When I saw that popular secular rapper Rick Ross dropped a free mixtape last week with the first song’s title being “Holy Ghost” I knew a vocal member of our Christian hip hop community would probably respond. Houston’s Gifted da Flamethrowa didn’t let me down.
Late Monday, January 9 he released his own version of the song on YouTube – something he calls a “response record” and not a “diss.”
Gifted’s “Holy Ghost” uses the same backbeat but attempts to take the song’s original artists (which includes Sean “Diddy” Combs) to task for their public “disrespect of God.”
Ross’ version contains lyrics like:
They say I’m gettin’ money, must be illuminati
Talking to the Holy Ghost, in my Bugatti
He knockin’ on the do’, don’t let the devil in
He knockin’ on the do’, don’t let the devil in
And
You talkin’ to the Holy Ghost
I’m smokin’ ’til I overdose
When I **** she let the ***** soak
Even my lawyer be askin, “Is it dope?”
Never break the code, shock me with a million votes
I’m forever dope, touched by the Holy Ghost
“It’s obvious he [Ross] is going out of his way to disrespect God. We can’t say he is doing it for pub because he is already a top seller. So what he is doing is from his heart,” Gifted explained to me via a Facebook chat on Monday night. “When I heard that song it immediately sparked my brain to reach out.”
The tactic of using a rapper’s own song/lyrics against him is a time-honored tradition within hip hop. In fact, Monday was also the day that Chicago artist Common raised the stakes in his beef with Toronto’s Drake when his version of “Stay Schemin” from Ross’ same Rich Forever mixtape hit the Internet. However, Gifted denies such retaliation and battle rap actions inspired him to rework “Holy Ghost.”
“I’ve been aware of Common and Drake’s beef for a while. On top of that I don’t consider what I did a diss. I consider it more of a rebuttal. That’s why I was careful with the wording,” Gifted said.
He said he created the song to hopefully let Rick Ross hear a different point of view and create a dialogue.
“Everything in that song is what I would say if I were ministering to him face-to-face,” Gifted said.
In the YouTube clip, Gifted also includes footage from the unreleased documentary The Fence* which interviewed Rick Ross when he was in Houston for the 2008 Ozone Awards about his faith and responsibility as a rapper.
“I am a proud Christian and a follower of Jesus Christ. So if you say you are too but the character or action you display is against the belief, then you open yourself up to be questioned and corrected by other Christians,” Gifted said.
Gifted said the same thought goes for Diddy who has publicly professed to be a Christian. During our online chat, Gifted pointed to Matthew 12:31-32 from the Holy Bible which states:
31 And so I tell you, every kind of sin and slander can be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 32 Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.
I told him I knew that passage had varying interpretations among Christians and asked if Gifted believed that with this song Ross and Diddy committed the “unforgivable sin” and will therefore go to hell because of this track.
Gifted replied: “Well, blasphemy is defined as ‘A contemptuous or profane act, utterance, or writing concerning God or a sacred entity,’ so yes, the things said in the song are blasphemous.
“Will this song send them to hell? No, I wouldn’t make that broad generalization. I truly believe as long as there is breath in their bodies they can repent. God judges the heart of man.”
The episode recalls another Houston Christian rapper (Bizzle) who jumped to prominence a few years ago by recording and releasing “Explaining to Do: Jay-Z Expose” after the questions arose about the New York MC’s imagery and lyrics concerning Jesus Christ.
I know that Gifted has spoken and worked with Bizzle on several different occasions and asked if he believed these type of response records were an effective form of hip hop ministry.
“Our battle is not against flesh and blood. So it’s our job to keep dialogue open. I can’t minister to a person by disrespecting them,” Gifted said.
“So no, I don’t suggest for us to look at these cats like our enemies. I do suggest for everyone to do what God has called them to do. Don’t start jumping in this type of stuff if you are not led. If you are going to rebuke, do according to how the Bible says do it.”
Your thoughts?
* Full disclosure: I was a part of The Fence‘s editing and production team.
