"Confessions", styled "Confe$$ions", is a
Christian hip hop
Christian hip hop (originally gospel rap, also known as Christian rap, gospel hip hop or holy hip hop) is a subgenre of contemporary Christian music and hip hop music. It emerged from urban contemporary music and Christian media in the United S ...
song by
Lecrae
Lecrae Devaughn Moore (born October 9, 1979), mononymously known as Lecrae, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record and film producer, record executive, actor, and entrepreneur.
He is the president, co-owner and co-founder of the ind ...
from his album ''
Gravity
In physics, gravity () is a fundamental interaction which causes mutual attraction between all things with mass or energy. Gravity is, by far, the weakest of the four fundamental interactions, approximately 1038 times weaker than the stro ...
'', released on September 4, 2012. Lyrically, the song critiques the pursuit of wealth and expresses the emptiness and lack of peace that comes with
materialism
Materialism is a form of philosophical monism which holds matter to be the fundamental substance in nature, and all things, including mental states and consciousness, are results of material interactions. According to philosophical materiali ...
.
Lyrics and style
StupidDOPE called "Confe$$ions" "a deep, hard hitting, thoughtful number that finds Lecrae speaking from his heart while he hangs out and shows us the wolves", and
AllHipHop
AllHipHop is a hip hop news website founded by Greg Watkins and Chuck Creekmur in 1998.
History
The website was founded in 1998 by Greg Watkins and Chuck Creekmur. In 1997, Watkins registered the allhiphop.com domain to promote the artists on ...
explained the song as addressing the hollowness wealth without peace.
The BoomBox stated that "The old saying 'money can't buy you happiness' isn't further from the truth for Lecrae, who raps about companions who have the game twisted about what's really important".
Allmusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
described Lecrae as taking on
bling culture with a Christian-based message "in the unexpected, brittle style of a
beatnik
Beatniks were members of a social movement in the 1950s that subscribed to an anti-materialistic lifestyle.
History
In 1948, Jack Kerouac introduced the phrase "Beat Generation", generalizing from his social circle to characterize the undergr ...
poet or
Saul Williams
Saul Stacey Williams (born February 29, 1972) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, musician, poet, writer, and actor. He is known for his blend of poetry and alternative hip hop, and for his lead roles in the 1998 independent film ''Slam'' ...
on ''
Def Poetry Jam
''Russell Simmons presents Def Poetry'', better known as simply ''Def Poetry Jam'' or ''Def Poetry'', is a spoken word poetry television series hosted by Mos Def and airing on HBO between 2002 and 2007. The series features performances by establ ...
''."
Stylistically, the song features a dramatic, slow-tempo beat, and DaSouth described it as carrying "a burdened aroma of ecclesiastical despondency with an uncredited
Bruno Mars
Peter Gene Hernandez (born October 8, 1985), known professionally as Bruno Mars, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is known for his stage performances, retro showmanship, and for performing in a wide range of musical s ...
-esque chorus (no diss at all)".
Music video
The music video for "Confe$$ions" depicts a
masquerade ball
A masquerade ball (or ''bal masqué'') is an event in which many participants attend in costume wearing a mask. (Compare the word "masque"—a formal written and sung court pageant.) Less formal "costume parties" may be a descendant of this tra ...
at which
David Banner
Lavell William Crump (born April 11, 1974), better known by his stage name David Banner, is an American rapper, record producer, and actor.
Born in Brookhaven, Mississippi, Banner's family moved to Jackson, Mississippi, where he was raised. Ban ...
portrays a dissatisfied gold-masked millionaire engaging with a gold-masked woman dressed in green, interspersed with footage of a hunting wolf. Video director Kyle Dettman explained that the wolf, which tracks down and devours a quail, symbolizes the predatory inner character of the millionaire as he pursues money, represented by the woman in gold and green. The video debuted on
BET
Black Entertainment Television (acronym BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting African-American audiences. It is owned by the CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global via BET Networks and has offices in New York City, Los A ...
's hip-hop music video station
106 & Park
''106 & Park'' is an American hip hop and R&B music video show, set up in a countdown format, that was broadcast on weekdays at 6:00 pm ET/5:00 pm CT on BET; it aired on a one-day delay on BET International. It was the network's highest- rated ...
on April 30, 2013.
External links
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References
{{authority control
Lecrae songs
2012 songs
Songs written by Zach Crowell