Early years
Bridges began his music career as a radio personality and DJ as Chris Lova Lova on Hot 97, an urban radio station in Atlanta, Georgia. He made his recorded debut on "Phat Rabbit," a track from Timbaland's 1998 album Tim's Bio: Life from the Basement. Although both Timbaland and Jermaine Dupri showed interest in signing Ludacris, he decided to release the album "Incognegro" independently in 1999. The album sold over 50,000 copies through the Atlanta based independent music distributor, Southern Music Distribution. The same year, he recorded the theme to the video game Madden NFL 2000. Scarface, an original member of the Geto Boys, signed Ludacris in 2000 to Def Jam Recordings, and created a new imprint, Def Jam South, around him.
Back for the First Time
Ludacris released his major label debut, Back for the First Time, in October 2000. The album reached as high as #4 on the charts, and was a major success. Ludacris made his mark on the industry with singles such as "Southern Hospitality" and "What's Your Fantasy", along with his first ever single "Phat Rabbit", from 2 years prior. Back for the First Time was the beginning of Ludacris's explosion to the top of the rap world.
Word of Mouf
Ludacris promptly completed his next album, Word Of Mouf and released it at the end of 2001. Its lead single, "Rollout (My Business)" was boycotted in many American video stations. Despite the controversy, the video was nominated for a 2003 VMA, and Luda performed it live at the awards' pre-show. Ludacris also toured with Papa Roach in 2002 after the release of their sophomore album lovehatetragedy. Ludacris reached a new level of notoriety when TV's Bill O'Reilly expressed outrage that Pepsi had hired Ludacris as a spokesman. O'Reilly repeatedly attacked Ludacris's foul language and called for a nation-wide boycott of Pepsi, who then fired Ludacris and hired Ozzy Osbourne's family instead.
Chicken-N-Beer
During the spring of 2003, Ludacris returned to the music scene after a brief hiatus with a new single, "Act A Fool" from the 2 Fast 2 Furious soundtrack. At around the same time, he released the lead single from his upcoming album, Chicken & Beer, called "P-Poppin" (short for "Pussy Poppin'"). Neither of his new singles were as well-received by either the urban or pop audiences as his previous songs had been, and both music videos received only limited airplay. Chicken & Beer opened strongly, but without a popular single, the album fell quickly.
However, in the fall of 2003, Ludacris rebounded with his next single, "Stand Up", which appeared on both Chicken & Beer as well as the soundtrack for the teen hip-hop/dance movie, Honey. Produced by Kanye West, "Stand Up" went on to become Ludacris' biggest mainstream hit to date, hitting the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 and garnering heavy airplay on mainstream pop, rhythmic, and urban radio stations, as well as on MTV, MTV2, and BET.
The album's next single, "Splash Waterfalls", was released in early 2004. Though not a pop hit, it became a success at urban radio and BET. It was Ludacris' most sexual video yet and an R&B remix that featured Raphael Saadiq and sampled Tony! Toni! Tone!'s "Whatever You Want". Luda next released "Blow It Out", a gritty song that had a heavily low-budget, gritty, and urban-looking music video, which was a huge departure from the colorful, sensual, R&B leanings depicted in "Splash Waterfalls". "Blow It Out" acted both as a scathing response to the aforementioned criticism levied by Bill O'Reilly and an expression of disgust at Pepsi's cowardice in the affair:
Shout out to Bill O'Reilly, I'm'a throw you a curve
You mad cause I'm a thief and got away with words
I'm'a start my own beverage, it'll calm your nerves
Pepsi's the New Generation?—Blow it out cha ass!
* On 1 June 2006, a federal jury found that "Stand Up" did not infringe on the copyright of a song called "Straight Like That" by a New Jersey group known as I.O.F. "I hope the plaintiffs enjoyed their 15 minutes of fame," Ludacris said after the verdict. "This whole experience is proof to me of why I will always fight for what I believe in."
