The Forerunner Lyrics

The Appetizer
Forerunner like John the Baptizer, drawin’ the mass like the/ moth with that fire call it an appetizer/ Raw, that type to call them cats vipers/ dodge the wrath like the car, mad hype or// calm, I’m tryin’ to rock that, truth in your stereo/ when I get a hot track, suitable scenario/ then I wanna jot raps, moved by the Spirit though/ tell a friend to cop that, soon as it’s available// No! I don’t spit for dough, your bro’s sent to sow/ them dope scripts in hope. Know this fa’ sho/ When those grip your soul and grow sixty fold/ you gon’ get the glow, old cliques should notice// if you got that, fruit when you’re baring those/ fresher than a cocked hat, proves what they’re hearin’ so/ when you’re showin’ off that, beautiful imperial/ sinners get a God that’s truly done a miracle// Yo, it’s so missional when folks livin’ holy/ go spit the quotes. Don’t twist it though/ I won’t mention those who won’t risk the whole/ kenosis approach. no fits to throw// I’m tryin to fall back, smooth like a criminal/ quick to put ‘em on blast, shoot like a general/ they don’t really want that, boo when the whistle blows/ even if they on crack, too hypocritical// dog, but that’s why the boy’s a fat liar/ drawls will catch fire, watch. That guys the/ father, had pride before the swag lines was/ all them rap guys could talk. can’t hide in the darkness// from a God that, views into a sinner’s soul/ even where your heart’s at, nude like a center-fold/ messin’ with the wrong cat, dude’s super-critical/ testin’ all your thoughts black, you should feel despicable// Yo, if so then behold the globe’s sin/ atonement, homeless and broke. Foes wished/ to stone Him, bros dipped when close exposed snitch/ with soldiers closed in, then ghost. Clothes stripped// and stolen by the guards that spewed flem and ridicule/ spread it when the lots cast, proved who to split it fo’/ didn’t even talk back, mute when they hit ‘em yo/ L. O. R. D. all caps, bruised for the cynical// whoa, it don’t quit, the blows from closed fists/ and Romans’ own whips and jokes. No in/terposing, though sinless, folks condone his/ disposal, both wrists get poked. bones didn’t// get broken, but it got black, gloom at the pinnacle/ Jesus on the cross at, noon with the villains yo/ drinkin’ all of God’s wrath, doom you was headed fo’/ tell me how you dodge that? do you feel invincible?// “Naw”, then act wise, acknowledge fat prices/ charged if cats die when lost. That Christ was/ slaughtered, chastised on our behalf by the/ Father, that life’s the cost. Stacked high it’s a// fortune that is not cash, loot is only temporal/ how you gonna cop back, youth with a little gold?/ Been a little off track, cool but peripheral/ Let me bring the plot back, tomb from the burial’s// open, stone shift exposes those linen/ clothes the Chosen disrobed. no stiff/ enclosed cause no crypt can hold Him, no sin/ to scold Him fo’, kid He rose! Go pen// the slogan for the broadcast, news for the skeptical/ remember the God-man, fools made a spectacle/ He was on the cross and, you was tryn’ to heckle dude/ tellin’ Him “get off fam, prove what you said of you// (So), the Low’s been exalted, no fib/ Jehovah’s own sits enthroned. Gone lifted/ home as folks witnessed, post the commission:/ Go with soul fishin’ poles. Mold Christian// soldiers for the combat, new versus sin of old/ displayin’ a contrast, troops that are missional/ invadin’ the block fast, suped to present the Hope/ our Savior will come back, future predictable// Y’all at that time the martyrs shall rise/ extoling that righteous God. cats tried/ to brawl but can’t fight the Lord who shall right/ the wrong and smash like the Hulk! Thrash wine// in war His linen got splashed, Groom in a crimson robe/ paradin’ a squad that’s, huge but they chillin’ holmes/ He’s sayin’ “I got that, duel in the pit alone/ you’re able to watch” That’s cool, I can dig it, you// know, the show gets ferocious, domes split/ before shalom gets to soak. Old slick/ promotional glimpses smoke your dope flicks/ to roaches, roll clip and choke. no spliffs// to blow but catch a contact. Poof! when you hear me flow/ my aim is to waft that: putrid and very gross/ to haters who scoff at, pew sittin’ scary folk/ just waitin’ to flaunt that, newness, material// fo’ the momentous closing, groans end/ we know Him, no sin, we’re home! Droves mix/ the cultures, though different, focus on Him/ “Kadosh! Kadosh!” hits the throne. Notes blend// emotions with the raw facts, tunes from a varied host/ to savor and God’s glad, soup with the vegetables/ they’re makin’ a hot batch, fruit with the cheerios/ it’s great with a long nap, scooped from the cereal// box, I’m mad tired, awkward last rhyme/ but follow that line of thought. appetizer/ offered, snack time before the cracked sky/ is fallin’ and Christ is all! Let it ride// I’m gone

