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Substantial Discourse

by LJ

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1.
Introspect 03:52
Tell you whats the truth regardless if its versus feelings Any empty philosophies don't compute with spirit fillin Appreciate support but praise I don't recommend it If you know me long enough its guaranteed you'll get offended look Call me a critic but don't speak for your approval All eyes on me don't mean the truth will get removed my dude Been shaped like clay, days in the womb made for me Though sometimes I do complain my pain ain here to stay Ay, I'm no longer resigned to how some view me from the outside Have a timeline of hurts I hide I Am not the hardest, don't stress what I've been through And I know I'm not the strongest put my confidence in truth God This flesh has often failed me and it never gives me love Same for all my logic, my intelligence is dust Jeremiah 17:5 show the truths above On down thru Philippians its foolish choosin us Loss of all our knowledge when we lose the fear of God And its hard, recognizing how they thinkn when you play your part and before Some folk seen me as lame, others like yu cool Submitted to my elders, and done modelled for the youth Yet still attacked and prone to act on if my day is smooth Man, its the lil things my heart decides to take a hold of Like despite people prophesyin over my life I still carried bein called ugly couple times And some think its only jokin when you throw about them words But that death is ever present when yo tongue is loosely girdled Ay I know sum glanced at me and thought I was nothin And I know sum uplift with intent I'm gone give em sumthin None are for me But on this line, it brings pride got me trying to flirt with dimes Guess it was that feelin when she said I was a cute guy love to make em laugh Some called me sexy and I smirked inside All while knowin I have no plans to provide or nourish one as a wife Well Its just that knowin I could make what my eye desires mine Treasures in my heart dig til I find It ain jus self-esteem im tryn be the God of my life Its all cool, thru my faults and at the cross I learnEd forgiveness When folk seeN my different when I'm spittin before thought me insignificant Like hey Ain kno you rap Ye its a fact At first held back but awkward convos benefit my tact They be like where you been at? ShooT I been right here Prolly ain always as outgoing as I ought to be I prefer sit back observe and choose my counsel carefully Still it leads me to seeds planted and at that rejoice Keeping watch that I don't fall to please the people's voice Don't care no longer if I be the last people's choice Yo The perspective is different when I take an honest look into my inner workings I've never been an athletic star nor the popular person I don't care about your social class, caste systems Is ancient I lay down the truth to the black white asian racists bigots and haters the geek alone at the table the biggest football player bring me out to a gangster pregnant teenager The gospel I been graced with don't know names or status Only the command to take it to the generation preserved before creation to be saved but declaration is the mission that He laid I don't know who is lost, but direction I'll display And its definitely not by my efforts that I pray to see a change Christ showin eyes they blind by the current age I just gotta be faithful, ain't out for conversions And if you countn who YOU'VE saved, then they may not be converted Everything from the beginning of repentance to the remission of sins Is a miraculous and mysterious event of grace's intervention And I'm a walking witness, even in this state of incompletion I'm completing the commission
2.
Dedication 02:58
As I listen to this discourse I was provoked by those who arose from Freedmen's I see the exposition of a blasphemic position of which this man spoke of my lineage traced Insinuating I'm chasing the same model of those forefathers who broke obedience Feeling these words connect and cut my heart as he proclaims us stiff-necked I start to instigate Marked approval as his gaze went star-ward As I resolve to hearken havoc on all who follow But along I'm altered instead of called to one I offered oxygen to articulate attempts of offing all who call upon this synagogue Stopped in my trek with the letters I got permission from to bring these folk to Jerusalem for justice Blinded by none other than the light that called Ananias to rendezvous at Straight and inquire the House of Judas Scalar magnitude left my eyes and the one who imprisoned Christians now preaches Christ Immediately find politics unimportant The council recognizes I'm chosen for Gentiles and can't thwart that I've been adorned for this very purpose Purported were false intentions of this bondservant But quite a few can attest to my workings With no objective to boast or put a stumbling block I sarcastically mock by talking of my hardships They called this craft soft I'm at heart and physically by birth regarded Hebrew Israelite, and Abrahamic descendant Minister of the new covenant More to remembered In labor more abundant Stripes measured with the rule of prison frequent And deaths even better Five times forty minus one lashes Bashed with rods three times Stoned Just like the triple shipwrecked scenarios Peril in city, wilderness, sea Spent a night and day in the deep Often toiled and weary Yet clothed in nakedness Cold and sleepless from false brethrens Starving along with deprivation of water And concern for all I've witnessed to Narrowly escaped through a basket But as for this The glorious contrast is the past letters to be delivered were my zeal to end them To being the prime chief author of these epistles that are living Now listen, and read them These are the very words of deity entrusted to me Sufficient to convict and bring to repentance You can hear my faint screams And the life as it bleeds profusely urging you to seek Him Believe it Believe it Believe it -Dedicated to Formerly known Saul of Tarsus Grace & Peace
3.
