Truth Music

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Did you know that hearing is a tool for learning? Think about it. Hmmmmmmm it’s interesting, right? Hey I’m Teante, a 31-year-old father of 4 and I’m a Christian. Let’s talk a bit. I love music, especially hip-hop & rap. I grew up listening to Tupac, Biggie, Slim Shady, 50 cent, Roc-a-Fella etc. I use to live for the underground hardcore stuff. I always had my mix tapes, Dj Clue, DJ Envy and DJ Kay Slay (the drama king) lol. I was feeling that violent-get-out-my-face-rap of Onxy “Slam Slam” or the cockiness of 50 cent’s infamous “Many Men”. Yeah I even enjoyed Lil Wayne in my twenties with that deep depressed music. Inside I felt like I was dying.
Hip hop trained me to be hard, never trust a person and it showed me how to treat women like their only worth was simply for my pleasures of enjoyment. Hip-hop told me to get tattoos and hustle to get extra money. I can say, at the time hip-hop was my big brother teaching me all about life.
All this was going on in my mind while attending church on the regular and being a proclaimed Christian. I didn’t get it until now how Rap had my mind jacked up as a young African-American male. I felt that I had to leave Hip Hop/Rap alone. I couldn’t and wouldn’t listen to it any longer because I wanted to live right and get my life together. I thought to myself, “man I can’t have my children growing up to the same trap, having hip-hop showing them life that’s a lie”.
Today the state of Hip Hop/Rap is no different from when I was coming up. It’s just more vocal and straight to the point. Now popping drugs is encouraged. Trapping, selling drugs and tricking is in every other song. But there is a saving grace to it all. I call it Truth Music. Music that’s encouraging real life not the falsehood Hip Hop/Rap may promise. One truth music artist says it like this “its like the devil is back and one of his weapons is rap”. The violence in this world is starting to come to an all time high. People always ask why, its simple what! It’s what the generation is being trained to do and their influence is the sounds and words of Hip-Hop/Rap. Kids are going to war with each other and don’t know why.
At one point I left music all together. I was feeling lost running to gospel trying to fit in with their calm meek spirit. Me, I’m not a singer so I wasn’t really connecting. With Rap you can just speak the lyrics, just declare it out of your mouth. I could say “get money” and my mind would just go to get money mode. Gospel music was like a distant cousin I knew of but didn’t really know. You know someone you see twice a year maybe holidays but have nothing in common with really. I tried to adapt to this new music even once attempted to join my church’s praise team lol (that’s another post). It didn’t work out though. Yes worship music was cool because it strengthened my inner man but I needed something more! I grew up programmed to Ruff Ryders, you know where my dogs at? I wanted to change my life for the better not my personality. I went from hard-core rap to sweet soft melodies…lol naw that wasn’t for me. Being involved with the youth in church I ran across some gospel rap. At first a lot of it seemed elementary in lyrics but I took it and worked with it, making an attempt to stay saved. It wasn’t until years later from my first introduction to gospel rap that I found Rap/ Hip-Hop again. This time the artist just so happened to be Christian. What a relief to hear something that reminds me of me. It wasn’t violent but the lyrics were so unique. All I could do was jump and say “wooooo did you hear that! Was I left out of something or did something just happen without me.”
My path just came across a new world full of rap/hip hop from Christian artists. It was lyrical talents like Jay Z with an aggressive tone like Tupac but they were all speaking life, the change I was looking for. Locally and Nationally I found music that was truth and the lyrics were more than just the basic or elementary rhymes. These were real artist that can compete. Truth music is in my life to stay. No longer do I even try to fight to listen to the poison that the radio plays or the industry tries to portray. Today I am not ashamed homie; I am Christian, a real one. Thanks to artist like Bizzle and Lecrae. They are my new lyrical Pac’s and Jay’s. I also support local artist that are in the game such Focus, and sWord Music. I proudly stand up and support the movement of what I call TRUTH MUSIC!