"Stations of the Cross" The Mix Tape

Maybe it’s just me but I love preparing myself for worship with good wholesome Trap music. I will admit sometimes I do stray to other subgenres as well as international rap artists. This past Christmas I had the luxury of Gucci Mane’s East Atlanta Santa album to keep my Christmas spirit up. However it became obvious just last week that not enough music is both inspired by and released around Holy Week. True, Kendrick Lamar’s album did come out right on time but it did not give me the seasonal pep in my step that my spirit yearned for. With that being said, I took the time to reevaluate current Rap music and curate a Stations of the Cross mix tape for those who may also metaphorically or literally twerk, trap, and praise the Lord. Even though Holy Week is over, it is never too late to remember the sacrifice made to grant us eternal life.

First Station Jesus is Condemned to Death

“Pilate said to the Jews, “Here is your king!” The crowd yelled “away with him! Crucify him! Crucify him!” Pilate asked, “What? Crucify your king?” The chief priests shouted back, “We have no king but Caesar.” Then Pilate gave Jesus to them to be crucified.” (John 19: 14-16)

Lil' Kim- Lil' Drummer Boy

Lil Kim being the story teller that she is takes us to a court room. There she is on trial for murder that she claims to be self-defense. She describes to us the situation while calling upon God for strength. By the end of the song it becomes apparent that like Jesus, the entire trial was a set up. Kim was placed in a predicament made to create a guilty defense and essentially sabotage Junior Mafia. However it appears that Kim avoided a life sentence in her song while Jesus was sentenced to death.

Second Station Jesus Accepts His Cross

“Then the Roman soldiers took him, beat him, and spit on him. When they tired of their sport, they put his clothes on him again, and led him away to be crucified.” (Matthew 27: 30-31)

Lauryn Hill- Forgive Them Father

Lauryn uses the first of the seven words as a song title as she asks the God of her understanding to be merciful to those who have done her wrong.  Lauryn demands her humanity to be appreciated and acknowledged even though humanity thrives in cruelty.  She is calling out every sin we commit and lifts up these burdens as she has no power in changing others. Jesus does not speak here but it is clear that he too is facing the same inequities that Lauryn describes. He is undeserving of such treatment and is placed on display to be shamed as he heads to his death.

Third Station Jesus Falls the First Time

“So if you think you are standing, watch out that you do not fall. No testing has overtaken you that is not common to everyone. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it.” (1 Corinthians 10: 12-13)

Cardi B.- Never Give up

Cardi B. may seem like an abstract artist to include in a Religious Devotional but Cardi speaks directly to endurance and perseverance in her second mixtape. She addresses drug abuse, suicide, and finding other ways to cope. This is not the only time Jesus will fall as he carries this cross and getting back up will not get any easier, but God is faithful and will continue to guide us to where we need to be.

Fourth Station Jesus Meets His Mother, Mary

“Mary treasured all these things and pondered them in her heart.” (Luke 2:19)

2Pac- Dear Mama

2Pac pays tribute to his mother’s efforts in trying to raise a young black male in the United States. This song I particular has been inspirational to other artists and their ballads to mother figures. What is striking is the empathy Pac portrays that brings us to think of the sacrifices Mary made to protect young Jesus as a child. To think that Mary sacrificed two years of her life to protect her son as refugees in Egypt only to watch him die on the cross three decades later. 2Pac’s death in 1996 reminds us that no mother can protect their child from injustice no matter how hard they try.

Fifth Station Simon of Cyrene Helps Jesus Carry His Cross

“They compelled a passer-by who was coming in from the country to carry his cross. It was Simon of Cyrene.” (Mark 15:21)

Chance The Rapper- Summer Friends

Chance the Rapper brings us back to our youth as he describes summers of temporary friendships. The song is filled with innocence as well as the coming of age era we all experience. It is almost ironic because Simon is previously described as a friend of Jesus however is essentially forced to help his friend carry the cross. In reality, Jesus was almost entirely abandoned by his disciples as many tried to remain silent to avoid equal execution. Though the idea of Simon assisting is often romanticized, the decision seems to be unauthentic much like summer friends. 

Sixth Station A Woman Wipes the Face of Jesus

“Whatever you did for the least of these, you did for me.” (Matthew 25:40)

Queen Latifah- U.N.I.T.Y.

Queen Latifah says what continues to rest on the heart of black women today. Stop disrespecting us and work with us to strengthen our communities. It’s interesting how overlooked that message is in typical Misogynistic Christian culture. A woman from the crowd comes to wipe the face of Jesus and rather than walking in arrogance, he is grateful to the woman. The common theme between Jesus and women is treating them as equals which we seem to forget in 2017. U.N.I.T.Y.

Seventh Station Jesus Falls the Second Time

“Surely he has borne our infirmities, carried our sorrows, and our diseases, yet we accounted him stricken, struck by God, and afflicted.” (Isaiah 53:4)

DMX- Slippin'

DMX never fails to bring his authentic self to his music which is why his honest reflection of his childhood is so important. Slippin is the tale of a young boy becoming a man too quickly and not being able to process much of the trauma he experienced during his youth. Now at this point of rock bottom he is coming to the realization that he needs to be better not only for himself but his family. When Jesus falls for the second time he is obviously too weak and beaten up to carry on even with the help of Simon. The night before he was on trial and moments before the trek he was beaten while naked. DMX begins his story with the sins of his family and society that influenced his decisions later down the line. Jesus too has now been hit with the sins of the world and still gets back up to eventually free us all.