Setting 04:52
13 letters tossed aside, eyes blood red as he opens them to his surprise he's wakin up on time Grind and rise Day to day thats how he raised to survive Never breaking for those prophets less its checks for his time Yeah the world is messed up, and everybody knows it But who is he to say he knows change, only folding Bills that leave him in a clinic, so he Clinton Cheat this life but stay on the hill Can't let trials bend him To an outsider seem like he independent Bet he even have kids that look at him with interest Not like he a killer, or robbin with techs Stocks invest, job's market Honest livin, barely lie unless its death Kicks it with church folk, and haves deep discussions But shallowly he doubts that it all comes something Fuels his pride to think he's accepted and that he done but Overtime, sudden death tests what he become Consciously awake to a state of knowing he made the biggest mistake How many times had they said he shouldn't wait How many times did he brush this off and call it fate Blind faith, didn't take the time to think Am I good if my standards I don't meet? Looked at others like he meek but now completely aware He had time to seek if that which he clowned would make him a jester Now his flesh is boiling with wounds never to fester Worms checkin in and out while he beggin for a drip Liquid nowhere near, and the only thing left to sip Is the love that he rejected, present as his greatest fear, Reflectin on loved ones grievin, thinking that he chill in heaven Nothing less than perfection demanded, and he fell short The only thing that mattered was knowing that Jesus Christ is Lord Baptism and a prayer ain't excuse the danger Now he met the God ignored, but sadly through His anger Without a shadow of a doubt cast in the mind, This is one valley you would never tread but leave behind Probably thought the whole depiction fiction, Liked the diction but may end up as one who fits the description Folk who trust in their works, or words said on a certain day Threw up a prayer, and now you live in any way that you pleasin Some family passed before, surely you remember weeping The most decent thing to think is they coolin with their wings, Yeah I used to think the same, but we know there comes a day When justice will arrive, and this time he's taking sins away The harder way, and you won't be saved cause you were raised To act a certain way or observe a certain day Your lips may give praise, but the heart's far from surrender There's no middle ground, He's either in your He isn't If Heaven is the prize, Hell is what you gettin Life is knowing Christ, not bout what he had trended Historical evidence is blatant for those denying the life Resurrected was the debate, not the fact that he died Prime link to all of the scriptures, the difference between the casual believer and those who really in it Small snippets for the big picture, traditional sayings and superstition And then there's wishful thinking Like its for the G, and you have a mansion waitin to ease you in to live lavishly Forget what happened see Deep down, utopia's foreshadowed in these living creatures But also conscience for the wicked deeds did Question is, why does death leave em speechless Search and see its, scriptures by fervent witnesses, not myths Actual men, left their homes To account, of His home Matthew, Mark, Luke, Peter, John and yeah Paul Brought the truth its only through Christ life is restored And now set up for you Is this witness I report Forewarned Only one way
4.
Examination 08:21
Before long, we'll pass on They say forget about tomorrow, just carry on But this question's for the week(weak), and the strong What is it all for What is it all for Heaven and hell sound like lofty theological virtues when explaining to a person who's eyes you're looking into They agree its unfair in this life that we endure But still cautious when exploring if its something more What is it all for Poor(pour) drink in the day while rich cup their hands for more Surrounded by a culture that consumes their concentration on their twitter instagram and search for updates more than history's course So much stuff to look up So much life - just look up But are these all numbers to get hooked up Statistics given only for an organization's agenda Why give to them They just want our senses to give cents Like a senseless act of violence, A life taken by self-interest Never took the time to ask what is this Is there something beyond the sensual appeals Til the night you're gone, and the past you mourn to fulfill Before long, we'll pass on They say forget about tomorrow, just carry on But this question's for the week(weak), and the strong What is it all for What is it all for (x2) Justice sounds like an odd topic when talking of God Cause we know there's something wrong but Why won't he stop it? They probably casually laughed and called him faggot but what happens when that fellow classmate has same sex attractions And they casting adjectives at him til reaction seems there's no way to go RIP Pacheco RIP the folk gunned down in their own homes And those who witnessed Even if they make it out the hood, post trauma visits them Envy gets, any men Even when a kid is illegally whipped to knit those twin pairs of kicks they'll grow sick of in a minute But at least they get to work right? Some children are invisible See, there is no hope shown by just telling folk that it could be worse We need to know the pain we go through serves a purpose on this earth Suicide don't seem as crazy when some question they work Hard to see reality make another 24 worth it Before long, we'll pass on They say forget about tomorrow, just carry on But this question's for the week(weak), and the strong What is it all for What is it all for (x2) A thirst not to be poor as to despair and steal A hunger not to be rich enough to forget whats real (reel) Fishy how some pretend to act like they got it sealed When in reality we all ignorant of the end revealed Do we really know God exists? Thats the endless quest Did Christ really live and die, did He resurrect? Can I put the things from religion up to the test And make em relevant upon that which my eyes now always rest? Even if I'm the one to make it, I'm still facing death What makes me different from the next one guessing Who will soon rest in the same position that left me perplexed, stressing I'm confined by this concept Of time that leaves me on this Road to find whats honest Like how much left in this verse can I impart To let the hearer question living before I departed Educated lies, or was truth in the margin, to solve it This quest This test This time This rest The rest will rest Best guess - who's next Whats next its complex The complex Of the complexity of the mind Time's a thief, needs no relapse of the tracks its running Burning bridges as we hope for discernment Internment camped in ourselves The breadth of breath we get Til we closer to death Rocks the process of how far will we go to live How much will we give Can we control our soul's deepest yearning? A life of purpose is the purpose of life Not for certain Curtain call these actors, you'll see hollywood ain't perfect Portrayal of betrayal of our own self is lurkin Who wants to be rejected Who wants to be neglected Who doesn't have a dream that the can be in some place better No, thats not the question we know Its if reached, do we lose hope Is this it What I live for I don't wanna be just like the wind, blow Round , never know how to live life though Heard there are many ways, but this my road At the end, is there light in my tunnel What I live for What I live for Is this it What I live for Seems So many roads So many ways So many paths Where can I stay Where do I stay Tell me what to live for Knowledge never brings peace at funerals Memories fade away and you reminded some day You gone be the same staring blank at the face Of another youngin Gazin at a taste of vapor What you did in this life had no power to save ya Gandhi met the same fate as Hitler And the Jews Religion didn't prevent them from dying too What is there to trust in Before you say goodbye? Should you look within yourself What should you try? This is all just evolution Ain't that right Thats what they say when they don't like the sound of God So if we're chance Quit lookin for worth Cause right now your pleasure it what you must serve Some hearing this gone try a lifetime but never realize You won't find satisfaction from inside out 'Cause we're all just water in a current drought They say bond together, don't waste time finding out Since once you in, you pinned down for life Or what they call living Before you're finished Just make the question Is this it What I live for I don't wanna be just like the wind, blow Round , never know how to live life though Heard there are many ways, but this my road At the end, is there light in my tunnel What I live for What I live for Is this it What I live for Seems So many roads So many ways So many paths Where can I stay Where do I stay What should we take Cause at the height of all science and philosophizin None can deny our longing for a better state A better place For God set eternity in the hearts of men Both a blessing and a curse depending on your reason for work No matter the climb or descent or if a recent position You will not reach contentment and feel confined in life's daily grind Yet somehow we keep in mind that Amidst injustice, we deserve our world to serve us And the greatest misfortune Trusting in justification by our works, bruh
5.
