aPERFECTinterview: Christian Hip Hop Artist Rhyan Lamarr and the Fight for God and Justice in America
INTERVIEW BY: ASHLEY DAWSON AND STEPHANIE FAIRFAX
Christian hip-hop recording artist Rhyan Lamarr is fighting to bring an important message to the forefront of the music industry during today’s trying and stressful times. With his recently released album aPERFECTmess now available for streaming and downloading, Rhyan is taking on the hatred in the world by spreading God’s message of love and unity with his unique and boundary pushing sound. “The goal was to inspire, encourage, and motivate the world to live better and do better,” Lamarr says. The editors at Rival Magazine got the chance to sit down with Rhyan and discuss his moving and powerful vision firsthand:
RIVAL What’s the story behind “Fight Another Day?”
LAMARR: Two years ago Mod G., Jabari and I felt the need to address what was going on in the country at that time. So we reached out to a couple friends of ours who had major influence and decided to address the situation. During that season we were dealing with school shootings, police brutality, and our new President - needless to Say it was a lot. Sound familiar? It’s unfortunate that two years have gone by and the song is still relevant.
RIVAL: What do you want the listeners to get from your new album aPERFCTmess?
LAMARR: Unity amongst a divided world. Simply put, this album was a declaration exemplified through trauma, tragedy, and triumph. In life we are ALL harboring skeletons in our closets, the chains that try to bind us but through our mess; but God has a way of making our mess our message through his perfection. The world is a mess but there are still perfect examples of unity every day.
RIVAL: You produced, directed, and co-wrote the movie Canal Street; was that a challenge for you? And do you think the film has any similarities to what’s happening now in our country?
LAMARR: It took us fifteen years to get Canal Street off the ground and then another sixteen and a half days to get it in the can. It was the most challenging, creative sprint to the finish line that I’ve ever had to endure in my life but the end was worth the struggle. Unfortunately, again, something we wrote over fifteen years ago should not still be relevant today, but sadly it feels like we ripped it straight from the 2020’s headlines.
RIVAL: Canal Street is an incredibly powerful story, especially right now during a pinnacle moment for Black Lives Matter protests across the nation. What words of advice or encouragement do you have for the protestors in every city?
LAMARR: Understand that through the struggle there will be progress, and that there’s light even in the darkest of places. That sometimes we have to make this a little uncomfortable to evoke change. We also have to fully understand why we are marching and exactly WHAT we are marching for. Yes Black Lives Matter, but why do we have to say that? Know the history of why we march. Lastly, keep God on the front lines with you and pay attention to what you see and hear in the media and what agenda is being driven.
RIVAL: Tell us about your relationship with God and what you believe God means to every person. You say not to confuse God with religion – can you go into more detail on what you mean by that?
LAMARR: I’ll put it this way: the company RGE, that Bishop Garnes and I run, is bold and proud to express its faith and strong Christian conviction that God is our sovereign guide. We believe that God is real in our lives, and we seek to remove the confusion between worldly religion and a personal relationship with God (which is a daily encounter with the living God).
A relationship means communication, His presence, and daily wisdom. The study and knowledge of worldly religion is just more information from another researched textbook.
God is alive, Man is alive, and to have that relationship with God is the open door to humanity’s power on earth.
Choose the living God over worldly religion
RIVAL: You’re from Chicago - what would you like to see change the most in your city?
LAMARR: I’d love to see more money put into the public school system, after school programs, and extracurricular activities for the youth to better help reach and motivate communities of color. Programs like Cinecares have lit the torch and I’d love to see more financial aid in these areas in the city of Chicago
RIVAL: How will you think the world will change in ten years?
LAMARR: I see new inventions and movements sparking a revival in the community that will be the bridge back to a lot of people’s faith. I'm praying that the racial injustices across the world will dissipate, and that agents of change will rise up to help demolish prejudice in certain areas. That more people will seek God instead of the idols we stream and download.
RIVAL: What makes you most angry about our country?
LAMARR: The backhanded agendas, history continually repeating itself, and the ignorance and lack of faith some have. The spirit of unwillingness many have to extend a helpful hand when a person is down.
