HE’S BAAAACK!!!: The Ambassador’s “Because of Your Love”

In the past few years, we’ve witnessed the attempts of some prominent figures to come back from highly-publicized falls. If they weren’t career-threatening, these slip-ups at the very least had the potential to ruin the person’s image.  For example, think of T.I., Weezy, Michael Vick (#goeagles!), Tiger, and Chris Brown. The media has followed all of these stories closely. (My boy DJ D.Scott at CollegeDJ.net recently has written some interesting articles on C. Breezy’s attempts to rebuild his image and sell records.) However, for me, the most heart-breaking fall and the most exciting recent comeback are those of Christian emcee “The Ambassador.” His story, poignantly described in his new song “Because of Your Love,” contrasts the common vulnerability that we all share as humans with the matchless ability of God’s grace to restore us.  

Almost two years ago, I was deeply saddened to hear that, due to “moral failure,” my childhood role model was falling back from recording/touring with CM Records and also stepping down as co-pastor of his church. Thing is…I grew up looking up to this dude not only as a rapper, but also as Christian man. I’ve been listening to his music since I copped the first two Cross Movement albums when I was 10 years old. In my early attempts at rapping, I used to try to rhyme like him. And as ill as he was on the mic, he was just as dope in the pulpit. Thus, it was very hard to hear that Amba’s music and ministry had been discontinued indefinitely. Nevertheless, being in college at this point and having made mistakes of my own, I can’t say I felt disappointment, but rather empathy for a brother in Christ who was goin’ hard and stumbled (Gal. 5:7).

That being said, the purpose of this post is not to focus on the ugliness of the fall, but rather on the beauty of redemption and restoration. After a very prayerful and – from what I’ve heard – constructive hiatus of almost two years, The Ambassador’s back with a new label and a new project on the way called Stop the Funeral. He calls his recently-released song “Because of Your Love” an “icebreaker” rather than a single. Well, whatever you want to call it, the track definitely has me excited. I was tempted to do a line-by-line analysis (sidenote: sorry – comp lit nerd in college), but instead I’ll just tell you that it’s DOPE! Both long-time fans and those completely unfamiliar with his music should check it out ASAP (FREE DOWNLOAD).

The song suggests that although we all fall, both non-believers and Christians alike, the Christian’s means of comeback is not based on his/her own strength. The tone is one of incredible humility and gratitude for a second chance. He confesses his failure and expresses contriteness for how it has hurt his family, friendships, and ministry. Even though he is a Christian emcee, he points out the similarity between himself and the celebrities that I mentioned earlier. Notably, however, he portrays his actions as a “fall from grace” in a very real sense.  This is clear in that he does not make promises to “never let you down again” based on his own strength or willpower. Rather, his response to his failure is to turn back to the unwavering faithfulness, the steadfast love, and the extravagant grace of God.

My only critique of the song would be the autotune in the hook. I would have preferred that he got a solid singer to help him out, but this is a minor criticism. The hook captures the message of redemption and restoration simply, yet effectively:

Hook:
Because of your love I can do anything
Because of your grace and peace I’ll overcome anything (anything)
Because of your faithfulness to me, I’ll overcome anything
Because you’re a savior who died only to rise, now I can do anything (anything)