Nipsey Hussle and What the Church is Missing.
As I listen to many young men and women speak about the death of Nipsey Hussle , I’ve become more intrigued. He is not a well known rapper. You won’t put him as the Greatest Rapper Alive (Jay-Z) or the best lyricist or even someone who had the best swag (sauce) in the game. If you didn’t know him let me tell you a little about Him.
He spoke differently than the average B’s and hoe rapper.
He had bling but he never did to much. Understated if you will. He didn’t follow the crowd but was sure of himself and his own worth (I’m going to come back to that). He had a few mixtapes but you’d rarely hear his music on top 40 radio. His best tracks were infused with the self-starting motivation of a corner hustler turned C.E.O., and “Victory Lap” marked a pivotal point in his career. After more than a decade of working mostly on the independent circuit and investing all the returns back into his music and community, Nipsey watched as this album caused the mainstream to take notice, culminating with a Grammy nomination for Best Rap Album. On the title track, Nipsey declares, “Spoke some things into the universe and they appeared / I say it’s worth it, I won’t say it’s fair / Find your purpose or you wastin’ air”; it was both a call to action and a well-earned exhale (I’ve heard this message in church).
He was someone who built his artistry. With that he became a pillar of his community — a student and a teacher rolled into one. He gleaned feelings of responsibility and manhood, he spoke this to other black men in the hood. His music reminded us of Tupac, which came out in his lyrics and in his actions. (On one track, “Dedication,” he proclaimed himself the “Tupac of my generation” a haunting statement now.) Many have said he did what Tupac didn’t get a chance to do. Nipsey rebuilt basketball courts for kids with hoop dreams and started Vector90, a STEM center and co-working space that he’d hoped would bridge the gap between Silicon Valley and the inner city, for those with other ideas. He chose a Crenshaw shopping plaza where he was harassed growing up as the site for his clothing store, Marathon. He wanted the kids of his neighborhood to feel welcome where he didn’t. He instilled hope and found beauty where so many had only found despair and hopelessness, and that is itself revolutionary. He loved Los Angeles; he loved hip-hop; he loved his people.
This dedication (pun intended) is were I feel the church (universal but specifically many Black Churches) have miss it. Your know the saying so heavenly bound but no earthly good. What I’ve been finding is that many of our churches our trying to be blinged out or care how many people know about them. If I see another citywide revival happen in my neighborhood and nobody meets the people of that neighborhood outside I don’t know what I’m going to do. You don’t need a lot of money to make a difference in your neighborhood. Now I’m not saying Nipsey was no Angel and that he had a many flaws in his life. But that’s part of the beauty, many of act like we don’t have them. I’ll be the first to say man I’m deeply flawed, broken and desperately need Jesus every day. Even Jesus still showed Thomas his scares. So with that being said let me help you with what this looks like.
Show up & Serve
What I’ve heard for year is that showing up is half of the battle. Showing up is vital to the beloved community that we seek. Showing up and serving is simply an authentic expression of Jesus’ love for others. It is a vital step in the process of in gaining a beautiful relationship with our community. Let me tell you honestly that this new post-modern culture truly longs for this connection. Serving open handedly communicates to others that you are here for them, not yourself. It also communicates that we aren’t here to manipulate them for our gain. We just plain and simple love them, whether they ever step foot in our church or not. In a cause minded post-modern culture serving is also an attractive aspect of community. Consistent serving also establishes an important element of DNA — the church is what we do for others not what is done for us.
Be ok with Flaws
What I loved about Nipsey is that he wasn’t ashamed of his past and he wasn’t allowing his past to define him. Everyone new he was apart of the Rollin’ 60’s Crip gang. That he also was a gangbanger. That he did crimes. But he also confessed that he wasn’t proud of it and was making changes. Not just stop the violence videos, but began to speak to the Crip brothers and sisters about how they can change their lives too. He spoke of his trip to Africa how he saw himself in that journey.
The truth is we are all flawed and works in process. We have put people in boxes and we know that life is much more complex than just doing the right thing. God is the only who can be more than enough. We often expect folks who are on there spiritual journey to have our experience. You know like when are they going to have their come to Jesus moment. Often time we don’t say it but our actions say “you’re not redeemable, you’re not forgive-able or you’re not a candidate for God’s grace” but look what you’ve done or look at where you are right now, you are not enough.
Church we must be okay knowing we still need God’s grace. Flawed and all I desperately need His Grace and Mercy daily. We don’t have to agree with everything Nipsey stood for but his insight should make us take a deeper look at ourselves. Let’s not dismiss what he’s meant to other people and perhaps even learn something from his openness. In church we talk about sin and we have often meant a act or deed that has been done. We are beautifully flawed.
