SUPPRESS THE OPPRESSOR (BEHIND THE MUSIC)

I hope these words find you that are reading them in good health and Spirits.
My name is Scott Johnson. I am an Emcee from Texas and I am on this day, releasing my 17th album of original work since the year 2000.
I have had this title and imagery in my mind since the early 90s.

SUPPRESS THE OPPRESSOR….can’t remember if I made it up or I heard someone preach those words, either way, it’s been a part of me for a very long time.
This album and day are also special because it is the 25th anniversary of my “Death”.
I was stabbed and left for dead, due to gang violence, on May 3rd, 1992.
I never wanted that story to be the focus of who I am. I never wanted it to over shadow my abilities as a Lyricist.
But, truth be told, that event defined me and set me on a path, on a course, to something greater.
I have been fighting for the right on the Mic ever since.
Before moving on, I will leave you with the links to the stories.
My perspective. My views. My memories and thoughts concerning that lifestyle and the event that forever altered my life.
THE WAY OF THE G
And this one… from my Mother’s perspective. The perspective of a Mother seeing her only son dying in ICU. Her memories, her reflections and lessons learned from an event that has also forever altered her life.
THE BLOOD CRIED OUT
So if you are interested, or you know of some youth who could use some awakening to the horrors and reality of the streets, I encourage you to please share our stories. Thank you.

Back to the album….
SUPPRESS THE OPPRESSOR
I have had the blessings of working with various producers over the years that have greatly assisted in my evolution as an Emcee.
Chris and Pete Wiggins. Jayson and Vince Mendez. The Legendary Mike Ruiz. Lowenbad. Shotty Gunz.
Big Hub and Agzilla to name a few….
They all were crucial at different stages of my personal growth as a songwriter and Emcee.
I Have great love and respect for them.

Then we get to 2014 and I meet a Gentleman by the name of Donnell Cook…DBA OthaWordz.
We end up being “Kindred Spirits” and start working on an album relatively quickly.
He had some of the same influences on a production tip that I had…
Dre…Timbaland…RZA…etc..
His tracks were a combination of many different styles that formed one giant sound that blended perfectly together.
I also respected the fact that he worked with loops and samples, like myself, but unlike me, he created his own drum patterns. The fact he did that, gave his kicks and rhythm a unique vibe.
He also layered elements of Jazz, trap, Boom Bap, Gospel, metal and Electronica.
All sounds that I dig…
So naturally…We vibed on a production tip immediately and he showed great interest and respect for my lyrical prowess. The respect was mutual and over the course of time, the friendship formed and blossomed.

Having worked solo for so many years and learning how to do everything myself, I was used to making albums in 3-4 months. Fully dedicated…
The first month I would choose my music or rather have it choose me.
2nd month,  I would write and practice the material.
3rd month, I would record, mix and Master.

I had it down to a science. I figured if these musical dreams were to become reality, I would be in situations where I had to deliver quality in a timely fashion and under pressure. So I challenged myself with each album and became adept at producing quality material in short amounts of time. I also like the fact that everything was taking place in the moment. So my future self could look back and see where my head and skills were at during that period…

So when Wordz and I hooked up and discussed an album. I was planning on doing the same thing that I had been doing.
He blessed me with a group of initial tracks. I got the first several written and recorded pretty quick….
Then I started realizing that this style of music was taking me out of my norm. I was very comfortable writing over boom bap. That is “eyes closed’ type writing to a large degree due to the fact I had been writing like that for years and years already.
Now I am faced with different tempos and rhythm. Different styles.
I greatly appreciated the challenge. Each song required a different form of writing and took me to a different level.

So…what was supposed to be a few months, in my mind…turned into around 2 years.
The tracks became spaced out after the original set and the songs ended up being written during various moments in my life. Moments ranging from Anger and depression to feeling victorious. Every song written in the heat of whatever mentality I was involved in at the time.
Wordz had deemed the album a “Classic” from the beginning…and that pressure to live up to those words brought out the best in both of us.

His production went to new heights which brought out many different things in me.
I focused heavily on making the hooks as powerful as the verses and as “Universal” as possible.
Trying my best to stick to my philosophy of “Verses personal-Hooks Universal”.
My flow changed and evolved during this process. My vocals went to new levels.
And I spent great amounts of time and care in the mix….doing my best to give the listener an adventure in sound when they got them headphones on.

And now…here we are. The title track was one of the first ones written and took about 2 weeks if I am correct.
Wordz had me write to the changes in the music and that required time and patience. But it set the tone.
And due to the music and the fact that I felt and envisioned this hook…SUPPRESS THE OPPRESSOR came back into my life. I now had a title track and an outline.
I had the original concept art that my Dad had drawn around 95 and I also had, IMO, a very powerful and artistic “modern” cover to draw attention.
The entire package and vision I had all of them years ago had finally came into existence.

When I picked up the CD’s I had printed, I drove to my old hood and did some reminiscing.
I drove to the grocery store where I had been brutally stabbed 25 years earlier.
They now have a bulletin board in place. I took the CD and pinned it on there and took a pic.
My Spirit was compelled to leave it hanging there…I have no idea who got a hold of it.
But it was symbolic to me, to return and face the OPPRESSOR who almost permanently SUPPRESSED me 25 years earlier…
I have been back many times over the years…but this time was different. This time I felt bigger than it all. I felt I had overcome everything that had tortured me in varying ways over the past two decades.

May 3rd, 2017.
OthaWordz and I present to you what we feel is a groundbreaking album on a musical and lyrical level.
Being in the game as long as we have, we are able to separate ego and personal bias concerning our work. If it ain’t hot, we ain’t giving it to ya.
So when I tell you, this is unlike anything you have experienced, in a positive musical way, I speak the truth.
We have successfully bridged conscious and commercial to bring you to a new level.

SUPPRESS THE OPPRESSOR is much deeper than a title. It is a movement.
“Suppress The Oppressor whose holding you down-lesser aggressors do not get a crown”
We as human beings have many different beliefs. There are many however who believe in the devil.
They believe there is a dark force that troubles the human being in every way that it can.

 

Ephesians 6:12King James Version (KJV)
¹² For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

 

I am a believer in the good and evil of the world. I see it transpire in multiple ways, same as you do.
I also agree with the scripture and can plainly see how the evil attacks the human in the mind. via thoughts.
Your confidence gets attacked. Depression. Suicidal imagery. Addiction…etc…
We have to master the art of suppressing the oppressor. Who or whatever that suppressor may personally be to you.
And if you are paying attention, you cannot deny these attacks take place in the thoughts.
Hence the cover with the gun to the devils head.
When we self examine our thoughts and where they originate, we better prepare ourselves to become stronger mentally which transcends into our physical reality.

There is too much to delve into, we will go deeper when the time is right.
I just wanted to give those interested the back story of the album and the thought process behind it.
Music is one of the most powerful tools we have on earth. And I do believe we have given you something that will be of great use to you for years to come.

Thank you very much to everyone who has shown love over the years and continues to do so.
This is a grass roots movement so we greatly appreciate those of you who share the content that you believe is worthy to be shared. God bless you all.

Holman Christian Standard Bible.
“Be serious! Be alert! Your adversary the Devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour.” 1 Peter 5:8

To purchase SUPPRESS THE OPPRESSOR please visit  the following link below.
Thanks again.
Scott Johnson
5/2/2017
10:08 PM

TO PURCHASE: SUPPRESS THE OPPRESSOR

CONTACT INFO FOR SCOTT JOHNSON
Scott Johnson (The Emcee)
E-MAIL: scottjohnson11@att.net
WEB: scottjohnsononline.com
IG: FuriousJohnson11

CONTACT INFO FOR OTHAWORDZ
OthaWordz (The Producer)
E-MAIL: othawordz2009@gmail.com
IG: Othawordz Pro

RAPPERS VS EMCEES

Well, Orite Chall…
Thanks for stopping by my lil section of the World.
I am gonna throw in my 2 Cents on the Emcee/Rapper discussion.
So if you are either or just a fan of Hip-Hop, read on. Feel free to leave your comments and thoughts.

Let me start with my interpretation of an Emcee.
The Emcee IMO is a well rounded writer of lyrics. The Emcee can take you through a wide range of emotions. They can use that pen to paint vivid pictures. They can take you through the projects in New York, through a Hood in Houston, through the eyes of a kid on the street or from the perspective of the wealthy yet humble. They can take you through various stages of spirituality. Make you think on life. Question your Leaders. Question yourself.
They can open your eyes to a whole nother World.
Police corruption, gang violence, street life, racial issues, Government shadiness and pride in oneself.
I first learned this musically from Emcees. In particular, KRS and Chuck D.
They were the two that had the greatest impact on me initially. Others like Scarface and Cube would come in a few minutes later.
L.L. was also a big influence and a great example of an Emcee.
I’m not talking about the L.L. y’all currently know. The dude you see hosting shows and acting.
The L.L. I came up on could rip you in half in a battle, speak on social issues, spit braggadocio, appeal to the ladies and usually had at least one track that glorified God. Well rounded. Emcee.