The Red Light District
The fourth studio album from Ludacris. Although entirely different from the usual antics of the previous albums, Ludacris had taken a more mature approach to his album. Ludacris openly boasted that he may be the only rapper able to keep the Def Jam label afloat. Ludacris had recently filmed and recorded the single "Get Back" in which he was featured a muscle-bounded hulk who was being annoyed by the media and warned his critics to leave him alone. He also was featured on Saturday Night Live playing his song Get Back with Sum 41. The follow-up single was the Austin Powers-inspired "The Number One Spot". It was produced by New York City's Hot 97 personality DJ Green Lantern. It used the Quincy Jones sample of "Soul Bossa Nova" and sped it up to the tempo of Ludacris' rap flow. Ludacris also filmed the video in which he pokes fun at O'Reilly's problems with Andrea Mackris (Hi Mr. O'Reilly / Hope all is well kiss the plaintiff and the wifey). Production credits come also from veteran producers Timbaland, Lil' Jon, The Medicine Men and legendary rapper Doug E. Fresh. Featured artists on the album include Nas, DJ Quik, DMX, Trick Daddy, and Disturbing Tha Peace newcomers Bobby Valentino (of Mista fame) and Dolla Boi and Small World. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard charts. And most recently the rapper had used his opportunity to start his own foundation. The Ludacris Foundation started by Ludacris and Chaka Zulu is an organization that helps young middle and high school students motivate themselves in creative arts. Ludacris also has a daughter by the name of Karma. Ludacris had also participated at the Super Bowl and is the spokesman for the Boost Mobile Phone ad-campaign. Ludacris also received his first Grammy Award with Usher and Lil Jon for their hit single "Yeah"
Release Therapy
In a recent issue of XXL, a hip-hop based magazine, Ludacris was placed in the number nine spot for the most anticipated albums of 2006, for Release Therapy. The album Release Therapy was released on September 26, 2006. Ludacris is going to format the cd to have two sides, a Release side and a Therapy side. With the Release side having songs that allow him to get everything off his chest and the Therapy side being just feel-good music. A song titled "War With God" is one of the confirmed tracks from the upcoming album. The first single, "Money Maker", which features Pharrell, was released to U.S. radio outlets on July 17. Others songs will be : "Tell It Like It Is" (Produced by Elaborate Musik Workshop), "Runaway Love" (Feat. Mary J. Blige) and Woozy (Feat. R. Kelly)[1] "Money Maker" reached number one on the BET 106 & Park Countdown for the first time on September 15, 2006. The album recently reached number 1 on the Billboard 200 album charts with sales of more than 300,000 in its first week.
To promote the album, Ludacris will be hosting and performing on Saturday Night Live 18 November. Ludacris is the second and only rapper to host and perform on the same episode (MC Hammer hosted and performed in 1991, on different episodes ).
Theater of the Mind
Ludacris's 6th album, Theater of the Mind was released on November 24, 2008 it includes the singles "What them Girls Like" Co-Starring Chris Brown and Sean Garrett , "One More Drink" Co-Starring T-Pain, and "Nasty Girl" Co-Starring Piles. The New album peaked at 1 on U.S. Billboard Top Rap Albums and peaked at 5 on U.S. Billboard 200.
Acting career
Ludacris has been acting in film since The Wash in 2001, but his big break came in 2005, where he received critical praise for his roles in the Oscar-winning films Hustle & Flow and Crash. Crash includes an ironic sequence where Ludacris's character is dismissive of hip-hop music. Interestingly, in both films, he is physically beaten by characters played by Terrence Howard. He is occasionally credited as "Chris 'Ludacris' Bridges".
On January 29, 2006 he was awarded with a Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Cast in a Motion Picture for his work in the film Crash. Ludacris also starred in 2 Fast 2 Furious.Ludacris narrated the 2006 Ward Serrill basketball documentary "Heart of the Game." Ludacris recently cut his trademark braids off to project a new image for his upcoming album, Release Therapy.
He recently appeared in the 28 March 2006 episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Ludacris portrayed Darius Randall, the nephew of Detective Fin Tutuola, portrayed by Ice T.
Disputes
Furthering the controversy, in response to the signing of the Osbourne family, popular music hip-hop mogul, Russell Simmons, organized a boycott against the company. Simmons demanded an apology from Pepsi to Ludacris and a 5 million dollar donation to one of Ludacris' charities. Eventually Simmons and Pepsi settled on an agreement to stop the boycott, right before it was to officially begin-- while Pepsi did not formally apologize to Ludacris, they did agree to donate millions of dollars over years to Russel Simmon Hip-Hop Summit Action Network.