Your grandma probably love me Your homeboys hate this But thats okay 'cause Ima give you what you need This not what you wantin This not what you cravin Its what you been waitin for so ima give you what you need Ima give you what you need (x3) LJ So erbody a thug now They all trappin them drugs now Said they up next Kinda suspect they ain't bout that life All I heard was death Know some tryn meet ends Not concerned bout how they gone end (N) If that O added when Christ has to say Don't know who you been (ben) (lover of money folk) Jamin chasin after that benz Still can't whip enough for that sin That price heavy on em Light up but aint hide dark deeds that they did (hi)High off anything that they get (bye)Buy whatever meet what they wish Which only last for a couple hours til they want what they can't get Or what they seem to need Speak on this frequency So you tune in Turnt up on the urgency That fast life Trying to zoom in Past truth, present to you Don't lose it Been gifted with this rhyme scheme To skip the dream, wake you from your sleep Give the only thing that you ever need (Hook) Santiago If Jesus Christ was foolishness then I would die a fool But then I would resurrect and be like told you He was true See some folks don't wanna listen and thats why they stay confused They be like "You believe in Jesus? Yeah thats just your point of view" Can't explain the peace that passes understanding When I pray I don't just meditate I'm elevated to a higher place And when we prayed for my healing to God concerning my state He came in and made the disease disappear without a trace This ain't a game You insane? I ain't doin this in vain Yeah I really met with Jesus and I'll never be the same His Spirit baptized me A new language I obtained His power took me to the floor This isn't just something I claim (Hook) LJ Ay its more than a rhyme and its more than a beat You can move to the vibe but you won't be free Chains over 1k but you won't find peace This more than a chance for escape from the heat You dead off in your grave fam You ain just sleep or dazin You think you live but chasin The beef between your Maker You meet (meat) Him ? be tragic He'll bag ya , won't last versus wrath man His anger will crash ya Less that blood mask ya Forgiveness, believe in His claims to be cleaned And see sin as the treason Now look You turned around Used to turn up Til you found life Now dead's just Them old ways you loved so much When that Spirit came and changed ya Lets make it crystal clear bout the grace that He sent He never needed you, just you needed Him Its the last that you want, but the first thing you needin Truth of the church and return of Jesus (Hook)
6.
Substance 04:10
If you agree or not we all got our take on substance Through everything we do its just a search for endless plunder Claim to know the way and fight to make it known to others Ten toes down til we 6 feet under Stand for death til it hits - This life is more than kicks Still we spend it like a joke Defined by everything we get Choke out warnings of our conscience Happiness is what we want I'm talkin to myself as much as you if this feels harsh but Hardships hearken character Just reveals your heart From the start it was dark and Not the problem's fault for nonsense The response is either offense Or ignoring what is falling Til it all comes crashin down upon us And its obvious I've failed as a son, a friend, a brother, and any other role that I've been under And when I'm trying harder is the time that I discover I can never do the good my heart demands from others Man I been trying for a minute here Trying to figure out just what substance is And if it is What I find, will it make things clear Would it either be something that I love or fear And if I fear, is there love to give Is there reason to live When I figure out what substance is And if there's reason to live Do I fear its not the substance wished Could I love in spite of how it appears They preach education As if that could make a man raised to get paper changed by regurgitating facts and figures Its just an educated sinner No different from the man who robbin folks to fill the fridge week by week for dinner We see a criminal thats full of malicious intent He just saw a kid at home who needed food so he could live The family unit's been destroyed And men see they can't fix it So they leave cuz bein used by God requires much dependence Don't pin this all on them Cuz fam no one's the victim Its more than social ills and people poverty stricken Racism still exists, but all of these are just a symptom Hearts are callous and there is no approach to government No man in office for change No economic sustenance Nothing will recover the damage done, bank on this The stocks and money will crash, everything seen we corrupt with fear Out of ignorance of what we know is real Man They been trying for a minute here Trying to tell these folk just what substance is If its this, What they give, is this reason to live Is this really what we teach our kids Is this love or fear That we don't question if this is real Do we fear that there's nothing better than what appears Or do we really love this down inside and keep it concealed Cause of how good doin wrong is makin us feel Would someone tell me why is sin and hell the last topics of discussion But these folk are quick to rally like they think know of justice Half these cats the ones to claim that only God can judge me Yet they rush to wish His judgment on those that they think unworthy The situation was tense, profilin was the subject George shouldn't have followed and Trayvon shouldn't have confronted him The scuffle aggravated, self-defense or not, was murder Yet instead of choosin grace, each assumed who was worser And we still do the same, and if you think you not a Zimmerman Then you don't get the basic of the grace that God has given On the view of heaven, man was sure to be destroyed and yet Not like Lucifer, provision given for redemption Men livin like they not guilty, thats injustice Christ took the punishment that each of us deservin So those folk who vengeful, not just defending truth Will receive the measure of the vengeance on themselves too I had to take a minute here Just to let these folk know what substance is No greater love than this One that lays down its life for a friend But this one was higher than this Christ, He didn't lay down His life for this friend Jesus died in my place while I was still in my sin Amen No greater love than that one that He gives The fear is gone Substance is that He lives in all believing in Him Raised from death just to show that we'll live Anyone placing trust in this gift Overcame, for those forsaking the world Our inheritance is Being His, forever to live Forever we'll live Forever we'll live
7.