Eighth Station Jesus Meets the Women of Jerusalem

“A large number of people followed him, including women who mourned and wailed for him. Jesus turned to them and said “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep for yourselves and your children.” (Luke 23: 27-28)

Common- The Day Women Took Over

Common, Brother Hotep, Sense came out with Black America Again which resembled some of his classic flows. In The Day Women Took Over, he fantasizes about a utopian society ran by women where there is both peace and equity. He acknowledges the power, resilience, and restraint we have while celebrating powerful women such as Michelle Obama, Beyonce, Oprah, Rosa Parks, Fanny Lou Hamer, Harriet Tubman, Maya Angelou and Liz Dozier. In reality the song speaks truth to Jesus’ last words to the women telling them that his death is far less bad than what is in store for both them and their children. The societal norms of 1^st century Palestine are not too farfetched from the social inequalities all non-male genders experience today.  We demand justice for all genders so that peace may truly exist.

Ninth Station Jesus Falls the Third Time

“I fall prostrate in the dust; give me life according to your word. My soul weeps for sorrow, strengthen me with your words.” (Psalm 119:25)

Kanye West- Never Let Me Down

Early Kanye West is the music of protests and Never Let Me Down attests exactly to that. Kanye references his car accident, his activist mother, coming up in the music industry, faith in God and the many failures he had to get where he is today. The song spews endurance and drive much like the final bit that Jesus needed to get back up one last time.  God never lets us down.

Tenth Station Jesus is Stripped of His Clothes

“They stare and gloat over me; they divide my garments among them; they cast lots for my clothing.” (Matthew 27: 34-35)

T.I.- Hallelujah

T.I. does his own take on Hallelujah recalling his time in prison. In the first verse he brings us to this place of solitude. Although God is by his side it seems that everything in his physical life is being stripped away from him. He continues to describe his faith journey through allusions to biblical stories of the Old Testament. This portrayal of losing everything speaks volumes when compared to Jesus also recalling his time while under state custody, watching his clothes be gambled away as he awaits death. While T.I. manages to find liberation in his suffering, one could only imagine the anxiety building in Jesus.

Eleventh Station Jesus is Nailed to the Cross

“He went out to what is called The Place of the Skull, which in Hebrew is called Golgatha. There they crucified him.” (John 19: 17-18)

Nas- One Mic

Nas never disappoints us as he uses his mic to draw a larger audience of resistance. He speaks out against the institutions that continue to police and disenfranchise communities like our own as well as the violence already instilled. In his lyrics you can hear the readiness to die for the movement and the acknowledgement already that part of fighting back comes with a death wish essentially. Even though nails are what penetrated Jesus, Nas modernizes the nails to be bullets. Who is being nailed to the cross? Who is the sacrificial lamb here? The young men tired of oppression or the ones fighting for power? Maybe Golgatha is Hebrew for the hood as well. 

Twelfth Station Jesus Dies on the Cross

“It was about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. Then, Jesus cried out with a loud voice. “Father! Into your hands I commend my spirit!” Having said this, he breathed his last and died.” (Luke 23:44-46)

Remy Ma- shETHER

To be honest, this was a petty addition to the mix tape. Remy Ma committed first degree murder in this diss track. Listening to this was the equivalence to listening to eternal suffering. Nicki Minaj did not have any say in whether or not she wanted to meet God so early on in her life. SHETHER dropped around midafternoon and by that evening there was a loud voice on Instagram of Minaj trying to hold on to her dignity by snapping at her ally Trey Songz. While realistically it is clear Jesus suffered a much worse fate than Minaj but when this was released, I would have debated that. And that was the last breath of Jesus and Nicki Minaj.

Thirteenth Station The Body of Jesus is Taken Down From the Cross

“After these things Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, though a secret one because of his fear of the Jews, asked Pilate to let him take away the body of Jesus. Pilate gave him permission; so he came and removed his body.” (John 19:38)

Jay Z- I Just Died In Your Arms Tonight

Jay Z did something significant in this song where he admitted to cheapening his lyrics for financial gain. We can literally pinpoint the period when Jay Z stopped trying to be a lyricist to concentrate on his empire. Considering how Jay Z fans and New Yorkers treat him as the second coming, this song is fitting for Jesus being taken down from the cross. This is a song of transition and telling us that the Old Jay died like the Jesus of Nazareth. It was allowed and so they were removed.

Fourteenth Station Jesus is Laid in the Tomb

“So Joseph took the body of Jesus and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn in the rock. He then rolled a great stone to the door of the tomb and went away.” (Matthew 27: 59-60)

2Pac- Who Do you Believe In?

2Pac closes out our Stations of the Cross Mix Tape on a moderate note rather than in grievance. Tupac collaborates with Kadafi and asks the audience who do you believe in? The two both acknowledge God in English and Arabic while also reaffirming the need to believe in both yourself and a Higher Power.  For the followers of Jesus it is their faith that is so crucial in this period because when Christ rises from the dead, it will be entirely their own decision to believe or not in the resurrection. It is the faith in the resurrection that essentially makes us Christians. With that being said as one is ending the spiritual journey of the Stations of the Cross, one cannot help but wonder who do you believe in?

#ReclaimMissionary