Ludacris' song "Blow It Out" (from the Chicken & Beer album), acted as a scathing response to his critics, namely O'Reilly.
In another song, "Hoes in My Room", he tells a story about anonymous prostitutes being left in his room, and at the end of the last verse he says:
Then it got to my head and Somethin' remind me
I know who let 'em in, it was Bill O'Reilly.
Then, in 2004, in "Number 1 Spot"
Respected highly, Hi Mr. O'Reilly.
Hope all is well, kiss the plaintiff and the wifey.
In a 2006 interview with GQ magazine, Ludacris criticized Oprah Winfrey about his appearance on her show with the cast of the film Crash. During the interview, the conversation veered from the movie and Winfrey chose to speak on Ludacris' lyrical content, which he felt was unfair as he was visiting her show in the capacity of an actor and not a rapper. Also, Ludacris was upset that some of his responses were later edited from the show's airing. He was later joined by other rappers such as 50 Cent, Ice Cube and Killer Mike who argued that Winfrey had an anti-hip hop bias.
Winfrey responded by saying that she's opposed to rap lyrics that "marginalize women," but enjoys some artists, including Kanye West, who appeared on her show. She said she spoke with Ludacris backstage after his appearance to explain her position and said she understood that his music was for entertainment purposes, but that some of his listeners might take it literally. Ludacris later said the media had blown his comments out of proportion and said he respects Winfrey and considers her "a great individual."
In 2004, before the release of his debut album Straight Outta Ca$hville, Nashville, Tennessee native and G-Unit member Young Buck would enlist the services of fellow Atlanta emcee T.I., also known as T.I.P. in his native Bankhead neighborhood of westside Atlanta. They would create a track entitled "Stomp" amid growing tension between Buck's good friend Ludacris and T.I. On the track, T.I. takes subliminal shots at Ludacris including the line "me gettin' beat down, that's ludicrous." Buck, immediately sensing the tension, decided before releasing the track to notify Ludacris that T.I. had mentioned him since he didn't want to position himself as encouraging T.I.'s actions. Ludacris hears the track and asks Buck if he can add his own verse to which Buck agrees. The results end up being costly for T.I. as he is berated throughout Ludacris' verse and called out by name in his last line. Representatives from T.I. notify Buck that T.I.'s vocals will not be cleared for the album unless T.I. is allowed to change his verse, and also have Ludacris change his. Buck refuses this offer and T.I. prohibits his vocals from being used. Buck has hypeman and fellow rapper D-Tay replace T.I. on the song and D-Tay himself is eventually replaced by The Game on the official release.
Although T.I. was removed, the street cut featuring him and Ludacris had already been leaked to DJs in Atlanta and New York. T.I. was unable to stop the track's distribution throughout the streets of the nation at this point. It is widely accepted that T.I. "lost" this battle with Ludacris easily being the victor. The beef between Ludacris and T.I. was then put to an end behind closed doors as T.I. said that the problems between them have ceased.
In 2006 however, T.I. would release his highly anticipated fourth solo album entitled KING. In his Just Blaze produced track titled "I'm Talkin To You," T.I. lyrically attacks one or more unknown targets who have widely been speculated to be either Ludacris, New Orleans emcee Lil Wayne, or Houston rapper Lil' Flip (whom T.I. also had beef with but has since ended their animosity behind closed doors) or a combination of all three. It is still unknown whether or not T.I. was in fact battling Ludacris again or anyone else for that matter at all. A closer listen to the song, however proves that T.I. isnt dissing Ludacris. In one of T.I.s lines he quotes "had it out with 'Cris, but he still my nigga...sat down civilized talked about it like niggas", alluding to the sit down that he and Ludacris had to end their beef. As a matter of fact during the taping of MTV's My Block 'Atlanta', T.I. and Ludacris are shown greeting each other respectfully.
