PJ helped me see through his eyes on that cool
Friday night in October at The Tralf Music Hall in Buffalo, NY,
not only because he let me rock his "fly nerd" specs for a brief
moment, but because this Grammy, Dove and Stellar Award-
winning writer/producer took time to share his heart with me
about his much-debated position on Christians and secular
music.
Funny thing is, it's the church that most harshly criticizes PJ
and questions his open profession of salvation, but yet, this hit
maker has quite a significant following among open-minded
Christians, that view his music as a clean alternative to the
raunchy, profanity-filled tunes that dominate the airwaves these
days. My question then becomes, are we isolating PJ Morton,
when he could very well be the solution to what ails this
generation? Should we be embracing this follower of Christ, as
he sings about love in a way that doesn't undermine his faith or
glorify illicit behavior? Are we missing a golden opportunity to
help advance a movement toward the rebirth of good, quality
and morally upright music?
By now, you must have seen or heard about the CNN debate
surrounding PJ's new book, Why Can't I Sing About Love? The
Truth about the “Church” Against “Secular” Music, that has
created a storm of controversy around his decision to build his
career creating what is classified as, "R&B" music about love
and life, versus what is considered "gospel" music. So, I
wanted to see for myself what this son of famous preachers,
Bishop Paul S. Morton Sr. and Pastor Debra B. Morton, is really
all about. Graciously, he opened himself up that day and we
had a great conversation.
"Hey, are your glasses for real PJ?" I asked him in the middle
of our chat, eyeing him incredulously.
"Yeah, my glasses are for real," he said smiling.
"Let me see," I responded. "Yeah, I have astigmatism," PJ told
me as he removed his signature black-rimmed spectacles and
handed them to me carefully.
"Ah, I see," I said squinting, holding them up in front of my eyes,
moving them up and down and gazing off into the distance. "I
guess that kind of just works with the whole 'Fly Nerd' thing
you've got going on," I teased, referencing the nickname PJ
uses to define his own unique and eclectic vibe--part GQ and
part geek.
Incidentally, the "geek-side" graduated from Morehouse
University in Atlanta in just 3 ½ years. "I was taking 18 hours a
semester," PJ said. "I went all year round, that's how I finished
early."
"Wow, that's pretty impressive," I told him.
"Thanks, I did summer and everything. But, I wasn't a very good
student," recounted PJ who admits he relied on his natural
smarts to get by academically, because his true passion was
music. "I got offered tours my whole college career and I had to
turn them down, and it was getting rough. Then, I won a
Grammy my Junior year in college and I was like, I'm ready to
just quit, but I was like, I went this far, let me just knock it out,"
which is precisely what PJ did. As a result, he walked away
with a Marketing Degree under his belt-- something he's very
proud of, as he should be.
But, graduating from Morehouse isn't the only thing PJ did
early. At the young age of 15, he made his official entrance into
the music business as a songwriter, placing his first song on
an album recorded by popular gospel group, Men of Standard
(MOS). Still today, the relationship with MOS remains strong,
which prompted one of its members, Bryan Pierce, also pastor
of Bethel Baptist Church located in Kannapolis, North Carolina,
to agree to share his thoughts with EEW Magazine about PJ
being under such intense scrutiny lately.
"What he's doing is out of the box," Pastor Pierce
acknowledges, "but, I mean, there were people who thought
his father was out of the box when he was launching Full
Gospel Baptist, you know?"
"Oh yes, I remember that well," I replied.
"When he brought speaking in tongues and laying on of hands
and gifts, and everything beyond what we were used to as it
relates to operating as a Baptist Church--because I was
actually a part of that ministry when he was doing it,' Pastor
Pierce remembered, reflecting back on his days as a member
of Greater St. Stephens Baptist Church in New Orleans. "It was
sort of out of the box and against the norm, so, he comes from
that. He has that. It's in his blood."
As I sat listening to Pastor Pierce sharing his insight, my mind
went back to my years growing up in the Church of God in
Christ (COGIC), and I know firsthand that many disagreed with
and condemned Bishop Morton's efforts to bridge the gap
between Baptist and Pentecostal traditions back in the 90's.
