Tag: gospel

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Will I Ever Get To The VGMA?

So the Vodafone Ghana Music Awards (VGMA) was the center of attention once again last Saturday 8th April 2017. 
If you had a show that day and suffered poor attendance my sympathies go out to you. 
Ghanaians love the VGMA and are either watching on TV or at the show themselves taking up the job of fashion police and satirist for the evening with social media.
If you thought Ghanaians didn’t care about fashion, the VGMA will change your mind and give it a bow tie to rock whilst the changing goes on. The event could easily have been mistaken for a fashion show.
The “who are you wearing?” question however pissed me off. It was an irritating question that hinted at a lack of content to be discussed by guests. Did every guest on the red carpet need to be asked that question?
I am not much of a fashionista so let me save my rant. 
Now as an artist i asked myself, “Will I ever get to the VGMA? Will it be one of my future highlights?”
Gospel singer, Joe Mettle, VGMA Artist of the Year 2017, in an interview after the awards said that he doesn’t make music with the VGMA in mind. Impact is what he looks out for.
I resonate with that goal. As an artist impact is what I aim for. I aim for my art to touch people and make them happy, reflect, ponder and hopefully change their attitude about something depending on what the poem or song is themed on.
If an award comes along as a result that’s great. If I am recognized for championing a cause, awesome. 
Awards help in the impact process. Your popularity increases and you are afforded a platform to make a change. 
Its tricky sometimes as there is tug of war between the pleasures of fame and reality but if you are grounded in your purpose you will make a difference.
As my video comes out tomorrow I know not where it will take me. People will like it and people won’t. This is my first step in putting out a video. Failure being the mother of success, I am on a path to victory. 
Go out there and be the best you can be. If you get an award for it that’s great. If you don’t continue until you reach your goal. Remember an award sometimes is not in line with your objectives.

“Not all who are crowned Kings are really Kings. Not all fiancées who get rings are really the Queen. Certificates are just paper the skill is really within. Awards are just indicators, the prize is really the VIM.” – Hondred Percent

Keep it One HONDRED! and watch out for the Ronning video tomorrow.

Posted on

Will I Ever Get To The VGMA?

So the Vodafone Ghana Music Awards (VGMA) was the center of attention once again last Saturday 8th April 2017. 
If you had a show that day and suffered poor attendance my sympathies go out to you. 
Ghanaians love the VGMA and are either watching on TV or at the show themselves taking up the job of fashion police and satirist for the evening with social media.
If you thought Ghanaians didn’t care about fashion, the VGMA will change your mind and give it a bow tie to rock whilst the changing goes on. The event could easily have been mistaken for a fashion show.
The “who are you wearing?” question however pissed me off. It was an irritating question that hinted at a lack of content to be discussed by guests. Did every guest on the red carpet need to be asked that question?
I am not much of a fashionista so let me save my rant. 
Now as an artist i asked myself, “Will I ever get to the VGMA? Will it be one of my future highlights?”
Gospel singer, Joe Mettle, VGMA Artist of the Year 2017, in an interview after the awards said that he doesn’t make music with the VGMA in mind. Impact is what he looks out for.
I resonate with that goal. As an artist impact is what I aim for. I aim for my art to touch people and make them happy, reflect, ponder and hopefully change their attitude about something depending on what the poem or song is themed on.
If an award comes along as a result that’s great. If I am recognized for championing a cause, awesome. 
Awards help in the impact process. Your popularity increases and you are afforded a platform to make a change. 
Its tricky sometimes as there is tug of war between the pleasures of fame and reality but if you are grounded in your purpose you will make a difference.
As my video comes out tomorrow I know not where it will take me. People will like it and people won’t. This is my first step in putting out a video. Failure being the mother of success, I am on a path to victory. 
Go out there and be the best you can be. If you get an award for it that’s great. If you don’t continue until you reach your goal. Remember an award sometimes is not in line with your objectives.

“Not all who are crowned Kings are really Kings. Not all fiancées who get rings are really the Queen. Certificates are just paper the skill is really within. Awards are just indicators, the prize is really the VIM.” – Hondred Percent

Keep it One HONDRED! and watch out for the Ronning video tomorrow.

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Is Secular Music Bad?

