By the end of this verse
You gon’ need antiseptic
These words slice nerves
Hope you know that it’s bless-ed
Be the wounds of friends over enemy kisses
Can’t schmooze and front after all these offenses
I been educatin’ with inspirational truth
But times like this I spit straight rebukes
The tone of this song and album thus far is aggressive. This however is not coming from a place of bitterness or hate. It is coming from a place of righteous anger and love. Over the past few years, I’ve witnessed many people whom I consider friends stand for things that are unquestionably unjust. This is particularly painful when those friends claim to share a common Christian faith with me. I believe it is the Christian’s responsibility to correct each other when we see someone straying from the truth. Correction and accountability is often painful, but I “hope you know that it’s bless-ed be the wounds of friends over enemy kisses.” This lyric is a paraphrase from the Hebrew book of wisdom, Proverbs 27:6 which says “faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy.” I believe it is far better to openly contest someone in love, than smile in their face while secretly considering them your enemy.
Religious hypocrites white american pastors
Spoke of integrity, purity when they blasted
President Bill Clinton Back in 90 and 8
But support a chauvinistic prideful bigot today
I wonder what they would say if Donald J. was a Democrat
Moral compass point to where the power and the money at
The hypocrisy in the religious right is blatant. There is a superficial emphasis on morality, but that morality is selectively emphasised on certain issues and for certain people. When it is and and isn’t emphasized seems to be dictated by the retention of power and money more than anything else. For example, when Bill Clinton, a democrat, was president, he committed adultery as well as lied under oath. The conservative Christian right would not stop broadcasting his wrongs. They called him sexually immoral, a liar who lacked integrity, unsuitable to be president, and for months they called for his impeachment. Yet during Trump’s campaign and eventual presidency, he was caught bragging about adulterous escapades in shockingly vulgar language. He has been caught in lie after lie, shows zero integrity, has a short temper, verbally attacking anyone who disagrees with him. Despite all this, he still receives incredible support from the conservative Christian right. How can Trump, who is is far more vulgar than Clinton ever was, received support from a group of people so concerned with morality? Because Trump is a republican while Clinton is a democrat. By supporting Trump and his policies, the conservative right remains in power. It is clear that they are willing to sacrifice their convictions in order to maintain power. They are willing to support immoral leaders that protect their position and wealth. They do this all while believing they are being moral and faithful to their version of the Christian God. To support immorality is one thing, to support immorality while claiming your support of it is the godly thing to do, is a fearful offense to God.
Whitewashed tombs only fools could ignore
How the very same Lord that you claim to adore
Reserved the harsh words for people just like you
Who quoted all the scripture but was blind to the truth
Travelin’ overseas and you proselytize
Just to raise up mini me-s twice as evil inside
Tokenizin’ the prophets like Dr. Martin the King
When your fathers were the mockers tellin’ him not to dream
You evil brood of vipers shed the blood of the righteous
You should fear the wrath of God but you talkin’ bout ISIS
The house of prayer should be inviting to every nation
But you filled it with thieves
Time to turn these tables
Jesus’ greatest opposers were not stereotypically bad people. They were not gang members, alcoholics, or sexually promiscuous people that societies often look down upon. Jesus’ greatest opposers were hypocritical hyper religious leaders who felt threatened by Christ. They believed the things Jesus preached and did might undermine their positions of power. They said, “If we let [Jesus] go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation” (John 11:48). The parallels between Jesus’ opposers and the religious right in America are so very clear. Thee following lyrics are inspired by Matthew chapter 23 where Jesus confronts his opposition.
Whitewashed tombs only fools could ignore
How the very same Lord that you claim to adore
Reserved the harsh words for people just like you
Who quoted all the scripture but was blind to the truth
Jesus said “Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness. So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness” (Matthew 23:27-28).
Travelin’ overseas and you proselytize
Just to raise up mini me-s twice as evil inside
Jesus said “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves” (Matthew 23:15).