The Emcee is never limited. The Emcee is not bound by the rules of society. The Emcee is a Teacher, Preacher, Healer, Story teller, Social commentator, etc…
The Emcee inspires you to up your “Bars”. Iron sharpening Iron so to speak.
The Emcee makes you want to…EMCEE.
The Emcee used to be on your radio dial. I grew up on them.
But due to “Fuckery” within the political and broadcasting structures, the Emcee was phased out of mainstream radio intentionally and the balance was thrown off. Whereas before you had diversity in radio it was turned into a buffet of non nutritional lyrics.
And the Rapper started controlling the court.

The RAPPER
The Rapper IMO…is someone who is in a box lyrically. More than likely they have placed themselves in this box because they had to sound like someone else to get the attention of the coward ass record label in order to make bread off of their talent. I wouldn’t say sell out…I would say they are under achievers in the art of lyric writing due to fear of being shut out by higher powers. Which goes back to those holding power. The Rapper knows they gotta stay in their place. Not get too political, not speak their minds on shit they see going on, not tell how they personally feel about life or what they are going through as Human beings. They keep it in the box of simplicity. Getting high/drunk…sex…materialism, club life and throwing in your face how much money they got and you don’t.

It always amazed me on one level that people tune in to the radio on the car they are leasing, on the way home from working their ass off and listen to other people talk shit about the poor.
It’s one thing to say how you used to be poor and provide a formula of hope or Wisdom to assist the listener in achieving those goals so they can also reach a better level of life…but these cats don’t do that. They just throw in your face how the watch costs more than what you make in a year and how you are a hater because they got dough and you have none or how you have a “Basic bitch” and they do models 2 at a time and all that other B.S. they talk.
In every walk of life, there is the conceited person we all hate. Not because of what they have….but in the way they throw in your face what they have. We would call them douche bags…arrogant assholes…etc.
But not with “Rappers”…they get a pass. This is not even on a braggadocio level. Braggadocio to me is a form of tall tale that requires thought and creativity…what the rappers do now is just condemn the poor with no solutions.
Is it there job to provide solutions? IMO Yeah…not every track, but have some meat with the veggies at least. Tell me how you got there, what to avoid, what to stick to…Don’t just tell me you are rich and I’m wack cause I aint.

The Rapper has no substance. They stick to a formula that makes money but in the process lose their identity and essence of who they are.
I know damn well you think and feel more than you talk about. But if you are yourself, it will affect your paper. SO you stay in that box.

The Emcee on the other hand don’t give a fuck. They are going to speak their mind and do it knowing that they more than likely will not see commercial success because of their views. They do it because there is something in their spirit that will not allow them to “Dumb Down”.
As much as I respect Shawn Carter for his lyrical prowess, he spit a line that really fucked with me..

“I dumbed down for my audience and doubled my dollars” Jay Z

I don’t think people really look at what he is saying. In case you do not get it, he is saying that his audience is not at his level mentally. You are too dumb to understand what he is spitting about, so he “Dumbed ” himself down intentionally so he could be on YOUR level and make twice as much cash from YOU..the dumb ass.
You don’t find that disrespectful? Same as when B.E.T pulled certain videos because they were “Over the heads” of the viewers. People are calling y’all stupid…that offends me and should you to.

So IMO, the main difference between the Rapper and the Emcee is subject matter and diversity when it comes to the art of writing song lyrics for Hip Hop music. That is it on a writing level.

Now…lets point out a another area.
Why are the rappers in control? Aside from the poitics.
Why are the rappers making all the dough when they are clearly inferior at lyric writing?
Because they are smart enough to incorporate the ingredients needed into their material to make it marketable.
#1. THE BEAT.
I grew up in the era where the emcee was the dominant selling feature on the track. Don’t mistake me. I am not saying that the beats from my generation were not dope. They were and still are to a large degree. These were the producers that are now considered legends in the game. But those are the beats that were the foundation for us. NOT THE YOUTH.
And the emcee was the main attraction. You didn’t listen to KANE cause he had dope beats. You listened cause he spit his ass off and was dope as hell.

But somewhere along the lines, the beats Evolved and the lyricist Devolved in the mainstream.
SO now, when you turn the radio on, you are more than likely gonna hear a beat that taps into something within the human spirit that moves you. There are so many dope beats out there. But then the vocalist comes on and spits some straight bullshit over this hot track. Producer don’t give a damn, they got paid and royalties. Rapper don’t care either…same applies to them. And the public at large eats it up…because #1 above all else, they have already been baited or brought into the situation cause the MUSIC pulled them in.

#2. THE HOOK
Once again, when I came up, at least early on, the DJ provided the hook. And that was usually a combination of scratches from other records combined to form that hook. Some vocal samples and scratches and you had your hook. SO I grew up with this mentality.
I’ll never forget being at a studio in Ft.Worth early on in my career. We had a dude coming over from another city…a producer. I was young and hyped up to show this Man my latest work and get some feedback. The beat was nice. The lyrics were on point. So I played him the goods…he looked at me and said “Where’s the hook?”…caught me off guard. He stressed the fact that everything else was good, but it wouldn’t do anything cause there was no hook. I was angry and embarrassed but I listened. He was dead right. So I began to shift my focus on writing hooks and after many years, I am just now feeling like I am writing hooks catchy enough to stay in your brain.

Which comes back to the Rapper. They got the beat already that has pulled you in. Then they keep you there with the hook. I don’t give a damn how stupid or simplistic the hook is. They got you. They are in your head. They tap into the primal human side of rhythm and chant…and THAT IMO is how they make money while the emcee pours there heart out over wax and stays broke.

You also never hear a rapper talk shit about an emcee…
You never hear a dude say “Fuck these Conscious suckas-smart mutha fuckas”
You don’t and won’t hear that.

BUT…an Emcee will down and talk shit about a rapper all fuckin day long. And YES..I am also guilty of it to. It’s kinda like, you are an expert baker (Emcee) and you slave in the kitchen making this awesome cake. You got the ingredients right, it’s decorated, it’s flat out delicious and superior. You sweated and worked your ass off to give the people the best cake that you can make. And then some cat roles up with an oatmeal cream pie in a fancy wrapper (Rapper) and puts you out of business.

It’s fucking frustrating as a writer to see someone who obviously didn’t put the same amount of pride and work into their craft prosper over you. It pisses you off. I was once covered in salt. But as I grew older and started peeping out the formula and realizing this is a whole nother generation raised on different sounds and emcees, I had to chill. It still bothers me but damning and talking down to them isn’t going to change a damn thing. It just makes the divide wider.
They get richer…we get “Mo Bitter”. We got songs and albums dedicated to “Keeping it Hip Hop”.

SO what are the Emcees to do?
This is my opinion…you don’t like it or agree…no probs. But here is what I FEEL needs to be done.

IF you want to remain true to yourself AND be financially secure with your talent. You gotta evolve.
This also depends on what you want outta your career. If you wanna stay Boom Bappin it and spittin the real, by all means, do your thing. If you are comfortable doing what you do, keep doing it.
But the sad reality is, Boom Bap does not sell. I wish it did…Hopefully one day it will come back to the forefront. It’s my foundation and I love that style of grimy production. But the truth is…People aren’t buying the shit. So keep banging like your bangin but do not expect radio play or great finances from it. Unless there is a huge cultural shift back to the essence, the underground will always be just that.
I personally can’t stand for that. It isn’t right. The best at their respective crafts should be exalted and made to be the measuring sticks. But we can’t change that from the outside.

If you are in the game to be an inspiration to the youth, to teach the art of emceeing to the next generation, then you gotta hit their ear with the styles of production that they have come up on and love. You gotta change your sound.
THIS DOES NOT MEAN THAT YOU CANNOT SPIT LYRICS OR YOU ARE DUMBING DOWN!
It means that your message that you hold dear to you and feel needs to be heard has a greater chance of being heard if it’s done over production that the target audience wants to hear.

I also began to understand the formula that Beats and Hooks sell and people seemingly don’t give a damn what is said in between hooks…
So I came up with a theory…VERSES PERSONAL-HOOKS UNIVERSAL.
Say what you gotta say and mean every word in them verses but when it comes to the hooks, write them in a way that every human can identify…if not every, as many as possible to have universal appeal.
Case in Point…
Here is my song ‘Casket Drops’..Produced by OthaWordz.
No way in hell you will listen to this and tell anyone that I am not an Emcee. I spit my ass off and if you listen to what I am spitting you will see the “Edutainment” is precisely displayed.
I remain true to myself and beliefs as an Emcee.
But notice the beauty outside of that. THE BEAT is sick…contemporary and banging.
And the Hook applies my theory…
“I cannot be stopped-till my casket drops- and I am reborn again”
That’s universal motivation. Personal, sporting world, etc…
Dig on in!

