The Making Of Blameless — Jackie Hill Perry

of scripture, we have a lot of texts where God is calling us to live uh to a very high standard, which is to be like Christ, which is to be perfect, which is to be blameless. Uh but if we're honest with ourselves, we know that every day we come in contact with the truth that we're not perfect, that we're not blameless.

And so, we're all inching towards this goal that seems impossible, uh but isn't necessarily possible when you impossible when you consider the fact that God is with us. And so blameless is really this exploration of me being honest about my own fa flaws and my own issues while also pressing towards the mark of the high calling of God. >> I also feel like your your records do kind of create a little bit of like >> pressure. >> Yes. >> Yeah. >> Cuz you can't even talking about something he's working on how like man he had to he he lays down his cadences and he goes home and write to them.

Well, a lot of lot of the younger artists in hip-hop in general, they they literally be punching and freestyling. Yeah. Writing on the spot. >> Yeah. >> And I think that your records over, you really can't do that for these songs. You got to kind of piss them. >> You got to think. >> Yes.

You got to you got to >> or at least the ones that there's a feature on. [singing] ((music playing)) >> Oh my gosh. So where I can I speak to where I hear >> okay [singing] ((music playing)) [singing] no more >> a low note and then when she goes into a different transition a lower note cuz I heard it I heard you do a lower note next to the note that I was talking about.

[singing] >> You know what I'm saying? ((music playing)) >> So So you're saying [singing] told me, >> "Yes, >> you could keep me, but I [singing] turned it." >> And then when she changes deeper, >> okay? >> Is there a way to merge the sample that the home comes in so that they seamlessly go into one another? >> So it doesn't feel like we actually went to another track. >> I love that.

Yeah. Yeah. >> If we did that, that would ((music playing)) be really dope. would be like, "Oh, that like these all work together." >> Love it. ((music playing)) [singing] >> I don't like that that uh space of like nothing happening. Like I want that ad lip to be a consistent um thing. So, can it be more of a pattern?

Yeah. Keep it like where it's not as all ((music playing)) Okay, ((music playing)) I hear it now. [singing] >> I I was lost. I was like, what does she [laughter] know how to explain it? But I ask I wanted another like it's like another hook going on. >> Sure. It's a pattern. It's an ad pattern.

I get real. ((music playing)) part of my struggle like I rap on the beat. He kind of raps off of it. >> Yeah. >> And so it loses its um >> swag. >> Yeah. Like it's some where it's like I want to strengthen >> what he's doing. >> Yeah. It's okay.

Like like even I think we changing the drum some kind of way >> so that his his verse hits harder. >> Hits harder. >> This is not a four on the floor hook verse hook verse in. No, this is definitely >> got to use my brain, bro. Kind of thick, bro.

Like, >> it's definitely complex. It's definitely like intricate. You know what I'm saying? I think >> so. It's not it's not >> 9 mm like only take 9 mm 9 mm something like that that at the Memphis [music and singing] My heart turn [music and singing] over. ((music playing)) >> It can literally the beat literally and go to the chin.

((music playing)) Yeah, that's ridiculous. >> It just becomes ghettoer. >> No, it does. For sure. Good call. I mean, that's >> my favorite thing. >> I'm literally >> ghetto. [music and singing] ((music playing)) Some people hate me, others love me. [singing] I'm a genre. nerves. >> Might as well see a picture of this. That's cool. >> Yeah.

Yeah. Right there. Good. And then put your feet a little bit closer together. Here we go. Ready? Three, two, hold that. [music and singing] What you giant? It's a liy ((music playing)) about that. [singing] I ain't worried about that. Tell them you ain't thirsty. Yeah, you got it. I can [music and singing] tell you like you get the jiggy with them on you.

Jesus ((music playing)) you got it. Why you talking messy gossip when I see the gospel? I ain't worried about that. ((music playing)) >> 3 2 1 [music and singing] [singing] >> Yeah. >> I think we want him in the shot. >> Little feature. [laughter] >> [music and singing] >> be like underneath that cuz like when we move to old boy section he's layering stuff you know what I'm saying so to add just another element where the yeah like it's somehow underneath the focus and broken I don't know >> oh so something under the broken part or under the >> like that whole section that y is actually more consistent not just when I say it >> okay it's Like it's as if it's a sample >> sample.

((music playing)) [singing] How that feel? >> I like that. All right, that's g low key. I was thinking lyrically, too. On one end, it sound like you flexing, >> but look at the way that I walk. But actually, you're not. That's the beauty. Like the the double entandra of the lyrics of what you're saying. >> Yeah.

His problem is I follow Christen. I'm hoping he notices broken and golden things the whole thing. If you if you didn't know what you didn't know you and you heard this lyric, look at the way I walk over this beat. You're assuming you're listening to not a spiritual lens at all.

I'm going just do sentences [singing and music] that we can then repeat like [music and singing] like literally just that's what the reference does. Uh sound like repping ((music playing)) King. I don't like repping. Nobody says that. >> But something about King ((music playing)) Jesus like I want this like if you're a Christian and you [singing] f to play basketball or football, whatever people ((music playing)) listen to before, but I want this to be that song.

