Unfinished work!
When I was in the Caribbean, with my friend and two other members we started a rap band called “Warriors”. Norbert was the one introducing us to this type of music. I then discovered the Wu Tang Clan, Killah Priest, Killarmy and some French rappers also like IAM, NTM, Oxmo Puccino, Arsenik and so on.
I developed a passion for writing rap songs. It was a good way to express what I had inside of me. Even if we were ambitious and I think talented, we never made a serious step to produce something like an album or to organize a local gig. I wrote my first rap song in 1997.
I left the Caribbean two years later with this seed of writing rap songs inside me. When Norbert joined me in Paris in 2000 both of us had improved a lot. Our texts were more mature and deeper.
“Writing with Christ”
Then I became born again. In my church, I met a brother called John. We had around the same age, we had the same passion for football and for rap. We built a football team with members of the church and we joined a Christian championship called “Sport & Faith”.
Then we began to draft some texts about Christ and I really enjoyed it. Writing and singing texts about Christ was something unique. The presence of God was stronger when we were singing our own songs than when we were worshipping in church. That was so great!
We started to be serious about music around in 2009 and formed a band called “TNM” which was the initials for Witnesses of a New World in French. We were so excited. We did two of three performances in different churches then we started to work on our first album.
Our vision was to reach those who would listen, French Rap with the message of the good news. We were believing that Christ could minister to people through our music and that was true!
“She was so moved by what she heard”
One day I sent a compilation of the best songs I had recorded to my elder sister in the Caribbean. She was so moved by what she heard that she wanted to have the same joy and peace. Following this, I wrote a long letter to her explaining how I met Christ and became born again.
My sister was going to a Catholic church by then and she realized that Jesus was not about rituals but he was alive! She started to go to a Baptist church and started a new relationship with the Lord!
On the 11th February 2012, our first album was going to be released! We were so excited! We had spent a lot of time, energy and money in studios to record those seven songs. We were going to organize a gig in my church (we had moved into a new house so we found a new church closer) for the release of this album.
Everything was ready! 1000 flyers, 1000 CDs ordered, our website was ready, we even had some orders online. We were rehearsing hard to prepare the big show then, one day, in the midst of all this, I receive a call from John’s wife…
She was concerned about all what we were doing and she disclosed to me that her marriage with John was falling apart.
So shocked!
I was so shocked! I spoke with John who confirmed they had some issues but nothing really serious according to him. She was not seeing things that way and I found myself in a middle of a battlefield!
I made the difficult decision to cancel everything. The concert, the albums, the T-Shirt everything…as I did not want to have our testimonies spoiled. I was thinking at that time that the Lord wants us to be examples and we had to fix our issues before testifying. (My thinking has changed about this though).
I was thinking how can we preach to the world that Jesus has the power to save when we could not demonstrate this power in our lives, couples, families and so on.
This issue destroyed our friendship with John but by the grace of God we were able to talk about it years later and there is no bitterness between us.
John and his wife eventually separated but the communication between them has greatly improved since. Praise the Lord!
Today I can say with Peter
Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange was happening to you. But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.
1 Peter 4 v 12-14
Keep this in mind:
Being a child of God will lead you to make difficult decisions which sometimes can hurt those who are around you. If we make those decisions in faith for the Glory of God, even if we are wrong, the Lord will reach us where we are and show us the truth.
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