Do you ever wonder if you could
make a difference? Do you desire to impact the lives of those in need in
various areas across the map? If your answer to these questions is “yes”, then
I have great news for you. You can make a difference. One of the best Gospel
Hip-Hop Groups from Miami (Authentik) has made a high quality video that expresses
their concern for fellow humans that need food. This video is educating
listeners on what is taking place on our planet. Many Children are dying of
starvation and they usually get ignored by those who live comfortable lives.
Authentik is asking that you share their You(th) vs Hunger video so awareness
is spread regarding a movement that offers a solution to the hunger of many
children. You(th) vs Hunger is an organization that goes out of their way to
feed orphans, the elderly and the poorest of families in multiple third world
countries. For just 25 cents you can give life-saving food to a child. Authentik
is proud to partake in the assistance of You(th) vs Hunger. They are a group
gaining a lot of local buzz from some of the things that are rolling. Authentik’s
video “The Fall” recently appeared on FNFLive.com and Dasouth.com plus they have gotten radio play
on several local stations. On December 7th 2012 at Florida International
University they will be releasing their brand new album “Groans Before Glory” #GB4G
and national recording artist “Sho Baraka” will be in the building sharing his
talents. Authentik is a group of young men (Early 20’s) with an exciting future
ahead of them. With all the industry moves they are making, they still make
sure God is glorified first and their involvement with You(th) vs Hunger is
undeniable proof. This isn’t a new process for Authentik. They have contributed
to several ministries for years (His House Orphanage, First Priority and Cross
International). The new mission that is on Authentik’s mind is to take the
vision of You(th) vs Hunger to major University campuses all over the United
States. The plan is to package over 40,000 meals. You(th) vs Hunger awareness
events are already being planned to take place at the (University of Florida)
and (Florida International University). Like @Jblaze305 would say. “This is not
a game shun” LOL. Support You(th) vs Hunger and Authentik by sharing the video
below with family and friends.
We live in a culture where
everyone wants things immediately. We
want our food served fast, we want money fast, we want success fast; we pretty
much want anything we desire fast. Sometimes we want excellence fast
because that’s how we are programmed in this technological world we live in. The only issue with this mentality is that excellence
is a process. So if you want to display excellence, it doesn’t happen by
sprinkling fairy dust on your head. Five star restaurants usually don’t make
their best dishes in the amount of time Checkers makes their burgers. Why,
because five star restaurants have a higher standard of excellence and more
time must be used to live up to the standard they set for themselves. Sometimes
things getting done fast has its place but if you really want to master a
specific craft you have to go above and beyond the average work ethic level you
see in others. At the end of the day you have to put the hours in. Take
advantage of every moment, never waste a minute. We should strive to live out
Ephesians 5:15-16 “Be very careful,
then, how you live —not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every
opportunity, because the days are evil.” The amount of blood, sweat and
tears you shed will determine the amount of potential you tap into. So many people
just do enough to get by and they cut themselves short. If you have been called to greatness you have
to put in work. You have to cultivate the passion that God has wired you with. Do
not let petty things get to you, never let something small distract you from a
big goal. You have to persevere and keep your mind focused on the reward. Proverbs 13:4 - the sluggard craves and
gets nothing, but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied. Let’s
examine some individuals that I feel have displayed excellence in some way.
Michael Jordan:
Michael Jordan’s physical
education teacher said this about him:
“I normally get to school between
7 and 7:30. Michael would be at school before I would. Every time I’d come in
and open the doors, I’d hear the basketball. Fall, wintertime, summertime. Most
mornings I had to run Michael out the gym.” – Ruby Sutton, phys ed teacher at Laney
High, Wilmington N.C
Michael Jordan was one of the most
the competitive individuals; he didn’t want anyone to outwork him. He was so
hungry to be the best. Jordan’s work ethic proved he loved the game more than
anyone in the league. His relentless desire to be the best built the ladder
that took him to the highest echelon of basketball. The majority of basketball
analysts have crowned him the greatest basketball player of all time. Did he
dominate a decade because he was 6’6 or was it because he played for UNC? No,
that’s not all there is to it. Jordan was blessed with a gift to play
basketball but so have millions of others. There are a vast amount of people
who stand 6’6 tall and can play b-ball. There are many players that have gone
to UNC and have been coached by Dean Smith but no one pushed themselves the way
MJ did. Michael Jordan was in the gym on a daily basis. Take some time to
Research about the break feast club; this was a practice before the Chicago
Bulls official practice session. Yes he practiced before practice!!! He pushed
past any fear of failure and greatness was the result. Michael Jordan decided
to embrace the process of becoming the greatest basketball player of all time
through sacrifice.
