Love. Honesty. Mistakes. Redemption.
Change. Challenges. Adjustments.
Freedom.
Never living with my eyes closed. This Is Kairos.
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Shortly after the hype & success of Watch The Throne, Lil Wayne drops Carter IV...is it strong enough to dethrone Kanye & Jay-Z? Did Cash Money treat this like a rap album or a pop album? Can Drake & Wayne do a Watch The Throne style tour? Does this album have legs to make it through the rest of the year? Listen & find out..
As I stated in the #ShaqTextExperiment, the thirst is creeping on a come up. We've seen it very well documented, even the Bible tells us that God Himself will be with us through these parched days
Isaiah 48:21
They did not thirst when he led them through the deserts; he made water flow for them from the rock; he split the rock and water gushed out.
Despite our Lord & Savior walking with us, we all know it can get pretty mean in these here streets. So I took the theme song of the thirsty underground railroad & exposed one of the many reverse thirsty tactics women use on men...the "I need advice" lane.
It always happens. Most single men have a homegirl, who is attractive, and who knows we think of them as such. And while for the most part, the friendship is kept platonic, there are instances that erase those safe lines & venture into Red Alert territory.
You obviously know about her boyfriend. It's all she talks about. You know more about him than you probably should. You've kept your distance. Then one night, you get that one phonecall. The inevitable. The eventual. The dangerous.
Damsel in distress call...
Her boyfriend now becomes the worst person in the world. Who can save her from such a beast?
Intro- So it's been brought to my attention that the thirst is at an all-time high with cuff season right around the corner. It's still hot outside, but the sun is accompanied by a cool brisk breeze..letting us all know that the Fall is upon us. I love the Fall...its the dopest season for fashion, sports start back up (hurry up NBA), new TV shows premiere, kids back in school, etc. This morning i ran across another "Shaq's exposed texts" story...befuddled as to how the thirst/erroneous spelling combo worked so well
Was he able to pull it off because it's Shaq? Did he & the woman have a well enough relationship for her to ignore his lack of grasp on the english language? (women overlook a LOT) Was she merely just a bird? So to get my answer, I took my talents to the wonderful world of SMS & conducted my own #ShaqTextExperiment...here are the results...
NOTE: The women I ran this experiment w/ did NOT know I was joking prior to receiving the text
NOTE: every woman I ran the experiment on is attractive, but not stuck up, so they wouldn't say no to everything & they're not so desperate to say yes to anything. I also removed all evidence of names & phone numbers...cuz you don't need to know who they are...yes i'm blocking
Experiment 1- The initial text left her aghast!! She was taken back by the 1-2 combo of thirst & poor spelling. The 'lol' is always used as a slight defense. Ha ha, very funny Armond. FAIL.
Experiment 2- A true friend...she practiced the 5 Ds of dodgeball to avoid the thirst & attend to my well-being. She's obviously into writing, as she read the texts INSIDE the text to figure out the real problem. FAIL.
Experiment 3- Again, the 'LOL' pops up again, this time in upper case. This means her sure was serious, but just in case I respond with "just joking", the 'LOL' means "so was I"...but she really wasn't. Tread carefully. C-
Experiment 4- SUCCESS!!!!!! Immediate response. No games, no front. A+
Conclusion: Always have your text game 100% on point. A lot of us aren't 7 ft tall & one of the most recognizeable personalities in the world. Most of us have to pick & choose how many times a week we can have Five Guys for lunch. Make sure you proofread before you send. Don't be too thirsty, but don't be too scared either.Happy thirsting & Godspeed...
After coming out with nine albums already, Armond set out to release a “catch-up” album to get people to hear the music he’s made so far. This collection is from 2010 to 2011. Let’s see what we got:
1. Wanna Hear A Joke?(Intro)- Real simple intro, I’m not sure if it’s from a movie, but its someone telling a joke about tomatoes and one lagging behind and then the tomato says “ketchup”. Corny or not, the title of the album is in it haha.