Tokenizin’ the prophets like Dr. Martin the King
When your fathers were the mockers tellin’ him not to dream
Jesus said “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, saying, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would have not taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ Thus you witness against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers” (Matthew 23:29-32).
You evil brood of vipers shed the blood of the righteous
You should fear the wrath of God but you talkin’ bout ISIS
Jesus said “You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell? Therefore I send you prophets and wise men and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and persecute from town to town, so that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth” (Matthew 23:33-35).
The house of prayer should be inviting to every nation
But you filled it with thieves
Time to turn these tables
This is a reference to another time where Jesus was confronting religious hypocrites in the temple of God. “And [Jesus] overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. And he would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple. And he was teaching them and saying to them, ‘Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations?’ But you have made it a den of robbers’ ” (Mark 11:15-17).
I’m sorry if this come as a surprise
I was never here to give you what you like
I was never here to tickle your ears
And make you feel all kinda warm fuzzy inside
Particularly with artists and preachers alike, there is this backwards idea that they exist to inspire, entertain and please their audience. I do hope to inspire, but that inspiration will not always be pleasant. I work towards excellence at my craft, and sometimes people will enjoy it, but my purpose has never been to entertain or please my audience. My aim has always been faithfulness to the truth. Often that means I must challenge, disturb, wake up, and push people out of their comfort zone. The line “I was never here to tickle your ears” is a reference to 2nd Timothy 4:3-4 which says “For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.”
I pray I never do this for applause
And neither do I try to piss ‘em off
I’m committed to the truth
If they love it or they boo
I don’t pay no mind I answer to the Lord
I pray I never tailor my message to popular opinions in order to gain commercial success. I hope people like my work, but I do not make things for them to be liked. Likewise I am not afraid to offend people, however I do not create art in order to offend people. I create what I believe is the necessary message for the time, and I try to give little weight to whether it is critically acclaimed or criticized. The lyric “I don’t pay no mind, I answer to the Lord” is a reference to a song on my previous album “No Ugly Babies.” The first song on that album was called “I Don’t Pay No Mind.” I sing, “I don’t pay no mind to no hate, ain’t no need to fright, love is on my side. I don’t pay no mind to no hate”.
Messiah tried to warn us on God
Said they blind even though they got eyes
‘Cause they threw him a parade
then a couple more days
they was cryin’ for him to be crucified
Jesus sent his followers out preaching a message of hope and love, yet he warned them that they would often be rejected and misunderstood. “This is why I speak to [the people] in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand” (Matthew 13:13). In fact, the same community that welcomed Jesus into the city of Jerusalem with a parade (Matthew 21:8-10), would only a week later call for his crucifixion (Matthew 27:22-26). Interestingly, the same message that earned him praise and popularity also lead to his death. Anyone committed to the truth and justice of God will find themselves both hated and celebrated, we should not allow this to distract or discourage us from doing what needs to be done, or saying what needs to be said.
Guarantee we gonna see a lot of hate
if we followin’ the leader of The Way
And we prolly see it most
from the very same folks who say
Glory Hallelujah all day
Criticism and resistance is guaranteed for the faithful follower of Jesus. Christ said, “ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you,” speaking to his disciples (John 15:20). The last line is another reminder that the greatest resistance often comes from those claiming to be godly people, just like Jesus’ greatest critics were people who deemed themselves the holiest people around, holier than Jesus himself.
My fan mail is turnin’ to hate mail
My fan mail is turnin’ to hate mail
My fan mail is turnin’ to hate mail
Oh well ‘cause the truth I’m gon’ tell
My fan mail is turnin’ to hate mail
My fan mail is turnin’ to hate mail
My fan mail is turnin’ to hate mail
Oh well Oh well
The chorus has a carefree tone to it, emphasizing my lack of concern with the changing reactions to my messages. These days I find my work being celebrated less and less, and criticized more and more. To which I say… oh well.
