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Jelani is...
He’s an award-winning speaker, emcee, writer, and musician, moonlighting as half of the hip-hop duo The Iccsters (pronounced ‘icksters’) and director of worship at Irvington Covenant Church.
Church of Basketball: An Interview with Dave Deckard of Blazersedge
May 14th, 2012
[interview originally written for UrbanFaith.com] In a nation where pro sports are the most socially acceptable form of religion, what happens when a pastor’s other job is shepherding NBA fans over the internet? David Deckard, like many pastors, is bivocational. He works another job, squeezing it in alongside his role as pastor, husband [...]
KONY 2012: Fame Redefined
March 15th, 2012
[Editorial note: This post was written originally for UrbanFaith.com, which has a much bigger audience than this blog. But for the sake of immediacy, I decided to post this here first.] “You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.” – Mandy Patinkin as Inigo Montoya [...]
The Batman Gospel
November 29th, 2011
What the latest superhero video game shows us is that vigilante justice never really amounts to good news. After playing through it, I can confirm firsthand that the latest Batman video game is an amazing experience. Batman: Arkham City is a technically facile, immersive, fantastic voyage into the world of Batman lore, and it gives gamers and [...]
My Boondocks Theme Remake: An Explanation
October 20th, 2011
I get asked about this from time to time, so here it is. I love The Boondocks, and I always have. From the moment of its inception as a widely distributed comic strip, I knew that dude Aaron McGruder would become one of my favorite Aarons ever (right after my 7th grade homie Aaron [...]
Jam of the Moment: Blessed Be Your Name
July 19th, 2011
(editor’s note: this post was originally written about a year ago, and I”m just now getting around to posting it.) Artist: Ashmont Hill Album: Ashmont Hill Song: “Blessed Be Your Name” Despite being a worship leader (and thus, professional Christian) whose job includes assessing and incorporating popular praise-and-worship choruses into our weekly church music [...]
Jam of the Moment: My Piano
June 27th, 2011
George Duke “Face the Music” “My Piano.” As I sit outside on my friend Vanessa’s summer patio, I’m imagining being one of those people who do the big mega-home tours, not for fantasy wish-fulfillment, but because they’re actually looking for a home. Obviously, I have no idea what that’s like. If I did, [...]
Jam of the Moment: #putyourloveglasseson
June 25th, 2011
There are so many things that I love about this song.
And let me be clear. This song is probably not going to be considered by anyone as “great art.” It is not rife with moral ambiguity, or a profound sense of personal identity, and it doesn’t make any statements about any of the defining issues of our day, unless a general lack of love qualifies.
(Actually, now that I’m thinking about it… yes. Yes, it does.)
Jam of the Moment: So Free
June 18th, 2011
Artist: DJ Maj Album: Speckled Goats II Track: So Free DJ Maj, one of my favorite producers and personalities in music today, penned a great song in 2007 about relaxing, enjoying the ride and being free. And it’s still one of my favorites. It’s great during the summer, of course, but also helpful in the [...]
Jam of the Moment: Only Help
June 17th, 2011
Tye Tribbett, Fresh, “Only Help” So I’m going through some things. Like, the kind of “going through” that you might hear from one of the saints who’s been around the block a few times and is waiting on the Lord to get their breakthrough… that kind of “going through.” One of the things I’ve noticed is [...]
Jam of the Moment: Pizza Party
April 11th, 2011
Put away your money, I’ll buy you a slice / you ain’t gotta worry how high is the price / don’t dine with this world, you’ll die on their diet / they’re like, “sit down, eat your slice of pizza, and be quiet” Put away your money, I’ll buy you a slice / Who you [...]