So BE that EMCEE…Keep spitting your bars. But you gotta update the sound and incorporate catchy hooks into your music if you wanna make an impact in this era.
I’ve come across many talented emcees who have nice beats and bars but no damn hooks. Nobody is trying to hear 4 minutes of super technical emceeing. You gotta have something that sticks with them after the record or performance. Replay value. I’ve learned this the hard way as well.

I refuse to dumb down…
“Dumb down for my audience? I’d rather uplift- till my wisdom is gone-or my arms are stiff”
Mr.Johnson
I will always be an EMCEE…but I know I am not gonna get my views and words and messages heard over certain types of production with no hooks. SO I am evolving and I am loving it. My ear has always been eclectic to, so working with the new sound is not a problem for me.

“Nothing wrong with the aim-just gotta change the target” Jay

The Emcee is alive and still has important lyrics to spit to the World.
And if we are to regain any type of power in the mainstream we gotta come back on some ninja shit. Adjust your game for the current game. Then when the power is regained, we have more opportunities to push our foundation in and restore balance.
Be YOU…Be an EMCEE…But be humble and willing to evolve musically for your own benefit and the benefit of Hip-Hop as a culture.

And finally for you RAPPERS…
Keep doing what you are doing with Beats and Hooks. Obviously it works.

BUT…Got Damn man! Have some pride in your craft. Say something. Stop this elementary school ass rhyming. YOU KNOW in your heart that you are better than this. I’m not talking to everybody out there. There are some real talented commercial cats out there holding it down. I would put Cole and Lamar in that category as far as “New School”. But there are many of y’all who just ramble and talk fuckin nonsense on the mic. Yeah it sells…yeah you got dough. BUT…when all that shit is said and done, how do you wanna be remembered for your craft?
Do you not have any desire to push your own boundaries? Challenge yourself to be the best you can be with your pen or for you newer ones…your phone.

Take pride in your words. They hold much more power than you think. Your influence is far greater than you realize. Do something with that power.

When I was coming up in Hip-Hop it was a SIN to bite another Emcees style. They would call you out for that shit. So this forced people to come original. And when you got a plethora of originality and diversity in music, Everybody wins.
How many cats you know of today who sound like Drake? How many have the same flows? Same subject matter, same videos, same style of dress? C’mon man..

Metaphors, word play, similes, storytelling, politics, social issues….There is a whole World of subjects and styles that can be brought into the fold.
Up your vocabulary. You wanna say this word? Look up the synonym or antonym to say the same thing but not the same thing as everyone else.
Man…I was around when Snoop said..”Animosity-Made you speak what you spoke”
I never heard anybody say that word in music or on the streets before Snoop did. Now that shit is commonplace all these years later…What if he would have said “Jealousy” or “Anger”? wouldn’t have had the same affect.
Get you a rhyming dictionary online or at the book store.
THIS IS NOT CHEATING! I use one myself from time to time.
This is how you learn new words and make your song more interesting as well.
It’s a tool for the craft. Same way a mechanic looks for new wrenches or ways to make their job easier and more effective, Writers got tools to.

And the challenge is still there to make sense of the words.
You can look at rhyming dictionary and see…
Waste-taste-haste-case-race-mace-place-Bass
But you still gotta work em in…

Rhymes won’t go to WASTE- Pen has expensive TASTE- Some of y’all spit with HASTE- Verdicts in-lost your CASE- Judge pulled a can of MASE- Everyone fled the PLACE- I didn’t give a fuck-Got in my truck and bumped the BASS.
For a quick example- The words are the puzzle pieces…put it together.

DO NOT be afraid to be YOU. This is YOUR legacy. This is your NAME. Have pride in it.

Study the greats…the legends and learn. Be inspired by other styles. Listen to music outside of your Genre to incorporate that sound into your own to make something original.

In closing….
I think the Emcee can learn some things from the Rapper and likewise.
Balance all this out.
We can debate all day…
Point is this…If you are an Emcee and you want commercial success. DO NOT SELL OUT…Evolve.
If You are a Rapper and want to be held with respect in the halls of Hip Hop History…Step your bars up and say something. You are already moving units. Now do it with some lyrical pride.
If you are happy where you are at and are saying “Fuck this dude and his opinions”…Then best of luck and keep on keeping on.

Best of luck to all of you.
God Bless
Mr.Johnson
1/10/2016
4:36 PM

http://scottjohnsononline.com

Where does TALENT come from?

Where does talent come from within the Human?

Lets start with Evolution…
http://humanorigins.si.edu/education/intro-human-evolution

“Human evolution is the lengthy process of change by which people originated from apelike ancestors. Scientific evidence shows that the physical and behavioral traits shared by all people originated from apelike ancestors and evolved over a period of approximately six million years.”

“Early human fossils and archeological remains offer the most important clues about this ancient past. These remains include bones, tools and any other evidence (such as footprints, evidence of hearths, or butchery marks on animal bones) left by earlier people. Usually, the remains were buried and preserved naturally. They are then found either on the surface (exposed by rain, rivers, and wind erosion) or by digging in the ground. By studying fossilized bones, scientists learn about the physical appearance of earlier humans and how it changed. Bone size, shape, and markings left by muscles tell us how those predecessors moved around, held tools, and how the size of their brains changed over a long time. Archeological evidence refers to the things earlier people made and the places where scientists find them. By studying this type of evidence, archeologists can understand how early humans made and used tools and lived in their environments.”

The process of evolution
“The process of evolution involves a series of natural changes that cause species (populations of different organisms) to arise, adapt to the environment, and become extinct. All species or organisms have originated through the process of biological evolution. In animals that reproduce sexually, including humans, the term species refers to a group whose adult members regularly interbreed, resulting in fertile offspring — that is, offspring themselves capable of reproducing. Scientists classify each species with a unique, two-part scientific name. In this system, modern humans are classified as Homo sapiens.
Evolution occurs when there is change in the genetic material — the chemical molecule, DNA — which is inherited from the parents, and especially in the proportions of different genes in a population. Genes represent the segments of DNA that provide the chemical code for producing proteins. Information contained in the DNA can change by a process known as mutation. The way particular genes are expressed – that is, how they influence the body or behavior of an organism — can also change. Genes affect how the body and behavior of an organism develop during its life, and this is why genetically inherited characteristics can influence the likelihood of an organism’s survival and reproduction.
Evolution does not change any single individual. Instead, it changes the inherited means of growth and development that typify a population (a group of individuals of the same species living in a particular habitat). Parents pass adaptive genetic changes to their offspring, and ultimately these changes become common throughout a population. As a result, the offspring inherit those genetic characteristics that enhance their chances of survival and ability to give birth, which may work well until the environment changes. Over time, genetic change can alter a species’ overall way of life, such as what it eats, how it grows, and where it can live. Human evolution took place as new genetic variations in early ancestor populations favored new abilities to adapt to environmental change and so altered the human way of life.”

On a personal level and as a believer in God…
I cannot deny evolution. Who am I to tell these people that the studies they have done and conclusions that have arisen from these studies are complete nonsense? And how can you deny physical evidence that has shown up throughout history? The puzzle pieces of humanity. The bones, artifacts, etc…Things we can look at and study and compare to the earlier evidence they have came up with to form a timeline.

So did we actually evolve from Apes over the course of time? Again, who am I say to say no?
I do question why if this was completely accurate, why did the process stop?
Wouldn’t there still be apes turning into Human and humans turning into whatever is next?
Did it just stop? Did a certain number of humans evolve from the primate ancestors and then it all just quit happening?
So I have issues surrounding that theory…but won’t completely rule it out because of the evidence that they do possess. It is crucial to keep your mind open to the mysteries of the world.
I DO believe that humans evolved and adapted to the surroundings over the course of time.
But this involves behavioral traits, survival of the environment, physical changes to adapt and appearance of people.

Lets hit this again…
“Evolution does not change any single individual. Instead, it changes the inherited means of growth and development that typify a population (a group of individuals of the same species living in a particular habitat). Parents pass adaptive genetic changes to their offspring, and ultimately these changes become common throughout a population. As a result, the offspring inherit those genetic characteristics that enhance their chances of survival and ability to give birth, which may work well until the environment changes.”

So if all of us just evolved to look this way, think this way and be able to survive in our environments as a whole with no creative input from a “Higher source” and Scientists say that Evolution does not change individuals…I must ask again…
Where does individual talent come from?

Now let me exercise my power of theory…
I believe that the “Great Spirit” does exist, no matter what you choose to name it.
I believe every human being on this planet has an individual talent that is unique to them. Something that has been placed in them before they even took their first breath of free world air.
I believe we all possess something that is unique to us as individuals and is there to aid humanity in a positive way.

I believe certain individuals have a certain talent that is placed within them because that talent will be used in the most effective way because of the individual. Because they have been chosen to use that talent in a specific way. The use of their talent awakens the motivation within others to expand on their similar talent or beliefs and “Evolve” through it. Evolution through inspiration.