2. Beautiful Ashes feat. J Carter- Real smooth beat behind this track and basically speaks about the pains of the past that used to bring them back but because of Christ changing them God can even use them as examples to help him grow.
3. Rearview/Dashboard- For those of you who remember Dreaming Out Loud, this track is from there, for this album is basically a short collection of the music he has done so far so you can catch-up(ketchup get it?). The song is split in two parts beat wise and rearview deals with his life before Christ and leaving that behind and Dashboard deals with what’s to come, nice analogy if you ask me.
4. Never Going Back feat. Uriah- I like this beat gotta nice groove to it. I think that Uriah shouldn’t have kept singing behind Armond, it was kind of distracting to me, but he was a nice addition to the track as far as the chorus was concerned. All the tracks so far have dealt with the past in some way; this one speaks about heartache from a woman and moving forward from that.
5. The Highest- This is another track from his Dreaming Out Loud album, one of my favorites actually! This one deals with relationships as well and at the end there’s a sample of The Simpsons which draws on the ketchup theme as well.
6. Airplanes(interlude)- A real song here, very transparent of the struggles he has went through, even after being a known minister. There is a track later on called “Glory” that goes in even more about this. One line that stuck out is when he said, “Foolish pride says, “It’s just me and God”/for whatever reason His people makes the even odd”. If there is one thing that annoys me is lone ranger Christians. Why would God say Adam couldn’t be alone but you want to be? Once you add God(who is a community within Himself), you will be lead to be around a community of believers, and if not you need to examine yourself.
7. Catch Up feat. Rich Tunes- Of course there had to be ONE track that says catch up haha! Basically saying they on the move for God and ya need to catch up lol! The rhymes here were nice to, reminds me of Redd Lettaz. Another funny sample this time from King of Queens about saying ketchup instead of catsup.
8. Forgive Me- Another track from Dreaming Out Loud, honest one here as well on forgiveness on the shortcomings in his life, from not speaking about Christ to being a hypocrite.
9. Blank Canvas- A track about parenthood and how he went through divorce and how it was dealt with. These kinds of things can impact a child’s life and he expressed his heart to show him in spite of the situation how to wait in wisdom on the right one and to avoid the pitfalls he fell into.
10. Wait It Out feat, Pizzie & J. Carter- I like the beginning of this track with the voice effects when the guy was saying “Wait It Out”. When the beat came in, I wasn’t really feeling it, and it affected his flow in the first verse. The track is about the end of days and the difference between those not waiting and living for the Lord before His return and those that don’t.
11. Chevy Impala Music (interlude)- Smooth beat right here, I like it! Speaks on many different topics that its hard to pinpoint the direction of the track...hey maybe he’s just spittin’ and that’s cool with me! Touched on everything from the past, to Christians looking too much about who’s a mason lol. Good stuff.
12. Glory- This track was released as a leak on Dasouth and Rapzilla and I heard it before seeing the controversy over it. It’s a raw track but I have honestly heard more direct and still didn’t have a problem with it, so why would I with this one. The wordplay on this one was great, and revealed the truth that the actions done don’t bring life but death but in the end giving his life to God, He gets the glory!
Categorical Ratings Breakdown:
Originality/Creativity(5/5): I like how he wove the theme of ketchup into using this album to “catch-up” people to the music he’s already done. The way he put the interludes in with samples from different shows were funny and at the same time highlighted the title of the album. Even the songs spoke about his past a lot and where he is now so as to “catch you up to speed”.
Lyrics(4.5/5): Always been impressed with Armond’s lyrical ability and it shows here as well. He uses a lot of imagery and wit to get his heart across and speaking of the heart, his transparency is something I appreciate.
Delivery(4.5/5): Along with the nice lyrics, there has to be a good delivery and Armond...wait for it...delivers on this as well. You can feel the passion especially when he’s bearing his heart out with his struggles, etc.
Beat Selection/Production(4/5): Armond picks good beats that fit his style and personality. It’s rarely hard-hitting, but allows for introspection and contemplation. Some tracks were of course secular instrumentals and he chose the type of beats that call for introspection and transparency as well.
