685. Ghana: A Catalyst for Change in the Streets of Chicago

[00:00:00] You're on Pastor Phil, welcome to Church on the Block. Real talk about hip hop, church

[00:00:17] and the streets with my great co-host Pastor Jay and Ruck Boy. You're welcome back to

[00:00:23] Church on the Block, Pastor Phil right here with DJ Ruckus. What's up Ruckus?

[00:00:27] What's good? What's good? I'm happy to be here this Sunday morning. We've got some

[00:00:31] great conversations for you. Yes sir. Pastor Jay what's going on man? I'm good y'all.

[00:00:35] What's up everybody? Good morning. See you glad to be back here at Church on the Block, y'all.

[00:00:39] Pastor Jay about to be Dr. Jay. Yeah I'm saying. I'm waiting on that honorary joint.

[00:00:45] Want to come to Mayo? Yeah I'm saying get an honorary doctorate from the comic books or something

[00:00:50] like that man. Shoot all this reading. Also maybe we got our great guest right here with us.

[00:00:55] We got my man right here with your name son. My name, man. Hey name, man. Are you coming? No

[00:01:03] What's your name, bro? Qua. I just caught we got you. Qua. I'm back with us. Yo,

[00:01:07] we are here at Church on the Block. Real talking about hip hop, the church and the streets,

[00:01:10] man. And you know in light, man, when you are grown and and maturing oftentimes other people,

[00:01:18] you know they don't necessarily get that. They want you to stay in a certain spot. Let's stay

[00:01:23] with them in that particular spot, right? But you grow just like you grow physically and in the

[00:01:28] missing growing physically grow spiritually and mentally and in the midst of that though sometime

[00:01:33] there are people who want to pull you back from different spaces like that. Man so we got

[00:01:40] these two young brothers right here in the studio who have had some crazy experiences

[00:01:46] being against one another they were what people would say opposition in their in their

[00:01:53] street activity and stuff like that man. But and for them to even be in the same room,

[00:01:58] being the same area was was a in Chicago, if you understand Chicago or just street life in that way

[00:02:04] was not happening. That wasn't going to happen without it being some other consequences happening

[00:02:09] in the midst of that piece. Sure. Sure. As these brothers have grown and matured, man went through

[00:02:14] a whole rights of passage process been together in their own journeys, man, and grown and matured

[00:02:18] went to Ghana with us for this rights of passage. Man, they have now recognized that they're

[00:02:24] stronger together as men, especially as black men, African-American men with new names and everything

[00:02:29] else that they can rock. They're here just to tell in their own way just about their story

[00:02:37] and in their journey, man. So, man, just tell us give people a context, man, a little bit about

[00:02:42] what life as opposition looks like. Like when I say that to somebody on the block or somebody

[00:02:49] like a rival, like a rival, a person that's you not seeing out of act will or you don't have

[00:02:56] ears from competition with, you know, the people that you hang with or the people that

[00:03:05] hang with us and you're out of act, some some some some some some some some some some type of

[00:03:09] values that happen over time. Yeah. And you think you think you think people can like, so somebody

[00:03:16] here is for the first time they they's trying to understand it. Like somebody's world would

[00:03:21] make would would be like you the one who actually came into my house and did this and then now I'm

[00:03:27] rivaling with you in the street. It ain't always that person like you just mentioned. It could be

[00:03:31] the people that hang with him. So, sometimes people don't understand why you can't just let that go.

[00:03:36] Like that didn't happen to you that your crew y'all on that. What would you say? What would you say

[00:03:41] that many? That's a man meaning that that this didn't happen to you personally but y'all all

[00:03:48] against them right? But we got as one. So, no matter what it is, you're moving that way. Yeah,

[00:03:56] with my brother. Yeah. Now, what if it ain't what if it ain't the right thing? You don't matter?

[00:04:02] Like you just know it's too crazy. I mean man, you see right is right man. I can't just say no.

[00:04:07] I don't do it. You see him guys, you know, like I'm talking like you're moving one in that space.

[00:04:15] Now, do you think that as African American men that somewhere along the lines, somewhere along the line?

[00:04:23] I'm doing this to my brothers man. I'm doing these to my other African American brothers that

[00:04:28] that made a difference somewhere along the line like in the midst of being involved in the street

[00:04:32] that way. You ever think of it? Yeah, for sure. Yeah.

[00:04:40] Okay, so let me ask this question before Ghana, did you see it that way? Did you see man,

[00:04:46] whatever we do or we do until each other, we do into another black person, another African,

[00:04:50] another brother and then after did it change for you?

