Posts Tagged ‘hip-hop’
Why I Started an Internet Radio Station (and How it Could Shape a Better America)
I promise you, this title isn’t just clickbait. I really did start an internet radio station, and I really believe it can help make things better in these (barely) United States of America. But to explain how and why, I need to start at the beginning. First, for about as long as I…
Read MoreIf You Still Haven't Heard Hamilton Yet, We Might Not Be Friends Anymore
<![CDATA[I wasn't going to blog about it, but seeing the White House recently host a live performance by the Hamilton cast, I decided this couldn’t wait any further. But I want to be clear about something from the outset. This is not a post to convince you of how great Hamilton is and why you need to see…
Read MoreWe Are The Iccsters. Yes, This Is Happening.
<![CDATA[Today, October 1st, I updated my Facebook status thusly: Sometime around 1988, an enterprising urban pastor asked his youngest son to put together a rap for an outreach event. He dutifully complied, and although it was kind of awkward and he didn’t have any beats so he had to use his favorite EPMD instrumental, the…
Read MoreThe One Where Jelani Introduces Himself.
<![CDATA[ I recently started writing for a publication called Off the Page, from the creators of the popular Our Daily Bread devotional series. It’s a new forum for me to start talking about my favorite examples from pop culture and to show how the Bible can be relevant to everyday life. Anyway, I thought it…
Read MoreIf You Love American Music, You Have Andraé Crouch to Thank
<![CDATA[ (Editor’s Note: Yes, the title is a bit clickbaitey, but hang with me. I’ll back it up.) Yesterday, Andraé Crouch slipped into eternity, present in full with the Lord, in perfect peace. I’ve been half suspecting, half dreading that this day would come for a while now, and yet now that it has, I…
Read MoreStop Columbusing. Lecrae Didn't Invent Christian Rap.
<![CDATA[Okay, so this piece may sound like I'm trying to criticize Lecrae, so before I go any further, let me offer a few disclaimers. I like Lecrae. I really, really like Lecrae. As an artist, as a person — as far as I can tell — he seems to be the real deal. I…
Read MoreThis Song Is What's Right With America
<![CDATA[ (Editor’s Note: with all the talk about the polarizing SCOTUS ruling on Hobby Lobby and birth control, I thought it might be good to talk about something that brings people together.) So I’ve thought a lot about it, and I’ve decided that this song by bluegrass hip-hop band Gangstagrass, is more than just a fun, infectious…
Read MoreWhat It's Like Being Black In Portland
<![CDATA[So it seems that a series of circumstances have all led me to reminisce, Pete-Rock-&-CL-Smooth-style, about my upbringing here in Portland Oregon, the undisputed whitest major city in America. Reconnecting with old friends from high school, being a little less homebound and a little more out-and-about in the city (which is a typical, if subconscious…
Read MoreHey Baby What's Your Sign? Your Church Sign, I Mean.
<![CDATA[So in the last five to ten years, as hip-hop culture has continued the march from being simply popular from becoming a downright universal lingua franca — and if you think I'm overstating that at all, consider that right now, at this second, The Roots are now the house band on The Tonight Show —…
Read MoreThe Sentient Song Fallacy — Why Christian Music Sucks
<![CDATA[If you've ever wondered why it is that Christian music sucks, I have a hypothesis. But first, I just have to say — "The Sentient Song Fallacy" — doesn't that sound like an episode of The Big Bang Theory? Get at me, Chuck Lorre! I’m a budding screenwriter, I do some stand-up, and I can…
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