In July of 2006, a track entitled "War with God" would see Ludacris return after some time off in movies. In the track, Ludacris goes on the offensive against an unknown rapper who has sold drugs, and makes repeated references to shooting guns in his songs, isn't as rich as he (Ludacris) and likes to give himself titles - all very well known characteristics and facts directly relating to T.I and Young Jeezy (or countless other less popular rappers) or the newcoming rappers Yung Joc and Young Dro. In this instance it also unknown whether or not Ludacris is indeed aiming his disses at Young Jeezy, T.I. or if the track is even a song recorded recently. Ludacris recently stated that the song was deeper than just a diss, and the song is more about him than anyone else, it's showing that he isn't just the 'cartoon entertainer' type rapper that he has always been portrayed as, when asked about who specific rhymes were aimed at he said "The guilty will speak". The track has been confirmed to be a selection from Ludacris' upcoming album Release Therapy this September. The song is not aimed at Young Jeezy as he features on the latest album. "War with God" uses a beat written by Don Cheegro and Dirty Harry. Hardship took over ludacris and he was under alot of stress by the end of that album.
Freedom Of Preach
Ludacris Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We gon' do another off in right now
We gon' do another one in fifteen minutes
And we gon' do one mo', right after that
Yes, women you looking so very beautiful here today
Some of you with the same thing on from the club last night
The Lord give'th and the Lord take'th away
Oh Lord Jesus I wish you'd take'th away Sister Mary's wig
It don't even look real, aww, it's testimony time
Oh who is that? Young Chris Bridges
Boy I'm glad you finally grew into them ears
Go on and testify
[Ludacris]
Lord, please forgive me for the mistakes I've made
And thanks for keeping my momma safe when she wrecked my Escalade
See I could replace a Cadillac but I can't replace my momma
I'm sorry for the hip-hop beefs, we sorry for the drama
But you gotta understand us rappers ain't never had nothing
And one's loss is another's gain so we gotta grab something
Lord, got so many questions I need the answers to
And sorry for the things I put my baby's mama through
I feel that women are really the strongest human beings
But why do you make 'em so emotional, and other minor things
I guess it's your way of saying we gotta love 'em and gotta praise 'em
Cause without 'em we'd be nothing, plus our kids they gotta raise 'em
While we, out and about and seeing what life has to offer
But if you offer a new life then what we need is better fathers
Either I'm smarter cause of my daughter or I'm just too dense
I'm 28 years old, it just now started making sense
And I've been
[Chorus One]
Searching so long, I was lost in the clouds
I'm trying to stay strong, and make you proud
It took me some time, but now I see
That he resides, in me yeah yeah
[Ludacris]
Lord, forgive me for anytime a fan said I was bein rude
I'm only human, I'm not always in the best of moods
But thanks for giving the gift of rap to write my feelings down
And sorry for cursing sometimes but feelings make me shout 'em out
Forgive the people that wanna blame everything on rap music
If they didn't live it they can't relate or even adapt to it
Forgive those who don't think I'm great and wanna see me go
Forgive Oprah for editing most my comments off her show
Don't get me wrong, I know some people got a image to hold
But those who criticize the youth might just be getting too old
We still traveling through life, finding what's right or wrong
I know some folks may not agree or even like this song
But I'm just speaking MY truth, cause I heard it sets you free
And my conversation's with God, even though he speaks through me
I'm smarter cause of my daughter, and I'm not too dense
I'm 28 years old, it just now started making sense
And I've been
[Chorus]
[Ludacris]
(I've been searchin so long)
(I admit that I've been lost in them clouds)
(I'm just tryna stay strong baby)
(You know I'ma make you proud)
(I know life is full of contradictions)
(I'm tryna become a better man)
(Prayin for redemption, each and every day)
(Hallelujah, as the choir sings)
[Chorus 2]
Searching so long (so long) lost in the clouds (in the clouds)
Trying to stay strong, and make you proud, make you proud!
Took me some time (took me some time) now I see (oh now I see)
He resides, in me (yeah)
(Ladies and gentlemen, we have a special guest in the house tonight
Came with some words of encouragement, Bishop Eddie Long)
[Chorus 2]
[Bishop Eddie Lee Long]
What you just heard is real life
It's real life for you, it's real life for many
It's about where you been, yet at the same time you
Hey, you find yourself, in the midst of conflict and turmoil
Yes I'm talking to you, in the midst of conflict and turmoil
Cause you realize hey, it's, time to change right now
And in the middle of that I wanna say this
The Bible says that when I was a child, I spoke as a child
I understood as a child, I fought as a child
Hey, but when I became a man
I put away those, childish things
Did you not know that your environment has shaped you?