[00:04:56] Like the Chateau Ghana. Yeah, after the trip to Ghana, did it change in how you saw

[00:05:01] how y'all saw each other or how you see other people who look like you. Man, like,

[00:05:05] sure, hey, it was person they seeing and knowing that he had known that so he can't just up and just

[00:05:12] for us to feel him. You're through it with the flag, I ain't you know, I see you trying to be better

[00:05:17] yourself. I can't talk for this other people, you know, and talk for them, you know,

[00:05:25] like it is what it is. But you though, you yourself, right? So like for me when I went to Ghana,

[00:05:34] my first time in Africa, I'm sitting there looking at other people who look like me and like, man,

[00:05:38] how can I ever even think ill of these people? Right. It changed my perspective on how I view

[00:05:45] Africans or anybody who looks like us or looks like me. So that alone is what we ask and do

[00:05:53] that make a difference in how you see one another. Yeah, yeah. We're different man. Help

[00:06:00] somebody understand that. I don't know if they ain't going to gather so

[00:06:05] we ain't none of the two ain't can't do nothing Ghana. They say we ain't from America so

[00:06:12] we have a few of them. It's somebody like I said, somebody trying to do right, you know,

[00:06:18] I ain't anything of question to anything wrong. Right. I'm gonna go for his word.

[00:06:22] Do you think the experience of being with other, you know, Africans, Black Africans who

[00:06:28] who think different act different recognizing that okay this is enough, this is a culture that

[00:06:35] I come from. Right. And did they have an effect on the mindset towards another African-American?

[00:06:43] To me, dude, though, like I don't like you can put me in spotlight and I'm just going to be the same.

[00:06:49] Some people try to change or try to put on a persona because they in spotlight,

[00:06:54] you know, or because they are being pressured. Me, I never care, though, like you can put me in front of

[00:06:59] my guys that might be the same, like I'm trying. I'm saying, trying to change. I'm saying

[00:07:05] I still hear a little everybody saying, but I gotta remove myself. Yeah. And they know that.

[00:07:09] You know what I'm saying? No secret. Ain't no tough. I ain't trying to be tough.

[00:07:12] Another thing I'm really trying to change. I'm saying but you got some people that's not,

[00:07:16] you got some people that are years and you got some people that's only put on a persona because

[00:07:20] they feel like they being watched or they being tutted, you know what I'm saying. So it is what it is.

[00:07:26] Me, I've never been that type of mom. I always spoke my mind. Like, it got some like my,

[00:07:32] the guys right now, you know what I'm saying? We're not seeing how that goes. We have a disagreement

[00:07:37] because of what I'm doing. They question what I'm doing right now. You know what I'm saying? So

[00:07:41] and I feel like in a couple years, it's not all is not going matter. So why,

[00:07:45] so why, you know what I'm saying? Why try to, you trying to make yourself feel important or

[00:07:49] you want to be big on me? Or let me get on him because he, you know what I'm saying? Like you,

[00:07:53] how does it gonna make you feel? You know what I'm saying? In a couple years, it ain't gonna matter.

[00:07:58] You know what I'm saying? How is not going matter? Man, you're gonna be at a walk pass, a person.

[00:08:02] It might used to be right. You know what I'm saying? Yeah, it's not going matter in a couple years,

[00:08:06] man, because and again, like all the violence that's taking people away, you know what I'm saying?

[00:08:11] Like what you gonna do? Like it's already, like we are already, we are already like,

[00:08:16] transformation, transforming. I mean, I'm not, I'm saying like, our lives, we are already,

[00:08:21] like we are already dying. I'm just keep putting on tape. We are already dying. We are

[00:08:26] again, our life's ticking. You know what I'm saying? Because we are already putting money into

[00:08:31] these not even our community. We invest in other people by not investing ourselves. You know what I'm

[00:08:35] saying? I'm trying to make a change, man. It's like it's time for you know, but you got some,

[00:08:42] again, you got some, you got some people that's not ready though. Right? I'm saying there's

[00:08:47] not ready at all, man. And no, again, this is me. No, this is me. This is me. This is not what you

[00:08:53] talking is the quam. Yeah, yeah, this is me. So what would you say, many of us want to

[00:08:58] most significant things for you going to Ghana? Like man, I mean, there's several different ones.

[00:09:03] Yeah, I'm saying man, we ain't gonna talk about uh, I ain't gonna speak on that.

[00:09:11] There's a lot of, we went to a lot of historical site trademark. Like man, it's crazy.

[00:09:17] I went to Auntie Tribe, the gold tribe. That was cool. Yeah, that was really cool.

[00:09:25] Like man, it had gold, gold, real gold. That's what the gold come from. Right.

[00:09:30] Right. Yeah. It's just a reason. Yeah. Yeah. I need to get you know, I need that gold.

[00:09:37] But like if you go if you go if you're going to tell your son about this trip say

[00:09:41] when he gets older can can really uh, deep. He was on Facebook. Well, I had some service

[00:09:46] man. Face time and you were seeing me down there. Oh, yeah. Face time. That's what I meant.

[00:09:51] They don't take it out. You can go and figure it out. What do you want to do? You feel

[00:09:55] I'm gonna take it out. Yeah. So like if you see it, how does he now before right now? Okay, so say

[00:10:01] he like 10 to 12 with a case and you want to sit down with him and you want to share with him

[00:10:05] about Ghana, your experience. What was the first few things you want to like not not like

[00:10:10] let me teach you this history. I mean, or it could be you teaching him that history. What would you say?

[00:10:15] Go ahead man. To impress upon him. But to have some beautiful places man, we need to go down

[00:10:20] and that's free. You feel you know, you can teal down there and I never heard about anything.

[00:10:26] You know, people are your people. Mm hmm. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, we got off the airport

[00:10:31] mug. It's like, you know, she know white people. No, they love it. I feel like it. I mean,

[00:10:41] it ain't really a color thing. They love everybody down there. Yeah, just to say okay,

[00:10:47] you white. That was dead. That's not the crazy. Like now they don't really. It was this.

[00:10:54] Right. They forgive. So right. Well, definitely. Yeah. No, I'm like a flowering wall loving these

[00:11:03] conversations, you know, as all the person on here who didn't get a chance to go with Ghana. I just

[00:11:08] appreciate being able to be in the conversation. I didn't want to ask the question because it's

[00:11:12] work. You're getting thrown around and this word change. You know what I mean? And I truly

[00:11:17] appreciate. I think it's real clear to everybody that y'all really want to want to change. But I'd

[00:11:23] love for y'all to give a definition or define change after going to Ghana. Like it's one thing to

[00:11:28] say, like, oh, I want to change. You know, you're just going to be able to feel the tea or whatever

[00:11:33] go to the firehouse. And there's another thing that travel across the ocean to another country.

[00:11:38] It's one of a country. See totally good experiences here about, you know, what happened in the middle

[00:11:43] passage and our ancestors. How much deeper is the word change for you after that experience?

[00:11:48] And it was before you went. So you want okay, so change look like man. I ain't going to lie

[00:11:57] that when I get there, I thought it'd be more grateful though for everything. You know,

[00:12:02] clearly, man, I thought it's real grateful. Like they had to go through all this like we had to go

[00:12:08] to this last bath. I said they had to walk this far. Man, we drove it was a long time. That's

[00:12:17] what I'm saying. Man, man. That's real. Yeah, man. But change to me, like not from Chicago to Ghana,

[00:12:27] but from Ghana back to Chicago, change look to me look like like different man said, you know,

[00:12:38] different different circumstances such as like living, being on the block, you know, changing your

[00:12:49] know I'm saying locations and little people around you. That's that's change. That's what change

[00:12:53] look like to me changes. Get up in the morning, not get up at two o'clock in the morning, two o'clock

[00:12:58] in the afternoon, they give you for the fill out for a job application changes, get up in the morning,

[00:13:03] eight o'clock, maybe seven. Filling out for a death change, you know what I'm saying? Yeah,

[00:13:06] also responsibility to me. Yeah. So, you know, just going to seeing all these, you know,

[00:13:11] Cape Coast, Elmina Castle going going to these castles, you know, seeing how many, how many people

[00:13:17] they enslaved, learning about how the Dutch fought the Portuguese they gained independence in 1947.

[00:13:24] You know, all this and just being able to gain it and come back and teach it to your children man,

[00:13:29] is everything like I used to be so like when I got back, I was cocked, asked me any questions about

[00:13:35] slavery. You know, ask me any questions about slavery, what the duck? I could tell you. So, you know,

[00:13:39] I'm saying that they feel good man, feel good man. Like I ain't no these, I ain't no this stuff,

[00:13:43] you know what I'm saying? I ain't no the, I ain't no, you know what I'm saying? Like I said,

[00:13:47] we gained independence in 1947. I ain't no, the Elmina Castle was a police academy,

[00:13:53] you know what I'm saying? That it enslaved 600 men, 400 women. You know what I'm saying?

[00:13:58] How they know these things? It's crazy to even know these things and going back and look it up

[00:14:03] and seeing the stuff that you don't know that you should alarm. It's amazing man. It's

[00:14:09] actually going to breathtaking too because who knew that I was sitting down and learning these

[00:14:17] things man and be able to come as one, come together as one. You know what I'm saying? And put

[00:14:22] put house stuff back so that community can see the change in me. You know what I'm saying? I've

[00:14:28] got a look, I got a look excited that my fault. It's wonderful man. It's one of the

[00:14:35] four experience not just for me but even for the people that taught me different languages or

[00:14:42] you know stuff about slavery is wonderful for them too over there to see a brother want to come back

[00:14:48] to today roots and learn about their ancestors. You know what I'm saying? So man it's just

[00:14:53] wonderful. My fault, I was so excited. I couldn't even say community right now. You good bro.

[00:14:57] You good. I think the reality of what you learn at impact continues to unpack itself throughout

[00:15:07] your life. You know what I'm saying? Like we went, we've been a Kenya twice, we've been a Ghana

[00:15:11] and still unpacking itself. You know church on the block, we're going to be right back, man.

[00:15:15] Hold that thought right back. Yo you're listening to church on the block real talk about hip-hop,

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[00:15:57] Welcome back church on the block real talk about hip-hop, the church and the streets. Holy

[00:16:00] culture radio channel 140. Series 6M drop that man. What's your best saving man what's the Ken

[00:16:06] man? Yeah, what's the Ken? Ken you can be another tribe and another another it's like like Ghana was

[00:16:15] like a way different. It's different. It's different. We went to Kibata which is like the

[00:16:19] like the Cabrini green of cook. It's the hood. Yeah. Two million people in this project.

[00:16:24] Two million is the largest slum. Oh no, they're crazy to imagine a room like this big maybe

[00:16:32] maybe five bunk beds in here because parents died because of HIV and so you the uncle

[00:16:38] you took the kids in they got three kids you already had two yourself so they just do that

[00:16:43] and but the love and support and what we experience in Ghana with people caring for each other

[00:16:50] and any people that that happened all over the place in Kenya was there. Yeah, I want to say we

[00:16:55] went in 2016 that was my first time ever being on that side of the planet and I'm with everybody

[00:17:03] it's about it's about 30 of us right everybody white or white looking right you got feel they don't

[00:17:11] know what feel right right right right right you got a one of our other good friends Vinny Lopez

[00:17:17] they don't know what he is right right here you got me I'm the only one with the darkest skin there

[00:17:22] and then some brothers was like how does it feel and I said man for the first time in my life

[00:17:26] I'm not the minority y'all are right right right right I'm the majority man yeah feel it feel

[00:17:35] it feel I mean you don't have to have at one way in a certain group and function another way

[00:17:41] in another group yeah be who you gonna be and be respected in that space yeah it was definitely beautiful

[00:17:48] yeah yeah yeah yeah and a lot of you they like to sell a lot of stuff they're gonna say a lot of

[00:17:53] stuff hustle what they cry out they beat only I say yeah they ain't going to make you take it

[00:18:01] about your hustle man I gotta get now man where they be out yeah even the guys that was with us

[00:18:09] they do what they do they work at the cocoa plant and they got their own company online

[00:18:13] they got the yeah free a yeah yeah yeah any all income right right right so they do so much

[00:18:22] more or less if we do so much less with more you know yeah yeah that's great right right I need more

[00:18:30] I'm gonna do more that's like give more I'm gonna do more right right right right it's come you think

[00:18:36] you think other brothers from the neighborhood man uh going and now we don't want to just pick

[00:18:42] cats up off the block and then go to Ghana we're gonna go through the right to pack we're going to a

[00:18:45] process so cats can earn that and recognize and take value to it right but going through that

[00:18:51] process you think that we beneficial don't you know knowing the brothers y'all know uh uh going on

[00:18:56] a trip like that like you said you gotta it's a selective through it's selective you know what I'm

[00:19:01] saying yeah you gotta let me talk for everybody yeah I got to say that's why I say you gotta

[00:19:07] select them like I know some cats I don't any actor with them to see the know if they if they if

[00:19:13] they if they the right person touch them or if the right um organization get them and get a hold

[00:19:19] on maybe maybe there maybe their change I can't speak for them I don't know but like I said

[00:19:25] so selective man it got to select that I know that a change man that want to change you know I'm saying

[00:19:31] it's just known no how to probably so yeah what you said what you think man

[00:19:36] I don't think it's a selective few hey man I can tell you

[00:19:46] here's what I was saying when Phil came to us and told us his vision when I want to grab these

[00:19:52] guys off the block these guys are steady opposite I'm gonna put them in the room together for six

[00:19:58] months I was like feel crazy man you think it's somebody hurt right I was scared and I was just like

[00:20:06] all right okay Phil there's always I'm down with you I was scared I was like I don't know if

[00:20:12] this gonna work but he got a vision I'mma just pray and I'm and God got us yeah because I've

[00:20:19] seen God do work with him and and the vision God has used him to to put out there so I saw

[00:20:26] it come to life when we got to Ghana I saw you brothers I was watching y'all a lot more than what

[00:20:33] y'all thought let's just sitting back I'm seeing God laughing I'm seeing God crack jokes and I was

[00:20:40] just like it works yeah it worked I said per se you want to change I can't you see one change

[00:20:47] that's the man then you guys you got some you got some you got some you got some distractions for sure

[00:20:53] like before I can't a gun I know I'm saying like like four months before I can't a gun man I made

[00:20:59] the song you know I'm saying and it probably one of the good songs but then I'm telling

[00:21:06] other people like man I don't even want to I don't they delete this on I don't know nothing to do with

[00:21:11] this song they seem that I've been trying to guide they seem that I'm not that God I'm trying to change

[00:21:16] drop the song while I'm a gun so I'm like oh wow so you know you got some distractions man you

[00:21:21] got some we got a lot of distractions so what that being said I say man you should you

[00:21:28] got some you got glasses in disguise man the devil could be you know I'm saying true yeah man so

[00:21:34] that remind me y'all that's a good point my thing my question is what do y'all do or how do you

[00:21:40] respond and maybe you haven't had to yet how do you respond to folks who won't let you change right

[00:21:45] you know it only with just me people on the block I mean maybe people in your family who know you

[00:21:50] well they know what you've been all and you try to do something new you know I'm saying how do

[00:21:54] y'all respond if folks try to keep you boxed in who you used to be let's hear from any so let's

[00:22:00] hear from many first go ahead man I don't be around I got time for that I gotta do it's best for me

[00:22:06] is that hard is that hard to just walk away sometimes but God do as best for you though yeah

[00:22:12] just gonna do that though you put something else bigger in place yeah yeah so that

[00:22:18] that feel the void right there right cool man I gotta get more yeah that's good what you got

[00:22:25] your car I feel like I feel like stuff happened when you try to have one for the one for that

[00:22:30] like trying to change but then you still you still on some board you know I'm saying you still

[00:22:36] you still doing a lot of stuff that involves you with your energy and to a bad energy you know I'm saying

[00:22:44] um um um oh no man I just I gotta give it the thought but yeah no it's a great question you know

[00:22:56] it's it's something that I've talked about with Phil in in passage A even even me when I make

[00:23:02] the choice to leave Chicago when I was younger I knew I was leaving all of my friends behind right

[00:23:08] well it's not hard at all though you just have to remove yourself you know some people not going

[00:23:12] like it at the wild they're gonna stop getting contact with you know saying I said they could go

[00:23:17] from college every day trying to see what you want come kick and you don't pick up just let them bring

[00:23:21] or pushing in at the wild they can stop calling yeah you know I'm saying you gotta remove yourself

[00:23:26] cuz I just out of I know I'm saying I'm saying out of sight out of mind so um you know I'm not

[00:23:31] I mean I'm gonna take that back it is hard it is hard especially when you been doing it for so long

[00:23:35] yeah and like I ain't gonna lie like I got guys they young they rowdy you know I'm saying like they

[00:23:40] rowdy they rowdy they young so me talking to them I ain't get to know I'm saying or you know I'm

[00:23:46] saying like that so just move back God be for be it they have to put they got like I'm not gonna say

[00:23:51] something bad gotta happen but something got happy for them to want to change you know I'm saying

[00:23:55] cuz if they go if they don't know how they're gonna be going down the same no so I'm got to

[00:23:59] happen for them to want to change man you know I'm trying to travel my people know so I'm

[00:24:04] going to bond with you know you know you're a travel yeah travel yeah you know so I'm like yeah we

[00:24:10] can do this exactly I mean I always say man when you change your position you change your perspective

[00:24:16] you know if I stand on this table I'm now taller my perspective changes but if I stay on the seat

[00:24:22] look like this I'm gonna be like everybody on the same seat right and it takes courage to say I

[00:24:26] think I can stay on this table y'all hold me make sure and then y'all do it I'm like I don't

[00:24:30] never want to come down from this table because I know it's like to sit in that seat yeah yeah my

[00:24:36] mama told me you know you can't fall off the floor just like you know I'm back to the man the

[00:24:42] ladies man I didn't want I ain't gonna see go that but I did I did transformation though now I had some

[00:24:47] I didn't have to I had to have some people like abbreviation making those those sure I didn't

[00:24:53] get this lady out messing with and she hit it all together my business is whatever nice house

[00:24:59] and I didn't want from sleeping you know I'm saying somewhere nice come for you warm to

[00:25:06] you know I'm saying sleeping so well I didn't really want to be so you know I'm saying even

[00:25:10] when even even if you don't be too humble you know I'm saying you can backtrack and get back

[00:25:15] into the same situation if you don't if you don't humble yourself and without me about that is

[00:25:19] when you in the midst of change and you get away from you say if you move out of Chicago you get a good

[00:25:23] job or why not you know I'm saying that if you don't humble yourself which is okay I got some I

[00:25:29] got I got the responsibility of paying this rent I'm all the way from these people I can go back but

[00:25:34] I'm not I can but I'm not you know I'm saying less is I'm saying for a reason good purpose but

[00:25:41] being able to move away and get it and get away versus having a mindset I move well I got away now

[00:25:47] for the bring my people with me know they on BS you know I'm saying that's backtrack you

[00:25:52] know you got a weak mind you know I'm saying so you can change I mean you could you can change and

[00:25:58] you can catch these blessings but if you don't maintain that mindset or even humble yourself then

[00:26:03] you're gonna be found something right back in the same situation you start her off in yeah

[00:26:08] did you see people in Ghana like like what was a vibe what was the spirit of the people like

[00:26:12] wherever you went that was turned up it was turned like when you went to when you went to the

[00:26:20] uh when we went to the Kintik cloth market when they were making the Kintik cloth yeah I mean what

[00:26:25] what was your what was your that's hard it was well so it was doing it though because

[00:26:31] I like your pants or do you feel yeah so they gotta do what they gotta do but nobody was

[00:26:38] was bugged out because we came through it was just no it was still work deal chilling you had

[00:26:43] your hustlers trying to sell all the different things everything out my body you know you mean

[00:26:51] this for all this all right and when we went to the village to serve the kids man they worked with

[00:26:55] the kids man I didn't show the see that they know they know they know they know they had me

[00:27:03] wait I'm not with the uh I was chilling with the people over there though I tried to catch a

[00:27:08] goat yeah I'm not too but you know that's a good job yeah I'm trying to catch a goat though I really

[00:27:14] try to get one out of the pit it was me uh Jeff would boy like man get the goat yeah it's

[00:27:19] you look up man we trying to knock it's gone man it's from too fast no but they said it's crazy

[00:27:25] it's crazy I saw this from over there he got it he grabbed once they make it haha he grabbed it man