Our God is an awesome God He reigns from heaven above With wisdom power and love Our God is an awesome God And when the sky was starless in the void of night He spoke into the darkness and created light Our God is an awesome God He reigns from heaven above With wisdom power and love Our God is an awesome God With thunder rain and hail His love and wisdom overflows He can never fail Our God is an awesome God Established on His own No man could add up to His excellence Nor add on to Any attempt in the end was futile Regardless of background He was God, is and before man would enter in to the scene Seen winds and waves into existence with His spit Master MC, crafted words that produced instant fruit And everlasting, from everlasting to everlasting, in eternity past Passed decreed predestination of deserved wrath Objects graced with a role as those receiving affection to play No right for us to ask of Him right, we are clay Rights are none, He is just, He is judge and above all yet all the above originated from His love Goodness and mercy extends from the beginning of genesis to the ending of the last sentence in revelation Forevermore, Lord, conquered the conquests of men To exalt themselves above Him in knowledge or free will Yes He will not be stilled by horrendous acts, Execution is that which shows justice to those combatted with tragedy Heard the cries of the poor Lacking nothing when lavishing Riches laid upon the lackadaiscal legions of unbelievers Finding solace in His things Oh the irony Even when trying to escape Him Man is left to a whole world of His Creation And nothing man made can duplicate what He's created Science is a non-category He is prefixed with Omni In observation in all of nature's story The beautiful God of paradox Doctored sin's sickness with a twist in plot That could have stopped with swift coffins To all who violated His Call to repentance Instead offered an innocent provision who, keeping with all the customary rituals, Obedient in vigil up to death on a cross God, being wrapped in flesh left His seat of privilege To fulfill the scripture "Why am I forsaken," the center And end of His cup of wrath to satisfy redemption Of all who enter in belief and subsequent submission to the Spirit Livin inside of them, to be witnesses of the Witness of Him sent by the Father Trinitarian cycle, an eternal dance man is invited to jig in but never required
8.
Right Here 04:37
I'm right here I'm right here I'm right here I'm right here You asking where its at Its right here Been sayin what you need fam I got it right here Its right here Right here, the voice you been ignoring Saying something's gotta give for all the things you been exploring At first I take it slow but you must know that I'm imploring Stuff that most claim trivial and quick to strike it off as boring What bore me Don't place as an option or alternative This is truth and if you die without it then you'll never live Not a narrative, or settlement, not set up, its the setting for the wretched men This is your witness here Of this, living liquid that had the status Before the nimbostratus had evaporated, vapor, to h2o, His reign was theocratic And is still, though men distill the still pictures plastered Across the atmosphere, without excuse to say God isn't real Your foolish faith seals what is revealed Through heaven, wrath stemming from Adam Killed off the brethren's, fellowship with their Daddy Sin is imputed, or given, to all born after And in the same pattern If trust placed in Christ through faith You're righteous for the master They ask why it matters Well, tell me who formed your matter? You're righteous for the master But why does it matter Rappers pastor flocks and lead chapel To standards thats backwards They cash in on acts of travesty they've never prolly never had to see While young lads be the theatrics While I probably won't make an average living off these apples Of knowledge, forbidden to the young mind By records trying to mine dust for gold, I'm speaking of reversal, the tree of life is freely given to all who ask But most accredit God to religion An abstract, impersonal, abyss, that no man can grasp But your math's wack, if you laugh at Those serious about Christ, your path's wrath No such thing, as doing too much Thismeans you think you're doing enough Thats an arrogant position for one who don't know how long they will be living Limited time only is your existence And your ending's already been written Never kept the message hidden Even if it is, its to the perishing in their condition Love the sin, you'll be a sinner And God's lens sees wicked if He doesn't see Christ's blood over your innards Its a message proclaimed, Christ is the only way, and they can label me anything To scientists - creationist, politically conservative, pro-lifer, bigot But I will, defend homosexuality is a sin Rights for all men, and women, but if livin in unrepentant sin Meaning set on staying within, and disregard for what is written Its your will versus the Sovereign And God will squash men Not pointing to Christ as the only option There is no spirit guides that are not demonic and zodiac signs That can define your life's doctrine, horoscopic, admonishin, is paganish The cost to follow Christ is all in, see Lordship as over every single inch Of rule made of conduits, He's Ruler of Rulers, no mafia or mob operates outside of God's margins The Lord will not be mocked All will bow to the Rock's calling
9.