Concept/Arrangement(3.5/5): Delivered well on the concept of the album, some of the arranged tracks maybe could have been better, for the first few tracks of the album dealt with almost the exact same thing, regarding the past, but it was a pretty cool arrangement.
Light a candle, pour a glass of Arnold Palmer in a champagne glass & lemme learn ya
Trying to dream & stay focused on my mission
Want you to hear with your eyes, use your ears as your vision
What I'm about to say to you is going to be different from anything you're used to hearing. So you'll need to change your perception in order to get it all. Nah, that ain't deep, the concept is simple as me always eating McDonalds & losing weight
I choose my fate
McDonalds has empty calories. For someone with a high metabolism as I do, as much as I eat it, it's not going to help me get in better shape. And even though fast food is ridiculously bad for us, everytime we eat it, it's a choice. So when we reap the "benefits" of a choice, we can't be mad at the options made available to us. We can only hold ourselves responsible for making that choice. Every storm that I weathered, I swear it passed
Satan can't take nothing from me I won't let him have
& that's why he ain't stabbing me with a pitchfork
I'm grazing in the grass my ancestors was lynched for
We bring up the story of Job & how Satan had to petition God to bring harm to him. This is an old testament issue, as now since Christ is in us, the devil has no ability to do anything to us directly unless we have doorways open to allow him to do so. He'll use circumstances, other people, your insecurities...but never you directly. You're not a puppet. Life is 10% of what happens to you & 90% how you react to it. The wrong reaction will give the enemy access. And even within that, God's grace doesn't let you get destroyed. Grazing in the grass, refers to generations before me that have sacrificed, made mistakes & broke down walls to make things easier for the future. And whether we know it or not, we're doing the same thing. And I was more concerned with Kris Kross
Wearing clothes backwards when that affected my actions
I was 8 then, now I'm 26
My house built with straw, sticks & a couple bricks
I used Kris Kross as a double entendre. At 8 yrs old, I had no idea of the sacrifices my parents, grandparents & elders made for me to live the life I have today. I was more concerned with my own life. Also, it's a lie when they tell you hip-hop has no affect on its listeners. At 8 years old, Kris Kross had me wearing clothes backwards to school & leaving the tags on my Starter cap (When that affected my actions)...and because of that, 20 years later, my house (foundation) is built on some good things (bricks) & some incorrect ideologies (straw & sticks) that could hinder my full potential. Ain't think my past would be hard to dismiss
Never knew my heart had a lisp
Double entendre...someone very special to me has a small lisp. Also, a lisp is considered to be a deficiency, I thought I was a good person (good hearted), but my past that's so "hard to dismiss" leads me to do bad things & make wrong decisions. Started coasting on faith, I seen my luck was running up
Easy to lie naked, much harder to cover up
Hard to ride for the cause, super easy to buckle up
Easy to kill the noise, but impossible to knuckle up
Coasting on faith = riding with God, my luck was running up because luck doesn't exist. Anything not founded on God will eventually run dry. Easy to lie naked, it's easy to tell the truth & be honest. Harder to cover up, you have to lie, remember the lies & lie to cover up the other lies. It becomes a burden. Hard to ride for the cause, nobody wants to be the 1st, super easy to buckle up, it's much easier to ride the coattails & reap the benefits of somebody else's martyrdom. Easy to kill the noise, it's easy to ignore, but impossible to take action (knuckle up) What...oh you thought that I was different too?
I am, double check who you're listening to
Don't compare me to these everybodies
Cause it's enough lanes made for everybody
Say I sound like Common, a lil' Lupe
But what I'm saying ain't common, found me a new lane
Although there's nothing new under the sun, I believe that you can do what you do & not run into anyone else. True creativity & inspirations runs too high, far & wide to have been exhausted by now. People always compare me to Common & Lupe Fiasco, & while they are some of my favorites, I don't believe I sound anything like them. People just like to label, compare, identify & box things because boxes are safe. They are contained. If a bird flies around the house, you don't know where it's going. But if it's in its cage, you don't have to worry about it. It is where it always is. To change the world, we gotta change our minds
Worried about illuminati, but illuminate your minds & realize
The light in the world that you're called to be
Is dim & shorting out, took your morals & whored em out
To the highest bidder, with the higest figures
Bible beside my pistol, side by side, what's bigger?
