"The Life of Pablo" came out. I didn’t listen to it.
"The Anti-Diary" came out too. I didn’t listen to it.
Kendrick Lamar’s mixtape came out, and guess what? I didn’t listen to that either.
It’s not that I have anything against Kanye West, Rihanna or Kendrick Lamar. In fact, I think that they're all super-talented artists. I just decided that this Lenten season to embark on the difficult journey of blocking out all secular music. It's been something on my heart largely from older Christian mentors and friends who don't listen to the traditional hip-hop/ rap that I'm accustomed to listening too. I never tried too hard to eliminate the music I've listened to since I was a 10-year-old kid, but I felt this was a perfect time to try it.
Although I tried diligently, weekend parties, stressful periods like exam week and spring break cracked me. I realized that it's impossible to go to a party and not listen to secular music. 1.5 hour car rides from school were impossible without turning on the radio and hearing Justin Bieber.
The first half of Lent however, did go pretty well. During that time I noticed a more pleasant outlook on life. During periods of stress like exam week, I found that I just couldn't listen to peaceful music. Therefore, in a seemingly ironic way, I was stressed yet listened to music that stressed me out even more.
Whenever I'm in the car with my mom and listening to the traditional rap/ hip-hop music, she would always turn to me and tell me to turn off that type of music because it made her anxious. After my journey this Lent I realized how anxious the music made me.
The mainstream industry as a whole promotes negative thoughts like sex, drugs and material treasures. I found that by giving up music I found more peace and more positive thoughts.
Although it's not apparent right way, over time thoughts become reality. What type of music you listen to, strongly influences your outlook on life. Therefore I put together five of my favorite non-secular musicians, including worship music, light rock and roll and Christian rap.
1. Hillsong United.
This is probably the purest worship music out there. I love it because I always feel empowered after I listen to it. My favorite songs are “I Surrender” and “Oceans (Where Feet May Fail).”
2. Switchfoot.
This band takes me back to one of my best memories in high school when I was one of only five juniors to be selected to go on the Xaverian Brothers Sponsored School (XBSS) Retreat. We listened to this song while we were writing in our journal. My favorites by this band are “Dare you to move” and “Meant to live.”
3. U2.
This is the type of music I love because it appeals to a wide range of audiences but has deep Christian underlying messages. In fact when I tell most people that U2 is Catholic they are surprised. My favorite songs from their latest album are "The Troubles," "Raised by Wolves" and "Sleep Like a Baby Tonight."
4. Lecrae.
I love his type of music because it has the fast rhythms of rap and the same general sound. However, his music brings a real-life message to it. In a way it is like the living word. My favorite songs of his are "Timepiece" and "Messengers."
5. Andy Mineo.
The fact that he is Sicilian is not the only reason I like him. His music is very similar to Lecrae underneath the Christian rap genre. My favorite songs of his are “Uncomfortable,” “Rat Race” and “Vendetta.”