I heard the alarm, snooze button, drool on my arm/ it’s time wake up, I’m gonna be…wait, something feels wrong/ it’s dead calm/, yo the kids must be in bed still sleepin’, strange, turn my head, wait my wife’s gone// I guess I’ll have to wake the kid’s up/ reach for the remote control and put on my slippers as I get up/ maybe she went to the store, she’ll be back in minute I’m sure/ turn on the TV flip it to channel four// I leave the room and break a left at the hallway/ the floor creaks under my feet and a crayon breaks/ I look down and I see a picture of me/ it’s a stick figure with “Daddy” written in blue underneath// my little girl is so sweet/ both of the kids take after their mother, I know they all love me/ maybe I’ll go to church with ‘em this week/ I know they’d like that, it might even be worth it to miss sleep// the door squeaks as I enter the room/ “rise and shine, it’s time to get up and get ready for school!”/ hold up, I must be buggin’ or somethin’/ either I’m dreamin’ or the kids are missin’ from their bunk beds// that doesn’t make no sense, what’s goin’ on?/ wait, stay calm, maybe they both went with their mom/ I don’t get it, I’m beginnin’ to worry a little bit/ they didn’t leave a note or nothin’ plus I feel a little sick// I’m sure it’s all under control/ let me just make sure they took the van as opposed to the Volvo/ as I gaze out the window/ I’m frightened and amazed to find that the both of the cars are visible// is that my alarm? Forgot, I hit the snooze/ back to the room to turn it off, somethin’ on the news/ seems urgent, apparently people have disappeared/ all over the world and whole planet’s in fear// It’s a joke right? every channel the same story/ it’s only a nightmare, I’ll wake up in the morning/ it’s not true, it can’t be, it seems kinda like/ that thing my wife was tryin’ to explain to me the other night// I think she called it the rapture/ she said Christ was comin’ back like a thief in the night to snatch up/ all of those who believe in the Son of God/ and put their faith in the work that He completed on the cross// something like that, I don’t quite remember all of it/ but I’m startin’ to think it makes the most sense of all this/ I’ve gotta find that Bible she use to read/ maybe it can give me all of the information I need// ’cause, I see now that my wife was tryin’ to warn, but it’s my fault for dissin’ and not listenin’ before/ so now I’m glad that she spoke up/ ’cause now the minute I thought I was sleepin’ was when I really woke up//

Hook: Can you feel the Friction?/ Official scratch where it’s itchin’/ Do you feel the friction?

Stephen: Feel the friction, the world rubbin’ up against the Christian/ Within him’s conviction: resistance from itchin’/ there is no prevention, the itchin’s persistent/ even when he gives in, it won’t quit insistin’// He’s tempted, bent to be a sinner since his entrance/ been givin’ a sixth sense since the Spirit’s imprint/ proof of the Master’s use (oops, I’ll bring it back in two)/ truth you can tap into and fruit you can sample dude// He fits the description, his sins now afflict him/ his Interest has switched his intentions for livin’/ His friends see the difference, his kin seem indifferent/ they each keep their distance, cause neither seem to get him// peeps think he’s trippin’, Easter and Christmas/ he speaks of forgiveness, and these peep his witness/ They sleep when he’s spittin’, he’s a freak in thier vision/ But he’ll reap in the end what only Jesus can give Him// (It’s redemption)

Hook

Mark Arthur: It isn’t at all deep, friction can cause heat/ as we get exposed to the letter, the closer the better/ We don’t want it, if it’s trouble, busting your whole bubble/ and keep playing to win, go to the goal from the huddle// Now if the truth isn’t missing, that will produce friction/ then do what the song say, when sin rubs you the wrong way/ It can be hard to resist (though) God is in the midst/ (for the), men who start with a sinful heart// Heaven’s where we’re going, (the christian) 7th chapter of Romans/ though we’re inclined to sin fam we dying to win/ Relieving words to the lost, merge and then pause/ pop the fly ball or catch a curve at the cross// Hard to crush, we guard what we trust/ keep stressing the clash and pray the pressure will pass/ We want you to see what is pure, Christ the king is the cure/ directly after the truth, please sample the fruit//