10.
I told my sister don't get offended when I'm rappin midsentence I need to get that inspiration in quick And this goes to the rest of them askin Like are you listenin bruh? Sorry so esoteric Prayin these folk can enter The context of my lines when they hear it And the sphere of influence translates So others get a glimpse when the thought escapes So crowded in my mind Random lines trying to find the right mood and rhythmn to put them too, With topics that your optics can relate through Yet still be a top pick and not exclude A riddle in (ritalin) that subdues mediocrity that you're used to Delivery all accounted So no deficit in attention Make a ten fit But graded on a curve cause of contemporary content Con tinted within a small window of time Is what hip hop is Thats why my mind's content I'm brief with boxers, tell em an alternate option to violence walk with confidence without sock in (sockin) Gotta throw it off before a beater evolves See under wariness starts with hearts when marks targeted never market Like dang, you just wanted a retail(retell) store-(y) Worthy of sellin, cause sales(sails) only move by breath of men swellin The wind beneath your wings Ground below your feet Mean we want the earth all above to bow to Me But partner Me's a beast Before you know it feast with your enemies Thinkin like, are they down for me? Honestly, I have no sympathy for society Defined materially, men branded by fabric rather than having it backwards And no love unless you sackin, have sacks, stacks, dribble, or rappin Add to that wack academics not class-oriented Towards a viable occupation for the cost of living Huh Don't make sense While they trying to blow like Kurtis, I'm curt with those not getting the rhymes trajectory Angled at present day infirmities and iniquities, get me in any city and state and business will be given They don't get it I'd rather be relatively unknown than another clone dronin on to folk how dope he is Flow for no more than one Jehovah Nissi is the only audience So if this audio never makes it past Him or gets clappin I'm content with the one who made hands to clap with, happy Status is An instance, in which instantly ends tint with new beginnings cleared for misfits that seek bliss The refuse of refugees refusin rest in relentless pursuits I'm checkin how my life sound now outside the booth Cause thats where my waves reverberate Frequently, I'm the vertebrae 33 deep like scottie, but glorify the first heir (air), 23
11.
Alright Now this is renewal of the mind A time taken out to reflect on what is mine(d) Over matter cuz above the chest is what controls my life The thoughts circulate then the tongue makes it set Now lets get into this When I spin this most won't get it but I'll articulate how things been different Least for me they've been Since I've been Hit with the mercy and Given independence from what I used to be trapped within see Now is the transformation of what I've been stuck on Reproduced to you, so you can quote this song So if I'm living wrong You bring it up Confront me for the broken promises I've given to this stuff I desire not, for the fly by night type of love That might seem right, but is so quickly in the dust When I link up, gotta be something special Matter fact Not even that, divinely appointed act Where the scene unfolds to a purposeful lover Not a heated night under the covers Might be stumbled upon but it was orchestrated under The predetermined knowledge of my failures and my falls And her packaged and delivered with some faults So that the union is more than a move in with what I want Instead a testament that I gotta build this mug up lifelong commitment And without ignorance to the fact that sex will make an infant Most people skip this But this questions haunts me Daunting What if my son or daughter receives my falling? Can you imagine having to explain to your offspring That they wasn't wanted just the condom was faulty? Nah, can't have it even if I did it I pray God Make me stay around so they can see my blemished image Even if its just to say, don't be like your pops Or maybe get a chance to show my grace to change my walk How great a blessing that would be to see me being remade right infront of their eyes And understand to God all the glory Or how much more on how I might plan to do Still remember what the homie Zach told me to Said in the aesthetic presence that he could see me telling and loving on prostitutes, gang members and felons Now thats a paraphrase but he said inner city dwellers And I thought how cuz I done grew up too different But pops told me you commissioned with compassion Don't always gotta relate, just show the love fashioned to you I might just scrap any dreams I have Pack up, forget my status Move straight into the heart of battle Warzone where they bang and make hate the average Maybe even raise a family understanding that any given second could be my last one standing Coming late on night and my son on the couch or something wondering when I'm coming but unaware that day a sermon hit the nerve of an angry person And the bang bang make my body drop just like a dummy But even then praying instilled God's will is within the field So that when he awakens to the news He may shed a tear or two And say daddy made his quiver full And I'm the next arrow aimed at Satan to be sent straight into battle Not trying to be brave but obedient to the Master Cuz this is Maranatha mindset Even if you ain't a Christian its a constant process Remindin yourself that your mind in itself Is oxygen for hellfire itself The tongue will feed upon and induce it Thats why they say watch what you say you may be lighter fluid Moving that innocent little kid, into a juvey Justice thats what I'm dispensin Spit with wisdom folk try to prohibit and if you askin what this is I'll reply This is renewal of the mind To help you redefine your grind Maybe if you see mine you can align your plans to God's sovereign timeline Yeah Ayo I'm just an immigrant Imminent to be ostracized for the accent of my origin Popular ethic's quick To say ideas from my ethnic's wit Don't correspond with the truth of this Atmosphere that we livin in Most say its illegitimate We breath the same oxygen So how I got permission for objective hints? I'll let you (ketch)catch up Most will never must(a)er (d)the intelligence to realize All them lies is fed UP The Alpha can't stomach the sin, so truth is so suppressed Looks for drink to wash it down and finds a lukewarm mess They liquids sittin in the middle gotta tell em get a side and pick The real pack know His voice never quick to quit But God forbid, 99 of them try to diss the 1 in ignorance Oblivious to the reason they His Ain't cuz of what they did From the cradle to the casket this life is a quick trip Dip out the crib, feel bliss and just sit Chill in the whip, cruisin then get hit Killed in an instant, soul and flesh split With vehicular manslaughter Some kid lost their father Some coroner just gotta body The judge gotta sentence Reporter gotta number Oh Lord please forgive me My heart's gone under! Unaffected by the fact that life is passing yet I still don't catch the way that I be acting don't resemble your compassion Need more than livin up and laughin plus fun There's time for that but lack reflection Can't just have good nights need mo(u)rning I spit truth in booths but do I show love And not just dap to the supportin? And thats real But switch it up Please don't be misled There's still time bruh A whole lot of men have made bold claims Only one who hit the grave and ain't stay Stay chasin life but ask which'll fade away Don't get caught up in the hype we all just vapors in the play Play the hand you dealt but look in the perspective of the game Wealth in this realm will never add up or equate Question why you livin 'fore you get to dissin what I say Investigate And find a bible in a language you relate Peep that Jesus 'fore your time to hit the grave He the only one who hit the cave and ain't stay
12.