Where you were born, in the projects, in the ghetto's
In the upper downtown, wherever it was
The people around you, the things around you
Cause you to do strange things because, you were seeking to learn
But what you learned, was on the streets, and not in the book
God called you a prophet
When you open up your mouth, everything of God comes out
And it commands attention, it commands change
I'm talking about the power, that's inside of you
And in the midst when you're, starting to understand
That I caught the wrong message, and now it's time
I'm hearing from God, what amazing experience, as you hear from God
He said, "Is there forth any man be in Christ, he is a new creation"
Old things are passed away, somebody needs to hear that and behold
Everything becomes new, and when everything becomes new in you
It's time to stop the killing
I said it's time to stop the stealing
It's time to stop disrespecting our women
It's time for us to come home and raise our children
It's time for us, to really mold our communities
It's time for us, not to get hooked up in religion
But to get hooked up in relationship, with God
And the amazing thing about it
Is wherever you find yourself right now, you can confess
And you can tell God "I'm sorry;
I had the wrong cue, I was doing the wrong thing
I was going after things that I thought were right, but it wasn't right
And now that I'm getting it right, I'm asking you to forgive me
And I may have done the things, that they said I did
But I'm not, who they say I am; I am who you made me to be
And I'm changing in that, and it takes a few moments
But every time I fall down, I'll get right back up
And every time I make a wrong turn, I'll get myself back in line
Because I recognize, I have been called, for such a time as this!"
You can't resist the change
And you're not condemned by your yesterday
If you can grab hold of your now, and move in your destiny
Move, change, and be, now!
Searching so long, lost in the clouds
Trying to stay strong, and make you proud, make you proud!
Took me some time (took me some time) now I see
He resides (He resides) in me (in me yeah)
The song "Freedom of Preach" by Ludacris is a unique take on a religious-themed rap. The song begins with a reverend addressing the congregation, talking about how some of the women in the church are still wearing the same clothes from the club, and wishing that Sister Mary's wig would be taken away. Ludacris then begins his verse, asking for forgiveness for the mistakes he has made and hoping to make his mother proud. He talks about the challenges of being a rapper, including beef with other rappers, and the criticism of rap music. He asks for forgiveness for his cursing and acknowledges the strength of women. He ends on the note of wanting to be a better father and person.
The song touches on several themes including forgiveness, redemption, and the struggle to be a better person. It tackles the challenges and criticisms of the rap genre while acknowledging the power of its lyrics to influence change. It also recognizes the importance of women in society and the need for better father figures.
Line by Line Meaning
Can the church say Amen? (Amen reverend)
Asking if the church congregation agrees with the statement made
We gon' do another off in right now
We are going to perform another song immediately
We gon' do another one in fifteen minutes
We will perform another song in fifteen minutes
And we gon' do one mo', right after that
And we will perform one more song right after that
Yes, women you looking so very beautiful here today
Complimenting the women for their beauty
Some of you with the same thing on from the club last night
Some of you are wearing the same outfit from last night's club
The Lord give'th and the Lord take'th away
God gives and God takes
Oh Lord Jesus I wish you'd take'th away Sister Mary's wig
Expressing a desire for God to take away Sister Mary's wig
Oh you disrespecting the House of God with that thing
Calling out the disrespect shown to the church with the wig
It don't even look real, aww, it's testimony time
Claiming that the wig doesn't look real and transitioning to testimonies
Oh who is that? Young Chris Bridges
Noticing that Ludacris himself is in attendance
Boy I'm glad you finally grew into them ears
Expressing happiness that Ludacris has grown into his large ears
Go on and testify
Encouraging Ludacris to share his testimonial
Lord, please forgive me for the mistakes I've made
Asking God for forgiveness for past errors
And thanks for keeping my momma safe when she wrecked my Escalade
Expressing gratitude to God for protecting Ludacris's mother during a car accident
See I could replace a Cadillac but I can't replace my momma
Acknowledging that a car can be replaced, but a mother cannot
I'm sorry for the hip-hop beefs, we sorry for the drama
Expressing apologies for the conflicts within the hip-hop community
But you gotta understand us rappers ain't never had nothing
Explaining that rappers often come from poverty and struggle
And one's loss is another's gain so we gotta grab something
Noting that in the competitive industry, one's loss can benefit another
Lord, got so many questions I need the answers to
Expressing the desire for answers to numerous unanswered questions
And sorry for the things I put my baby's mama through
Apologizing for any hardships caused to his child's mother
I feel that women are really the strongest human beings
Recognizing women as resilient and powerful individuals
But why do you make 'em so emotional, and other minor things