Hook

Anon: Like matches to flaps, a catalyst for the spark/ the Gospel of Light to hearts left in the dark// comparisons are endless, adequacy is none/ let’s change up the sequence, givin the truth to some// An opposition of foes, warring until the end/ suppose the law’s on the left, on the right is sin// one is promising life, (but) really its bringing death/ the other’s cloaked in the one, (while) bringing death in the text// a ministry of death, uh-uh, not in itself/ but inside, where sin thrives, showing man his help//less condition, positionally poor a pitiful status/ and then, CHRIST, will arrest the sin habit// and sin’s damage, it’s the Gospel of Grace/ which takes the treacherous lives and affords ‘em Faith// So count it all joy, because the battle will cease/ discouragement aside, along with your unbelief//

Hook

Zae da Blacksmith: Eyo let’s stop for a minute and give thought to the men who did/ Spectacular actions like Steve in Acts chapter 7 and/ Think about the way they went against the grain/ They would rather to be slain than to never preach his name// “Martyrs” stoned and burned and earned bruises/ But the church grew strong through persecutions/ And who would have ever figured a factor to cause it/ Was opposition that made the friction that sparked it// Huh (pic click) get the picture peep the principle/ So you can see what it was meant and what it wasn’t meant to do/ Friction isn’t affliction to make you break or buckle though/ Eventually it can be used in exposing the suckers though// Yo, It’s like refinement in a fire/ Or the life of a diamond before they’d mine him and buy him/ Cause (ching) iron sharpens iron through friction/ Proverbs 27:17 check the Scriptures//

Hook

Yo, what the deal wit’ this, voice cryin’ out in the wilderness/ “make the ways of the Lord straight, no hills in it”/ level out the valley’s make plains, He’s revealed to kids/ prophesied by Isaiah, He’s fulfillin’ it// spirit of Elijah with the same clothes killin’ it/ Camel hair and a leather belt no frills in it/ What did you expect to see, some kind of silkiness?/ not a reed bent easily he was built for this// More than a prophet, he’s a man on a pilgrimage/ the messenger, written of in Malachai, spillin’ it/ “Repent of your sins, He can cleanse all your filthiness/ There’s a new era comin’ through, can you get with this//

Hook: The Kingdom of Heaven’s at hand (get with it)/ Repent, the Kingdom of Heaven’s at hand (get with it)/ and switch, the Kingdom of God is at hand/ (get with it) ya dig? the Kingdom of Christ is at hand (get with it)//

Check the hype bruh, cats call John “the Baptizer”/ wild style vow since a child, Nazerite stuff/ cousin of the Son, born of parents that are righteous/ leapin’ in the belly when the fetus of the Christ comes// Mary and Elizabeth can identify, “the/ Spirit of the Lord is in here” queue the choir/ not a lot of singin from the pops Zechariah/ vocalizin’ doubts had him silent for the nine months// neighbors get floored when the Lord broke his silence/ couldn’t even chat, now the cat prophesies stuff/ all that God’s done got ‘em wonderin’ the kind of/ man he’s gon’ be, a strong beast from the wild cuz// fast forward, John’s at the Jordan spittin’ fire/ “b3ar fruit…axe is at the root…brood of vipers”/ there’s a new steeze and you’ll see the Messiah/ is comin’ next, I’m just here to prep ’til His time ’cause//…

Hook

Peep the drama, Christ comes just like he taught us/ John baptizes little cousin in the water/ Dove drops with a little ac’ from the Father/ sayin’ that He’s pleased with Him, leavin’ ‘em awestruck// dudes must’ve missed when he spit what his job was/ seein’ that when Jesus baptizes, all come/ upset, thinkin’ He’s a threat to what John does/ not so, John got low, givin’ props up// “i need to shrink so that he can be honored/ He holds the mic, I’m the hype man, I’m not much/ He get’s the Bride, I’m the side groom it’s not dumb/ i’m gon’ rejoice at his voice, I’ll be all done// same team, say the same thing, see the plot bruh?/ last words lotta cats heard ‘fore he got plucked/ later on he fades from the pages he’s got one/ scenes left, he will see death, but it’s fine ’cause//…