Everyone loves music. Some love a specific genre and others have a mix of genres that they enjoy. For me it’s Hiphop. The whole idea of Hiphop as a culture is synonymous with my Christian beliefs.
“Hip means to know 
It’s a form of intelligence 
To be hip is to be up-date and relevant 
Hop is a form of movement 
You can’t just observe a hop 
You got to hop up and do it 
Hip and Hop is more than music 
Hip is the knowledge 
Hop is the movement 
Hip and Hop is intelligent movement 
Or relevant movement 
We selling the music.”
KRS-One
With that definition, the question of whether current Hiphop is really Hiphop is debatable. However, my mission here is to address the issue of secular music. 
I have looked up the definition of both secular and gospel music. As clear as they might be, people usually refer to secular music as anything that’s not Christian related (by that we mean praising God). 
That as a definition is not that bad to the ear until you realize that a lot of Christians frown upon secular music as if it’s pure evil.
I am not here to change views but to offer my perspective on the subject. 
I love Hiphop music. I love the beats, rhythms, rhyme, lyrics and skill at which artists go at their craft. Is the content good? Not really. A lot of what is being rapped or sung about for a long time is nonsense. There are however great songs and also truth within some of the nonsense that’s out there.
I find the “don’t listen to secular music agenda” flawed on a number of levels. We live in a world surrounded by good and evil. It’s our job to discern which is which and take decisions that will bring out the best in us. 
I am not saying go to a prostitute for advise but if she is giving advise, there is a possibility that it’s good advise. Just because she is a prostitite doesn’t mean she can’t do good.
It’s the same with music. You listen with a discerning ear. I must point out that not everyone can be in the presence of music and discern. If that’s how you are, establish safe zones and stick to it. 
Christians are not supposed to judge but there seems to be a lot of judging that is done by us. We fail to see the good in people. Majority of the time I feel that’s how secular music is seen. 
As an artist and a Christian I see Hiphop artist, Lecrae as a role model. I agree with his stance on not being labeled as a Christian artist. I don’t like being labeled as Christian artist. It restricts who views your art. As an advocate for good music (and by that I mean good clean music) I believe it should be consumed with no filters. 
People should take in the art and be moved by it enough to question why the artist did what they did. What inspires them? What moves them? This becomes an opportunity to reveal Christianity and more importantly Truth.
I don’t have any qualms with artists that call themselves Christian artists. My only issue is that majority of their consumers are Christians. This is not bad, if that’s who the art is targeted towards. However, if your goal is to reach the masses then one must reconsider how they will take the message if it is wrapped as a Christian message.
People want hope and inspiration. They want the truth. Christianity has all this and more but how it’s presented makes a lot of difference. The reason why we Christians are tasked with spreading God’s love is because we are sinners. Sometimes we act as if we don’t know what that was like. People need to relate with us in order to see the light. It’s also not always instantaneous. 
Secular music has its good sides and bad but so does gospel music. A good chunk of gospel music is awesome but there are some songs labeled gospel that are questionable. 
I have always found the song Hero, by Mariah Carey to be gospel in essence. Though it’s tagged secular. People will even view Mariah as a secular artist. I would drop labels and just call her an artist and encourage her to make more songs like Hero to draw people towards God.
“There’s a hero
If you look inside your heart
You don’t have to be afraid
Of what you are
There’s an answer
If you reach into your soul
And the sorrow that you know
Will melt away
And then a hero comes along
With the strength to carry on
And you cast your fears aside
And you know you can survive
So when you feel like hope is gone
Look inside you and be strong
And you’ll finally see the truth
That a hero lies in you”
Lyrics to Hero by Mariah Carey


With words like these, how can we view this song as secular. God is not mentioned in the song but it doesn’t mean God is not in the song. God is in all of us. When we allow Him to shine through us His glory is evident.
Allow God to work through you. Keep it One HONDRED!

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Birthday Prayer

Tomorrow 27th September 2016 is my birthday. So what am I doing? Not sure yet. I recently named my son and it seems as if I celebrated my birthday in that historic moment.
Tomorrow I will be bombarded with more messages than calls from friends and wanna be friends alike (Thanks Mark Zuckerberg ?) with over 50% sending me shorthand birthday messages that suggest further that wishing me a happy birthday was a spur of the moment decision.
“HBD”
As I visit Mark Zuckerberg’s creation for the I don’t know …. 10th time today (I think), I am greeted with a prayer I wrote to God in 2011. It’s a humble prayer from a sinner like me that reminds me of how much God loves me and all of us. 
So on a day when I expect cake and is rewarded with acronym birthday messages and a pinch of bad grammar, I will switch things around and share a prayer instead. 
I believe it will touch your heart and put a smile on your face to know that you are not alone and God is forever on your side waiting for you to either be saved or lead you towards peace and happiness.
Here is the prayer:

Lord, I’m not perfect. Even my trying is not good enough. Yet you bless me with another year. The love you show me is more than amazing. You grace me with blessings everyday as if everyday is my birthday. I am honored to serve and have you in my life, unloyal as a servant I may be. Thank you Jesus