There are some great speakers out there…But do they have what it takes inside to stand in front of the masses and deliver powerful speeches? Do they have the make up to take the pressure of being ridiculed, judged and challenged for the words spoken? Do they have the balls to lead and deal with all that comes with the territory?

If they did…we wouldn’t keep talking about the same people all these years later.
The game changers…Martin Luther King..JFK…RFK…Malcolm X….etc.
We would have a world full of these people that had world changing words and the character to deliver and withstand.
But we don’t…

What did Lebron’s mom eat and do differently than the other Mothers in her area that made her Son arguably the best baller in the world?
What did the parents of Lennon/McCartney do differently that made their sons two of the greatest songwriters to have ever picked up a pen?
What did Daddy Hendrix have inside that made Jimmy one of the greatest to ever pick up an axe?
The list is endless across the fields…

They didn’t do anything differently…Nothing special that our parent’s didn’t do…
Remember that evolution does not affect an individual. You can say it’s DNA or in the genes and a lot of times, you can see this as fact. But more often than not…you can’t and won’t.

Now let’s put this theory into play…let’s assume that these examples are true.
Isaiah 44:24
“This is what the LORD says– your Redeemer, who formed you in the womb: I am the LORD, the Maker of all things, who stretches out the heavens, who spreads out the earth by myself,

Psalm 139:13
For it was You who created my inward parts; You knit me together in my mother’s womb.

Jeremiah 1:5
I chose you before I formed you in the womb; I set you apart before you were born. I appointed you a prophet to the nations.

For a few examples..
Jeremiah in particular interests me…
God says he CHOSE him BEFORE he FORMED him and set him APART and appointed him a prophet.

To keep the convo in context, we are not Jeremiah…and that convo wasn’t directed at us.
But my point stands…If this is true, if these words contain any truth as to who we are and why we are called to do certain things on this earth, then this shows that our talents are not random but each of us as individuals have been given a job to do on this earth. Pre destined so to speak. Some talent is more “Glamorous” to the eyes of others but that doesn’t mean our jobs are of any less value in the grand scheme of things.
So if “GOD” chose Jeremiah to do a certain job…why not YOU?

I believe we are ALL chosen for something. There are many things we can learn and do through practice that makes us great at a particular skill. But some are just born or “Called” to do certain things…of course they practice to perfect the skill like the rest of us, but they are born with a natural advantage in particular skills that the rest of us do not have. In other words…they excel with no practice and the training only makes them that much deadlier. “Natural talent”.

It seems to me that large portions of the World seem to equate “Talent” with “Entertainment”.
They view an actor, musician or artist with a certain amount of lust for that talent. I am a songwriter. I have people that look up to me because I can rhyme words. But I look up to them for their talents. Some can fix cars like nothing, cook excellent, build with their hands, have technical minds that can figure things out, Sales, etc…They might not be able to write a song like me but I can’t easily do what they do either. Everyone plays a part. I may be on a stage but don’t think for a second I don’t respect the ones who built it. Or the ones responsible for the mics, speakers, sounds,etc..We all have a role.
Because your talent isn’t on a stage or a screen does not in any way, shape or form mean that it is less in overall value. You must see the big picture concerning yourself. You are a piece to this worldwide puzzle.

You know how many people I positively had an impact on through using my talents? Many!
But did you know for a long period of time I had a great impact doing this while I was a Janitor?
You can still use your talents even if you are not within the realm that your talents are until you get to the place that you are destined to be in.

I am no better than you and likewise. I treated the Doctors with the same respect I did the Cafeteria workers while I was a “Environmental Technician”.
And as an Iron Workers helper, tree trimmer, trailer loader,etc…
These jobs were not my talent but were my jobs. I just found ways to incorporate my talent during these jobs. And I maintain the belief that when the time is right, my talent will be my job.
We all play a role. One can’t work without the other in the grand scheme of Life.
We all need each other as human beings and we need each other’s various talents to progress.

So what to do if you have no idea what your talent is?
I have heard this repeatedly throughout my life…”I just don’t know what I am good at!”
As cliché as this sounds…you gotta follow your heart. There is something inside of you that you want to do, that you know you are good at even if you dismiss it as not being a true “Talent” it is what YOU are good at. Everybody is good at something. There is nobody walking this earth who is completely void of talent.

I pray…I pray continuously. I seek wisdom on what to do and where to go next. I pray to be able to use my talents as they were given to me to use. I feel I know what I am here for…if you do not, I would personally tell you to ask God. “Orite God, what am I here for? What do you got me doing? Cause I know I am meant to do more than this!” Be specific with your request and look for the answers. Take a solid look in the mirror…what are you good at and how can you be better at it? What steps must you take to become who you envision? What isn’t “Work” to you? What could you see yourself doing the rest of your days or at least a good chunk of life? You must ask yourself questions, soul search and seek wisdom on who you are. In my opinion.
I believe if you sincerely look within combined with prayer concerning your life, you will get the answer you are seeking and get on the right path.

And if you are completely against God and prayer…don’t believe in it and don’t want any part of it…that still doesn’t excuse you from soul searching and discovering who you are and why you are here. The answer will still come to your heart, mind and spirit…You will feel it inside before you see the effects of it outside. So you can pat yourself on the back when you find out or you can “Praise God” for showing you the way. whatever works for you…

I am not here to try and convert you. I am a believer and I speak on what I know. But I would never wish to alienate the people who don’t share the same views as I.
My goal is to help you realize that you are someone of importance and you do have something to offer this world. We may disagree on where that talent comes from, but there is no denying that you have a talent and that it does come from somewhere.

So what about the people who have clear cut talent and never make it? This is also where I say that we all have a role to play. It is also up to the people who have the talent of recognizing the talent in others to have the courage to mold the talent and give it a shot. Nobody does anything alone. You will only get to other levels by other human beings playing their part in your advancement and vice versa. Even if you feel you don’t have a single person who believes in you, you still gotta have at least one who is willing to give you an assist…nobody in this World is self made. You gotta look back and know who was instrumental in where you are at in life.
Whether your current situation is positive or negative. The advice or actions of another had an impact on you that led you to this point.

There are too many people who have tremendous talent and instead of grooming it, they get blinded or in a circumstance they feel they can’t escape and end up going to Prison.
The amount of talent in a Prison at any given time is ridiculous. Art, singers, poets, writers, etc…
This bullshit has got to stop! We need to cultivate talent and put it where it belongs as opposed to leaving no hope that leads to choices that leads to incarceration that leads to wasted talent.

SO in closing…
Whether you believe in God or Evolution or both or neither…
You still have something inside of you that you were born to do. Seek it if you don’t know it.
If you do know it…seek the ways to use it in a positive way.
Never be envious of someone’s talent. What is meant for them is not meant for you and you for them. Your walk is YOUR walk. Seek Wisdom on where it is you are going. If you do not seek it and ask questions, you will remain in that mud spinning your wheels.
Evolution exists and it is up to you to evolve yourself. You have the tools inside of you.

Respect to you and whatever it is you were blessed to do.
BELIEVE! At least in yourself.

Peace and Blessings..
Scott Johnson
11/30/2015
6:28 PM

P.S.
If you disagree with me or have information that does away with mine…
Let me know. I am down with evolving. I seek truth. If you are saying something real or you know something I don’t, please let me know. Peace!

LESSONS IN LYRICISM :STORY TELLING:

LESSONS IN LYRICISM: :Story Telling: By Scott Johnson

I have been writing longer than some of you Emcees have been alive. And so, I would like to share some of my thoughts with you in the hopes of inspiring you to become the best Emcee that you can be. Take it or leave it.

My mother is a Poet and instilled that love of words in me as the foundation. As I grew and began writing for myself, I started with poems and that turned into lyrics once my “Lyrical idols” started molding and inspiring me to do what they did.

Coming from a poetry background, I had used my imagination to write stories about others in poems. My imagination is very vivid. A blessing and a curse at times.
So when I first started listening to Hip-Hop, I saw how they also told stories. Mixing reality with fable. The majority of the Emcees that impacted me growing up, were great story tellers. Not a “Storyteller” in the sense of “Hey man…dude can spit them street tales”…But in the sense of making up a story from ones imagination. Whether for entertainment or in the form of a lesson.

“Illegal Business” by B.D.P (1st verse)
“Love’s gonna get cha” by B.D.P

“Scarface”, “Mr.Scarface is back”, “Minute to pray and a second to die”, “I’m Dead”, “I never seen a man cry”…All by Scarface

“A.O.A (Alive on Arrival)”, “Once upon a time in the projects”, “My summer Vacation” By Cube

“Black steele in the hour of Chaos”… ” I ” By P.E.

“Shakey Dog” By Ghostface

“Testify” by Common

“Taco Day” by Jean Grae

and of Course…”Ladi Da Di” and “Children’s Story” by Slick Rick…
To give a few examples of songs that inspired me…
The list could go on and on…and I am not even touching country and rock who have excellent story tellers as well.

