Hip hop Christian
artist Tedashii knows what it’s like to walk the road of pain and suffering.
Last year, his one-year-old son died, and he was left with a shattered heart.

His fourth album–Below Paradise–conveys much of his
difficult journey during the past year.

We interviewed
Tedashii, an engaging man who doesn’t sugarcoat the pain of his loss. He admits
that he’s wrestled with God’s goodness during this season of his life, but he
remains faithful to God and the promises found in Scripture.

ABS: Tell us about
your journey.

Tedashii: A year
ago, I lost my one-year-old son. There were people who wanted to be loving and
share words. But presence is way more important. …Your being there for someone
else. If you’re a brother or sister in the Lord, you do what Scripture says:
Mourn with me. Grieve with me. Be with me.

ABS: Tell us how
Scripture influenced your walk while making the album.

Tedashii: Paul
speaks to the church and says we don’t grieve as the pagans, who don’t have
hope. Prior to last year, I would have said this with an informed idea of what
it means not to grieve as the world does because we have hope. But now,
experientially, I’d say it’s a fight to actually agree to that.

ABS: What’s your
favorite from the album?

Tedashii: Nothing I Can Do is my one of my
favorites. [It communicates] that I’m hurting, but by the power of the Spirit I
can progress, keep moving and hold on.

ABS: What are your
favorite Bible verses?

Tedashii: Before
every concert, I read Psalm 145 and Psalm 119:68. I go to these because they
remind me of God’s goodness. I’ve also been reading John 10 and how God is the
good shepherd. …My goal is to soak in the Lord’s goodness, but after such a
tragedy, I wrestled with God’s goodness. But he is here to bring life more
abundantly. When my mind is running from that truth, I need to recognize that
and run back to it.

ABS: What do you
want audiences to take back with them?

Tedashii: The
struggle of reconciling living in a harsh world with a loving God. Look at the
news … on and on go the stories of loss of life. There’s a harshness in this
life. … but I hope to communicate the honest truth of the Gospel as well as
hope in a God that is good.

ABS: What’s the
last message you want to leave with an audience?

Tedashii: John the
Baptist was one of the greatest men born of a woman. He said that he must decrease
so that Jesus would increase. What I want audiences to take away is this: Are
you willing to decrease in whatever way necessary so that Jesus can increase in
the world?

Watch the full interview with Tedashii at ABSAtrium.com/Live