Raised in Cali, communicating a message as an artist … Read Full Bio ↴The Sho Story:
Raised in Cali, communicating a message as an artist has always been a part of who Sho is. Introduced to Hip Hop at a young age, he grew to love its content and attitude. Living in Southern California during the height of Gangsta Rap presented its challenges to many youth, as well as Sho. In high school Sho and some friends from his neighborhood formed a rap group that began touring with major recording artists. But his life took a different turn after the rap group fizzled, and close friends were killed and others incarcerated due to the gang life they led. The message of his life began to change.
He decided to heed his father's advice and apply to college, pursuing education instead of the streets. At the time, Christ was not a part of his life, but his older brother, his father, and a leader at his church, had always promoted education and having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Sho continued on to Tuskegee University, and it was there, that the seeds that they planted in him finally took root.
While in college, through the lives of some solid Christians on campus, the Lord rescued him and redeemed his heart. Sho's message changed from promoting himself and Hip Hop to promoting Christ, and now he wants the world to see the Lord at work in him. Our popular culture today elevates the lifestyles of rappers who promote ideas that only destroy our culture, but because of God's grace Sho has a different message: "Turn My Life Up"
What if the Programmed Culture could see the change Christ made in him and be transformed by God's Grace to impact lives and revolutionize our world? Not desiring fame or personal glory, Sho invites you to listen to his message and see how God can "Rebuild the Culture"
Shut Us Down ft. Lecrae After Edmund
Sho Baraka Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But it'll be hard to shut us down
Okay, Call your man, call your girl, tell them all to call their bluff
Tell them call the stations and ask them why they hate on us
Took an ouch for His people just so He can stay in touch
Check the record books it's better off you run with us
Call us punks, call us weak, call us chumps, call us dumb
On the cable on the web, on the phone they call us wack
Go ahead and try to shut us down, ain't no app for that
RUN IT with us, or you can hate me
But it'll be hard to shut us down
Listen, I write to tell the truth, don't write to save face
Born in H-town, got the words to save face
Christian means that when I eat the meat I say my grace
If only God could judge you how you plan to beat the case
Can't beat it, mike jack, couldn't neither it
All you get is one life, can't rewind or repeat it
I will do this till the day I take my last breath
Beautiful feet I'm running till I take my last step
There's nothing they can do to stop what the Lord's doing
Come in the kitchen, take a look at what the Lord's brewing
Radio don't play us, television mock us
The truth is still spreading, there's no way they can stop us
Pharisees throw stones at my glass house
But they don't see they own reflection when they bad mouth
You can lie, you can hate, you can run us down
But in the end, the gates of Hell couldn't shut us down
RUN IT with us, or you can hate me
But it'll be hard to shut us down
Some think we're a mess some calling us blessed
A mic and a stage don't always equal success
Sometimes a bigger platform only brings stress
I watch my life and doctrine and pray for the best
AT told me let your light shine homes
Even if they wanna see you crash like Dow Jones
It's like Matt 16 who can come against it
You can be a Pharisee or you can be a witness
If we stay in the church the world calls us religious
If we go on mtv, the saints think were trippin
If we try to hit the streets then we're some thugs in sin
With those spectatin' you can't expect to win
It's hard to make decisions when theory's clouded your vision
Sometimes I'm confused with who is my opposition
I think I heard cheers when I fumbled the ball
They claim they're on our team but praying for our fall
The lyrics to Sho Baraka's song Shut Us Down are an invitation to those who may disagree with him to either join forces with him or to hate on him. According to him, it'll be hard to shut him down regardless of what people feel. Baraka throws accusatory statements, urging people to reveal what’s fueling their hatred towards them. He then assures his fans that nothing can stop them since they have God on their side. He promises to keep the truth spreading, and nothing can shut them down, not even the gates of Hell.
Baraka then delivers a lyrical masterpiece on how he intends to keep spreading the good news through his music. He distinguishes himself as an artist that writes to tell the truth and not to save face. He asserts that being a Christian means more than what people see of us at face value. He claims that he is out to transform people's lives with his music and enlighten people on the reality of God's love. He asserts that no matter the obstacles, the truth will still spread, and no one can stop them.
Furthermore, his song focuses on the challenges they face as Christian artists. As much as they get criticized in the church, they also face criticism from the secular world. Baraka says that people can't expect to win when they are spectating, and it takes more than just being a critic to effect change. In essence, Baraka's song is an encouragement to Christian artists and to keep running the race till they take their last breath.
