Christian student organization uses rap to spread message
In the Christian world, it is a generally known fact that it is hard to reach college students when it comes to religion. College kids are too busy exploring the college life and having fun, but a group of MSU students decided to try to reach kids in a different way.
IMPACT hosted a Christian rap concert on Tuesday night in Comanche Suites as part of a tour titled “The Mission is Possible.”
According to IMPACT members, the tour was designed to appeal to college kids on a level that is more connected to them – rap music. Rap music is very popular among today’s college students, so they felt it was the best way to appeal to them.
“I just like that it was an event on campus that actually had artists that I have heard of before and it appealed to college students,” said Markita Bell, junior in early childhood education and IMPACT member.
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The performers were all Christians and gave a message about encouraging college students to be individuals in their journey with God. The performers included Norris J, Adrion Butler and Osato.
“I like to encourage. I like to inspire. I like to uplift others,” Norris J said. “I never really lived a bad lifestyle. I never really lived the life as a drug dealer or addict. I grew up in the church so it is kind of how I’ve always been. It feels good when you write music to encourage people. Some songs could be a testimony, and other people tell you ‘you know what you said in your song really encouraged me, or I have been through the same thing,’ so it impacts me and makes me want to continue to right and be an encouragement to others.”
To put on a concert of such importance to the Christian community, hard work happens behind the scenes. Someone is in charge of making sure everything will run smoothly, so the message that God is trying to give will be received with as little complication as possible.
“My job is making sure everybody is on point and making sure the tour is going well,” Prodacal, tour manager, said. “I make sure all of the artists are here.”
A main point addressed was the choices that college students make.
“I did not have a bad life but I had choices,” Prodacal said. “I had a lot of friends who went left and family members in the world that go through a lot of things, so I am so big on change. Change and being an impact in somebody’s life are very important because we are living in a cold world right now.”
In college, students will face a lot of choices and make decisions both good and bad, and according to the performers, the best thing to do is find someone who is willing to tell you that what you are doing is wrong and try to change you for the better.
“A lot of people are depressed and going in different directions and I am just like ‘if you incorporate Jesus into your life,’” Prodacal said. “Especially with music being the tool I feel like it would be a better way to get him inside and get them comfortable so maybe we will be able to change their lives. The youth adults and the youth we want to help change their mindset because when I was in college I was thinking about the wrong things.”
According to the members of IMPACT, there are many events to come.