Here is a video that gives you an
idea of how hard Michael Jordan worked:
Eminem:
Eminem has sold more records than
any other artist in the 2000’s. He is known to be one of the greatest lyricists
of all time. If you do some research you will find out that he wrote over 200
songs for his recovery album. That is amazing. He wrote hundreds of songs to
put together a 17 track CD. That’s a grind! Eminem was once working a regular job, he was once considered a failure by many. He lost the Rap Olympics but he never
quit. He was diligent and it paid off.
In this article Obie Trice
mentions Eminem’s work ethic:
Charles Spurgeon was one of the hardest working human being
that ever walked on planet earth. He is the most widely read Christian preacher
(apart from the biblical ones). No Christian author comes close to the amount
of material this man produced through the Holy Spirit. He had to use his God
given talents in order to pump out all that material (Matthew 25:14-30). There
is so much I could say about him but would like you to read these facts and get
inspired.
Many of us strive to leave a
legacy. We must know that leaving a legacy takes time. You know cannot build an
empire in one day, Excellence is a process. Making excellent art is a process,
developing excellent athletic ability is a process, having a deeper
relationship with God is a process. Don’t think you can come out the wood works
and be great at something. You got to have the passion to go all the way.
This Thursday Hip-Hop artist Sekajipo will get interviewed on FNFLIVE: The Lifestyle Group - F.I.U student radio/95.3FM/96.9FM/88.1FM (WRGP.ORG). FNFLIVE: The Lifestyle Group (FNFLIVE.COM) will be on air from 9am-10am on 6/7/2012. Make sure you tune in!!! This will be a classic show!!!!
Check out the brand New Track Feat: Roc Soul and Produced by: Phil Phorte
BREAKING NEWS:The Social Club Misfits (supporters) rallied via twitter to get the new Social Club EP released five whole days early. Guess what: they succeeded by urging Rapzilla.com that they could no longer wait to hear the new project. The new Social Club project drops at 12 am via (Rapzilla.com)!!!! Are you ready!!!!!!
Take a look at the hype over this project on twitter by looking up #SCMGWP on twitter!!!
This is my favorite Christian Rap album out
because I feel its lyrics, flow, production, and arrangement is off the charts.
Rhema Soul stays Hip-Hop but effectively mixes Rock, pop and other genres in
the project. The collaborations are with heavy hitters like This’l, Shonlock,
Benjah, Jai, and Ryan Stevenson. I am a huge fan of this group and feel this is
their best work thus far.
Favorite Song:
2.T-Bone – The Last Street Preacha
This album is a classic. T-Bone is a pioneer
of Christian Hip-Hop. This album was Grammy nominated and has some of the most
respected tracks in Hip-Hop. This is off the chain and was very relevant
for the time. The sound is outdated now but you got to respect the work of the
legends.
Favorite Song:
3.The Ambassador – The Thesis
This record is a lyrical master piece. It
proves that The Ambassador is one of the greatest lyricists ever. You got to
give honor where honor is due and so I got to say the Ambassador is nice with it. This album like “The
Last Street Preacha” has a sound that kind of went off the radar but regardless
of that fact both albums display a rapper executing the technical aspects of
rapping at a genius level.
Favorite Song:
4.Da T.R.U.T.H - The Whole Truth
Da T.R.U.T.H is one of my all-time
favorites. He combined being a legitimate emcee with commercial instrumentals. Not many
can do this effectively but Da T.R.U.T.H pulled it off. If you know me, you know
that I love the world of underground Hip-Hop and commercial Hip-Hop. Da
T.R.U.T.H brought both worlds together. This is an album you must get.