Yet, PJ's father knew he was on a mission from God and
remarkably, in 1994, over twenty-five thousand people attended
the first Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship Conference in
the Louisiana Superdome and it's still going strong today, 15
years later.
"So, I believe that we really, really, really have to step back from
some things and sometimes it's about stepping back from our
traditions," says Pastor Pierce, who expressed how important it
is not to be judgmental of how PJ has chosen to use his God-
given gifts and talents to create love songs. "I believe that love
is a universal language. We don't know how far this can go."
Arguably, it's already gone further than some might have
predicted, which became abundantly clear when PJ presented
his defense of love to CNN reporter, TJ Holmes, who anchors
the weekend morning edition of CNN Newsroom from CNN
World Headquarters in Atlanta.
For Christians viewing the program, what added fuel to the
already red hot fire, was the commentary presented by chart-
topping gospel recording artist, Tye Tribbett. "The Bible says no
man can serve two masters," Tye told CNN. "Even though that
scripture is talking about God and money, but just that principle
[still applies]. You've got to love one and hate the other. At
some point you're not gonna be able to be comfortable doing
both."
But PJ begs to differ and he's responding to those who are
judging and attacking him based off of a 5 minute, 55 second
condensed television segment.
"Give me a chance," says PJ. "I'll listen to you and see where
you're coming from, just like I listened to Tye. And if Tye had
said something [on CNN that day] that got me, then I would've
been like man, let me revisit this thing. But what he said,"
referencing Tye's use of the contextually questionable
scriptural reference about serving two masters found in
Matthew 6:24 as the basis of his anti-secular music stance, "I
was like, that's not it man. That's not it."
That was it, however, for many EEW readers who were not
familiar with PJ Morton's music beyond the sensationalized
news story. So, when I read the angry emails and saw that
folks were taking sides, I knew I needed to look into it more
deeply. Even Tye Tribbett told me he didn't mean to incite what
he half jokingly referred to as a "gospel beef."
So, I put on my "investigative reporter cap" and for the next few
weeks, I immersed myself in researching this intriguing young
musician, who would be in my neck of the woods soon.
I have to say, I didn't expect what I got.
Friday night in October at The Tralf Music Hall in Buffalo, NY,
not only because he let me rock his "fly nerd" specs for a brief
moment, but because this Grammy, Dove and Stellar Award-
winning writer/producer took time to share his heart with me
about his much-debated position on Christians and secular
music.
Funny thing is, it's the church that most harshly criticizes PJ
and questions his open profession of salvation, but yet, this hit
maker has quite a significant following among open-minded
Christians, that view his music as a clean alternative to the
raunchy, profanity-filled tunes that dominate the airwaves these
days. My question then becomes, are we isolating PJ Morton,
when he could very well be the solution to what ails this
generation? Should we be embracing this follower of Christ, as
he sings about love in a way that doesn't undermine his faith or
glorify illicit behavior? Are we missing a golden opportunity to
help advance a movement toward the rebirth of good, quality
and morally upright music?
By now, you must have seen or heard about the CNN debate
surrounding PJ's new book, Why Can't I Sing About Love? The
Truth about the “Church” Against “Secular” Music, that has
created a storm of controversy around his decision to build his
career creating what is classified as, "R&B" music about love
and life, versus what is considered "gospel" music. So, I
wanted to see for myself what this son of famous preachers,
Bishop Paul S. Morton Sr. and Pastor Debra B. Morton, is really
all about. Graciously, he opened himself up that day and we
had a great conversation.
"Hey, are your glasses for real PJ?" I asked him in the middle
of our chat, eyeing him incredulously.
"Yeah, my glasses are for real," he said smiling.
"Let me see," I responded. "Yeah, I have astigmatism," PJ told
me as he removed his signature black-rimmed spectacles and
handed them to me carefully.
"Ah, I see," I said squinting, holding them up in front of my eyes,
moving them up and down and gazing off into the distance. "I
guess that kind of just works with the whole 'Fly Nerd' thing
you've got going on," I teased, referencing the nickname PJ
uses to define his own unique and eclectic vibe--part GQ and
part geek.