Have a dream for your neighborhood/What are speaking over your neighborhood
What is our churches dream for our neighborhood, really. No for real what is it? Is it racial harmony, is it better food for families that live in food deserts, is it jobs, stopping black-on-black crime, is it stop the over policing and the endless ways in which black folks are incarcerated? Are we dreaming at all?
Now I do understand that many of our churches are in survival mode and it’s very hard to dream right now. But it’s also very hard when still hold on to a tradition that no longer works. Like, when’s the last time you called 411 for information? It’s a different system to get information. People still need it but how you access is different. Tradition without current justification is enemy.
It boils down to what are speaking over your community. No not all the negative that I know is there but I pray for our eyes to see what God sees. Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” This is what we should not only declare over our neighborhoods but we should show how it can be lived out in public. I believe God has put us in these neighborhoods to not just merely sit and watch these neighborhoods struggle but to join them in the fight to make Shalom (Peace). We look for where God is already at work and step into what God is already speaking.
Show me your Heroes
Show me your heroes is way of me asking who do you hold in high regard. What and Who are these people? Why? It is clear that Tupac Shakur was very important to Nipsey, for sure someone he looked up to. Many have said he started
doing things that Tupac only had the opportunity to talk about. And since his death he has been hailed as this generation’s Tupac. This article is not trying to debate this but what I am saying is that he look up to Pac, Pac was his hero. Church, who are heroes? Why? What have they done? No, for real. What have they done? They can possible argue biblical theology, but are they public theologians. Are they practitioners. Let’s say it real biblical, the difference between Orthodoxy (theory, doctrine) and Orthoprax (correct conduct). Some are great orators and can whip us into a frenzy and make us feel real good. But does it push you to do anything really about loving people more. Not just talking but involved in folks life. Have your heroes helped you to see the black bodies that are following in the streets daily. Are they helping you see the proverty and neglect that are happening in the community that our parishioners come from. Do they help you notice the homeless, those coming out of prison, the mother that struggling to keep her young teenage son alive. Intimacy has been shared with me as; INTO-ME-SEE. What I’m talking about is, do our heroes help us to see better God’s people. Does their life help you to unleash the capabilites of these underestimated people. This what I also call a sin. Sin means a lot of things: rebellion against God but also neglect of the things of God that disobedience the will of God, and installing oneself as his/her own deity. Are these folks building there own kingdoms/empires. While we have dozens of churches in our communities are trying to free people our are they trying enslave them a greed American version of scripture. Galatians 5:1 says “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”
If you weren’t here, would you be missed
Lastly, for many of our churches this might be a sad reality. I’m not saying that those who go to those churches aren’t doing great thing s that help those who go to it. Let me just say this right here. Without the Black church I’m not the man I am right now. Sunday school, Vacation Bible school, choir, junior deacon, Baptist training Union, youth usher board, Christmas plays, and Easter plays in engaged me ways that has made me a better public speaker. It has also help me in my leadership skills and my capacity to engage people. I’m so thankful for the Black church that instilled this in me.
In Crenshaw right now, Nipsey will be missed. He was at his store, the day he was killed, doing a community good. He was helping a young man who just left prison and was making sure he had some clothes. He was so busy or not to big of an artist to step in and say I see you by his actions. Some of our pastors would have passed him on to someone else, you know deacon so-and-so or sister/mother ….., can you work with them. You see this level of engagement pushes people to pay attention. People noticed Nipsey buying back the block, they saw him putting business into the community, they saw him Vector90 to help people have vision for themselves. You can hear in the voices at the funeral and throughout the community, even with folks from rival gangs. He empowered people in so many different ways. Nipsey you will be missed.
Church, will how we’ve engage our community, will we be missed? Have we been a welcoming community of believers? Our we to judgy on folks past or even their present? Can we see for them what they can’t see in themselves yet? Have just built our churches without building the community? Does the brother/sister coming out of prison know that they have a safe space and can possible get some clothes because they just got out of prison? Our working with youth in our neighborhood not just youth that go to our church? Have we had baby shower for mothers who decided to have their babies? Do we see them as the Imago Dei (Image of God)? Church, if we don’t do this we have become what a lot of old preachers have said, “That we are so heavenly minded, that we are of no earthly good”. We would be missed at all. We can’t just say that we don’t want this as our legacy, we must actively engage and truly be present in our community if we want a different result. We can do this but we must change how the way we see them but we must also change how we see ourselves.
Church I love you, we can do it. We can have a impact like Nipsey.
