“A change gone come….” And the rhythm of Sam Cooke’s rough, pagan hymn reverberates through my speakers. How amazing that through 40 long years, his music is still ageless; it has survived King’s march on Washington and Malcolm’s penitentiary journey to the arms of the Fruits of Islam. It has outlasted the bombardments of Korea and Vietnam and the turntable spins rival the miles traveled in clay circles by Flo-Jo and Jackie Joyner. But this humble man and his music are not travelers alone. They are joined by Marvin Gaye, Curtis Mayfield, Teddy Pendergrass, Aretha Franklin, James Brown, The Temptations and countless others as the movement of soul continues to cross musical bridges protected by imperial state troopers and their vicious German shepherds. I often wonder in 30 years can I dust off a Tupac CD or a Jay-Z album and ride through time with my grandchildren. Will the Franchize Boyz or T.I. still be appropriate for a cook out or family reunion to reminisce on the “good ole days.”? In my latter days do I really want to tell tales to the youth of sagging pants and soldier rags; how do I explain to some innocent girl 3 decades from now what a “tip drill” is or what Shawnna means by “getting some head” How awkward when we have lived our lives to the fullest and worked years to give our kids the greatest things in life and then to leave a legacy of music full of profanity, violence, materialism and women-bashing. How are old, wrinkle cheeks will burn red when some kid has wandered into our ancient CD collection and begins to sing along to “The Whisper Song…” The old school artists not only had soul, but they were true musicians. They wrote their own music and played the instruments that accompanied their verses. Today they are very few artists that can truly “sing” – the live shows in this time are death to the ears if the digital editing is not present. The content is hollow and their words do not touch a part of the soul that will live past the copy write of the singer. The music today is a reflection of the mood of society and young women are questioning the disappearance of chivalry and a common respect for women. The music today is not promoting “love and happiness” or “ 3 times a lady.” My daily diet of music is chock full of sex, infidelity and low respect for women. And for the men who are questioning the new “looseness” of women the songs yield the same diet for their counterparts. Woe unto us for allowing our Black soulful sounds to be transformed into a manifesto of certain destruction. In 30 years…what CD will I be able to play?
Of course it felt like Monday. The chaos that normally ensues when you hit the jobsite was obvious today. Things were not going well. Things were late…jobs were not being done properly, but I pressed on as the minutes turned into hours. The stress of the morning was oppressive. The stress of the afternoon was even more stifling. But count it all joy. Normally the end of the week is smooth sailing. But normal is a cruel friend that only seems to show up when you don’t need him. I had to take a moment to just breathe and relax. In that moment God gave me a reminder – this job, this life, your assets are His gifts. God has allowed me to be in this position during this season and He is controlling this job. He gave it to me and in His wisdom He can take it away. It’s easy to stress or become frustrated over things that you think you control. But when you realize that you are where you are not because of your intelligence or hardwork or strength or resolve, then the picture becomes...
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