Who's Messing with your Genius Mix?

Ecclesiasts 7:5
It is better to heed a wise man’s rebuke than to listen to the song of fools.

Fool:
1. a person with little or no judgment, common sense, wisdom, etc, silly or stupid person; simpleton

2. a man formerly kept in the household of a king to ENTERTAIN by joking and clowning; professional jester

I really like the genius mix on I-Tunes. It takes all of the songs you have in your music library and mixes the songs of the same genre. When I’m working out I love it when there is a consistent flow of good songs that inspire but as genius as these mixes are there are times when a song makes it into the rotation that doesn’t fit. Especially on the days when I’m trying to be inspired and a foolish song comes on. A foolish song is one with no substance, no moral structure, it is totally antithetical to where I’m trying to progress. Yes I have more music other than gospel. On my “Genius” mixes there is Hip Hop, Jazz, Smooth Jazz, Crossover Pop, Classic R&B, Quiet Storm, Dance Club Remix, Christian Urban Mix, Contemporary R&B Urban Crossover.

The older I get the more I’m conscious of what’s going on in my genius mix. It’s hard to be a genius when you are listening to the song of fools. Ironically, the person who was in charge of entertaining the King was known as the fool. He was hired because of his lack of substance, and how he could demean himself for the entertainment for the elite. The problem with some rappers, some singers is that their songs are the songs of fools because they entertain the elite at the detriment of your genius. They numb your sensibilities and insult your intelligence.

It’s better to listen to a wise man’s rebuke than to song of fools. We would rather continue on a steady diet of Hip Hop, Club, and R&B rather than a mix of Gospel, Scripture, and wise counsel. We love to be entertained by fools because they lack common sense.

Jay Z in his song “Moment of Clarity” says,

I wanna rhyme like Common Sense
(But I made Five Mill)
I ain’t been rhyming like Common since
When your sense got that much in Common and you been hustling Since
Your inception
Forget Perception
Go with what makes Cents
Since I know what I’m up against , we as rapper must decide what’s most important, and I can’t help the poor if I’m one of them

For a brief moment we get a moment of clarity from Sean Carter, aka Jay Z, as he wrestles with his gift. Does he rap about that which is positive and uplifting like Common does or does he continue with his tales of hustle and material pursuits at the detriment of his people? He concludes that making more money is more important than the substance of his lyrics but the caveat is that he helps the poor with the money he makes. To his credit he has helped the poor in Africa by building wells for clean drinking water but what goes further the wells in Africa or what he offers to drink from the stage of Life when he proclaims, “Jesus can’t save you and life begins when the church ends?”

In the movie Malcom X, Elijah Muhammad tells a young Malcolm that when he has the ear of the people he has a choice. He puts a glass of water on the desk that is pure. He says if you give this to the people to drink they will drink. Then he pours ink into the water to dilute it and says, “if you give them this they will drink from it because you have their ear.” Which one will you choose?

Dear God, I pray that I choose wisely who’s on my playlists. Give me wisdom over entertainment. I need enlightenment over entertainment. I choose wisdom over riches because a fool and his money will soon depart. In my genius mix I choose the gospel of Jesus, the mind of Christ, the power of the Holy Spirit, and the grace of God. Let the living Waters flow!

In Jesus Name,

Amen