Incidentally, the "geek-side" graduated from Morehouse
University in Atlanta in just 3 ½ years. "I was taking 18 hours a
semester," PJ said. "I went all year round, that's how I finished
early."
"Wow, that's pretty impressive," I told him.
"Thanks, I did summer and everything. But, I wasn't a very good
student," recounted PJ who admits he relied on his natural
smarts to get by academically, because his true passion was
music. "I got offered tours my whole college career and I had to
turn them down, and it was getting rough. Then, I won a
Grammy my Junior year in college and I was like, I'm ready to
just quit, but I was like, I went this far, let me just knock it out,"
which is precisely what PJ did. As a result, he walked away
with a Marketing Degree under his belt-- something he's very
proud of, as he should be.
But, graduating from Morehouse isn't the only thing PJ did
early. At the young age of 15, he made his official entrance into
the music business as a songwriter, placing his first song on
an album recorded by popular gospel group, Men of Standard
(MOS). Still today, the relationship with MOS remains strong,
which prompted one of its members, Bryan Pierce, also pastor
of Bethel Baptist Church located in Kannapolis, North Carolina,
to agree to share his thoughts with EEW Magazine about PJ
being under such intense scrutiny lately.
"What he's doing is out of the box," Pastor Pierce
acknowledges, "but, I mean, there were people who thought
his father was out of the box when he was launching Full
Gospel Baptist, you know?"
"Oh yes, I remember that well," I replied.
"When he brought speaking in tongues and laying on of hands
and gifts, and everything beyond what we were used to as it
relates to operating as a Baptist Church--because I was
actually a part of that ministry when he was doing it,' Pastor
Pierce remembered, reflecting back on his days as a member
of Greater St. Stephens Baptist Church in New Orleans. "It was
sort of out of the box and against the norm, so, he comes from
that. He has that. It's in his blood."
As I sat listening to Pastor Pierce sharing his insight, my mind
went back to my years growing up in the Church of God in
Christ (COGIC), and I know firsthand that many disagreed with
and condemned Bishop Morton's efforts to bridge the gap
between Baptist and Pentecostal traditions back in the 90's.
Yet, PJ's father knew he was on a mission from God and
remarkably, in 1994, over twenty-five thousand people attended
the first Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship Conference in
the Louisiana Superdome and it's still going strong today, 15
years later.
"So, I believe that we really, really, really have to step back from
some things and sometimes it's about stepping back from our
traditions," says Pastor Pierce, who expressed how important it
is not to be judgmental of how PJ has chosen to use his God-
given gifts and talents to create love songs. "I believe that love
is a universal language. We don't know how far this can go."
Arguably, it's already gone further than some might have
predicted, which became abundantly clear when PJ presented
his defense of love to CNN reporter, TJ Holmes, who anchors
the weekend morning edition of CNN Newsroom from CNN
World Headquarters in Atlanta.
For Christians viewing the program, what added fuel to the
already red hot fire, was the commentary presented by chart-
topping gospel recording artist, Tye Tribbett. "The Bible says no
man can serve two masters," Tye told CNN. "Even though that
scripture is talking about God and money, but just that principle
[still applies]. You've got to love one and hate the other. At
some point you're not gonna be able to be comfortable doing
both."
But PJ begs to differ and he's responding to those who are
judging and attacking him based off of a 5 minute, 55 second
condensed television segment.
"Give me a chance," says PJ. "I'll listen to you and see where
you're coming from, just like I listened to Tye. And if Tye had
said something [on CNN that day] that got me, then I would've
been like man, let me revisit this thing. But what he said,"
referencing Tye's use of the contextually questionable
scriptural reference about serving two masters found in
Matthew 6:24 as the basis of his anti-secular music stance, "I
was like, that's not it man. That's not it."
That was it, however, for many EEW readers who were not
familiar with PJ Morton's music beyond the sensationalized
news story. So, when I read the angry emails and saw that
folks were taking sides, I knew I needed to look into it more
deeply. Even Tye Tribbett told me he didn't mean to incite what
he half jokingly referred to as a "gospel beef."