Questioning why women are often emotional and possess certain traits
I guess it's your way of saying we gotta love 'em and gotta praise 'em
Speculating that God created women this way to emphasize the importance of love and praise towards them
Cause without 'em we'd be nothing, plus our kids they gotta raise 'em
Acknowledging the significance of women in raising children and their overall impact
While we, out and about and seeing what life has to offer
Describing the act of exploring life and its various opportunities
But if you offer a new life then what we need is better fathers
Stating that if God provides a new life, men should strive to become better fathers
Either I'm smarter cause of my daughter or I'm just too dense
Reflecting on whether having a daughter has made him wiser or if he is still lacking understanding
I'm 28 years old, it just now started making sense
Realizing that at 28 years old, life is finally becoming clearer to him
And I've been searching so long, I was lost in the clouds
Expressing a prolonged period of searching and feeling lost
I'm trying to stay strong, and make you proud
Striving to maintain strength and make God proud
It took me some time, but now I see
Admitting that it took time, but now he has clarity
That he resides, in me yeah yeah
Realizing that God dwells within him
Lord, forgive me for anytime a fan said I was bein rude
Requesting forgiveness for any instances where a fan believed he was rude
I'm only human, I'm not always in the best of moods
Acknowledging his humanity and the fact that he has bad moods
But thanks for giving the gift of rap to write my feelings down
Expressing gratitude to God for providing him with the ability to express his emotions through rap
And sorry for cursing sometimes but feelings make me shout 'em out
Apologizing for using curse words, explaining that intense emotions lead him to express them
Forgive the people that wanna blame everything on rap music
Asking for forgiveness on behalf of those who solely blame rap music for societal issues
If they didn't live it they can't relate or even adapt to it
Asserting that those who haven't experienced rap music firsthand cannot truly understand or adjust to it
Forgive those who don't think I'm great and wanna see me go
Asking for forgiveness for individuals who doubt his talent and wish for his downfall
Forgive Oprah for editing most my comments off her show
Requesting forgiveness from Oprah for her choice to edit out his comments on her show
Don't get me wrong, I know some people got a image to hold
Acknowledging that certain individuals have an image they must maintain
But those who criticize the youth might just be getting too old
Noting that those who criticize the younger generation might simply be out of touch with the youth
We still traveling through life, finding what's right or wrong
Recognizing the ongoing journey through life to determine what is morally right or wrong
I know some folks may not agree or even like this song
Acknowledging that some people may not agree with or enjoy this song
But I'm just speaking MY truth, cause I heard it sets you free
Asserting that he is sharing his personal truth, as it is believed that truth leads to freedom
And my conversation's with God, even though he speaks through me
Stating that his conversations are with God, even though it appears that God speaks through him
I'm smarter cause of my daughter, and I'm not too dense
Recognizing that having a daughter has made him wiser and that he is not unintelligent
I'm 28 years old, it just now started making sense
Reiterating that at 28 years old, life is finally becoming clearer to him
And I've been searching so long, lost in the clouds
Expressing a prolonged period of searching and feeling lost
I'm trying to stay strong, and make you proud, make you proud!
Striving to maintain strength and make God proud
Took me some time, now I see
Admitting that it took time, but now he has clarity
He resides, in me
Realizing that God dwells within him
Searching so long, lost in the clouds
Expressing a prolonged period of searching and feeling lost
Trying to stay strong, and make you proud, make you proud!
Striving to maintain strength and make God proud
Took me some time, now I see
Admitting that it took time, but now he has clarity
He resides, in me
Realizing that God dwells within him
What you just heard is real life
Clarifying that the lyrics are reflective of real-life experiences
It's real life for you, it's real life for many
Asserting that the lyrics resonate with the listeners and many others
It's about where you been, yet at the same time you
Referring to the importance of understanding one's past while also acknowledging personal growth
Hey, you find yourself, in the midst of conflict and turmoil
Recognizing the presence of conflict and upheaval in one's life
Cause you realize hey, it's, time to change right now
Coming to the realization that change is necessary and immediate
And in the middle of that I wanna say this
Expressing the intention to convey a particular message
The Bible says that when I was a child, I spoke as a child
Quoting a verse from the Bible regarding childhood behavior
I understood as a child, I fought as a child
Explaining that as a child, understanding and conflict were different
But when I became a man
Transitioning from childhood to adulthood
I put away those, childish things
Discarding the immaturity and behavior associated with childhood
Did you not know that your environment has shaped you?