Favorite Song:
5.Lecrae – Church Clothes
This is one of my favorite albums for two
main reasons. Lecrae is one of my favorite artists and this is his most
significant record. This brought Christian Hip-Hop to a mainstream audience
like no other album. With production by Producers like Boi-1da and 9th
Wonder you know it was sonically on point. Greatness is what you will hear if
you spin “Church Clothes”.
Hip-Hop
and I go way back. I remember driving in my cousin’s car and falling in love
with Hip-Hop while listening to Eminem’s hit single “The Real Slim Shady”. I was probably about 6 or 7 years old, no
older than 8. Ever since then I was infatuated with the art of emceeing. I
would listen to as many records I could get my hands on. I loved to go to used
record stores and find the classics. I would spend hours trying to conjure up
lyrics and flow patterns. As time progressed I started performing at open mics
and events and decided to pursue a career in the music industry. Now at the age
of twenty I am still honing my craft and trying to somehow break into music
industry. I say all of that to say this: I am extremely passionate about
Hip-Hop culture. Being that I live in Miami it can sometimes be hard to find
others who share the same sentiments that I do for Hip-Hop. Miami is known for
its power 96 party music and isn’t revered as a lyrical hot spot like New York
and Chicago are. Don’t get it twisted I have met some authentic Hip-Hop
aficionado’s and I have come into contact with some small Hip-Hop back pack
lyrical communities but it’s really a rare species in Miami overall, in my
opinion. At least it is compared to the vibrant poetic activity you hear about
in the North parts of the U.S. Despite everything I just said Hip-Hop is not
dead in Miami. There is a spot in Miami Springs keeping alive the essence of
the culture and doing it in excellence. That place is called Catalyst.
I
would have never expected a place like this to be in Miami and now I am being
put on to some other spots but I feel there won’t be one that is as unique as
what I discovered at Catalyst. I learned about Catalyst through a mentor of
mine Manny “Jblaze” Garcia. He told me that if I wanted to see if I was a true
lyricist that I should test my skills at Catalyst. I heard that one of my
favorite groups Rhema Soul had performed there as well. I was very intrigued
when he told me about the spot. Months after he told me about Catalyst he
informed me that I would be performing at Catalyst for DJ Twin’s birthday party
on Cinco de Mayo. Finally I would be able to check out the spot I had wanted to
see.
After
searching for Catalyst I finally arrived. It was in a back street in Miami
Springs behind a Church. As I walked past the gates the excitement level
increased. As soon as I saw dudes spray painting whole walls the excitement
level went off the radar. I walked up the stairs and there before my eyes were
serious Hip-Hop heads break dancing/creating graffiti art/emceeing and DeeJaying
that organic Hip-Hop. REAL HIP-HOP!!! I encountered a bunch of dudes who were passionate
about the art of Hip-Hop. I got to meet some awesome people like Joel Stigale
(dude in charge lol), Sekajipo, Rudy Barro, Charlie Fast, Dee Jay Twin plus other
great people. The Catalyst is an authentic Hip-Hop spot that you got to check
out. Any Hip-Hop artist can pretty much go and express themselves but beware
you will get merked on the mic if you aren’t a real emcee lol. The Catalyst was
a mind stimulating experience but what impressed me more than the elements of
Hip-Hop that were executed was the fact that it was a place that’s main goal
was to help people walk in their purpose and find the life changing hope of
Jesus Christ. This place exposes the most secular artist you can think of to
the saving Knowledge of Jesus and they don’t beat people over the head with it.
They create an environment where respectful dialogue on important matters can
be talked about. It was powerful to see one of the illest artists in South
Florida “Sekajipo” be more than an artist and actually minister in the middle
of the night. If you want a dope positive Hip-Hop spot with food, great
entertainment and intellectual commentary check out the Catalyst. #real talk - link for more info http://www.catalysthiphop.com/
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