Lights. Bright, beaming, colorful lights bounce off the stage accompanied by large speakers that forcefully make you feel the thump of the music as if they were sitting right on your chest. Hands up, smiles, laughter and dancing. Lee University’s Conn Auditorium was filled last Sunday night, open free of charge to college students and anybody from the community who wanted to come see three artists who are willing to sing/rap
Propaganda, Tedashii and Flame put on a show that showed exactly what Christian hip-hop artists are about. These artists, clever, soulful and experimental, all focused on the heart of a person. about what it is that matters to them most.
What do these rap artists have in common? Each one feels “led and compelled to do what we do best, and doing it all for His glory,” said Flame after bringing the house down with his song “Surrender” featuring singer V. Rose. Not only did Flame rap, but he also brought along awesome dancers which, of course, kept all of us dancing.
That’s right, I witnessed a whole row of Bryan College students tapping their foot a time or two! Especially right after Propaganda and his rhythmic reggae style beats hit us — a style unlike any other but taking tad bits of influence from artists like Bob Marley and Tupac.
Propaganda’s lyrics revealed a compelling testimony of being chased again and again by the gangs in his city and resisting the influence of the people around him. After feeling “a light that beamed right into my forehead, a call I couldn’t ignore,” Propaganda said he felt he was being told that what he had to say was important and that God was going to begin using him for an even bigger purpose.
Propaganda’s spoken words do not go unnoticed; they were powerful and left you a little battered but nevertheless ending with washing tides of redemption. As he spoke, his long tattered dreadlocks bounced behind him.
“He’s like a black Nate Adams!” said senior Justin Morton.
Indeed, spoken word was the best part of that night, aside from being invited to dance on stage with the rest of the artists. Everybody was, to quote a 1998 Will Smith, “Getting jiggy with it.”
The night ended with Tedashii hopping onto the stage, ready to show us what was up. While keeping it fun, he made sure the crowd kept in mind what was really important.
“There are always things we won’t understand in this life,” he said, introducing a new song from his upcoming album “Below Paradise” to be released this spring, but “we have a God who will never let us down.” He went on to explain the struggles and hardships he’s encountered this past year with losing his son.
“I love how Propaganda, Flame and Tedashii told their stories and reminded the crowd that it isn’t about them, but it’s about God,” said sophomore Ruth Edick.
A wonderful night at the Conn Center it was, and many of our students are excited to hear more artists like Rend Collective Experiment and Phil Wickham who will be performing there this spring.