Posing the question of whether one is aware that their surroundings have influenced their development
Where you were born, in the projects, in the ghetto's
Referring to the specific locations of one's birth, such as low-income neighborhoods or urban areas
In the upper downtown, wherever it was
Including any locations, whether more affluent or not
The people around you, the things around you
Highlighting the influence of individuals and surroundings on personal growth
Cause you to do strange things because, you were seeking to learn
Suggesting that seeking knowledge may lead one to engage in unusual behaviors
But what you learned, was on the streets, and not in the book
Emphasizing that one's education came from real-life experiences rather than formal education
God called you a prophet
Claiming that God has designated the individual as a prophet
When you open up your mouth, everything of God comes out
Asserting that when speaking, everything said reflects God's teachings
And it commands attention, it commands change
Noting that the words spoken have the power to capture attention and bring about change
I'm talking about the power, that's inside of you
Referring to the internal power possessed by the individual
And in the midst when you're, starting to understand
When one is beginning to comprehend
That I caught the wrong message, and now it's time
Realizing that a wrong message was received, and now it's time for change
I'm hearing from God, what amazing experience, as you hear from God
Expressing the profound and amazing experience of receiving messages from God
He said, 'Is there forth any man be in Christ, he is a new creation'
Quoting a biblical verse regarding becoming a new person in Christ
Old things are passed away, somebody needs to hear that and behold
Stating that old things have been put behind and urging someone to listen and take notice
Everything becomes new, and when everything becomes new in you
Highlighting the transformation that occurs when everything becomes new within oneself
It's time to stop the killing
Asserting that it's time to cease acts of violence
I said it's time to stop the stealing
Noting that it's time to put an end to theft
It's time to stop disrespecting our women
Stating that it's time to halt the disrespectful treatment of women
It's time for us to come home and raise our children
Highlighting the importance of being present and involved in raising children
It's time for us, to really mold our communities
Stressing the necessity of actively shaping and improving communities
It's time for us, not to get hooked up in religion
Urging to look beyond religion and focus on a meaningful relationship with God
But to get hooked up in relationship, with God
Encouraging the formation of a deep and personal connection with God
And the amazing thing about it
Highlighting the remarkable aspect of this connection
Is wherever you find yourself right now, you can confess
Explaining that regardless of one's current situation, they have the ability to confess
And you can tell God 'I'm sorry;
Expressing the opportunity to ask for forgiveness from God
I had the wrong cue, I was doing the wrong thing
Admitting that mistakes were made and the wrong actions were taken
I was going after things that I thought were right, but it wasn't right
Reflecting on the pursuit of things believed to be right, but realizing they were wrong
And now that I'm getting it right, I'm asking you to forgive me
Requesting forgiveness now that the correct path is being followed
And I may have done the things, that they said I did
Acknowledging past actions that may have led to negative perceptions
But I'm not, who they say I am; I am who you made me to be
Rejecting the identity placed upon him by others and recognizing his true self created by God
And I'm changing in that, and it takes a few moments
Understanding that transformation takes time and occurs in increments
But every time I fall down, I'll get right back up
Promising to rise again after every setback or failure
And every time I make a wrong turn, I'll get myself back in line
Committing to correcting the course after making mistakes
Because I recognize, I have been called, for such a time as this!
Realizing that one has been specifically called upon for the present moment
You can't resist the change
Asserting that change cannot be resisted
And you're not condemned by your yesterday
Emphasizing that past actions do not define or condemn a person
If you can grab hold of your now, and move in your destiny
Encouraging seizing the present moment and progressing towards one's destiny
Move, change, and be, now!
Urging to take action, embrace change, and exist in the present
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Missing Link Music
Written by: CHRISTOPHER BRIAN BRIDGES, CRAIG KING, EDDIE LONG, WILLIAM LARKIN JONES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind