Jan/Feb 2003

My Message to Eminem

Christian rapper KJ-52 urges Christians to pray for 'Slim Shady.'

Dove Award-nominated Christian rapper KJ-52 wonders if the phone will ring. The caller? Hip-hop artist Marshall Mathers, also known as Eminem and "Slim Shady."

Eminem, the multi-platinum-selling buzz-cut blond rapper from Detroit whose profanity-laced hostile rhymes have featured fantasies about slaying his ex-wife and hiding her body, and whose film 8 Mile has scored big with critics and fans alike, hasn't exactly won a place in the hearts of most Christians. But KJ (whose real name is Jonah Sorrentino) hopes to get people in the church praying for the rapper.

On his new album, Collaborations, KJ--who, like Eminem, comes from a broken home--reaches out to Mathers with a song called "Dear Slim," a silky-smooth track that is as confrontational as it is compassionate. (Did we mention that this guy really does sound a lot like Eminem?)

Backstage at this year's MTV Video Music Awards, Mathers was given a copy of the song by a well-known road pastor for several musical acts.

"He [the pastor] saw Eminem and took an opportunity to talk to him for five minutes. You know, just put the CD in his hand...It was a good conversation. It basically went along the lines of: 'This guy wrote a song to you. It's not a "dis" [hip-hop code for disrespect]. You should really listen to it,'" KJ says.

Even though KJ hasn't heard from Eminem personally, he has gotten an earful from Slim Shady's fans: "Kids will post up on my Web site, just getting really vulgar. Like: 'BLANK you! You're just trying to make money off him.'"

So is KJ trying to capitalize on Eminem's superstardom?

"Of course not!" he laughs. "I mean, come on, I do Christian rap. I live in a one-bedroom apartment and drive a beat-up mini van. How much money am I going to make? People download the song [from my Web site] anyway."

Even though the song hasn't made him rich, it has opened some new doors for KJ-52. He says, adding that 90 out of 100 e-mails he receives at kj52.com are about the song (one woman even told him that the tune helped save her marriage).

"I may never get a response from him [Mathers]. But the response I've gotten from people saying how much the song changed their lives, to me that was the bigger picture," KJ says.

The fact that people compare his style to Eminem's is a mixed blessing.

"I'm still sick of it, but it's one of those things you can't really fight," he explains. "When I came out, I was solo; I was white; my voice was slightly high pitched when I rapped. So bam! Media gravitated to it; the label would use that as an angle. People are dying for that alternative right now."

He adds: "I have kids come up to me and say, 'Your CD got me off Slim Shady.' And it really sort of surprised me because that was never the intention. But I started to think about it. I can sit here and whine about my artistic pride or I can say, 'OK, God, if that's how You want to use me to reach some kid, that's more important.'"

Still, he cautions believers against vilifying Eminem.

"I've had Christian kids and youth pastors say that they don't just dislike Eminem, they hate him. Unfortunately, too many Christians cop that attitude. I tell my crowd: 'Look, Eminem is not the enemy. We don't wrestle against flesh and blood. He's doing this because of his background.'

"[Am I] saying go out and buy your kid an Eminem CD? Definitely not. But I am saying, at least understand why somebody's doing something before you condemn them."

Even if he never gets that call from Mathers, KJ is glad his music is helping to shift the church's attitude toward unbelievers. Still, he hasn't given up hope that Eminem will listen to the song and take its message to heart.

"I hope he would take it with the right attitude," KJ concludes. "I continue to pray for him; I continue to pray for those like him; and I just keep doing what God told me to do."
Robert Andrescik

Good Read

The Young Man in the Mirror (Broadman & Holman) by Patrick Morley. How many times have you read a good book and thought, I wish I would have gotten hold of this message 20 years ago! Patrick Morley's latest offering, The Young Man in the Mirror: A Rite of Passage Into Manhood, is such a book. This time around, the best-selling author and men's ministry guru offers the benefit of his wisdom and life experience to the next generation of men with advice on everything...literally! From finding identity and purpose to practical advice on dating and sex, it's all there. Think of it as your son's roadmap on the journey to manhood. The book is practical without coming across as preachy or predictable. And, the writing is tight enough for even the shortest attention span. As a bonus, Morley has peppered each chapter with discussion questions, which makes this little gem perfect for group discussion or father-son discipleship times. Your son will come back to this one again and again. You'll be glad when he does.

Bottom line: If only someone had written this book when you were growing up! Morley's advice is directed at young men, but dads will enjoy this book too. Best to read it together.

Family Flick

Left Behind II: Tribulation Force (Cloud Ten Pictures; VHS $27.95, DVD $29.95). This second movie based on the best-selling novels by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins trumps the first movie by being less: less melodramatic, less preachy, less frantic about special effects. The cinematography (the single biggest factor in a film's visual appeal) makes for a vast improvement, by itself. As it's supposed to, but rarely does in faith-based films, the music actually helps set the mood of each scene, without being overwhelming.

OK, there remain enough examples of hokeyness to elicit the familiar refrain, "Come on, Christian filmmakers, you can do better!" A scene of cops shooting looters is incongruous; the climax is weak; the two "witnesses" at the Wailing Wall appear to read from a TelePrompTer; a computer-enhanced crowd looks, well, computer-enhanced.

All things considered, however, it's a movie families can enjoy together. It's wholesome entertainment, sure, but it can also be a springboard for discussions about faith and courage. Intended primarily for believers, the spiritual scenes aren't trite or too pat, and it contains just enough tension and action to keep kids interested.

Bottom line: Decent family fair that'll prompt more discussions than grimaces.

WINTER TECH

CrosSled ($229-$289; crossled.com). Think "dogsled without the dogs." One person (or several children) sits in front, while another stands on rails in the back and kicks against the snow-covered ground. Before long, you're skimming along the icy tundra. Yee-ha! Sorry, but this thing truly is a blast. It's a godsend for the elderly and parents of little ones who yearn for wintry excursions. As if it weren't perfect enough, it folds flat for storage and transportation.

MET5 Jacket by North Face (about $500; northface.com). Be cold no more. Woven inside this trim jacket's material is a network of heating fibers that keep wearers toasty in the most frigid weather. The "thermostat"--which cranks up to 114 degrees--is located in the chest pocket for easy access with gloved hands. Lightweight batteries can be charged through a car's cigarette lighter, a standard house outlet or a solar charger.

AvaLung II by Black Diamond Equipment ($119.95; blackdiamondequipment.com). There you are, making tracks on Vail Mountain's backside, when nature expresses its displeasure by burying you in 20 feet of packed power. Fear not, for you have the AvaLung II, which extracts air from snow, letting you breath until help arrives. Now you can turn up your MET5 Jacket and vow to stick to the bunny trails next time.

X6 'Wristop Computer' by Suunto ($349; suunto.com). It knows your altitude, compass bearings and degree of slope; it monitors temperature and barometric pressure (and warns you of possible sudden storms); it calculates your rate of ascent or descent. Of course it logs lap times and can download records to a PC. And it's all accessed through a menus system, similar to cell phones.

Catching Up With Steven Curtis Chapman

You already know that Steven Curtis Chapman is Christendom's most award-winning musician, and that he genuinely seeks the heart of God in his personal life (you did read New Man's September/October 2001 cover story about him, didn't you?). Still, this is a guy who is constantly throwing fresh irons in the fire, so we wanted to know, What's new? Despite his valiant dash for the tour bus, we cornered him backstage during his Live Out Loud concert tour.

New Man: Tell me about your new album, All About Love?

Steven Curtis Chapman: It's about relationships, which are the greatest gift God has given us. Our relationship with Him through His Son is the highest expression of that gift, but I'm just awed by His design for human connectedness. We need one another; we have a deep desire for relationships.

NM: You're not going to hug me, are you, Steven?

Chapman: I can resist. Really, the album is a collection of love notes to my wife, Mary Beth. In fact, many of the songs came from cards and letters I've written to her over the years.

NM: Why am I suddenly tasting saccharin?

Chapman: The relationship between husband and wife is sweet, but at times it can be bitter and difficult, and sad and frustrating, and absolutely wonderful. I hope the songs on All About Love capture that range of emotions. Mostly, it's about the awesomeness of our relationships--with God, with our spouses, our children, one another. Love is sweet, but it doesn't have to be expressed in sugary-sweet ways.

NM: I didn't mean to imply the songs are saccharin-sweet. In fact, they're very bold and powerful.

Chapman: In many ways that's the way love is. It's whispers in an ear and shouts from a mountaintop.

NM: Being able to express your love for your wife through your music, so expansively, so publicly, must be like giving her the biggest bouquet of roses in the world. Is your marriage bullet-proof?

Chapman: I don't know if you can say that about any marriage, but I hope I'm doing everything I can to make it that way. About 10 years ago God opened my eyes to the fact that relationships need constant nurturing. I grew up in a house where "divorce" was not in our vocabulary. My father was very active in church leadership, but he got out of the loop, out of fellowship, and ultimately, after 28 years of marriage, my parents got a divorce. That was one of the biggest blows to my faith. I realized that saying things like, "Divorce is not an option," is not enough. You need to pray for your marriage and with your wife, and be in an accountability group, and never take that person God put you with for granted.

NM: Do you think it's fair for people to hold Christians who are in the limelight to a higher standard, to expect them to be role models?

Chapman: I understand as well as anybody that we all struggle with sin every day. We slip. We strive and fail, and hopefully we get just a little closer to the way God wants us to be as we recover from each failure. But I do think that if you chose or are called to stand before people and proclaim your faith in Christ, more often than not, you should reflect what it means to be a God follower. You hear musicians say: "Hey, I just want to make music. I'm not a role model." But by picking up that microphone, like it or not, you are accepting a responsibility to the people who listen to you.

NM: So you're doing some acting?

Chapman: Oh, I'm finding that I can really get into the whole acting thing. I made my television debut in an episode of Doc on PAX-TV [which aired in February 2002]. That was a lot of fun. I'd love to play one of the missionaries in a movie about Jim Elliot, Nate Saint and the others killed in Ecuador--the Through Gates of Splendor story. [On his tour, Chapman treated audiences to a powerful musical-visual presentation of the story.] Acting seems like another way to communicate God's values to people.

NM: So you're a movie buff?

Chapman: I like good ones. Most of what's coming out of Hollywood is garbage. I'd love to be part of movies that enrich the spirit, that touch people in wholesome ways. Chariots of Fire, The Shawshank Redemption--I cry every time I see them. I want to be in something on that level.
Bob Liparulo