When a mere dignitary addresses a king in the king’s court, the presentation is of particular sophistication. If you were to witness a king honor another King on the day we observe His greatest accomplishment, you can expect something impeccably ceremonial.
Just two weeks before Easter Sunday, rapper King Jai released visuals for the single “Motivation.” Producer Half-Tyme Slim floods it with some deliberate sounding 808 drums. It’s a profanity free jam that comes decorated with keys that feel like they could be punched on a pipe organ (without them actually sounding like one). They’re mellotron keys. And they’re sampled from British progressive rock band Barclay James Harvest and their 1981 song “Echoes and Shadows.”
In almost “300” like fashion, “Motivation” looks like electric flickers of a graphic novel. Assuming a posture of prayer, King Jai delivers some bars justified through scripture:
“Had to make my way up through to hallelujah / Praises to almighty God; tell me what’s that to ya / How do you believe in faith but act like there’s no ruler? / Hope you really get the picture. Shout out to my shooter.”
King Jai is the self-acclaimed hardest working rapper in the game. Thinking he has anything less than a labor of love for rapping would be downright denial.
It comes to no surprise that he rap-reference the ultimate love gift: “Jesus died for my sins/Laid to rest on Friday, Sunday he was born again/I try and do my best, but I can’t promise I won’t sin/Not a matter if it happens only matters when/We just have to win.”
He brings his motivation to rap to the forefront: “Know they talk behind my back, but they’ll never face me…You can’t go erase me/I got sentences fa life, I’ma need me some more paper/How to rule these haters who had put it on some acres.”
Altogether, King Jai affirms his zero tolerance stance for bad vibes and jealousy. He closes out appearing in an act of deference, positioned toward the sky like a choir conductor. Then he hurls the echoey and shadowy voices of the Barclay James Harvest band into the heavens: “Fools are entranced by the dawn / But the wise man misses it all / He laughs and the pages are torn / While the intellect scorns as he clutches the straws.”
So when you see a king honor another King on Easter, it’s hard not to become inspired. No matter how much or little this may inspirit you, it’s probably a good idea for all of us to soul search our true motivations anyway.
Check out the visuals for “Motivation” and take a listen to the single via Spotify and Apple Music below. For more content on rap music related to the divinity, head over to our Divine Rhyme section.
Happy Easter Monday. I didn’t know that was a thing until yesterday.
This article uses reverential capitalization. Its pronoun and noun stylization is not in keeping with Associated Press style writing for the pronouns “he” and “him” and nouns “son” and “king.”