[PROPAGANDA’S VERSE]
Gotta remember who you answer to
Who you write the anthems to
Who you raise ya hands to
Who dat Propaganda dude
Who be curing cancer
Who carry the answers
Who can unlock the dancers
Who be givin’ stanzas
Came to scorch the ground and make vegetation spring
I ain’t scared of hate mail
The conqueror sings
Propaganda speaks to the importance of focus. When we fix our minds on the authority of God, the love of God, when we remember who we raise our hands and sing our songs for, when we remember the power of God to perform miracles, when we consider that God created us and knows us by name, we are no longer intimidated by those who might scorn us for being faithful to the call of God on our lives. Obviously, those who benefit from injustice will be critical of prophetic voices that call for the dismantling of unjust systems. Propaganda say he “came to scorch the ground and make vegetation spring.” The scorching of the ground is not one of condemnation, but a burning up of what was already dead in order to make room for the new life God desires to bring about on earth, in human societies, and in individual hearts. When God called the prophet Jeremiah to speak, similar imagery was used to describe his mission. “Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth. And the Lord said to me, ‘Behold, I have put my words in your mouth. See, I have set you this day over nations and over kingdoms, to pluck up and to break down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant’” (Jeremiah 1:9-10).
I ain’t made of paper mâché
I fortified my brain
I ain’t scared of pain
I understand my lane
Gadfly
Agitator
Underrated
Under radar
Under miner
Underling
Under the anointing
I ‘ont check my DMs I answer to a deity
Ain’t worried ‘bout no per diem
Call it like I see ‘em
Propaganda knows who he is and knows who he isn’t. He expresses confidence knowing that his mind is fortified, firmly rooted in the truth of God. His identity is also secure, being aware of his role in this world, he has fully embraced it. He understands that his job is to be an “agitator” and “under-miner,” disrupting the unjust systems of this world. He also understand that he does this while being “underrated” and “under radar”. In other words, he does not receive much recognition, neither does he need it to validate his work, because he does his work “under the anointing” of God. When God has anointed you to do something, it doesn’t matter how many likes you get on a selfie, or how much love or hate you get in your Instagram Direct Messages. Propaganda says, in fact, he doesn’t even bother checking them. “I don’t check my DMs, I answer to a deity.” Per Diem is a latin term meaning day by day. It refers to a daily allowance or payment. Money is often the most persuasive temptation to compromise one’s convictions. Propaganda ends his verse by saying, not even money, or the loss of it, will stop him from calling it like he sees it. He’s committed to speaking the truth when necessary. “Ain’t worried ‘bout no per diem. Call it like I see ‘em.”
My fan mail is turnin’ to hate mail
My fan mail is turnin’ to hate mail
My fan mail is turnin’ to hate mail
Oh well ‘cause the truth I’m gon’ tell
My fan mail is turnin’ to hate mail
My fan mail is turnin’ to hate mail
My fan mail is turnin’ to hate mail
Oh well Oh well
Separation of the Church and state is written
in our laws with the freedom of religion
Plus you claim that our nation has biblical foundations
Fascinating, let me ask you somethin’ Christian
If you think a Muslim is your enemy
and your Savior say to love your enemies
then you ain’t got no excuse and I really am confused
why you wanna ban Islamic Refugees
If the Bible say you s’pose to love your neighbor
And to be hospitable even to strangers
tell me why most of your friends go the very same skin
you don’t even know the people you afraid of
Patriotic conservative american affirms the necessary democratic principles of separation of Church and state, along with the freedom of religion, yet at the same time, many of those same conservatives believe that America was founded on Biblical principles and remains (and in their opinion ought to remain) culturally, a Christian nation. Freedom of religion is incredibly important in American history, as the first Europeans to immigrate to North America were pilgrims fleeing religious persecution by the state-polluted Anglican Church. We know from so many examples in history, whenever religious power gets in bed with political power, it ends up compromising the purposes of both the government and the religious institutions. All truly democratic societies must allow for freedom of religion. Yet there is such prejudice and fear of Islam, the same people who affirm freedom of religion for themselves, will support policies that refuse immigrants and refugees entrance into America based on their religion. The justification is the threat of extreme Islamic terrorism. Yet many of the refugees being refused entry are infants, young children, and women with no history of extremism. In fact, in many cases, they themselves are the victims of Islamic extremism. To stereotype the 1.6 billion humans who practice Islam, as all potential terrorists is ignorant, unjust and erodes our democracy. I say all this not considering the even higher calling of a Christ-follower.