All of these Hip-Hop tracks took the listener somewhere…
and as I stated before, either entertained you or taught you a lesson or both.
These Emcees used the imagination to tell a story.
IMO, Story Telling is a huge missing part of lyricism today.
The majority of lyrics are braggadocio based this day in time.
Which is cool to a degree. The Emcee started off like this…
But being able to make up and tell a story only adds to your arsenal of lyrical weapons and makes you a well rounded writer.

Honestly, I can’t remember the last time I heard a really sold story by an Emcee. And that saddens me.
I could go on a rant about how the music industry has killed creativity by forcing rappers to sound the same in order to get paid or noticed…but that’s another subject.

We are here and now for here and now…
So I wanted to encourage you to kick the fuckin walls down of the box that so many have been put in to.
I wrote awhile back in another post that there is nothing new under the sun that can be said that hasn’t already been said by someone throughout history. We can’t do it. What we can do though, is continue to find new and inventive ways to say what is on our mind and one of them ways is through the art of storytelling.

If you are the type of Emcee who takes pride in their lyrics and strives to be a great writer, not just a hot rapper, I encourage you to branch out and tell a story.
Make something up..create a character, have that character go through some shit that we wouldn’t ordinarily go through. Have them experience something we all experience as humans and can relate to but from their perspective…
Create a superhero…tell the story of someone you know…
God didn’t give us imagination and not intend for it not to be used.
This is how we grow and inspire.

You have to imagine the song as a mini movie and structure it as such.
1st verse- Introduction/ start of the story.
2nd Verse-the plot and actions taken…
3rd verse- the wrap up..end scene.
However you wish to structure it.
I generally do not like to leave my listeners hanging.
I like to complete the story…beginning-middle and end.
But YOU do YOU…You wanna set them up for a sequel?
You wanna leave it wide open for the listeners imagination to finish?
How do YOU wanna do it? The world is yours, Chico. Create it!

We all have stories inside us. We all have minds that are capable of going wherever we choose to take them. This is a gift. I encourage you to use it.
I implore you to use it. Tap into the power.
You can easily search the examples of stories that I posted above. Listen to what they are talking about.
Go with them on a journey and never leave your house.

For example…
In the song A.O.A By Cube, he has been shot in a drive-by and is at the county hospital waiting to be seen. He paints a vivid picture of a crowded hospital, Overworked doctors, the police coming in and questioning him while he is bleeding…followed by his outcome.

“One hour done passed-done watched two episodes of Mash”

I love this line, cause it puts you in the waiting room, watching the T.V. on the wall…He made you identify and see it.

“Now the drama starts-Cause the bullet must be just a hair from my heart- I begin the ass-kissin-Just to get looked at-by an overworked Physician-Had the chills but my temperatures a 103-Only got a band-aid and an I.V.-That’s when I start cussin-Police steady asking me-who did the bussin…”

See how you can see Ice Cube shot and dying in a county hospital and all the drama surrounding him? He brought you in…
And the production on the song only adds to the tension.

These Emcees will take you on a trip if you are willing to go…and when you come back..you will be better equipped to take others on a Journey that you are the tour guide for.

So try it..you never really know what will come out of you until you sit down and start letting something come out of you.
Don’t worry about it being a single or a hit record. Remove that from your mind. You have records that address that area. This is YOU…Your creativity and imagination at work.
Tell us a story!

In Closing…to put my money where my mouth is…I am gonna leave you with some links to my stories.
I pray I bring something out of you in the same way that my elders in the game brought something out of me.
Keep that pen movin! Best of luck…God Bless.
Sincerely,
Mr.Johnson.
11/17/15
4:44 PM

WHEN I SEE YOU…
A tale of deadly Love over the ‘Phone Tap’ beat..
http://scottjohnson.bandcamp.com/track/when-i-see-you

D IS NUTS!
One of my proudest stories…
Slick Rick is considered to be among the best Story Tellers in the game. I challenged myself to write a more vivid story than “Children’s story” over a remix of “Children’s story” from the perspective of “Dave the Dope Fiend”. I do believe I achieved this.
http://scottjohnson.bandcamp.com/track/d-is-nuts

The next set is a series…
The first song is a tale of me being personified as “Good Music”…a Superhero of sorts battling “Garbage Music” and his henchmen.
THE LETTER
http://scottjohnson.bandcamp.com/track/the-letter

The next installment comes from my album ‘Man Of Trill’ which is also Superhero based and themed throughout the entire album.
I have already battled “Garbage Music” and now I am describing how the hood is since he has taken control…
LAND OF ILL
http://scottjohnson.bandcamp.com/track/land-of-ill

and Once the ‘MAN OF TRILL’ is called upon…
He has the final battle with “Garbage Music”
VENGEANCE IN STEREO
http://scottjohnson.bandcamp.com/track/vengeance-in-stereo

THE PATH…
A tale of two individuals on opposite journeys…
http://scottjohnson.bandcamp.com/track/the-path

I have plenty more, but they need to be reworked and updated..
But I hope I have proven my worth to you through my personal examples of Story Telling and inspired you in some positive way.

Now…Lets hear what you got!

PEACE!
http://www.scottjohnsononline.com

The Role Of Women And The Church.

Dear Women.
I would like to take a few moments of your time if you don’t mind and share a few things I learned concerning Women and the role that they had and currently have within the Church.

Let me give you the back story first…

Years ago, when I began a different Journey with God, I went into the relationship under the conditions that he would bless me with truth. A deeper truth. I wanted Wisdom.
I told God I would not blindly follow anything…
I earnestly began praying for and seeking deeper knowledge.
And per our agreement…I was blessed. And in turn, I hope that my words bless you.

I, like many people, grew up hearing that Women should not be Preachers. I would always hear the scripture about how Women should be quiet in the Church and be submissive.

This bothered and confused me for many years. Especially when I heard a Woman preaching. I thought it was Rare and Brave and they were speaking truth, but it conflicted with what I had always heard to be the truth when I was growing up.

So I questioned God about it…
“If you sent Christ here to be a Mediator for the human beings, to “Die for our sins”…and your main goal is to “Awaken” your “Children” and bring them closer to you…What kind of marketing campaign would exclude Women? Why would it matter whether Man or Woman was speaking on your behalf? This makes no logical sense to me….”

I prayed for Wisdom on the subject…
and this is what happened next…

One night,my Wife and I went to ‘Borders Book Store’ and as I was walking by the religious aisle; a book caught my eye…
“Misquoting Jesus, Who changed the Bible and why”…by Bart D.Ehrman
Wow, this is exactly what I have been dwelling on…
This book can hold some truth…but I ended up not buying it.

Some time went by and the Book was still heavy on my heart…
That is how God works, with me at least.
He will keep something heavy on my spirit until I do what he is leading me to do.
I went back and got the book…and discovered why my Spirit was leading me to get it.
Let me paraphrase some of what I learned from the book concerning Women.

I learned that women often had important, high profile and public roles. Also within the ministry of Christ.

27For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.28There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
Gal. 3:27-28 (KJV)

Women appear to have been as active as the man was in prophesying and praying during weekly fellowship.
1 Corinthians 11

Some churches preached and believed in equality and the women had leadership duties.
Other churches preached that women should remain as servants to the man and their roles in their churches were minimal, along with their voice.

In documents found written after Paul’s death that were linked with Paul’s churches, they have seen arguments over the roles of women.
The men became active in keeping the role of a woman in all churches, to a minimal.

I learned a majority of Modern Scholars are convinced Paul did not write 1 Timothy. This kind of nonsense happened at times from what I have read.
Since a certain author already had a following, another writer would write what they believed was “truth” and mix it in or just completely leave out the original work. They then would share the writings under the name of the more famous and respected writer. So in the case of 1 Timothy, They believe a second-generation follower wrote it, in Paul’s name.

11Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection.12But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.13For Adam was first formed, then Eve.14And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.15Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety.
1 Tim. 2:11-15 (KJV)

Scholars also feel that based on different amounts of evidence they have, Paul did not pen 1 Cor 14: 34-35. They feel that this was a scribal alteration.

1 Corinthians 14:34-35 (KJV)
34Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience as also saith the law.35And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church.

In addition, they tried to remove the only place in the New Testament where an Apostle was mentioned, who was a Woman.
Romans 16:7
Paul speaks of a woman named Junia. However, Some English Bible translators still refer to the apostle as a man who is named Junias… Wild Right?

So thanks to the views of the “man” who added this into scripture while he was copying sacred text, women had to suffer oppression in the church, at home and in Public.

And this type of behavior still exists and these beliefs are still firmly held.
Many women out there have great ideas and blessings to share and power within them placed there by God but they are suppressed.
I am speaking on “Religious” women. Women who hold their tongue out of fear of backlash from the Church or out of fear of the consequences that will come from the Husband or family. They have all this wealth they keep buried and locked.
They live a life of secret inner turmoil because the beliefs that are strongly held over words written and programmed into them to be the law of the land.

