This is a followup to a recent post with lyrics from Christian rapper KJ-52.

Lyrics for Dear Slim Part 2 are available.

Purchase KJ-52 CDs at Grassroots Music

Christian rap artist KJ-52 has recently stirred up some people with his single Dear Slim, in which he rights an open letter to Eminem. In it he discusses Eminem’s seeming personality change from his first album, KJ’s frustration with being compared to Eminem until he realized his own music made a difference in people’s lives, and similarities between KJ’s and Eminem’s lives when growing up, despite the vastly different messages they now proclaim.

Comparisons to Eminem were the reason KJ initially decided to write “Dear Slim”. “…I just had to address the issue. The funny thing to me is how big it blew up. That was never the intention. I never thought that this was going to be the song that really gets my name out, causes a reaction and really touches people. …”

Some have accused KJ-52 of writing this song for purely monetary motives and seeking to capitalize on Eminem’s popularity with a “dis” against him. KJ response: “Come on, I do Christian rap. I live in a one-bedroom apartment and drive a beat-up mini van. How much money am I going to make? People download the song [from my Web site] anyway.

… the response I’ve gotten from people saying how much the song changed their lives, to me that was the bigger picture.”

Apparently Eminem has even received a copy of “Dear Slim”. “There was a road pastor backstage who gave him a copy and talked to him. He walked out with it in his pocket.”

My final thoughts:
KJ’s gotten a lot of press for this song. Based on the lives his music has changed, I think “Dear Slim” is a success. If nothing else, he’s putting the message of Christ in front of ears that might never hear it, even if at first they simply think his point is to dis Eminem.

“One Love. One God. One Way.”

Resources and Works Cited:
• All Hip Hop article
• JS Online article
• Jesus Freak Hideout: KJ-52 interview
• Gospelflava interview

Categories: Music

Slashdot has an interview with Department of Justice lawyers regarding Intellectual Property laws.

The questions are of interest especially to people concerned with copyright laws and how the American government is approaching the issue. This is a detailed response to 11 questions submitted by Slashdot readers.

Here’s a few interesting bits:

By statute, a person convicted of one felony count of copyright infringement faces up to 5 years in prison (or 3 years, if convicted under the NET Act when the piracy was not done for commercial advantage or private financial gain).

That shatters one of my former beliefs regarding piracy. Not making money only gets you two fewer years in jail, but doesn’t make it okay.

One thing to remember though is that the DoJ is on the federal level. The lawsuits involving the RIAA vs. file-sharers are civil lawsuits.

Categories: Music, Tech

Sixpence: None the Richer certainly isn’t the only band that’s not so sure about being labeled “Christian”. Recently, popular band Evanescence experienced a lot of bad publicity in Christian circles for comments they made which led their label to pull them from the Christian market.

A lot of bands seem to decry the label “Christian” not because they feel it does them injustice or harm, but because their faith may not be what the masses or the media make it out to be. Perhaps they’re ashamed of their faith. Perhaps they don’t have any. There are a lot of questions that come up in my mind related to potential “Christian” bands.

1) Do they try to hide or downplay their faith?

The Apostle Paul said, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.” – Romans 1:16.

2) Do their lifestyles reflect Biblical teaching?

2 Corinthians 5:17 – “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” Everybody sins, but a lifestyle devoted to Christ should show evidence of growth and spiritual fruits.

3) Do their teachings detract from the gospel and the message of Christ?

“Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these.” – Galatians 5:19-21. This isn’t an all-inclusive list, but it contains several things that are works of the flesh and not the works of the Spirit. (See Galatians 5)

End of List

In analyzing these things, it’s best to remember that God is the final judge of the soul. “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-�edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” – Romans 4:12-13. (See also Hebrews 9:27)

Some bands may be Christian and don’t announce it to the world or make a huge deal out of it, but instead use their position to spread messages of Christianity, hope, and a Biblically-based worldview. Notable bands I’d consider in this category include Switchfoot, Pillar, and Blindside, among others. Honest lyrics, sincere messages, and they also have huge amounts of talent in their genres.

Some bands just play to make music. If they’re Christian and just don’t want to use the music itself to spread the gospel, I’ve got nothing against it, so long as they’re not detracting from the gospel while they’re at it.

In the end, the tag of “Christian”, be it applied to band or person, means a lot less than the content of the heart.

Other Resources &/or Articles
• Sixpence None the Holier? – an article by Jon M. at A Blog Apart discussing Christianity and art (from a Catholic perspective)
• Bible Gateway
• Matthew 7:21-23

Categories: Music, Religious

The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) are the music pimps of the universe and essentially do their best to make as much money as possible (i.e. hose the consumer).

They’re at the head of every legal action taken against file-sharing applications, search engines for files on a network, and generally resort to intimidation and threats of lawsuit to get their way. Oh, and they have the lawyers to do it.

From Jesse J., the runner of Chewplastic:

I am truly appalled by the RIAA’s unprofessional conduct in dealing with my case. A very well-known top lawyer at the RIAA, while making threats of further legal actions, referred to himself as a “dentist” that I would not want to “have another visit with”. I will not be intimidated by the RIAA – they’re just going to have to put up with me.

The RIAA also recently lost a court case for price fixing. What? They try to FIX PRICES to make as much money as unethically possible? Well! Who would’ve thought.

I personally think getting MP3s and other copyrighted media without any real legal right is unethical. That’s not the issue. The issue is the RIAA telling people applications such as Kaazaa and search engines (like the one Chewplastic has for that campus network) don’t have the right to exist. These applications have LEGITIMATE uses. There’s a term called Fair Use of copyrighted works. Associations like the RIAA and MPAA(Motion Picture Association of America) have heavy financial insentives to limit fair use as much as possible in order to make as much as possible.

Any group of people seeking to dominate others through sheer financial power will obviously see a backlash. Unethical behavior dominates both sides.

WWJD(What Would Jesus Do)?

Categories: Music

Some bands I’ve been enjoying lately courtesy of some free MP3s:
Anberlin
Lucerin Blue
KJ-52
The Starting Line

In general, I’m attracted to a lot of the artists on Tooth & Nail, a record label featuring some rocking bands I really enjoy, such as MxPx. They’ve launched a lot of artists, too, including P.O.D., The Julianna Theory, and others.

Categories: Music