Line by Line Meaning
RUN IT with us, or you can hate me
Join us in our cause or hate us if you want to.
But it'll be hard to shut us down
Our message will continue to spread regardless of obstacles.
Call your man, call your girl, tell them all to call their bluff
Encourage everyone to support us by questioning media bias.
Took an ouch for His people just so He can stay in touch
Jesus suffered for the sake of humanity and continues to guide us.
Check the record books it's better off you run with us
Our track record speaks for itself; join us for positive change.
Call us punks, call us weak, call us chumps, call us dumb
Our critics may insult us, but we will continue to speak the truth.
Call the verizon network and still see it's not enough
Even trying to silence us through technology won't work.
On the cable on the web, on the phone they call us wack
We are labeled as inferior by mainstream media outlets.
Go ahead and try to shut us down, ain't no app for that
No matter how hard they try, they cannot stop what we're spreading.
Listen, I write to tell the truth, don't write to save face
I write with honesty and integrity, not to please others.
Born in H-town, got the words to save face
I was born in Houston, and have the message to uplift others.
Christian means that when I eat the meat I say my grace
My faith in Christ is important in all areas of my life.
If only God could judge you how you plan to beat the case
God is the true judge and will see through any deceitful plan.
Can't beat it, mike jack, couldn't neither it
Our message is unstoppable, even compared to icons like Michael Jackson.
All you get is one life, can't rewind or repeat it
We have one chance to make a difference and spread love.
I will do this till the day I take my last breath
I will continue to speak the truth until my dying day.
Beautiful feet I'm running till I take my last step
Inspired by scripture, I will continue to spread the message of peace, love, and justice.
There's nothing they can do to stop what the Lord's doing
God's plan will prevail, no matter how others try to interfere.
Come in the kitchen, take a look at what the Lord's brewing
Take a closer look at the good things that are happening through our message.
Radio don't play us, television mock us
Mainstream media outlets ignore and ridicule our message.
The truth is still spreading, there's no way they can stop us
Despite the obstacles, our truthful message continues to spread.
Pharisees throw stones at my glass house
Our religious critics are hypocritical and quick to judge.
But they don't see they own reflection when they bad mouth
Our critics don't see their own flaws and shortcomings.
You can lie, you can hate, you can run us down
No matter what our critics do, we will persist in spreading a positive message.
But in the end, the gates of Hell couldn't shut us down
God's message will continue to spread, no matter the obstacles.
Some think we're a mess some calling us blessed
Some people view us negatively while others see us as doing good.
A mic and a stage don't always equal success
Having a platform doesn't necessarily mean we're successful.
Sometimes a bigger platform only brings stress
Having a larger audience can lead to more pressure and criticism.
I watch my life and doctrine and pray for the best
I strive to live by my beliefs and hope for the best outcomes.
AT told me let your light shine homes
A friend encouraged me to share my message with others.
Even if they wanna see you crash like Dow Jones
Some may wish to see us fail, but we will persevere.
It's like Matt 16 who can come against it
Our message is inspired by the words of Jesus and is unshakable.
You can be a Pharisee or you can be a witness
You can be a religious critic or someone who spreads a positive message.
If we stay in the church the world calls us religious
If we remain within the church, we're seen as out of touch.
If we go on mtv, the saints think were trippin
If we seek mainstream exposure, some religious people criticize us.
If we try to hit the streets then we're some thugs in sin
If we try to reach out to non-religious people, we're labeled as sinful.
With those spectatin' you can't expect to win
If we worry too much about pleasing everyone, we won't accomplish anything.
It's hard to make decisions when theory's clouded your vision
It's difficult to move forward when you're blinded by hypotheticals.
Sometimes I'm confused with who is my opposition
We're not always sure who our enemies are in spreading our message.
I think I heard cheers when I fumbled the ball
Some people may be secretly happy to see us fail.
They claim they're on our team but praying for our fall
Some people may pretend to support us but secretly hope we fail.
Contributed by Charlie T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@jamesR1990
Classic Sho is as good as it gets
@AJForShort
I love Sho Baraka SO MUCH!
@nightbeet2151
dude i freakin love this song! it came out so long ago but it still goes hard tbh
@FeasonMasowa
ONE OF THE BEST SONGS
@tiyaswitch
Reading the book of Acts currently and having this song in the background makes it Fayaaa
@RadBunny2269
Such a great Reach era, man.
@itsterri4071
Big song
@theKhumbaguy
Sho banger.
@quinnthecowboymiller
Thanks