HIP Hop Is a cultural art form whose elements Like Mincing, breakfasting, graffiti, and Digging are utilized by participating members to illustrate their life experiences and the world around them. Hip Hop artists and most songs display religious aspects like communicating to a supernatural, grappling with existential questions, and the articulation of subjectivity.
One song that illustrate different religious aspects is Lord Knows by Ace Hood. Ace Hood Is viewed as an underdog lyricist who found the footlight by entering the rap game and talking about his life and trying to draw connections between his life stories and his listeners. Lord Knows Is one of a few songs from Ace Hood’s album entitled “Blood, Sweat, and Tears”. That album title means the shedding of blood through all the sweating from hardships and releasing tears from minor setbacks or failures.
Ace Hood’s song Lord Knows is about Ace Hood expressing to God his hardships that God already know. In his song, Ace talks about his hardships of the eviction letter his mother had, his mama about to lose her house ND he still put her through a lot of stress, having no food, and wondering will he be fit to be a father for his upcoming daughters. Ace Hood deliver this songs as a prayer to God to see will he answer him and guide him in the right path to freedom of these hardships.
In Lord Knows, Ace Hood communicates to God by saying “Dear Lord, I understand all the problem I’m about to express to you, Are things you already know, Well here goes nothing”. This set of lyrics is like an open letter where Ace feels it Is necessary to alarm out what he Is feeling deep down Inside. With the closing line of the intro, Ace means that God already knows what problems he encountered so he Is going to tell him regardless because he don’t have nothing to lose. Additionally, Ace says “My God what I’m going do now?
So stressed that the day go by, Devil on me and I don’t know why, beg mama Just please don’t cry’. In this set of lyrics, Ace is communicating to God and while doing that he asked an existential question of what he going to do now cause so much negative Impulses, an example of the devil, encountered his life which left him confused and hopeless not knowing how to deal with life. Most artist Incorporate this idea of a devil as evil, hatred, envy, causation of drama, and even haters.
Lastly, Ace ends the song by saying “In your name I pray, Amen” which is an illustration of a common phrase used by Christians to end a prayer after communicating to God asking for forgiveness or for the bettering of a family member, friend, or self. Additionally, in Lord Knows, Ace Hood articulates his subjectivity. In verse 1 Ace says, “Time get a little rough I know, when I can’t give up I don’t, Got twin and they’re on the way, see the stars when the I won’t, Sometimes I ask myself will I be a good father, Cause I’ve never had mine would I give the world to my daughters”.
This set of lyrics expresses that Ace is expecting twin daughters and he is unsure whether or not he will be suitable to be a father because his father wasn’t there but he won’t stop his grind for anything. This set of lyrics evaluates Ace’s complex subjectivity of him going beyond social categories and stereotypical Houghton of how black men typical leave their children and never come back. He financially stable to support a family.
On that note, Ace illustrates his dynamic self by saying “And every day that I wake I grind no time never wait for mine”. His articulates the dynamic self by knowing success won’t come knocking on the door, so he is not going to be like everyone else and sit on his behind, he is going to be unique and chase after success. On that note, Ace pours his thoughts out in every song he creates in which he knows his hard work and dedication will pay off.
Ace Hood creates the album “Blood, Sweat, and Tears” to express his motivation to grind which includes him shedding blood, sweat, and tears to accomplish something difficult with the guidance of God. Ace Hood put his all into this album to shed light to people who are engaged in a difficult life and explain to them that is it possible to overcome anything as long as they try to find solutions to their problems. In closing, Ace Hood seen a lot change during his childhood to present that he has a great amount of faith in God and for him to continue to believe in him.