Enter 04:06
I remember grandma Mina Loungin in her rockin chair Or is it a recliner I'm still unaware Anyways me and my sis would wake up early Then my pops would drop us off Spent half the morning at her crib Life then had felt so soft My great grandmother Sarah Was in the life we shared Pancakes would have me dreamy Hot chocolate freshly steamin Backyard Played ball Oblivious to what was sinkin I'm thinkin All Good Despite she resides in the hood At least I said that til evenings Memories That ain ever leavin Hospitalized My grandma Sarah Suffered pain I couldn't bear to Watch her while she struggled Yeah I left words muzzled Yeah we had issues, disagreements But ain ask for what I'm seein Then comes the funeral Man I just can't believe it Folk said thats just Your great grandmother Not your brother or your cousin But that changed my view on life & all my loved ones I was young, feel bad And I forget her cause of death But that was the first & I'd known it ain't the last Thought heaven while I'm grievin She's gone be where she can see me But I confess My soul won't rest Til I can see her After my death My point is Life's quick as Moments skipped But we figure We got it right, no waitin right Paradise is where I'm stayin the night I die Don't care how I lived I know that God forgives How could He stop my homeboy from ever entering? How could He separate us? I'll tell you what its sin Its gone keep you and I from ever enterin Our hearts are good People told us But what does good mean to Him? Since his standard is perfection On a scale of one to ten you rate negative I could now bound you up quick Teach truth that tickles your ear But all will be accountin Yes you listenin Peruse through our actions How we had used our talents Time and life to worship Him Please understand I know He loves you But you must yield to Him Confess he's in control Allowed to move within You got free will He won't force At the cross death lost the war Don't have to be afraid He raised to life so in court You're clean Justified So when you live this life, when you die You've arrived to eternally dine as the bride of Jesus Christ I could talk more But its your time to enter Romans 10
13.
3 is the max pair of kicks I've had in the same time length Width skipped me, was height and skinny Pullin girls or good at sports was never my strength I'd be quiet and reserved, isolated at times With a mind curious for a search Certain things I wish I had did, but I look forward with confidence And don't seek to be anything than what is found in the scripts Its a mystery how I can condense Thoughts into a rhythmn And bring change to all types of men, with integrity cause often I grapple with ideas of gravel filled lines til I rewind - I was never down with the street life Fights, and pipin sticky green lime rolled up Never appealed inside, from a different environment but Exposed while shy and introverted Searchin for identity amidst identical persons, uou'd say Herded, typically as a kid trying to fit in But its good to be alive and forgiven of sin I'd heard it, typically as a kid trying to fit in But its good to be alive and forgiven of sin hurtin, typically as a kid trying to fit in But its good to be alive and forgiven of sin Amen While so many trying to rise And shine I'm just so hype I get to rise And cry Trying to reflect on why I'm in line Not gone lie, it'd be times I'd wake up askin why I'm alive To wakin thankin God I survived Cause I rewind back to freshman year When I would hate comin home just to hear Another argument, and learn the facts Of something I'm not allowed to talk of on wax But His grace had my back And sustained me Though I'd skip them football games that folk had been ravin Bout I never cowered though I questioned I'm forgiven, is the blessing Anything else, an addition to provision that You kept still Insecure But you heard that on introspect I never had the type of presence that demanded respect Would think I'm nice if we talked but I know of my mess Message given, dead in sin, but now I'm livin righteous You'd think I'm nice if we talked, but I know of my mess Gospel message, I was dead, but I'm counted righteous Would think I'm fine if we talked, but I know I'm a mess Resurrected, once was dead, now I'm livin, I'm blessed Though times I'm slippin now As I'm thinkin, things I should say Should be more interactive Should point more to the way When I'm feelin so discouraged I'm filled by Him anyway My emotions from inside Can never dictate the day I know mistakes I'm gone make I just pray I learn today Tomorrow seem so far away I got so much on my plate Like four or five assignments Stead I'm writin some rhymes okay I'm trippin off just thinkin on who gone be my prom date, but ay The little worries like these always make me think Christ on the cross meant its all finished for me Might not do the things others call The optimum with my potential with the life I'm given But my credential's in the One that got out the grave Significance is now found in the fact I'm made In His image, recreated so everytime that you gazin At my face, is the trace, that I'm given His grace Ain no way that I could hide or look at the past with shame In my face, is the trace, that I'm given His grace There's no way that I could ever hide or feel I'm ashamed Said in my face, is the trace, that I'm given His grace Ain no way that I could hide or look away, unashamed, never shame
14.
