FOR THE SONG

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My name is Melvin J. Anderson, and I am a Minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. As a minister, I have no particular denomination or church that I belong to. I’m somewhat of a renegade, in that I am of the hip-hop generation. I came to the ministry out of the streets, so I bring a street perspective. I strike a balance between the two. I give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and to God what belongs to God.

The Lord says, "The earth is mine, and the fullness thereof." That means no matter how foul or degrading a hip-hop track may seem, I can logically show how God is present in the lyrics. God is in hip-hop, and I can prove it. Jesus ministered to the masses using language they understood. He didn’t talk over their heads or talk down to them, but he addressed them directly. Not everything is right with hip-hop, but not everything is wrong either. History will decide what’s right and wrong. All I want to do is show the goodness of God as history does.

I plan to show the spiritual significance of hip-hop. It goes beyond the music, because what we are dealing with is the culture. Culture originated in the Bible. Genesis 11 verses 1-9 says, "The Lord scattered the people. One group speaking one way went in one direction. Another group speaking another way went in another direction, and so on and so forth." With this act of God, different cultures were born.

Ultimately, the things that define hip-hop as a culture - like a common slang, style of dress, and choice of professions – are either praiseworthy or not. In the simplest terms, I choose to give God the praise for the song. What would hip-hop culture be without the song? It’s the cornerstone of the culture. But, the song’s message is sometimes lost in the interpretation of the culture. My part is to bring forth and expound upon the message of the song, so that we can concentrate on what’s really being said as opposed to what’s incidentally being heard. I’m open for comments and suggestions (Man shapes man like iron shapes iron – Proverbs 27:17). Until next time, be blessed in the Lord as he’s blessed in you. - Minister Anderson