This is what [singing] ges you for sure. ((music playing)) Shame shame the devil. ((music playing)) Tell the truth and shame the shame the devil. We going to run our mouth. [singing] We going to run our mouth. But here we run our mouth. We ain't scared. We ain't scared. We ain't ((music playing)) scared. We ain't scared.

[singing] Jesus. ((music playing)) I like the word backups, but I don't know how to say that. Get up off me. >> Try it. ((music playing)) [singing] ((music playing)) [singing] >> Nothing but the blood. Nothing but the blood. Nothing ((music playing)) but nothing but the blood. [singing] >> Shame the truth. Shame. Shame the ((music playing)) devil. I think this is a merge of everything I enjoy which is lyrics and ghetto.

The Lord obviously wants us to live with a very high standard of integrity. Um and I feel convictions in that direction. Often my conscience is really soft. And it's not to say that because I'm a better person. It's to say I read so much Bible that I also feel inclined to obey all that I know.

Um, and so I'm aware of how blameless I'm not. And so this album is really exploring those ideas about wanting to be like Christ, but knowing you just are really a fragile, frail, proud person. It's a soundtrack to the Christian experience. >> Yeah, respect. ((music playing)) [singing] >> Maybe it's American language.

I see it. It's all in the face. Repent. Repent. Repent. Repent. Repent. Repent. Repent. Repent. >> That repent part. >> What's the story behind that? >> So, it was a viral uh sound on TikTok. It's a reference point to something that's happening in culture, but it also I if you listen to the whole album, I say the word repent a lot on purpose.

So, it really is establishing ultimately we can't be blameless without repentance. >> ((music playing)) ((music playing)) >> What are your like top three songs or like this is like if nobody else appreciates it, this is what I love or my top three. Uh, >> shimmy, >> antisocial. I think the one that communicates where I where I how I most feel in this season is Pride and Prejudice.

((music playing)) [singing] Eternity ((music playing)) is real. Everybody got to do you can't run [singing] it away from Yeah. You seen the priests going live and asking where the blood at. You seen these preachers throwing lies and asking where ((music playing)) the glove at. They killed a Johnny [__] just to scrub that they hands dirty. >> I used to love you.

I used to touch you. I thought I love. I'd rather humble than my sister rebuttal. I didn't pay you no mind. You said my mind was doubled. Honestly, I thought on my ground, ((music playing)) you see my time was >> I'm curious visually how you want people to receive blameless. >> I feel like even with the cover image, it has to communicate some sense of purity that's defiled, >> you know?

So, so whether that's me with all white on, but there's a blemish somewhere, you know? But I think some of the art needs to have this juxtiposition of clean, dirty. >> Yes. >> So I can keep cuz this is not a self-righteous album. Like Blameless can sound self-righteous, but I'm actually saying no, that's why I'm supposed to be, but I ain't. >> So here we are. >> And so how do you how do you tell that story um artistically?

((music playing)) >> ((music playing)) >> break ((music playing)) money to the lighthouse. That's ((music playing)) the most high on [singing] his ride. That's putting crowns down on the ((music playing)) ground. That's why >> that's ((applause)) [singing and music] ain't a game check. >> And then look over here one time. with my daddy ghost body. Yeah. Tried to be my go. >> The heart is the seat of everything.

Uh Jesus says to love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul, strength. Uh we have where he says out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. So the heart is important to maintain it, to interrogate it, to um figure out what's in it as empowered by the Holy Spirit because it drives everything we do, everything we love um is a heart issue.

[snorts] >> Freaking >> Oh gosh. I think metaphorically speaking, this album is me going into the different rooms and seeing like, oh, like you're kind of addicted to leisure, like you've been watching Netflix for like hours or scrolling for a minute or there's some selfish ambition in that room or there's some pride in that room or like what's going on?

And so I think a lot of times people are completely ignorant to their own motives. They're completely lazy. I think when it comes to figuring out like why do I do what I do and how do I surrender that stuff to God so I can have a pure heart.

And so I think this album represents that process for me. ((music playing)) >> Yeah. I think I think sometimes we believe we're only supposed to repent once. like I repent to come to Christ and then I'm filled with the Holy Spirit. But it's like repentance is actually a daily continual often constant thing.

Um it's like it's us recognizing you know that thought was problematic. That behavior was not good. That was sinful. I am sorry Lord let me reorient. Let me renew my mind by your power. Like let me do all the things. And so repentance isn't something we should be afraid of.

It should be something that we're practicing all the time. And truthfully, the closer you get to God, the more you should be repenting. Um because he begins to show you all the levels of you um that need more of Christ. And so it isn't something to be ashamed of.

It might actually be evidence that you know him more than you did last year. >> I don't have anything funny to laugh about. Is there anything you can tell us about the trailer? >> Um, I I know that it is a transition from the world of uh Church Kids, which is super colorful, bright, playful, young.

Um, and it's transitioning into the world of Blameless, which is a lot more me, a lot more serious, wavy. ((music playing)) skeleton hanging that isn't a maybe it's >> and one text that always anchors me is Jude 1:24 which says to him who is able to keep us from stumbling and to present us blameless and so because of the cross uh even though I'm not as perfect as Christ I'll be presented as if I never did anything at all so that's Awesome.