Talented Xth
| Talented 10th | ||||
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| Studio album by Sho Baraka | ||||
| Released | January 15th, 2013 | |||
| Genre | Christian hip hop, conscious hip hop | |||
| Length | 57:48 | |||
| Label | Lions and Liars | |||
| Producer | Ali, Blue, J.R., Sho Baraka, Swoope, theBeatBreaker | |||
| Sho Baraka chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Talented 10th | ||||
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The song "Chapter 9 - Jim Crow" was controversial in Christian media due to Sho Baraka's use of strong language in dealing with racism.
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Talented 10th is the third studio album by American Christian hip hop artist Sho Baraka, released through his own label, Lions & Liars Music, on January 15, 2013. It is the first solo release by Sho Baraka since he left Reach Records in 2011. The album title and concept was based on the essay of the same name by W. E. B. Du Bois. Talented 10th is "not just a picture of Christian salvation but also focuses on education, relationships and social change - all filtered through a biblical worldview." However, Talented 10th was controversial with some in the Christian scene due to the appearance of strong language on the song "Chapter 9 - Jim Crow".
According to Sho Baraka, the album title and concept was based on the essay Talented Tenth by W. E. B. Du Bois. He explained that within the past year he had been challenged by the African-American professor and theologian Anthony Bradley to move away from Christian literature and theology and read more sociology. In an interview with Wade-O Radio, he explained:
I’ve always loved W.E.B. Du Bois and Frederick Douglass, and I started reading books about them and the struggle of slavery, post-slavery and the African American plight. Then I stumbled upon Du Bois' Talented 10th, the book he wrote, and it spoke exactly to where I am. Where you have a group of people who are struggling, who are in pain, whether it be economic, physical or spiritual, but you have people around who have answers, resources, gifts, talents who can help those individuals.
And so the whole concept of the album is, based off the book, is kind of like people who have time, talent and treasure using those gifts to the benefit of other folks. Not just teaching men to be carpenters, but teaching carpenters to be men.
In another interview on the Wade-O Radio Show, Sho Baraka explained that his motivation for the album was frustration not just with Christian music but with Christendom and the issues that are ignored and not addressed. He said that in addition to the essay Talented Tenth, he was inspired by the anthology Preaching With Sacred Fire: An Anthology of African American Sermons, 1750 to the Present by Martha Simmons and Frank A. Thomas. Sho Baraka expressed his frustration that because of their fascination with Martin Luther, John Calvin, and Charles Spurgeon, many artists and pastors do not talk about black Christian leaders such as Absalom Jones and Lemuel Haynes. From Talented Tenth and Preaching With Sacred Fire, Sho Baraka delved into books such as The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander, Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison, and The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien, along with various works by authors such as Phyllis Wheatley, Frederick Douglass, August Wilson, and C. S. Lewis.
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