Episode 35

What better way to usher in May -Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month- than to hear Asian-American rapper and activist, Jason Chu talk about his musical career, his work with racial justice, and how his faith weaved his music and activism together? To start, he shared his journey of following the call to pursue music as the means to entertain, heal and educate people and coming to love and engage with Los Angeles and its issues. He then delved into his music career -and what was coming next (you NEED to hear all the artists that have partnered with him on this project -tune in to listen to Jason naming several of them! ). Featuring numerous artists, Jason's newest album of 15 tracks will each highlight a topic in Asian American history and its relevance to our current society, such as the model minority myth, beauty standards and the economic opportunities that ethnic food afforded the Asian American community. His full album will be out this Friday, May 14th, on all music platforms including Spotify, Pandora, and Youtube. For more updates, follow him on his social media handle @jasonchumusic. While speaking about his music, Jason also shared a multitude of profound encouragements to the Asian American community and aspiring artists. To name a few, he touched on not falling into "oppression Olympics" (in which struggles are authenticated or dismissed in the comparison game), learning to be constructive than reactive, being aware of the oppressors within us, holding onto the hope that those who mourn will be comforted and not spurning adversity and pain because they can lead to the unique blessings of "liminality", a term coined by theologian Sang Hyun Lee (listen to Jason speaking about this term -it was one of the most inspiring and edifying concepts we've heard on this podcast!). We know you'll be on the edge of your seat listening to Jason's thoughts on music building God's kingdom, on how to find hope through these challenging times of witnessing the increasing rates of violence against Asian Americans, and what is being released in his newest album so tune in!