So, I put on my "investigative reporter cap" and for the next few
weeks, I immersed myself in researching this intriguing young
musician, who would be in my neck of the woods soon.
I have to say, I didn't expect what I got.
 | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  |
EEW Editor-In-Chief, Dianna Hobbs, poses with PJ Morton
after enjoying his live show at The Tralf Music Hall in
Buffalo, NY on October 16, 2009.
after enjoying his live show at The Tralf Music Hall in
Buffalo, NY on October 16, 2009.
One of the first places I went was to PJ's Myspace page, where
I discovered a YouTube video he had posted to his blog for a
new song called Mountains and Molehills that will be on his
new album, Walk Alone, currently scheduled to be released on
February 9, 2010. The short blog note said he'd shot the actual
video himself, which is what really drew me in. "This ought be
interesting," I thought, but what I didn't think is that'd I'd fall in
love with the song the way I did.
I discovered a YouTube video he had posted to his blog for a
new song called Mountains and Molehills that will be on his
new album, Walk Alone, currently scheduled to be released on
February 9, 2010. The short blog note said he'd shot the actual
video himself, which is what really drew me in. "This ought be
interesting," I thought, but what I didn't think is that'd I'd fall in
love with the song the way I did.
The main chorus, which encourages listeners to stop "making
mountains out of molehills," ironically, captures the essence of
my sentiments, since I've gotten to know the man behind the
over-hyped criticism. What PJ is singing about is nothing like
the profanity-laced, sexually explicit lyrics that many Christians
detest. PJ, whose music covers a wide range of life issues,
(among them love) asked, "How can there be love without love
songs?" preparing to make a pretty cogent argument in his
own defense. "It's only an expression of truth and of
experience. I could write a song about riding up this escalator
right here, you know what I'm saying? And it would be a
secular song, but is there anything wrong or out of the will of
God with riding this escalator up to the second floor?" PJ
briefly paused after asking the question, to which I answered,
"No, no there isn't anything wrong with that."
He continued, "There's nothing wrong with that and you know,
sometimes, church and religion can be one thing and the
relationship and the real stuff can be a whole other thing,
because we've created a church culture that isn't always just
necessarily based on [the] word [of God]. It's just what we
know and I know it because I grew up in church, but it's a
culture. And sometimes, when you grow up in it, it's hard to
separate the culture from the real stuff, so you know, when the
Bible talks about [how] God looks at the heart, that makes you
start to think that, man, a lot of the external things that we care
about, He doesn't even see it unless it affects our heart."
As PJ made his heartfelt case to me, for the first time, I began
seeing things through a different lens, as if he was helping to
correct a spiritual astigmatism I didn't know I had. My epiphany
aside, PJ knows and understands that everyone won't be open
to hearing his message. "The people who are against what I'm
saying, I understand it," he said. "But you've just got to stretch.
You've got to listen and try to take it for what it is."
So, exactly what is it that has the church so divided on the
issue? According to PJ, it's the proliferation of a one-sided
view of things, rather than a more contextually balanced
approach, something he feels Tye Tribbett should take into
consideration. "I've known Tye for a long time, and Tye's a
great person. I love him. There's no ill feelings, but my problem
is that he's always giving a one-sided view to the kids man and
I feel like, that's teaching them that imbalance all over again.
I've heard that Tye said 'I love PJ's music and I think it's a place
and time for everything.' Then tell people that. Tell them that
and let them understand what balance is. Let's teach balance
as opposed to this is death and that's life."
PJ isn't asking for everyone to agree, but at the very least, be
open. "I believe that anything can be resolved with a
conversation, even if it's walking away, agreeing to disagree,"
he said. "Don't attack me. Just hear me out."
I can't speak for others, but once I took time to really hear him
out, I'm convinced that in this case, PJ Morton's detractors just
might be making mountains out of molehills.
Get a copy of PJ's book at WhyCantISingAboutLove.com. Plus,
you can keep up with his music and tour schedule on his
MySpace page.