[00:27:32] he had to go in the hand I said you're like what was y'all probably man go fast man tell me

[00:27:37] somebody film this so now they feel out there I'm gonna get the goat he had a uh he had a he had

[00:27:44] an outlook he had a uh what's that called he had a uh he had a uh he had a step he took the

[00:27:50] catch that goat the dog yeah he had a vision already oh man yeah I'm adapting to it he been down

[00:27:55] no that's my first day down I don't know how do you react that's my preaching voice my preaching voice

[00:28:03] that right that right there right what you just said that's that's a teachable moment right there

[00:28:08] right he had steps that he took so he could catch that goat yeah just the same way we have a vision

[00:28:15] on how we want to change yeah man that's dope yeah yeah yeah appreciate that tea yeah man yeah

[00:28:22] you know and the people are gonna you know they've been free from British control for 60 or

[00:28:27] 60 plus years college college his eyes colonized right and so you find that there is a sense of

[00:28:34] courage I can be who won't be off to worry about who buy my back or he's got me on on on like

[00:28:40] now that's what we need to be about right we need to live in that now as free men and women

[00:28:46] in the US as black free men and women in the US living in space like that man so you know this is

[00:28:52] church on the block real talk about hip hop church industries with jacquon and many DJ ruckus

[00:28:58] past the J we'll be right back

[00:29:06] new videos music articles devos and more stay connected connect get the app now

[00:29:12] visit holy culture dot net

[00:29:18] yo welcome back church on the block holy culture radio series xm channel one four zero

[00:29:24] back here with my great brothers man jacquon and many DJ ruckus past the J we're talking about

[00:29:31] this transformational trip to gana west africa man and the experience that these brothers had

[00:29:38] and the deeper level of how that you know testified in front of other cats who saw them

[00:29:44] and they have experienced themselves as opposition opposition gangs or or or or folks say

[00:29:49] ops right we don't see as ops you see we opportunity we opportunity to grow together man that's

[00:29:53] right man did y'all have some pushback like stuff y'all put on social media and and and

[00:29:59] cats were saying stuff when y'all took pictures and this stuff from from folks in chicago yeah people

[00:30:04] wanted to know the castle that i was at that we was at and uh always a car and you know about

[00:30:11] the castle oh so okay but then they have pushed back with y'all putting up pictures do they say

[00:30:18] all y'all up there with someone so yeah i got i got those uh type of messages while i was down now

[00:30:25] did that give you another standing up man this is how my mind said used to be you might have been

[00:30:30] saying that too a few years ago you know yeah yeah my mindset is now you know i'm saying yeah

[00:30:36] folks for sure i agree um but i just i just learned to block it out you know i learned uh um

[00:30:44] block it out and then even then i ain't i ain't had no connection down that's why i can't really

[00:30:50] i can't really see what people know that's a good thing though that's a good thing

[00:30:56] to make dollars or something man can't see i don't say none of that they said kev's in

[00:31:01] working kev's everywhere that's kev's ill and they in a restaurant real chicken real chicken

[00:31:08] well fragile tell us how the food tastes what was your favorite food though

[00:31:11] shhh i ain't gonna lie to you man i don't even know

[00:31:19] it was someone like man i couldn't get too it cuz it's really like the real food like fish man

[00:31:24] like it's a really official food playing fish like how in the america it's like fried

[00:31:30] like that you feel it's like a real fish fish i'm like man i can't see i like they'd your love

[00:31:34] rice yeah i'm not the rice good you know rice is good uh jj fish is that give me uh

[00:31:41] three uh three piece perme or not huh they like like how they they they get the fish they hunt

[00:31:47] the fish and they're like they cook it right then it out that's how that fish was come like

[00:31:51] out right fresh now now on the side we went to kev's seed though that chicken was totally different man

[00:31:57] man let's that chicken was like that was like good like chicken you can't even finish it you

[00:32:02] feel me it was taste like man it's like pear like it was like white meat white meat anyone know i

[00:32:08] ain't gonna pick a nothing like yeah you really cook they food out yeah yeah that's uh now

[00:32:14] what about the what what what about the hood that we saw driving through in different spots and

[00:32:20] gone like you see a difference from from neighborhoods yeah oh yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah

[00:32:26] they're all selling though they ain't doing no they ain't trying to do all that crazy

[00:32:32] they are just chilling with each other playing there i seen the people with our phones and then

[00:32:36] that's it got our phone and they out late they were yeah I'll lay out late tonight right i tried to

[00:32:41] go on the motorcycles too all right that's what you want to get on the right i'll try this man everything

[00:32:46] down now and i'm saying all this back and forth though you experienced inside it was peaceful like

[00:32:52] like it was up late at night kids are running the place but nobody was uh tripping nobody was going

[00:32:59] in on each other i mean we're not in the culture to know if there was some tension or what

[00:33:04] are the cases back and forth but the reality is that's a new level of experience yeah for sure

[00:33:08] sure and to me something happened something happened from what we experienced in Ghana

[00:33:16] and and and and whole culture of how people are living compared to what's been taken from us