Have you ever had that feeling when you looked into a mirror And you hated what you'd seen when you looked at your appearance? Maybe just me, it was always something missing If it wasn't in the clothes, was the face that I'd been given I remember back in sixth chillin in the media center And dudes introduced me to the art of filming naked women In other words, pornography forever hurt my image Of what beauty was, but not just them, I felt insufficient Didn't tell my pops, thought if I talked if was forbidden Since I'd crave a little taste after those motion pictures Besides, by the first time I thought I lost innocence What a thing to tell, all the lengths I went to keep it hidden Til beauty hit me when I cried out for forgiveness Felt enslaved to lust, from night to day I was prisoner 'Til after eighth, the day the Holy Spirit entered Breakout was the theme and grace convicted to repentance Pastor Cheri if you listening Thanks for your obedience to the mission Four years later, I still burn to lift Him Not because I want the thirst I have to get quenched but Others find freedom in the beauty that He is I find in all my life, this is all I ever wished Now I see my life as dirt compared to what He is Compared to what He did How else could I live? Once my heart was broken by the fact I placed His beauty under sin How I long Just to feel The refuge of Beauty's seal And though right now I struggle still I long to see Beauty revealed I'm not sure what they told you I don't bout what they said But did you notice when the words sting you don't feel it in your flesh? Something down inside consumes your thoughts about your skin Or the weight, the shoes, the hair Up to whatever seems amiss A fragment of a picture that you hoping to depict And do everything that you can to make the puzzle pieces fit (ness) Nest in the gym since some abandoned from the crib But even if your body toned, your hope for freedom never lifts Hope for beauty never shifts Heart for love never quits Even when your actions make it seem you hate to live No coincedence you'd hear me spit about the origin to learn of what it really is See its not the physical that lust runs after Fleeting and deceptive to who pass it Incorruptible, gentle and not stemming from what you seeing Beauty is spirit, pure, clean, beauty is Jesus Beauty is freedom You don't have to please it You let it captivate you not cause of the fact you need it But you find nothing else worthwhile thinking Seeing, breathing, even when you sleep its The dream that lets you know you're secure to believe it At the time when other folks around you can't perceive it Its all you ever boast in the hopes they'll receive it And find the reason that they were made, it redeems 'em How I long Just to feel The refuge of Beauty's seal And though right now I struggle still I long to see Beauty revealed Every echo of the steps on the Via Dolorosa Heaving of His chest as the wood was slowly bolstered Choking of His breath as nails were hammered and was left to suffocate with the collapsing of His shoulders All while letting those who trespass find closure Wasn't as the hands of flesh Debt was suffered for reproach God turned His face against one who He'd always loved and known Put the sin upon his own and checked off all of those who banking on this hope What an ugly sight that our eyes scorn Yet this is beauty at its most To think this is something God would die for? Just to be adopted as His own? Did He see the heart that had longed for the darkness Exposed to His omniscience Pored over all of my past and my future And still had His love unnerved by my awfulness Awesome God! How I long Just to feel The refuge of Beauty's seal And though right now I struggle still I long to see Beauty revealed
15.
I hold the ring in my hand Following a master plan If you overlay You will never understand What He has in store in stock Never planned for flee and flock We have an obligation to uphold What is love Baby don't hurt me May have been a meme but the mantra of the curse we Covered in the tracks of the dirt leaked Hearse creaks, movies and TV they was never true see If they bag you for your body man that only lead to death If they always trying to party they ain down to pay the bills This the person you can sit down and eat a meal with Or only when they touch you they know how you feelin Is that fillin real Cuz you empty still Peel for the covers But sex won't make them kneel Commitment is the seal For most, this here will break the deal If they don't know God they can't love Pause You don't know God you can't love em He ain servin others, he ain servin you If she talk bout others, she gone talk bout you Don't think of what they say If you wait til marriage you ain't gay And not just sex, but for a mate 'Stead of jumpin round dates like you leap years Off in your teens feel violated like its too late Gave up, guess its fate that you keep heart break Its a wash for clean slates - called grace off in Ephesians five remaking Pain is weakness of leaving the body treated Like you ain gonna find love thats deeper Than joining to make these people keepers But you ain't never been kept Come to think about it you the one who get the catch No one ever caught you when you wallow in ya mess Struggle in a puddle of despair needing rest Soul tired but by your smile wouldn't guess Yea I hold the ring in my hand Following a master plan If you overlay You will never understand What He has in store in stock Never planned for flee and flock We have an obligation to uphold Don't spiral down and let go Cause we are strong enough to survive the hardest rain Endurance our middle name Through trials and the tribulations Always test anticipating Heaven is the only thing worth waiting for Not just another song to kiss to Time to see the biblical perspective of the issue Tell me whats the gain Trying make things official But you don't even get the core of what you gettin in to Love is objective Mean it seek an end If you smashin cuz the heat It gone mean you more than friends Benefits gone leave you sick See you jumped them levels too quick now anything you do feelin too intimate You long for you long for That time and attention Gave your all for your all for Something that was temporal Now your hearts hard your hearts hard Cuz they don't even miss you Someone so close now unknown can act just so distant Tell me whats different Tell em marriage , most can't listen Cuz its splits now, just call quits And most see this in between them custody visits They ain know its more than a contract Than child support and business contacts That union something you fight for Make present peace with the past you war Don't have examples, cuz there ain no more Only one way, but they don't explore This man took bruises for this chick When He never did nothing never thought that He could quit When He knew she wasn't right and He saw she was blemished Lived til He laid down His life and it was finished A righteous man named Jesus pinned Chose to place His love on these sinners I hold the ring in my hand Following a master plan If you overlay You will never understand What He has in store in stock Never planned for flee and flock We have an obligation to uphold Don't spiral down and let Cause we are strong enough to survive the hardest rain Endurance our middle name Through trials and the tribulations Always test anticipating Heaven is the only thing worth waiting for
16.