Dianna Hobbs is Founder and Editor-In-Chief of EEW Magazine.
mountains out of molehills," ironically, captures the essence of
my sentiments, since I've gotten to know the man behind the
over-hyped criticism. What PJ is singing about is nothing like
the profanity-laced, sexually explicit lyrics that many Christians
detest. PJ, whose music covers a wide range of life issues,
(among them love) asked, "How can there be love without love
songs?" preparing to make a pretty cogent argument in his
own defense. "It's only an expression of truth and of
experience. I could write a song about riding up this escalator
right here, you know what I'm saying? And it would be a
secular song, but is there anything wrong or out of the will of
God with riding this escalator up to the second floor?" PJ
briefly paused after asking the question, to which I answered,
"No, no there isn't anything wrong with that."
He continued, "There's nothing wrong with that and you know,
sometimes, church and religion can be one thing and the
relationship and the real stuff can be a whole other thing,
because we've created a church culture that isn't always just
necessarily based on [the] word [of God]. It's just what we
know and I know it because I grew up in church, but it's a
culture. And sometimes, when you grow up in it, it's hard to
separate the culture from the real stuff, so you know, when the
Bible talks about [how] God looks at the heart, that makes you
start to think that, man, a lot of the external things that we care
about, He doesn't even see it unless it affects our heart."
As PJ made his heartfelt case to me, for the first time, I began
seeing things through a different lens, as if he was helping to
correct a spiritual astigmatism I didn't know I had. My epiphany
aside, PJ knows and understands that everyone won't be open
to hearing his message. "The people who are against what I'm
saying, I understand it," he said. "But you've just got to stretch.
You've got to listen and try to take it for what it is."
So, exactly what is it that has the church so divided on the
issue? According to PJ, it's the proliferation of a one-sided
view of things, rather than a more contextually balanced
approach, something he feels Tye Tribbett should take into
consideration. "I've known Tye for a long time, and Tye's a
great person. I love him. There's no ill feelings, but my problem
is that he's always giving a one-sided view to the kids man and
I feel like, that's teaching them that imbalance all over again.
I've heard that Tye said 'I love PJ's music and I think it's a place
and time for everything.' Then tell people that. Tell them that
and let them understand what balance is. Let's teach balance
as opposed to this is death and that's life."
PJ isn't asking for everyone to agree, but at the very least, be
open. "I believe that anything can be resolved with a
conversation, even if it's walking away, agreeing to disagree,"
he said. "Don't attack me. Just hear me out."
I can't speak for others, but once I took time to really hear him
out, I'm convinced that in this case, PJ Morton's detractors just
might be making mountains out of molehills.
Get a copy of PJ's book at WhyCantISingAboutLove.com. Plus,
you can keep up with his music and tour schedule on his
MySpace page.
Dianna Hobbs is Founder and Editor-In-Chief of EEW Magazine.
During our discussion I asked PJ, "Did you really just get
bored at home and shoot that video by yourself?"
He laughed. "Yeah, it happened just like that. Just like I said it
on MySpace. I was bored and I had this little camera and I kept
telling myself, I was like, I can shoot a video on this,"he said,
"because I had done a few Walmart commercials where I did
the music and it taught me how to use my I-Movie because I
had to send the music with the picture. [I was] like this is how
they make videos, so I got bored one day and I was like, I'ma
do the video and it happened just like that."
Once again, I was impressed with the Fly Nerd and asked him
if he would be gracious enough to sing Mountains and
Molehills for me during his live set later that night and before
we parted ways, he agreed that he would.
Well, as I sat in that intimate dark room, underneath the glare
of the warm blue lights at a small table just in front of the
stage, from the time The PJ Morton Band began their set, I was
enthralled. Though I was quiet, the energy in the room was
palpable, the musicianship was stellar and PJ's
professionalism and showmanship proved that this young
brother was a seasoned performer.