[00:33:22] from Ghana from Africa right to to the states like we are I think we we're not as strong

[00:33:29] we're not as we're not as bold about who we are i was watching the entertainment watch the

[00:33:33] Harry Tubman the other day and when she got to freedom in Philadelphia the man said um walk like you

[00:33:38] belong here she's in a free land in Philadelphia he said walk like you like you belong here she

[00:33:42] she walked like a slave like humble she said no she walked with her shoulders back

[00:33:46] mm-hmm I think that piece right there has been missing especially as black men from Ghana to I kind

[00:33:51] of see nobody would they showed us slump they was all they were they were selling bread or sticks

[00:33:56] you know by the side yeah yeah yeah I ain't see no I ain't see no arguments

[00:34:03] I ain't see nobody in there I don't see none of that

[00:34:06] it's a man ain't no services and even if they argue it was over with like yeah one argument is

[00:34:14] argument in the argument in the kid's car playing in the free a right they settle it they

[00:34:19] sell it right they ain't no going to get nobody and I'm saying let me go get my tribe yeah you know

[00:34:25] I'm saying let me go get cool to Buddha no man no what the hell see you to me that's that's been

[00:34:33] taken from it we're tribal people uh in general we can't go to store we can't go to store uh by

[00:34:38] ourselves we we gotta go even if we both broke we gonna go right you know yeah they yeah man

[00:34:44] yeah

[00:34:46] yeah I walk the air where they on that by myself you know I'm saying good well they just like

[00:34:51] you know whatever I know you just walking out of the street yeah okay back it's a yeah the

[00:34:55] Fred like a strip like it was it was home but it was decent to walk though yeah I

[00:35:01] wouldn't walk that long but she would they they so joyful with every man it's a club and every

[00:35:06] spy I'm man yeah I was down there chasing though I was down there we know you learned the language

[00:35:11] in a way that was uh a chasable yeah we get it man we get how what how was it that you say what

[00:35:20] you saying what's it bad took me five minutes to learn that once I found out that what what was

[00:35:26] once I found out what it meant and you know I'm saying the fake the fake expressions it turned

[00:35:31] the face is it I'm like yeah I'm gonna keep you can tell you learn it but remember the words

[00:35:35] uh about him on who's the same her friend who say what does it mean my queen how are you

[00:35:43] on what's your name who's the same who's the same yeah this man was down there trying to talk

[00:35:54] to the ladies man man I hit with the same land man different numbers though but the same

[00:36:00] ah we're still working with him because we're still working with everybody yeah oh yeah

[00:36:07] the change not though I don't feel back I found me somebody I'm cool enough okay yeah I told

[00:36:14] just about talking to the whole plan man it's a beautiful thing man to see young strong brilliant

[00:36:23] insightful passionate African American man standing on a game sitting on their life man living on

[00:36:29] purpose walking in authority on the string of eight catch pack pack pack pack pack pack yeah now you

[00:36:35] gotta continue to pass that on gotta pass that on man you know well be one thing y'all we're gonna

[00:36:41] say again we've been talking the whole time but I know you personally to to the crowd to the people

[00:36:46] listen I just want to say my change high been making progress the high man getting the light because

[00:36:52] um you got some people that does my accent me highs I'm doing such such things you got some

[00:36:58] people that's been getting the contact with child I'm quite sure not gonna say any name that

[00:37:01] wanted changing want to work on office at the firehouse or whatever they want to do but I got

[00:37:07] some people that been getting contact with me like hey man no man till no such and such I'm trying

[00:37:12] I'm trying to be in the program I'm trying to do so that's how I know my change been working and

[00:37:18] the youngest my younger peers been looking up to me because they big I mean getting all these calls

[00:37:22] about changing and um how do I do it and um can I get a contact with the people that's helping me

[00:37:28] change so I know for a fact that my situation is trying to change touch on other people's lives you

[00:37:35] know I'm saying because I've been getting on feet these type of feedback I'm getting so you know I'm saying

[00:37:39] what would you say man what would you say if you're gonna give something significant to

[00:37:44] people listen to you right now about your trip to to Ghana man to the Ghana man maybe more disciplined

[00:37:50] I'd be like straight to what I got what I gotta take care of my responsibilities gotta be more

[00:37:55] efficient with it you know that being straight up with like can't go back from your work I do

[00:38:01] what I do because I know me I got kids so I gotta make sure they straight yeah most day straight

[00:38:06] I'm cool yeah and then I'm cool and by the way I'm gonna be cool so I'm on top of 11 one one

[00:38:13] I ain't trying to stay in the same spot I'm trying to keep 11 and 11 yeah yeah and and the more the

[00:38:19] more we can inspire by people that we recognize that I like us from where we come from and create

[00:38:24] to hold another man I gotta get on my game I gotta go and now 10 minutes right before as we wrap up

[00:38:30] tell me your Ghanaian name now what's your Ghanaian name I'm Quake who what is that mean

[00:38:34] when's that born when's they born what about you to go I'm I'm Yow which is that's Tuesday yeah

[00:38:41] yeah yeah yeah yo church on the block man with two great leaders here one day y'all gonna be

