Does it Have Anything to Do with God?

When I started rapping as a teenager, my message was about how I was a 'DEF' Lady Emcee and you didn't want to battle with me. Mind you, this is back in the old school hip-hop days when female rappers were few. Of those to admire, I liked 'Sparky D' most and being that Roxanne Shante was her rival, amongst other reasons, I was hardly a fan. Even back then, I respected creativity, and detested the lollipop lyrics from childhood jingles that J.J. Fad was bringing with Supersonic. So, rapping was my passion, and I used to write all throughout the day, carrying my pen and pad everywhere I went.

Initially, my mother didn't say too much about my new-found hobby. Somehow or another though, Mama found one of my notebooks. Oops! Of course, she found the one that had my nasty raps. At 15 years old, what did I know about being "too hot and spicy" and that he needed "a child who was extra mild?" After that, she started paying more attention to my rapping activities and actually attended one of the concerts where I was an opening act. Me and the "We Three" crew had to rephrase some of our rhymes to appear decent and in order. Regardless, she never fully approved of me rapping after that and I used to sneak to perform and defend my title as Kandee Kisses, the "best female rapper" in Fresno.

At one point, I was asked to do a demo for a record label that was new at the time, and is still in full-force today with top-of-the-chart hits. "Unh uh! You can't do it. It doesn't have anything to do with God." Was she serious? This was a chance of a lifetime. I was even asked to just write the lyrics for some girls that Too Short was working with, and Mama still said "Nope! Can't do it!"

For years, I mean decades, I held a pinned up resentment toward my mother for not letting me pursue my dreams. Sure, I believed in God, but this was about fame and fortune... having BIG gold chains, flashy gear and fancy cars, not just an everyday opportunity. At some low points in my life, I wondered what it would have been like if I had become a famous rapper. Yet, as I began to understand the calling on my life, I see how it may have affected me for the worse. It was at the climax of those low points that I sought the very God that I ignored in my quest for stardom, as if He wasn't paying attention. The same God that brought me through all the hurdles of street life with activities that fortune would have funded and probably killed me.

Today, I'm grateful Mama didn't let me do it. (sorry it took so long to get here Mom) Today, I understand the value and responsibility of having gifts and talents. I understand that my gifts were entrusted to me to carry a message that's far greater than how not to be a sucker-MC, and I'm still alive and able to share it.

So, what's your message and what impact does it have on people? Is it anti-God, promoting violence and/or destructive, disrespectful behavior? Is it a message of hope and empowerment or despair and self-righteousness? If your message is about advancing the well-being of others in a way that brings enlightenment to love (agape), then it has to do with God, because God IS love. It may not even appear to be directly about God to have something to do with Him. The Bible, itself, has books that don't contain the word "God." The Book of Esther, for example... do your homework. Sure, some speak or write using biblical scriptures and Christianese terms, but others relate to people using their own lingo. Some paint nature or beautiful abstract pictures with deep meaning, some sing encouraging melodies, some produce beats to blast with empowering hip hop lyrics. All are called to walk alongside and be an example. You might have been working for God all along and haven't even known it. You know, He can and will use anyone for His purpose. So... does your message have anything to do with God?