For the Christian conservative who insists that America was built on biblical principles, what biblical principles do they mean exactly? Even if a Christian is convinced that all Muslims are their enemy, the Bible commands Christians to love their enemies. Jesus said in Matthew 5:43-46 “You have heard that it was said, ‘you shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy,’ but I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your father who is in heaven...For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even [the godless] do the same?” I would ask every Christian who sees Islamic people as their enemy, in what ways specifically are you seeking to love them as Christ commanded? Also, in what ways are you seeking to live out the other biblical principles of welcoming the orphan, the widow, the stranger and alien? The Bible commands us to do this over and over and over. Here are only a handful of examples below.
Leviticus 19:34 The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.
Deuteronomy 10: 19 You shall also love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.
Deuteronomy 27:19 'Cursed is he who distorts the justice due an alien, orphan, and widow.' And all the people shall say, 'Amen.
Matthew 25: 35 I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me.
Romans 12:13 Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers.
James 1:27 Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.
Are these the biblical principles America was built upon? Is this the Bible the conservative Christian believes in? If so, there is zero justification for the posture the religious right has taken towards Islamic refugees and immigrants of color from all over the world.
The crazy thing about it all to me
Jesus was a middle-eastern refugee
Mama Africa embraced him
but America so racist
baby Jesus woulda been a casualty, Oh well
The irony is, the very Christ that conservative Christians claim to worship was a religious minority and a middle eastern refugee. While Jesus was a young child, his parents fled to Egypt to preserve his life. “ Behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, ‘Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him’” (Matthew 2:13). What if Egyptian authorities took the advice of the American religious right and closed their borders to Mary, Joseph, and the Christ child? Thankfully they did not. In the last line of verse three, I call out America for its racism instead of religious discrimination. I believe these issue are overlapping. The prejudice against Islamic refugees is a religious discrimination indeed, but it has very clear overtones of racism as well. Even in conservative circles, racism (at least on a superficial level) is more frowned upon than fear of Islam. It just so happens that Islam is most prevalent in Arab nations. It’s more acceptable to say “ban muslims” than it is to say “ban Arabs”. But the heart of this prejudice is revealed when conservative Americans discriminate, verbally and physically attack anyone who in their minds, appear to be muslim; meaning, anyone who resembles a middle-eastern skin tone. This includes Arab American Christians, Atheists. Indian Sikhs, Indian Americans, any middle eastern or Indian immigrant etc. There is little effort to confirm someone’s religious affiliation with Islam before the hate is directed towards them, because in the end, there is little difference between being a middle-eastern Christian immigrant/refugee and a middle eastern Muslim immigrant/refugee. Neither one is welcomed or wanted in America by the far religious right, because they are both brown skinned strangers.
Woah Micah woah
Woah Micah woah
We we liked you better when you wasn’t so bold
Laugh Micah laugh
Laugh Micah laugh
We we liked you better when you wasn’t so mad
Chill Micah chill
Chill Micah chill
We we liked you better when you wasn’t so real
Rap Micah rap
But not about that
We we liked you better when you wasn’t so BLACK
This closing bridge is in response to some people who have followed my art for years, but have recently found my messages too aggressive, or too biased by my ethnicity. My ethnic identity has always been a significant part of my work, as one of my oldest and most popular poems, “Normal Hair” dismantles western culture’s assumptions of normal (aka white). The poem however addresses issue of race gently through humor. My current tone is not gentle or funny. I believe there is a time for firm rebukes. After observing the blatant ignorance and hate being supported by the Christian community in America, I believe it is not a time for laughter or gentle explanations. It is not a time for me to be chill. I will be unapologetically black as I speak the truth of God who unapologetically created me black.
Grace and Peace,
Micah
