Jesus Walks into Hip-Hop

Chuck Currie’s most recent blog posting of Kanye West’s Youtube video Jesus Walks is of great interest to me for a number of reasons. First, I silently rejoiced at the thought that we, as African Americans, might finally be creating a legacy of love and compassion with hip-hop, including powerful messages about God and not about retribution and death. Second, I was grateful to see there were not any women wearing bikinis in Jesus Walks. We are killing one another in spirit with constant misogynist messages dominating our hip-hop music culture. Third, by posting this song Rev. Currie is acknowledging the impact hip-hop has on our youth.
I wonder why more hip-hop artists don’t choose to create music more about the equality of men and women, equality of the races, God, the need for self-love (even if we don’t feel it we have to fake it!!), a community building up out of our own holocaust and less about anger and materialism. I understand there is so very much anger and hurt but I know we can, with God’s love and the love for one another, send a different message to our children. It is our choice what we sing about and what we praise.
I listen to an international reggae station and am continually struck by the fact that our Rastafarian brothers and sisters regularly sing about Jah, love and peace. They have also endured slavery, oppression and spiritual devastation. They have made a choice to praise hope and not death.
Let us learn from these lyrics and create a new future for Jah’s people.


Anthony B – All God’s Children
Different focus, different purpose
But a one man make us
We are
All Jah's children

Gingy Moses – Why Worry
Tell me why worry when you can pray
I see dem falling along the way
Tell me why worry when you can pray
A chapters a day keep the devil away


Everton Blender – False Words
False words are spoken
With twisted tongue
The truth is mistaken
Lies are told to the young
Stand firm with your pride
With nothing to hide
Our aim, our destiny
Is to be free
From Babylon mentality
And brutality
Yes I will love my enemies
Because they show me my weakness


Abyssinians- Jah Loves
jah loves u man
ever know jah needs u, woman
and to know the things u did
to him,
it makes u want to die.
for greatest love,
all u ever learned
is to love,
and be loved in return.
jah loves in return
why hate your brotha man
do the things to please jah woman,
do the right and not the wrong,
and b strong,
for u surely gonna die...
for greatest love,
all u ever learned
is to love,
and b loved in return.
jah loves in return (jah loves u man)

Amen.