The trigger pulled? Or the bullet launched?
Do I still need a vest if I'm filled & full of God?
We're always looking for something to attach the devil to to "expose him", when it actually gives him & the situation more power. The illuminati has unfortunately been a hot topic for the last couple of years. And even though demonic influences in music, & secret societies in our culture is NOT a new idea, all of a sudden the notion of it has re-emerged & has basically began a witch hunt. And what it does in the grand scheme of things, when you focus solely on that, is it dims the "light of the world", the Bible calls us to be. You take everything that God has given you & you've whored them out, you've sold them to become apart of this witch hunt. Bible beside my pistol...the pistol is a metaphor for action. If I point a Bible @ you, nothing happens. But if I point a gun at you & pull the trigger, a bullet will come out & kill you. So what's more important? One or the other? Do I still need a vest if I believe God will protect me? Or does some sort of action need to follow these words I believe in? Could my back handle these backgammons?
Cuz I wanna double axe-handle my backstabbers?
Backgammon is a game... Don't win a Grammy, did I fail to fufill my mission?
Trying to please a culture I wasn't built to fit in?
As you may or nay not know, I despise being called a "Christian rapper"...or even a "rapper that's Christian"...I hate labels. There's a Jesus culture that has totally engulfed Christianity that I do NOT fit in. For the 1st few years of my walk, it hindered me because I thought I had to act like this & talk like that & do this & not do that in order to fit in with...people. When God never asked me to change who I was...He wanted to do the changing Himself. Once I realized I could still be good in God's eyes & not conform to this culture, it was a lot easier for me. But still a good chunk of my fanbase fit into this category. Do I reject them because they are what I despise? No...So if I say nigga on a record
Would all of my niggas feel disrespected?
Or if I said nigga was a state of mind not attached to a color, would I get backlash from the public?
A friend of mine released a song a few months ago & he said nigga in the track. He received a good amount of backlash, people boycotted him, denounced him, all because he said this one word. All of my life I've been the token black kid. Always was in white schools. And never did I have to deal with racism. So to me, nigga doesn't mean what it means to my father. While blacks have claimed to "destroyed the power" of the n-word, they really haven't. If anything they've just made it cool for everybody to say. While I agree with Chris Rock's "Nigger vs Black People" theory. Nigga (that -er & -a difference is malarchy) was a word used against black people because we were considered to be ignorant. Today we know that ignorance knows no color. So to me nigga = ignorance. On the other hand, I do know that the word is offensive to a lot of people & you have to respect that everybody's not going to view it the same way as you. So I am sensitive to it in that regard. That's just my take.Or should I say bump it, eff it
Focus on my efforts & let faith do the rest
If I turned my attention to everything they said
Let their opinions dance in my head
These women hear my music & tell me how much they love it
& I'm struggling with the fear of failing twice as a husband
Say they want honesty, but they're scared of it
Say they stand for the truth, but they're prepared to sit
People really don't want to face the truth. Face fears. Face rejection. Face opression & opposition. The music I've been creating lately has kinda forced people to do that. And as a result, the backlash appears.
Trying to tell em 'get on my level'
They tell me 'stack my dollars' but finna switch to Ameros
Christ is King, but sometimes I feel like Pharoahe
Invest in a Kingdom my failures say that I don't sharehold
But it's so easy to speak the truth in a room where everyone believes the same things as you
So I apologize if I said it all, before I'm dead I'ma set up the next to set it off
2Pac said "I may not change the world, but I will spark the brain who will change the world". And I believe it. Though we may not "finish the work", we will lay down the groundwork for our children to continue with it.
