Swift said he’s known for speaking about “injustice and social ills.” He makes this commentary part of his music and ministry, and doesn’t wait until it’s “trending.” “trending.” “We were talking about this stuff when it didn’t happen as frequently,” he explained. “I wanted to talk about it in a way that challenged people. I think it’s easy to kind of get on the record and pick a side and anybody who knows me, knows I hate injustice, everyone knows what I stand for.” Swift has a song that touches on the topic called “Us vs Them.”
The message of the song aims to paint the similarities between a police officer and a civilian rather than highlight the differences. “At the end of the day, society pins us against each other that’s why I said, ‘Everyday I wake up, they got their mind made up, hope I live long enough to go to sleep’.
Both of these dudes wake up with the same feelings. I feel like it’s us against them.” Listen to the track below: He continued, “Media has done a great job at pinning us against each other, and when it’s us against them, we all lose no matter what side you stand on. That’s why at the end of this song, both the officer and the civilian die. At the end of the day, nobody lives.
When it’s us against them, it’s war. In every war, both sides have casualties. So even if there’s a winner, you still lose. There’s still a wife that loses a husband. There’s still a mother who loses a son, even at the end of the day even your victory is still a loss. There is two sides to a story and I think both sides have more similarities than differences.”
The song isn’t his attempt at saying “All Lives Matter, “Blue Lives Matter,” or even “Black Lives Matter.” It’s his attempt at getting differing views on the same page to open up a dialogue. Swift also wants to make clear that the song doesn’t dismiss the fact that he thinks there’s a problem with the justice system.
“There’s definitely systemic oppression. There’s definitely a war against black people in our country, so let me make that 100% clear. There’s something wrong,” he shared. “A white man can wake up and get in his car and have no thoughts whatsoever of losing his life. As a black man, when I get into my car, I have a fear of that. I know that I can be pulled over by a cop and assassinated for being black. I know I can bump into the wrong dude on the block and be assassinated for being black.” With dialogue comes education and communication, which “is the key.”
“The answer isn’t shooting police officers. Not all police officers are bad. Trying to take out the other side is not the right answer,” said Swift. As of late, Christian hip-hop has been outspoken on these very topics. This has caused some on social media to tell the emcees to “stick to rapping” or “stick to the gospel.”
Swift had some strong words for those people. “
I would tell them to shut up and don’t speak because that is the stupidest thing I ever heard. We act like Jesus didn’t care about social ills, we act like he didn’t care about injustice, we act like it’s not in the Bible when people stood up against the system,” he said. “As a Christian, I think we are obligated. I don’t think we speak enough about what is going on in the world. To bury ourselves in the Bible and act like we are not currently living in our situation is just stupid.
As a believer, we should hold to the scriptures for hope.” He continued, “It’s our job to take that hope we receive and speak to those hurting outside.” Swift feels it is an artist’s responsibility to speak out on topics because it is what Jesus would have done. He is also fully aware that a listener’s favorite artist may be the only source of understanding the world. “Some people aren’t in tune with the news but they’ll listen to a rap song in a heartbeat. It’s our job to enlighten people,” he concluded. Source: Rapzilla.com
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