At one point, PJ said, "I'm about to hurry up and get out of
here," and one woman behind me yelled out, "Why would you
do that?!" The crowd clearly was enjoying the music. That's
when PJ slowed things down a bit and began talking. "I
promised Dianna Hobbs I would sing this song," he said. In
that moment I got excited, because he kept his word and I
knew I was about to hear my song. From the first line that says,
"There's this girl from this small town..." all the way until the
end that says, "You won't know unless you try," I was in heaven
at The Tralf. He churned out a buttery smooth, tear-jerking,
rendition. It was nice.
bored at home and shoot that video by yourself?"
He laughed. "Yeah, it happened just like that. Just like I said it
on MySpace. I was bored and I had this little camera and I kept
telling myself, I was like, I can shoot a video on this,"he said,
"because I had done a few Walmart commercials where I did
the music and it taught me how to use my I-Movie because I
had to send the music with the picture. [I was] like this is how
they make videos, so I got bored one day and I was like, I'ma
do the video and it happened just like that."
Once again, I was impressed with the Fly Nerd and asked him
if he would be gracious enough to sing Mountains and
Molehills for me during his live set later that night and before
we parted ways, he agreed that he would.
Well, as I sat in that intimate dark room, underneath the glare
of the warm blue lights at a small table just in front of the
stage, from the time The PJ Morton Band began their set, I was
enthralled. Though I was quiet, the energy in the room was
palpable, the musicianship was stellar and PJ's
professionalism and showmanship proved that this young
brother was a seasoned performer.
At one point, PJ said, "I'm about to hurry up and get out of
here," and one woman behind me yelled out, "Why would you
do that?!" The crowd clearly was enjoying the music. That's
when PJ slowed things down a bit and began talking. "I
promised Dianna Hobbs I would sing this song," he said. In
that moment I got excited, because he kept his word and I
knew I was about to hear my song. From the first line that says,
"There's this girl from this small town..." all the way until the
end that says, "You won't know unless you try," I was in heaven
at The Tralf. He churned out a buttery smooth, tear-jerking,
rendition. It was nice.
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 |  |  |  |  |  |  |
We asked PJ to unleash his
more personal side and he
obliged. Here's what PJ said:
more personal side and he
obliged. Here's what PJ said:
You Seem Nice. Are you?
Yes, I am nice. I'm a really nice
guy. (smiling)
Are You Sensitive?
I am sensitive to people's hearts. I
like for everybody to be OK. I just
don't usually see there being a
need for people to be unhappy
and stuff, so it's just like, let's just
figure it out.
Are You A lot of Fun?
I'm a fun guy, but I'm also a laid
back guy. I like to stay home,
watch TV and chill. My career is
kinda being out and playing, so it's
kinda like, I like to chill a whole
bunch. But, I am fun, when I'm
comfortable, you know. Yeah, I'm
pretty crazy.
What are you Up To?
I just finished working on
DeWayne Woods' second album
and I did something on Ruben
Studdard's album and then I did
some Mary Mary stuff and Musiq
Soulchild.
How do you get inspired to
write songs?
It's on and off you know? A lot of
times I write a lot of songs and
then, I can't write songs for a
while. I heard somebody say, you
live first then you write. So, it's like
I wrote about everything I lived or
saw and then, I need a little break
to write again.
Yes, I am nice. I'm a really nice
guy. (smiling)
Are You Sensitive?
I am sensitive to people's hearts. I
like for everybody to be OK. I just
don't usually see there being a
need for people to be unhappy
and stuff, so it's just like, let's just
figure it out.
Are You A lot of Fun?
I'm a fun guy, but I'm also a laid
back guy. I like to stay home,
watch TV and chill. My career is
kinda being out and playing, so it's
kinda like, I like to chill a whole
bunch. But, I am fun, when I'm
comfortable, you know. Yeah, I'm
pretty crazy.
What are you Up To?
I just finished working on
DeWayne Woods' second album
and I did something on Ruben
Studdard's album and then I did
some Mary Mary stuff and Musiq
Soulchild.
How do you get inspired to
write songs?
It's on and off you know? A lot of
times I write a lot of songs and
then, I can't write songs for a
while. I heard somebody say, you
live first then you write. So, it's like
I wrote about everything I lived or
saw and then, I need a little break
to write again.
