You might expect to hear tracks from Jay-Z’s “4:44” in the club, at a party or listening in your car.
What may be surprising is to hear his “The Story of O.J.” as part of a praise dance in church.
That's what a praise dance team did at Tree of Life Missionary Baptist Church in Watts and it has virtual tongues wagging on social media, according to TV One.
Warning: Explicit language is used in the video.
Jay-Z’s acclaimed "4:44” has dominated the music scene since its release on Tidal, his star-studded streaming service.
One of the top tracks is the “The Story of O.J." The song, though, uses the N-word a lot and drops an F-bomb.
A video and sermon by the Rev. Marcus Murchinson is posted on the church’s Facebook page under the title, “Story of OJ Psalms 44:4”
The video has been viewed more than 15,000 on the church’s page and shared .
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Minister of music leader, John Bernard Jr., also took to Facebook to set the record straight.
The full context of the presentation is not being shared fully, he said.
Bernard said it was announced weeks earlier that the message that would be preached by the pastor would be “out the box.” When the pastor got up he “gave a disclaimer” and informed people again that it was not “a typical message” and sermon. He urged people to be prayerful and “stick with it because I’m going somewhere,” said Bernard.
One person wrote on Facebook: “ I've seen the context and I believe the pastor meant well... However the house of God is a house of prayer...A HOLY place...I believe people would have gotten the same point without the Jay Z song! No explanation of the Jay Z song was given....You could have used a Christian song and portrayed the attitude that you were trying to portray or even instrumental music. Praise dance is to give praise to God...So what or whom are they trying to give praise to...in the house of God.”
Not everyone was as upset.
One viewer wrote that she was " glad I watched this full sermon. I understand the uproar of not using the clean version of the Jay Z song but if people open their minds the sermon was actually good.”
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