I am here to tell you to do your research. You are way more important to this world then you have been taught to believe.
God does not want YOU to be a silent ROBOT. You have your own mind and spirit and purpose. A purpose that should be able to stand beside the purpose that has been given to your Man. The two of you should be in alignment. Not one superior over the other. We ALL have a role to play in this life and we are ALL connected and affect each other. You are FREE to do your part. Read the history. dig deeper.

You know about the ‘Gospel Of Mary’?
Chapter 5
5) Peter said to Mary, Sister we know that the Savior loved you more than the rest of woman.
6) Tell us the words of the Savior which you remember which you know, but we do not, nor have we heard them.
7) Mary answered and said, What is hidden from you I will proclaim to you.
8) And she began to speak to them these words: I, she said, I saw the Lord in a vision and I said to Him, Lord I saw you today in a vision. He answered and said to me,
9) Blessed are you that you did not waver at the sight of Me. For where the mind is there is the treasure.
10) I said to Him, Lord, how does he who sees the vision see it, through the soul or through the spirit?
11) The Savior answered and said, He does not see through the soul nor through the spirit, but the mind that is between the two that is what sees the vision and it is […]

Check it out…
http://www.gnosis.org/library/marygosp.htm

and always get the other side..

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gospel_of_Mary

Ever heard of Thecla?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thecla
She was a Saint in the early Church. She is held in high esteem. Very high esteem.
Probably never heard of her though, right? Me either till I began to dig.
Walking with God is way deeper than Church on Sundays followed by the buffet and football.
There are many layers. You seek…you know the rest.

This was important for me to share with the Women.
As I said, I started questioning things and when I read all of that in Mr.Ehrman’s book, it confirmed what was taking place in my spirit and I wanted to share what I legally could.
I wanted to enlighten those ignorant to facts, just as I have been enlightened.
Do not ever let a man tell you that you cannot worship or speak your knowledge on Christ.
If you feel it within, Step out boldly!

This is important. The World is in a transitional period and we need all the strong leaders available. God does not care about race or gender. He cares about compassion and doing what is right.
If you are content with your life the way it is, or you do not agree or believe what I am telling you..no probs. Best of luck and keep doing what you been doing.
But if you have had a feeling in your spirit and you are ready for other levels, I encourage you to pray for Wisdom and get to looking deeper. You are here for a specific reason. Seek it out.

Be free to be who you were placed here to be.
God Bless
Scott Johnson
http://www.scottjohnsononline.com

My Philosophy on ‘Edutainment’

My Philosophy On ‘Edutainment’

I am sitting here listening to ‘Edutainment’ by ‘Boogie Down Productions’…I haven’t heard this album in years.
I remember when this album dropped. I was about 15 years old. I was a young white kid whose musical tastes had started to really evolve. My mother had instilled the love of music in me at very young age. She has a very eclectic ear. She is also a poet and my writing skills come from her as well. But now I was going in my own direction.

So around 86-87…I was in full metal mode. But there was something happening.
I met a 17-19 year old black man named ‘Juice’. He was short, very dark skinned, stocky, smelled of Drakar Noir and dealt in herbal medication. And as a 13 year old, he changed my musical life and put me on the path to becoming a Lyricist. Juice exposed me to a lot in life.
My family had moved from Cedar point apartments to a house in East Arlington when I was in 6th grade. But all of my friends still lived in the apartments, so I would ride my bike over and hang out on a daily basis. My mom didn’t know all of my friends though and what I was really doing…
I was in a dark apartment listening to Hip Hop and getting my first contact high.

It really changed for me when I walked up to find ‘Juice’ on his patio with his Jam Box.
He had bought a tape from the Forum mall called “Yo..Bum Rush the show”…
I started laughing at the title and clowning on it…Juice said something like “Just shut up and push play”…So I did..and the song ‘M.P.E’ came on..”PUBLIC-PUBLIC-PUBLIC ENEMY” in a very authoritative voice over these blaring/Screeching sirens…
I was blown the F*** away! That moment cemented a love. The music was hard and aggressive as much as the metal I dearly loved…but it was raw and different.

I am young and very impressionable and suddenly I am hearing very knowledge driven, “Black revolutionary” lyrics/ vivid stories and cussing over a musical pallet that my ears had never drawn from. And I was addicted…

To be honest…the first strike of the match came one day when I had heard “I’m Bad” by L.L. and it stuck with me and I requested it one day from my friends older brother…he played it and I liked it…But still..not enough at the time to make me completely dive into the art-form.

Then I had the P.E. moment. With my young vocals, I had a pretty damn good Flavor Flav impersonation that used to make ‘Juice’ and another homeboy, ‘Jimmy’ laugh while we rode around and they smoked and I hid in the backseat out of fear of seeing my parents.

And then…Juice exposed me to a song called ‘Criminal Minded’…
“Criminal minded you’ve been blinded looking for a style like mine you can’t find it”

Now…KRS had become my new favorite emcee. His voice, his look, his words, his stories…
To this day I can damn near flawlessly spit that first verse of Criminal Minded…It had a huge impact on me. And then…’By any means Necessary’ dropped…Wow…

“Teachers Teach and do the world good- Kings just rule and most are never understood- If you were to rule or govern a certain industry- all inside this room right now would be in misery-no one would get along nor sing a song-cause everyone be singing for the king am I wrong? am I wrong..say yo- what’s up it’s me again- Scott LaRock Krs BDP again…”

Man…
I have a memory of being so scared that my parents would hear “Ya Slippin” that I was trying to figure out how to record one cassette to the other and push pause on the curse words…I guess I was trying to figure out how to make an edited version…I just couldn’t explain..
“At ten your fucked-at nine you suck-at 8 your a sucka at 7 a mutha fucka”…
I knew mom wouldn’t approve… so I had to listen in stealth…

One song that is still a fav of mine that I can recall pretty good…

“One afternoon around 11 o’clock-it was freezing cold-he was standing on the block-selling cheeba-mixing dimes-saying a rhyme just to pass the time-the cops passed by-but he stayed calm-Cause there leather trench coat was keeping him warm…”

The part that started awakening me…
“You owe us some money-you owe us some product-cause you could be right in the river tied up- he thought for a second and he said..”What is this?…You want me to pay you to stay in business?” They said “That’s right or you go to prison-cause nobody out there is really gonna listen to a hood-so he said good-I’ll pay you off for the whole neighborhood…Because Cocaine Business controls America-Ganja Business controls America-Krs One come to cause some hysteria-Illegal Business controls America..”

Wait..What? I thought I was supposed to be friends with the police and them with me? I thought my government cared for me and America? What the fuck is really goin on?

KRS and Chuck D were my teachers…my earliest teachers.
The majority of their lyrics were aimed at uplifting their people…Use your mind..quit fuckin up…respect yourself…Learn…Love..Be angry at injustice…question everything…
So even though I wasn’t the same skin tone as their people- I was still a person. And that encouragement of their words inspired me and instilled a deeper desire in me to wanna be an inspiration in that same sense.

I have the P.E. logo tatted on my arm. Obviously I ain’t bullshittin about that…
But I find when it comes to certain quotes that have never left me..KRS has the most in my memory. Some of the most important ones as least. Lines that never leave..that run through my mind to this day…

“If Blacks and whites didn’t argue the most- They could clearly see the governments screwing them both”

“I’m not a racist-I’m not a bigot-Yet they allow it to go on and won’t admit it”

“A dope emcee is a dope emcee”

“Kings lose crowns-but teachers stay intelligent”

and when I get a lil extra money and can eat nice…
“Now there’s steak with the beans and rice”

and he challenged what I had learned or as a white kid, maybe, assumed…

“Moses had to be of the black race-cause he spent 40 years at Pharaohs place-He passed as the Pharaohs grandson-so he had to look just like him”… Again…Wait..What?

You have to understand the age I was and what was happening in the golden era with the abundance of knowledge and self awareness and I was tapped into all of it. Absorbing it like a thirsty sponge. When you are young-early teens…Music for most people is where they find themselves…the soundtrack to the life or something that connects with the spirit..
The artists often become idols and you take what these people say on and off the mic, pretty fuckin seriously…And these Emcees words held weight with me and helped mold me into the man that I am today…

I can’t tell you how I wore out “Man and his music”… so so dope…
I remember ‘Call me D-nice’ before it blew it up with the remix..
“I am like a tree and every lyric is a limb”

I still have homeboys who sometimes call me ‘Scott La Rock’…
No disrespect to the true Scott La Rock…
KRS was a role model for me…not only through the knowledge aspect but also he constantly challenged you to be a better emcee…even making songs like “Breath Control”…teaching you how to have stamina when you spit bars. I promise you the new dudes would struggle greatly to spit nonstop for 2 or 3 minutes…this is no 8 bar-hook-8 bar hook shit…this is straight grown man lyricism…He put that in me.

