By Charlie Maybee
It takes a lot to stay afloat in these trying times, but Showoffpraise, the Christian Hip Hop MC, is also learning to overcome a debilitating injury. Living life as a quadriplegic after being hit by a car, he has poured his resilience and spiritual energy into making music that reflects his journey.
With the title “Simon Says Jesus”, Showoffpraise immediately name drops the biblical character Simon who he notes is “like Jesus’s brother”. The rest of the song follows suit as he begins mentioning a variety of pop culture celebrities like Meghan Fox, Kanye West, Dr. Dre, and Lebron James. With this star-studded list, he demonstrates his aspiration and drive to pursue something bigger than himself.
So, when he finally gets to talking about Simon towards the end of the song, it’s more about Simon’s support of Jesus, which Showoffpraise translates into his community that will support him until he walks again. “I use my pain and everything I went thorugh as inspiration for everybody to do better” he writes, “Look at what I’m going through and once you see me walk again you’ll know that you can make a difference; if I can, you can do it too”.
Through a barrage of mumbled rapping that is somehow both laid backing and sharp, there’s no doubt that this is someone who understands how to channel newfound purpose into their musical craft. “My goal is to motivate inspire and encourage others to keep pushing forward. Bridging the Gap uniting the community organizing family friendly events and spreading hope”
“Simon Says Jesus” is available on major streaming platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, and Deezer, as well as the Alchemical Records Multigenre Mixture on Spotify. The full motivational album “Stand Up God” is also available on these platforms.
Charlie Maybee is a dancer, musician, educator, and writer based in Charleston, South Carolina who currently teaches with the Dance Program at the College of Charleston. His primary work as an artist is with his performing collective, Polymath Performance Project, through which he makes interdisciplinary performance art that centers tap dance as the primary medium of expression and research. He also currently plays rhythm guitar for the Charleston-based punk band, Anergy, and releases music as a solo artist under the name Nox Eterna.
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Alchemical Records is a Washington, D.C. based music publication. We cover the Washington, D.C., Baltimore and Richmond, VA metro area music scenes, including band interviews, articles about your favorite musicians, new music and concert dates.
