Rap 23

This delightful and beautiful adaptation of Psalm 22 (23) came to my attention by serendipity this morning. It is by DJ Renegade (né Joel Dias-Porter), one-time poet-in-residence at Ballou High School here in the District.

The creator's my homey, so I'm never short.
He lets me know when to chill in the park
and when to cool out by the river.
He schools me with knowledge of self
and keeps me doing the right thing, to protect his rep.
And yo, even when I step through the shadows
of the buildings in the projects,
I don't sweat it, cuz he's got my back.
He flexes whenever suckers try to jump bad
and keeps me hooked up.
I'll definitely be living large until I'm outta here.
And then I'll be chilling at his crib, forever.
Peace.

The idiom fits perfectly into the language of many of the psalms, anguish and defiance in the face of oppression. A complete adaptation of the Psalms should be DJ Renegade's next project.