Day 15

Welcome Back!

I am currently working my way through an entire month of listening to nothing but Christian music. So far, I have grown a lot, and learned a lot about myself. But if you were wondering why I chose to start this, or if you want to know what I am expecting to get out of this, then you should go back and read my very first post. If you would like to know whether or not this challenge has had any effect on my life yet, then you should just read any other blog that I have posted. Now, let’s get into today’s blog!

Alright guys, it is finally here! Today is going to be the first day that I write about a Christian hip-hop song. Now I know, I have already written about it in a way, back when I was describing the diversity of the Christian music genre.. but that is not what I am talking about today. What I mean is that today is going to be the first time that I highlight a specific hip-hop song for you all to look up and listen to. To be honest, I am a little surprised that it has taken me this long to go over a hip-hop (or rap, for simplicity’s sake). Christian Rap, and rap music in general, always has some of the best writing that you are going to find anywhere. And the reason for that is because at the heart of rap, is wordplay, and how a rapper is able to connect words and ideas in clever and creative ways. Before I get started though, I should say that I completely understand if there are some people here who don’t like rap music and it doesn’t matter what they are talking about, and that is fine. It is not for everyone! However, you are missing out on some dope beats, and REALLY clever wordplay, but if it is not your cup of tea, then so be it.

The song that I am highlighting today is called “Light Work” and it is actually by a combination of some of the best Christian Hip-hop artists to ever do it. These guys actually are all apart of the same recording label, and they like to come together every now and then to release a song under the mantra of 116. So that is who is credited for the song, 116. The reason that I chose this song today is because there is a line in the song that gets me so pumped every time that I hear it, and I think that it is a line that more people need to hear about. One last thing before we start breaking down the song, I will not be going word by word throughout the song as it progresses, just because there are so many words/verses to cover, that if I were to breakdown them all, I would have to publish this post and put it in a paperback book. So I will do my best to give you an idea of where you can find the lyrics that I am highlighting, and I will also break down the main chorus for you.

Now, the first thing that you are going to notice about this song is the beat. The beat jumps out at you immediately, and it is something that definitely gets my adrenaline going. That is why I LOVE listening to this music when I am working out. And that is actually how this song came to me today! I was working out, and it came on my playlist. Getting back to the beat, it starts off a little strange, but then, the beat drops just as Andy Mineo starts the first verse, and you can almost feel your body getting in tune with the rhythm of the rhythm. It is really a special thing, and it is honestly one of my favorite beats that I have ever heard. It is also in Andy Mineo’s verse that you can find my favorite line in the whole song. Andy starts off the song by doing something that not a lot of mainstream rappers do, and he praises his wife. I love this because it spreads a good message about how to treat women, as opposed to the horrible womanizing message that is put out by mainstream rap as a whole. The lyrics for Andy’s verse are: “Yeah, this just something light, like I look to my life, I look to my wife, like I did something right, look I’m not switching my price, baby I know what I’m worth, I be like “Thank God it’s Monday”, I get to get back to work!” It is that last part that I love the most! For those of you who know me, you know that I am an elementary P.E. teacher, and a high school football coach. And for those of you who know me, you also know that when I say that I am living the dream, I am not kidding! I absolutely love my job, and I genuinely resemble this sentiment! And each time that I hear it, I can’t help but think about how God has called me to be doing what I am doing right now, and I GET the opportunity to go out each day and have an influence on countless children’s lives! Sometimes it is hard for me to wrap my mind around that fact! But whatever it is that you are doing, I hope that you are doing your calling! I hope that you love what you are doing, and you see your profession as the calling that God has for you, because I believe that is where we can make the most impact in this world. If you are not, then I pray that someday you will be able to get there. And I pray that someday you will be able to get to the point where you are saying, “Thank God it’s Monday, I GET to get back to work”.

Now that was a lot longer than I originally had planned for, and that wasn’t even all of Andy’s verse.. So I think I am just going to summarize the rest of the song, and explain what the title means and why they chose it. That way people actually read this and don’t see page 1 of 47 and exit out. The title “Light Work” is actually a play on words itself. What the group is saying is that they are all called to spread God’s light to the darkened places of the world, which is exactly what Jesus called his disciples to do when he commissioned them to go an make more disciples out of the people. Jesus said: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” This was said in Matthew 29:19. So the idea is that we are all light bearers, carrying the light of Christ inside us, and we have been called out to go make disciples of others. That is our “Light Work”. Where the wordplay comes in is that “light work” is a modern day slag for something that is easy. So what they are saying is that this work that we have been called to do will be easy if we have God with us. So throughout the whole song, the group talks about ways that they have tried to spread the message of Christ to those around them. However, none of the them do as great of a job of sharing that as Lecrae does in his verse. If I had more time, then I would dive more deeply into the it, but I highly suggest that when listening to this song, you listen carefully for Lecrae’s verse. And if you don’t know who Lecrae is, he is the person who raps in the 5th verse. There so much in this song that I would love to unpack, but I am just going to have to suggest that all of you go and listen to it for yourselves, because it truly is an masterpiece of a song. I pray that you and I both are able to spread the light of Christ, just as we have been called to do, and I hope that we are able to do so through what God has called us to do! Thank you for reading, and God bless you.