The other day in my car, Kanye West taught me a little bit about Jesus. I’m not even kidding. Now, I am not one of those people for whom celebrity news holds much appeal. In fact, celebrity news holds about as much appeal for me as politics, which equals approximately less than zero. So when the song started playing through my car stereo, I had no idea who was singing it. Initially I liked it, because I like pretty much any music that makes me feel like I want to dance. As I started paying attention to the words, however, my mind changed very quickly. Let’s just allow the lyrics to speak for themselves. Please excuse the language:
“Stronger”
Na-na-na that that don’t kill me
Can only make me stronger
I need you to hurry up now
‘Cause I can’t wait much longer
I know I got to be right now
‘Cause I can’t get much wronger
Man I’ve been waitin’ all night now
That’s how long I’ve been on you
I need you right now
I need you right now
Let’s get lost tonight
You could be my black Kate Moss tonight
Play secretary, I’m the boss tonight
And you don’t give a f*#k what they all say right?
Awesome, the Christian and Christian Dior
Damn, they don’t make ’em like this anymore
I ask ’cause I’m not sure
Do anybody make real s@$t anymore?
Bow in the presence of greatness
’cause right now thou hast forsaken us
You should be honored by my lateness
That I would even show up to this fake s#&t
So go ahead go nuts go ape s*&t
Especially in my pastel on my bape s#*t
Act like you can’t tell who made this
New gospel homie, take six, and take this, haters
[Chorus]
I need you right now
I need you right now
Me likey
I don’t know if you got a man or not,
If you made plans or not
If God put me in your plans or not
I’m trippin’ this drink got me sayin’ a lot
But I know that God put you in front of me
So how the hell could you front on me?
There’s a thousand you’s, there’s only one of me
I’m trippin’, I’m caught up in the moment right?
Cause it’s Louis Vuitton Don night
So we gon’ do everything that Kan like
Heard they’d do anything for a Klondike
Well, I’d do anything for a blonde-dike
And she’ll do anything for the limelight
And we’ll do anything when the time’s right
Ugh, baby, you’re makin’ it (harder, better, faster, stronger)
Charming, isn’t it?
One does not have to dig too far to understand the ‘deep’ meaning of Kanye’s song. It is clear. Kanye is the king. And as the king, Kanye gets have anything he wants, whenever he wants it and has the ‘right’ to treat women (or whomever) any way he damn well pleases. Because he is the king.
Let me just be clear. Kanye- God has nothing to do with any of this. Kindly leave Him out of your lyrics.
There’s something about this that is deeply disturbing to me. It’s not that Kanye has this attitude, because let’s be honest.. We ALL have this attitude about some things, sometimes. And I bet most of us would act on it more often if given the opportunity. Kanye’s language is not disturbing to me either. They’re just words after all. What is disturbing to me is this; Kanye (I presume) is a pretty popular, well-known guy. His songs are (I presume) pretty popular and well-known as well. It disturbs me greatly that this is the message that our young men are getting about how they should behave as “men”. And equally, or perhaps even MORE disturbing, is the fact that women are submitting to this nonsense.
We live in a strange society. On one hand, we and the women coming before us have fought hard to have equal rights to vote, to own property, for equal pay and treatment in the workplace, etc. In a lot of ways, women are more “liberated” than we have ever been in the past.
On the other hand, songs like this are wildly popular. And not only are the songs and lyrics popular, but the performers of these songs are worshipped like gods. This song belittles, objectifies and devalues women, and yet, HOW MANY WOMEN WISH THEY WERE THIS GIRL? How many women would give their right arm to sleep with the man who wrote this song?
There is something DREADFULLY wrong with this.
My own heart both rages against this and understands it. A strange dichotomy. I truly understand that desire. To be beautiful. To be important. To be valued, and honored, and cherished. Those are good desires. And I understand how easy it is to long for someone to show me and tell me that they think these things about me. I get it. I’ve been there. I will probably be there again. I understand. But listen..
THIS IS SLAVERY
Beauty, importance, value and honor are already yours through Jesus. We no longer have to be a slave to the opinions, the words or the attitudes of others; men or women. We no longer have to fight for it. We no longer have to feel self-righteous when we ‘earn’ it. We no longer have to feel crushed when we do not. We are no longer slaves.
We have been set free.
Galations 5:1 says, “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.”
Christ has set us free. Stand firm. Do not submit to slavery.
Let us be FREE.
Thank you for the reminder, Kanye.