[00:38:47] running this whole day I'm sure talking about things are going on man appreciate y'all know your

[00:38:54] journey is not not finished yet man we on this journey with you together with DJ Ruckus yeah it's

[00:39:00] been great I love y'all beautiful Sunday yes sir pastor Jay yeah sir a great thank y'all for letting

[00:39:06] me be a fly on the wall man thanks for all y'all do keep living fellas keep living and loving

[00:39:12] yeah no man it is awesome to see young African-American brothers man be so impacted by a trip across

[00:39:21] the globe to Ghana West Africa you never know you know in the life of young brothers what will be

[00:39:27] their tipping point for them to recognize their own power their own value and one of the things I

[00:39:32] appreciate about our brothers and sisters in Ghana the brothers who love the Lord brothers who are

[00:39:39] on their journey is the authenticity that they saw real people they look like them

[00:39:47] function like them they saw so many similarities of how their own life we do this in America

[00:39:52] yo this is where we get it from recognizing that something was lost in the transatlantic slave trade

[00:39:58] that they have begun to live in and when they come home to Ghana or any other part of Africa they

[00:40:06] recognize me and I want that back I want that peace back I want that respecting all people I want

[00:40:13] that authenticity back from the roots of my life and brother brothers got a snippet of that for 14

[00:40:19] days in Ghana West Africa man learn the language of course you know the young man trying to flirt

[00:40:24] and mess around everybody else like that but man we had no issues with these brothers and light of

[00:40:29] their own stepping into their into their purpose in that way man it's just amazing to see

[00:40:36] that level of transformation you know when we look at ways in which God uses all kinds of things to

[00:40:42] transform the lives of young people we can't put in a box we can't just say okay the way in which

[00:40:51] you're going to be transformed is it going to be this way and the only way I challenge you as leaders

[00:40:56] who are in this radio show with us that those you may serve those you may know those you may

[00:41:04] connect to don't limit the way in which you're seeing God use you only to a particular formula that's

[00:41:10] most comfortable for you step outside of that whether it's bringing some young people to a service

[00:41:16] project whether it's going and creating and building something or whether it is after school program

[00:41:23] whether taking them out the neighborhood take them out the city out the country allow that to be

[00:41:29] more seed that are planted in their hearts and life where God can use those to transform their lives man

[00:41:35] and and not just create a space where they are changed because changing you know you can go back

[00:41:42] to another shape but be transformed a full exchanging a full shifting of who they once were

[00:41:48] to who God would have them to be man you know and I think the more we're open to that the more

[00:41:54] open to see all the amazing ways God is transforming our own lives and the lives of those around us

[00:42:00] without it being it's got to be John 316 Romans 323 Romans 5 8 you know John 1010 it's more than that

[00:42:11] formula that we've been trained up in or used to it keeps us comfortable in that space

[00:42:16] let me rub these bars on you real quick man there was a farmer in his family that lived out west

[00:42:21] all day life out in the country man they were farmers for generations but they had to go to the city

[00:42:26] to change some documents so they got everybody in the car and they drove into the city and they pull

[00:42:31] up outside this massive building where they had to go into and the farmer says it was family yo

[00:42:34] stay right here I'm not gonna be too long his son Johnny says yo Danne me go with you I want to go

[00:42:40] so Dan says okay about stay me and Johnny will go so as they go in man they he go up in this building

[00:42:47] and as they walk up to the fun entrance the door just open you know they didn't know it had a

[00:42:51] sensor and the door just opened but the door opened they was like amazed by that they were like oh

[00:42:55] man little Johnny said man dad the door just opened by themselves you know Dan was like yep

[00:43:01] you know you never know where they got up here in the city you know mugs who are outside of that

[00:43:05] kind of world don't know do they kept wanting around looking at the big pillars and everything

[00:43:10] else in this building and the farmer asked somebody for directions and the clerk pointed him to

[00:43:15] a door and said you know that door right there is what you go through and stand in front of it

[00:43:21] not knowing what to make of this door they stood in front of the next thing they knew an old woman

[00:43:27] comes along and gets into this door which was a elevator they didn't know it was an elevator

[00:43:32] but getting to this older person gets into the elevator an elevator door shuts a couple of minutes

[00:43:37] later the door opens again and out steps a beautiful young woman they were bugging an old woman went in

[00:43:44] and a beautiful woman came out the farmer turns to his son it says quick son gets your mama

[00:43:52] he thinking that the door some kind of way transferred this older woman into a younger woman because

[00:43:57] he didn't know it was an elevator and then it already dropped the older woman off at some floor

[00:44:03] and another younger woman got on I say this to his man as a joke in summer guards because God

[00:44:08] isn't so much into changing us as much as God is into exchanging us for our old life to a new life

[00:44:18] and and and I say all this because opportunities new exposures give us and those we serve

[00:44:28] another mirror to look at the possibility of what life could be like even in Christ especially

[00:44:34] in Christ you're on pass the fill thank you for listening to church on the block channel 140

[00:44:39] holy culture radio cheers exam we'll see you next Sunday we will have to get it in in 24 we coming through