So lets get back to ‘Edutainment’…
15 years old…Gangsta rap had already gotten into the bloodstream. Starting with a stolen cassette from K-Mart called “Eazy Duz It”…
But the foundation had already been laid…So no matter what genre I was in to…I always had the “Concious” in the mix.
I’m talking being young gang members…of course the N.W.A and Cypress Hill and Geto Boys, Ice-T, all that..that was shaping us to…But I always had that damn ‘Edutainment’ tape with me also. Or P.E. ..All of us had a copy in the car or we brought it with us.

I got my mother to sit and listen to “Loves Gonna get cha”…
She began to appreciate it and also respect KRS.
I still remember her and I watching that performance on Arsenio.
That tape was the first time I had ever seen an Ankh before…
I was thinking the other day that maybe subconsciously that is also one of the reasons why I rock a military hat.

To me…in all honesty, KRS is the physical manifestation of Hip-Hop.
Graf artist…Freestyle…Writtens…Producer…Teacher…Ambassador of the culture.

“I listened to these emcees back when I was a kid-but I bust more shots than they ever did”..
A lyricist who advanced the art of penning true lyrics and also the realm of braggadocio.

And the voice…The voice IS Hip Hop. The NY accent…the confidence within it. When this man speaks…Hip-Hop leaves his being. And I fully respect that.
Honestly, I have had several dreams I was rockin the stage with him. Been many years ago, but I still remember them. And if it’s in God’s plan, that will happen…and it will be a sick collab. And he is a huge reason I would even have the balls to confidently say that.

Anyways…that’s my KRS history. Most of it.
One of the earliest and most powerful influences on my “Career”.
Thank you for reading…and as you can tell…I also talk as long as the Blastmaster when its something I have a passion for.
Take care and God Bless…
and remember…

“Real Bad Boys move in silence”…

PEACE!
Mr.Johnson
http://www.scottjohnsononline.com

Don’t Act Your Age!!!

Let me ask y’all a question. What is your interpretation of this scripture from Matthew 18.3
Holman Christian Standard Bible
“I assure you,” He said, “unless you are converted and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

How do you take these words?

I had already had my eyes open a little to the greatness of kids. But the scripture I posted was still bothering me. I began seeking wisdom on the meaning. I asked God why would someone have to go back to a child like state. This didn’t make sense to me. So on a hot summer day in my back yard, he filled my mind with a different outlook.

It’s very easy to immediately associate children with being gullible or having blind faith…
This is an obvious fact about children. We were all there once.
But to just focus on those character trait denies the full spectrum of the child.

A child is full of adventure. Always seeking something fresh to do.

A child makes full use of their imagination. Making a box a castle or a stick a sword to fight dragons and Zombies.
There artwork knows no boundaries.

A child loves to learn new things. Always questioning as to why this works this way or that or what something means and they are blessed with the one word they love and challenges adults…”WHY?”…They are relentless in their pursuit to know why.

A child is honest. Not having a true filter on their opinions based on their observations.
They will gladly speak their mind and this is usually embarrassing for the present adult if the child notices something that contradicts their beliefs.
But still, they are more honest than 90 percent of adults. I am in no way saying not to use discretion with words. I am however saying that speaking honestly is more in tune with a child than an adult.

A child loves to have fun and wear what they want. Point being , they do not subject themselves to the personal pressures as adults of having to look a certain way to fit in with this society. They rock what they want to and proudly support it regardless of who thinks what. They are free from the shackles adults place on themselves. I’m not suggesting you show up to work in orange socks and a Spider-man shirt.
I am however saying that a child doesn’t have the same insecurity as an adult.

A child doesn’t lose their sense of amazement. The live truly appreciating the wonders of this world. They are fascinated by the planets, the stars, nature, animals, people, etc..

A child is not prejudice to skin color. We have all heard and saw the examples of “Racism is taught” and putting two different babies or kids in a sandbox and having no issues. This is all very true. As I type this, my white/Hispanic son is playing with my friends Black/White grand-daughter. There is no mention of why there skin or hair is different. They just know they like to have fun together.
Obviously a large majority of adults do not so easily share this trait.

A child is resilient, forgiving and fast healing.
Not letting petty arguments affect their friendships (Not for long at least). Not letting scolding or punishment by their elders affect their love. Often getting over , learning and moving on from the trouble they got in a helluva lot faster than adults.
I can go on and on…

To view a child and associate them with only the weaker traits of their character robs their beauty.
So what the first scripture is saying is that a person needs to hold on to and embrace those positive attributes that exist in us when we our children. Reflect back to how life was when you were 5 or 6 years old. Remember your purity.

When we become adults the majority of us lose those positive traits.
Insecurity, racism, politics, lies, greed, heartbreak, etc…all appear and suppress who we have the possibility and daily opportunity to become.
So to become child-like has a much deeper meaning than when taken at face value.
Now go a lil deeper and you got millions upon millions reading the Bible and taking EVERYTHING at face value and not truly looking for the deeper meaning.  Aside from other feelings concerning the Bible, I also feel that a lot of it is written in code with double meanings and if the reader doesn’t seek a deeper interpretation, the message is lost and misunderstanding leads to ignorance, false belief, hate,  and all else that comes from misunderstanding something. Be it positive or negative.

We must continue to evolve as adults and simultaneously hold on to that which kept us free when we were children.
A difficult but not impossible task.

Stay gold!
Love and Respect
Scott Johnson
http://www.scottjohnsononline.com

The Art Of Forgiveness..

Orite Ladies and Gents…
It’s time for Church… . Despite your age, Race, Sex, Religious stance, sexual preference,economic status or anything else that divides us as human beings, we share at least one common trait. We either need to forgive or seek forgiveness. So if you’ll keep your heart and mind open for a few minutes and let me holla at ya, we will achieve something powerful that transcends the divisions.

The act of forgiveness is very powerful. It is one of the hardest things that we as human beings will ever face in our lives ..but if we can find the courage to do it, it is a key to mental, spiritual and even physical freedom.

Let’s start with seeking forgiveness.
Everyone of us at some point or another in our lives have done somebody wrong in some kinda way. From small words to Huge actions and all the nastiness in between.  We all have offended somebody.  If you are walking around this earth and you know full good and well that you did somebody dirty, you consciously did somebody dirty, I ask you to consider seeking forgiveness.  Number one…it frees you. Number two, it frees them.
Some people in this cruel world will do you dirty as hell and not give a good damn about it. Seemingly they have no conscience…but for those who are reading my words and having your spirit hit and you DO have a conscience concerning what you have done…YOU have the opportunity to do something about it.

It’s none of my business what you did. You know…YOU live with it. You deal with it. You look at the offender in the mirror. And it is up to you to turn that key and experience freedom.
If the person is still alive, reach out to them. A face to face apology would ideally be best.
But if the offense was so bad that that person seeing you would rather kick you than listen to you, A phone call might be a better option. If your gonna get hung up on or cussed out…then get everything you gotta say off your chest in a letter…if for whatever reason that is not an option…you still got email, text, message from a mutual friend or family member. You can get your message delivered. Sincerely let go of that guilt that has been torturing your mind for all of this time. Guilt is one of the greatest tools that the Devil uses against Humanity…
Keeping us in bondage with that feeling. The only way to combat that which torments you is to face it.
Get your ass up off the mat, put your fists up and fight that demon. With Love and truth.
So, accept what you did. You can fool the world or justify it to as many people you feel you need to, but your spirit within you knows the truth and the enemy within you also knows it and will use it to bring you down every opportunity that he can. So own it…Admit it and learn from it. Do not drink the poison again. And most importantly, apologize for what you have done.  And when you do that, you take away that which is used against you to make you feel less than you are. You show you got a heart. You show you have learned from what you did. The enemy can’t come at you and attack you with that anymore…you have freed yourself… And the other great thing is, you have either planted a seed or freed the one you have offended.

If you have extended the branch and they take it, then you have achieved something great. Both parties now have weight lifted off of them. Better yet, hate lifted off of them.  You have taken a step towards evolution. Respect that and move forward and clear your mind.
If the party rejects you, for whatever reason, then you still must keep that weight off of you. If you sincerely made a genuine effort to make right what you made wrong and the other side wants nothing to do with it, then there isn’t too much you can do about that. Move forward and if you are reminded mentally of what you did, ignore it…you’ve already faced it and dealt with it to the best of your abilities.  At the very least, you planted a seed in the mind of the one you offended and hopefully with time, it will grow into forgiveness.