RIVAL: How important is freedom of speech? Do you think there is a limit to what should be allowed? Do you think being able to say anything is more beneficial or harmful?
LAMARR: Freedom of speech is important, because without it we would not be able to exercise our beliefs. Yes it can be harmful and it comes with a lot of baggage, however, being muzzled is how the truth is blocked. Without the truth being set free most would never make it to the promise land.
RIVAL: What do you think we most need in this world?
LAMARR: God. Not to be confused with religion.
RIVAL: Tell us more about this verse:
“Ephesians 6:11 justifies that we are charged to fight daily.” What does Ephesians 6:11 mean to you and how do you incorporate its meaning into FIGHT ANOTHER DAY?
LAMARR: This text speaks about the charge God gives the believer concerning how to get dressed for the daily challenges in life. Everyday we are faced with the unknown, and unfortunately the devil's schemes are treacherous and tricky. This scripture preps us on how to win the daily battles and “fight another day”.
RIVAL: “It took my whole life to make one album, but this album is my whole life.” Go into this for us – how does the album reflect your life and struggle, and your relationship with God?
LAMARR: I really poured everything into this album and gave it my all. If you sit back and let the entire album ride from beginning to end, you'll realize the transparent story within the story. From the first track "Giants Fall," where it describes letting your vices and strong holds go and putting the armor of God on, to the last track "I ain't going Back," I wanted to show all my flaws and allow the listener to hear my struggles. As cliche as it sounds, that mess could become the message that starts them down a more positive road in their life. I was a complete mess for a majority of my life; still am in some ways. However, through God's perfection and grace I was humbled. Now my testimony, whether it be in film or music, serves the same purpose; changing the narrative and saving lives.
RIVAL: Do you think the protesting will make a change for the black community?
LAMARR: One hundred percent. You show me a season of protesting or boycotts that the black community has not ran that did not result in some type of movement of the pendulum. Now, should it take the world to protest just to get four cops taken into custody, heck no! A video should be enough. However, the black community has been fighting, scrapping, and clawing our way to freedom since we were kidnapped and sold in America.
RIVAL: What values do you think are critical to communicate to younger men? How can we help tomorrow’s men succeed in all aspects of life?
LAMARR: Your voice, integrity, and education is your currency. Not only should you arm yourself with those weapons of value but you should arm yourself with the spiritual armor of God. Be better than yesterday and pray to achieve greatness by being the change you want to see.
RIVAL: How do you think we should recharge after this?
LAMARR: We don’t recharge - we keep fighting, keep pushing, keep standing up to fill in the gap for other injustices. Our Latin brothers and sisters are still in bondage and locked in cages on American soil. Our Native American brothers and sisters are still fighting against the pipelines being constructed and all the other harm and injustice that has been done to their communities; I could go on and on. I guess we refuel by taking in the wins we’ve been able to accumulate while the spotlight has been on us. We then use that light to recharge and go back out swinging .
RIVAl: What are you determined to do in your life?
LAMARR: Both be the change I want to see in my lifetime and inspire the next generation to surpass anything I could of ever imagine or dream of.
RIVAL: You’ve worked with some incredible talent over the years – Bernie Mac (a personal favorite of mine), George Clooney, and Shirley Murdock, among others. Can you tell us more about these artists and what it was like to collaborate with them?
LAMARR: God always shows me where I am going years before it's time to actually be there. I mean it's sort of like seeing a movie trailer but not being able to experience the film in its entirety until you've saved up enough to money to pay for a movie ticket. I felt like that when I was blessed to work with countless individuals. It has been an absolute blessing being able to work and be a sponge for nearly two decades in the film and TV industry. Bernie was special to me, because his team literally gave me my first shot. The heart and humbling spirit that man carried with him was the pure exemplification of how to walk it out in this life. Now I can only speak through my experiences, but when you're given such great examples of hard working , stand up individuals, it's kind of hard to stray left. When you do stray, you know exactly what you're doing wrong because you were shown the right way to do it. I've been around some vets! Folks like Mrs. Murdock, Wayne Brady, Michael Lane, and Jamie Jones from All-4-One really showed me the ropes on the music side of things, both business and creative. It's important to be a sponge and soak up everything . Being a student should never get old...