Press On 04:03
Yeahh I been livin long enough to know this life just not about me Look at all my folks and can't believe they stayed around Some dipped out and some stayed in When I shaped up some shipped in Its fair, weather Don't blow me off I'm in storms cause He got them Right in His hands, man I'm not scared All the times I lost, He not left yet Considerin all the pain that this life cost em Son peeked when I saw grace Now I don't care bout brighter days I stand clean right in His rays In the face of death he left the grave Got me graspin for the air this breath I take in its so overrated People clown me for this faith but they could never take it Say they get this path I'm on but I can't overdo it If it works for me, thats koo - if they only knew the truth I testify to one savior between God and man one mediator No hope in any other way if you die in sin there ain no joy later That Christ made me Christ saved me Eternal life is to know your Maker I know they said, life's what you make it So He laid it down, at the cross for payment Man this life is hard Lord knows how many times I fall But one thing that I noticed He been faithful through it all Don't know how I'm gone end but I continue with the cross Standing with believers til I hear that trumpet call Until then we gone Press On (x7) Most just wanna survive, man can't say I don't relate Just take in pleasure any time you get to help escape Not gone lie this life is hard I've felt I had my share of fate But fate's a myth man I'm just leanin on that saving faith You want a sign or power that can help explain this all I got nothing for you but that man who hung up on that cross (1 Corinthians 1:22-24) Hate the message, aright know bout what I'm speakin on? Start from John's account and read, or did you blow it off? Don't crown anything else or add nothing to it I know how much I mess up The Word alone is proven I move in step with scriptures, I don't move with men's traditions If you never get offended, gotta question your convictions You don't move into repentance? Gotta question if you're Christian I don't apologize to sin I show the light to sinners Liking me is unimportant You must liken to His image Love this music that I make But get the gospel I'm presentin Man this life is hard Lord knows how many times I fall But one thing that I noticed He been faithful through it all Don't know how I'm gone end but I continue with the cross Standing with believers til I hear that trumpet call Until then we gone Press On (x7) This that one time For every one believing on the person and works of Jesus Christ And they tell you it don't matter Long as you livin right But you know you press for purpose and you will receive a prize When you fall they quick to tell you that you been disqualified And you feelin like a failure but I tell you its a lie I been here too many times Race isn't mine What creation separates when the Creator called you right Nothing left no second-guessing See the finish line when you keep on pressing Not just life its in your death That resurrection gives perfection Flesh to rest when you confessin Sleep in Christ rise to His presence If thats you fam you are blessed but its still life right in the second Keep on pressing Man this life is hard Lord knows how many times I fall But one thing that I noticed He been faithful through it all Don't know how I'm gone end but I continue with the cross Standing with believers til I hear that trumpet call Until then we gone Press On (x7)

about

Substance, debated whether or not present in current hip hop and music, is mutually appreciated by artists and fans alike when presented. However, what determines what substance is, and if it is what people are not familiar with, does that disqualify it as such? Substantial Discourse is a two-part mixtape by LJ attempting to disclose true substance through the medium of hip hop.

That which is eternal, or substance, is communicated in the first half from third and first person narratives to directly explicit theological statements, heralding views running counter to the cultural trend on issues such as racial injustice, homosexuality, and truth. Providing a backdrop of melodic piano production, hala-X, Adamack, Dansonn, and Slantize along with a few others highlight a sonically sober tone to bring the listener to a place of reflection on the lyrics, while keeping features to a minimum of Santiago, and J. Rome for finishing vocals to three tracks. Shining through on the second half is the discourse in which a spotlight is put on LJ's own personal shortcomings and experiences to bridge the gap between ideal examples of grace and a product of it.

Full mixtape dropping October 13, 2013, available on www.hotnewhiphop.com/LJIII/profile/ , www.datpiff.com/profile/LjtheIII/mixtapes , soundcloud.com/ljiii_fam , and mediafire.

credits

released October 13, 2013

All tracks mastered by Darrell "Duke" Mason at Connect Studios.
All lyrics written by Lawrence Jerome Herbert III excluding What You Need's second verse by Michael Santiago and Discourse's chorus by Jason Utt.
Lawrence Jerome Herbert III is not responsible for any illegal sale of the Substantial Discourse mixtape's tracks or variants.

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Fidelis Ad Mortem Indianapolis, Indiana

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