Hook

End the saga, foul plot, mouth got him locked up/ there for a while, so His doubts start to pop up/ sent a couple cats just to ask “was I wrong cuz”/ came back, tellin’ of the acts He’d accomplished// After peeps left Jesus was rep’ed for’em hard bruh/ sayin’ he’s the greatest man born of a mama/ wonder what the reason they seized him at all was?/ let me go back, show the wackness upon us// Herod wil’ed took the spouse of his Mom’s son/ John put him on blast sayin’ it was wrong but/ He’s shook, knowin’ peeps took him for a prophet/ she’s not, fiendin’ for the opp just to squash ‘em/ chance comes, he received a dance from her daughter/ “anything you want will be yours” is the offer/ mama says, “bring me John’s head on a charger”/ but he’s just a finger, the Kingdom of God comes//

Membership (John the Boom-Baptist Remix)

Listen, this is written for long term visitors/ non-committers who get the word, but never get to work/ at least not in conjunction with a church/ they stay away and say they afraid of getting hurt// but pain is never excuse for disobedience/ church wasn’t created to cater to your convenience/ And God didn’t give you gifts to be greedy with/ mission without the church is missing a main ingredient// I know I rushed in without much of an introduction/ but membership is what we’re discussin’/ committing to a community through a cov’nant/ and doing the ‘one another’s of scripture with brethren//(membership!) it actually happens at salvation/ but practically it happens in active participation/ if 1 is a fact then 2 the demonstration/ for the maturing Christian nothing should separate them// If one is the truth, then number two is the proof/ if it’s aloof, then number one is a lion without a tooth/ If not the elect, who’s inspecting your fruit?/ Just a select group of heads from your crew? (that’s not a test dude!)// It’s more like a bad science experiment/ with no control groups in the lab and bias experiences/ It’s foolish to laugh denyin’ it’s serious/ when the only proof that you have is kinda mysterious//

Hook: This may be bold to say/ but if you’re not a part of a church, how do you know that you’re saved/ the chances are you’re prob’ly not a bit/ the objective evidence is sayin’ the opposite// A body without biblical membership/ is sick, and their health depends on them getting’ it/ so though you claim to be in it kid, please consider this/ if you is, then show us. (How you livin’ it?)//

We live in the days of the consumer/ shopping’s a coveted skill and bloggers write reviews up/ no one commits, people leave when they choose ’cause/ ain’t nobody tryin’ to be tied down, with too much// labor only lasts as long their passions/ cats dip sayin’ they feel bad with no sadness/ they want the good stuff without the attachments/ like friends with benefits of the ecclesial fashion/8/ playin the church like the girls you date then/ you criticize her like you’re Seinfeld (or Satan!)/(explain) You sit in the back makin’ your accusations/ but you ain’t willin’ to aid in her sanctification?!// (hypocrite!) I know that I’m gettin’ a little hype but/ you gotta understand the church was purchased by Christ’s blood/ And if Levi got jealous for Dinah/ of course the Levite’s gon’ be zealous for the Bride cuz// we see that Haggai and Zechariah/ were willin’ to work wit Israel, not just prophesy stuff/ You can check for yourself in Ezra 5:1/ then wrestle with verse 2 until you’re ready to die (What!?)//(Yup) I didn’t stutter, you heard me right bruh/ dyin’ is the price for being up in the cypha/ It’s all or nothin’, cat’s are puttin’ their life up/ but you be isolated like you don’t even like us//

Hook

Membership is not a check in a box/ or an altar call response when the sermon is hot, it’s/ privileges bought with His blood on the cross/ and it separates the flock from the world that is lost kid/ membership is being a part of the body/ but how can you be a body part when apart from the body?/ (and furthermore) How could you possibly think it’s godly/ when God is 1, or even 3 in 1, but He’s not 3?!/ I know the reality’s universal/ but practically it has to be tangible to the world too/ so how do we gather to spur the virtues/ when our anatomy has been scattered throughout the Earth dude?// the local church has entered the picture/ the form of the assembly most mentioned scripture/ this is what you were given spiritual gifts for/ to Voltron with a squad and add your steez to the mixture// They’re also the tools used to fix ya/ iron sharpens iron, sparks flyin’, it’s sick stuff/ but don’t try to punk out when it gets rough/ Satan’s like a roaring lion tryin’ to vic’ ya// He’s waitin’ for you faint when it gets tough/ straggle at the back of the flock and you might be his lunch/ Or maybe you’ll prove you were never His bruh/ 1 John 2:19 homie, you with us?//

Hook