If the person you hurt in no way can be reached or has died…then I suggest to you that you write it down. Get all of that guilt out of you. Apologize and make it right on paper. If it’s on paper, it’s out of you. You can also go to the grave. You can also deliver that  apology to their loved ones, if your choice has also affected them. There has to be a level of acceptance. You have to come to terms with what you did and make it right to the best of your abilities and then move forward. You must realize that we all say and do extremely stupid shit in our lives at various times throughout them. We can’t  continue to live with shame and self hatred, but we must learn from the experiences, not repeat them and we gotta school others when we can to help break the cycles we all are faced with.
Seeking forgiveness is the right thing to do for all involved…Bottom line. You can run and avoid it for the rest of your life and keep that tension alive, or you can kill it and evolve. Your call, Boss…

My Father died in 08. Death has a great way of shining a spot light on everything you did or said up until the point of your loved ones death. I was filled with regret for various reasons and my mind was tortured with pain and grief and questions and a variety of other fun filled emotions. But he was gone…The only thing I could do was speak aloud to him and apologize for all of my short comings and offenses throughout the years.
And I know somehow he heard me. Almost Every dream I have had of him he is smiling at me. I feel the peace between us. I learned and now I teach so that those who are wise enough to listen can avoid this hell and evolve in peace.

I had to face every hard truth about myself. Accept it, learn and grow. As fucking painful as all that was, I came out of the fire alive and stronger. I learned valuable lessons…Number one. Tell people how you feel and treat and respect them while they have breath in their lungs. Keep your relationships pure and honest while alive, so when death does come, you have no regrets of the time you spent with that person. You just appreciate what you had while you had it, pay your respects, cherish the memories, share the lessons and continue on.

Cause if you don’t live like that…That enemy will send a ruthless gang of demons to attack your mind and remind you of every single infraction you ever committed. Every single word you said or worse yet, did not say, will come back on you. So keep yourself clean.

I also had a lot of guilt for what I had done in my past. As usual, continual mental reminders of who I once was and what I did…
I was talking back and forth with my spirit one night…
My spirits like…”What was the main reason Jesus came to earth?”
I said…for forgiveness of sins…
The spirit said…”And what does God say about our sins?”
And I replied…That he remembers them no more…

So then the spirit hit me with, “If God isn’t judging you and remembering your sins and holding them over your head, then why are YOU doing it? Why are YOU killing yourself with guilt?”

That light-bulb went off…and from that day on, I have learned to forgive myself. I have come to the realization that I was a different person then. And I can’t let my past define my present and future…in a negative way.
I’ve met many people in my life who deal with guilt, Many of those who are believers have a notion that God doesn’t love or accept them. So not only do they have the emotional pressures of their crimes they have also piled on spiritual pressure. God isn’t damning you…the devil attacks your thoughts and keeps you chained with guilt or anger.
The act of forgiving yourself and learning and evolving from that, breaks those chains.
Apologizing to those you have offended…breaks those chains and allowing yourself to forgive others breaks those chains. I have successfully done all of the above. So I speak to you from experience. This isn’t just a friendly message to love your neighbor…

DO the right thing…Freedom is within your grasp if you got the balls to go after it.

Now, moving on, as hard as it is to seek forgiveness…I would say it’s probably harder to ACCEPT and allow yourself to forgive.
I have no earthly idea what has been said or done to you. Or better yet, WHO hurt you. But I wanna let you know that forgiving is a beautiful thing.  And I will prove it to you…
Some of you reading know my story but most don’t. So to save time, I’ll give you the truncated version and if you have any interest beyond that, you can read the rest at my website.
www.scottjohnsononline.com  In the literature section there are two versions, one is written by my Mother…it is called ‘The Blood cried out’ and then there is my version called ‘The Way Of The G’. All you gots to do is download em…
So, the short version is this. When I was 17 ,I was in a gang in Arlington, TX. A member of our gang shot and killed a man. A while later, my name somehow gets thrown in the mix. The deceased man’s wife lives across the street from where I work and she sends her brother in to take vengeance on me. I was guilty for a lot of things back then, but I had absolutely nothing to do with this man’s death. Didn’t matter though…
I was at work on break on the telephone when I was stabbed 6 times with a Rambo style hunting knife. Twice in the back. 1 in the left lung. Twice in the stomach and the final blow was to the left side of my Jaw. The knife went all the way through my mouth and the blade was stuck in between my teeth. I chased the dude out of the store, trying to pull the knife out of my face so I could kill him, but I couldn’t budge it. He rolled into the back of a truck and sped off…

I was care-flighted to Harris Methodist in Ft.Worth. I spent three weeks in the hospital. I had to heal from the inside out so the rest of my recovery was done at home with my mom being the head nurse in charge of changing my bandages.  The tip of the knife also punctured my Carotid artery inside of my head. So I was still dealing with that…On my 18th birthday the doctor told me that he didn’t know when, but I was going to die from this. There hadn’t been any successful surgeries on the injuries that I had. There was only one experimental surgery that he could try…And Praise God…I’m still here. Between God, Skilled Surgeons, Nurses and prayer, I am still here.

All of what I told you is the extremely short version of the hell I endured and in some ways, still endure. We’d be here two hours or more If I truly broke it down for you…that is why we wrote books. But my story is relevant to the lecture at hand.
For many years, I fantasized about killing that man.
I would dream of different ways to murder him…
One way I remember thinking on was shooting him in the throat with a crossbow…
Revenge consumed me. My hate was strong.
But hate is a slow poison…It takes up room in your mind for where something positive should be. It keeps doorways open to various devils. It kills your spirit…
For years I battled with this…
Then years later, I looked at the man who stabbed me from his perspective.

He had sought revenge for the death of his family member…

Like I said,For years and years, this obviously was something that tormented me and due to the violent nature of the act, it opened doorways for demons of all kinds…

But I asked myself this, “What if someone killed my brother in law”?

Would I seek revenge? The answer at the time was YES.
Still could be. God Forbid.
I would want to kill whoever took my family member from me and possibly, whoever else was involved…
Most of us would consider it and many would do it…
Many have done it.
What would you do?
When I put myself in the shoes of the man who did this to me…I could see why he did it.

I am in no way saying I approve of his choices.
I was guilty by association..not because I was actually guilty of murder. I was no where near either of them when the crime went down.
I am not saying his action was a correct response…
Nevertheless, I understood the thinking behind it…
Even though it happened to me, I had matured to the point I could see the motive.

And I forgave him…
I now pray for him…

I cannot or will not speak on behalf of the other people who suffered because of this man.
But as for me, I had to let go of the hate…

I had to forgive him and everyone that had ever wronged me no matter the severity of their crimes. And I had apologized to everyone I had wronged…I had a long list.
Once I did this, I set myself free from THAT particular bondage and the devil no longer had control of my mind in that area.

The weight that had been on me for so many years had been removed…
The Lord opened my eyes to a whole nother level of maturity and I am very thankful for that…

Trust me, I know how hard it is to forgive. But it’s possible and when you do it, it is such a powerful act that it shakes the gates of Hell. The goals of the devil are pretty simple. To fuck you up in any and every way that he can. This occurs mentally the majority of the time. The battlefield is in our thoughts and if he can control your thoughts and either keep you full of guilt and shame because you did something or if he can keep you full of hate and anger because something was done TO you, he damn sure will do everything in his power to keep you like that.

This ain’t spiritual mumbo jumbo y’all…look around you or look at yourself and you can easily notice the effects of unforgivness on us as human beings. It keeps us locked in a loop. Whether you believe in God or not is beside the point, this issue transcends religion. It is an issue we all face or have faced or eventually will face.

So I say this with all sincerity, PLEASE let me be an example to you and inspire you to forgive whoever has wronged you.
ESPECIALLY if it was just some words…Come on man…Let that go.
If I can rise above getting stabbed to the brink of death, then you can rise above your pain as well.
Call – email – text -write it down or just let it go from yourself in private. If the offending person is no longer around, then speak it aloud “I forgive you” …
Get it out and move on with your life.

This does not mean you have to rekindle a relationship, hang out with or even talk to that person ever again.
What it does do is get that person out of your mind and you free up space for some positive thoughts.
When the enemy tries to bring up the situation again, IMMEDIATELY pray for whoever offended you.
“Lord, Thank you for being with ________ please bless them” Do this and watch how fast the devil flees from your mind…
Watch the playground clear out…
My friend, Chris Wiggins, once told me “It is impossible to hate someone you are praying for”. I put his words to the test and he was exactly right…

If you don’t pray or believe, no hard feelings, I’m not here to convert you to my beliefs. When you have those thoughts about the offending person, remind yourself that you have moved on and that that is not an area of pain for you anymore and move on to the next thought.

I do believe in God and what I do, whether you understand my Modus Operandi or not, I do in the name of Jesus Christ. But that’s me and how I do business…I’m not here to get you on my team. I’m here to help other human beings evolve through the lessons I have learned in very harsh ways. My Wisdom is applicable whether you believe in God or not. So…whether you do or whether you don’t…the truth is, hate and unforgiveness are poison within the human being and I encourage you to go into detox…

I truly appreciate you reading this. I pray that it has a positive affect on you in one form or another.

Peace and Blessings…from…THE MAN OF TRILL.
Scott Johnson
www.scottjohnsononline.com
7/1/14
10:49 PM