It has been, and continues to be a very trying time for us as a nation; politically, culturally, and spiritually. I know it has been a good minute since I’ve written about something music related, but that is precisely why I made this Substack account; to speak up on issues that I feel are important and crucial to our survival.
I just want to say thank you to to all of my subscribers who have read, liked, and shared my content so far. It really means the world that you feel these issues are important enough to make others aware. It also keeps me sane knowing there are many others out there burdened with the same things, and others that understand that it’s not just ‘those people’ perishing, or choosing death over life, but us. All of us. It’s like the ancient Israelite and governor, Nehemiah said when he found out how bad the situation was among the squaller of Jerusalem. Nehemiah 1:4-7 says:
As soon as I heard these words I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven. And I said, “O Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, let your ear be attentive and your eyes open, to hear the prayer of your servant that I now pray before you day and night for the people of Israel your servants, confessing the sins of the people of Israel, which we have sinned against you. Even I and my father's house have sinned. We have acted very corruptly against you and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, and the rules that you commanded your servant Moses.
There is so much deception in the world. So much corruption and perversion. So many false prophets and hirelings. I won’t pretend I know the answers to everything. But I will, to the best of my ability, with G-d as my help, will tell the truth; both in my music, and in the rest of life.
So I just want to say thank you for supporting me on this new journey I am taking as an artist. For too long, I’ve done the Clark Kent and Superman thing. I would have one life where I spoke on cultural and political issues, and another where I simply did music. I realized about a year ago that I was doing that out of fear; fear that my peers in the music space wouldn’t accept me anymore. Fear that I would be so limited in what I would have access to musically, that I would eventually have to quit music altogether.
Well, no more.
Psalm 75:6-7 says:
For you will not be raised to power
by those in the east, the west or the desert;
since G-d is the judge; and it is he
who puts down one and lifts up another.
As I heard it all the time in church growing up, “promotion comes not from the east or west, but from the Lord.
As much as I felt I was speaking truth to power before, I still had fears that, if left unaddressed, would eventually compromise me and render me useless to the fight.
So again, thank you for all of your support. Thank you to those who have subscribed to this, and those who have chosen to pay $7 per month to be paid subscribers. For those who have subscribed for free, if you’d like to switch to being a paid subscriber, just know it would mean so much to me. Nevertheless, I greatly appreciate you even being here in the first place, and I hope you stay as we walk through these things together, and even see each other in person from time to time while I’m on tour.
That’s all. Just a long way of saying “thank you.”
Thank you~
-J.D. Washington