifestyles, but i admire the fact that each of these men had a true story and they have went on to become successful based on the truth that they spoke of through their music. their calling was business. yeah, they lived that street life, but look at them now! this is what people on the sidelines should take from hip-hop. some of it is very diluted and full of trappings based on lies, but the real artists exemplify following their calling and they are all great examples of the good that can come to you when you are honest with yourself and with your fans.
that’s just my two cents.
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“My life purpose is to be the light, to offer hope in a child’s life where there is none.”
That is great. We need more people in the world like you.
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Sheila:
Thanks, it sounds so cliche, but it’s so true. Not every kid is blessed the way some of us were, and if you don’t give back you can see the results.
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MG,
I’m a bit late responding, but I had to after you shared your heart. It’s not just the music that I’m critical of, it’s the lack of diversity and the exploitation of the studio execs that keep it coming. There are more stories from the ‘hood that need to be told.
As with anything commercial if it makes money, then it will continue to get produced. After 30 years and the kids keep rapping/singing about this is a testament on how consumerism has taken over – it’s all about the money. We should live out our life’s purpose. For over 15 years I have taught inner city students in public schools and I have worked with abused and neglected children and their parents – the pay isn’t great, but it’s where my heart is.
If we continue to support anything, not only hip hop, that isn’t uplifting then how do we put an end to it and/or how do we encourage diversity?