Priorities and L.O.Y.A.L.T.Y. – Where were you?

June 25, 2011 – My album release concert. My personal Opus. I would say it went pretty well. I know all the flaws and all the shortcomings firsthand. I am never satisfied – ever. I am always annoyed 2 weeks after a concert – then I start appreciating it a bit more. People got to see the idea of being endangered. People got to see high quality art being delivered. If my fans only knew how much time and effort it takes when you don’t have a budget – If my friends and family only knew the level of professionalism that it takes to execute something at that level. Yes, I know – It wasn’t the Staples Center – or it wasn’t Dodgers Stadium. But with what I have and with where I’m at, it was my Staples Center – Artists with my resources, money, and networks cannot do something like June 25. These artists wait like dogs, begging for a record executive to notice them, and do small shows in cafes. These artists struggle and struggle waiting for a human being to help them take their career to the next level. They wouldn’t dare put themselves out there. They don’t have the cojones (look it up) to display their talent (or lack of) for people to tear down and critique. The G-Vo brand is quite the opposite – God builds, I follow, everyone follows.

When you are a musician and display your feeble attempts in public, you are the target for everyone’s opinion. Everyone decides that they have the empowerment to be a producer or talent manager just because you are gentle enough to hear them out. The idea of being endangered is that you have to be bold enough to execute your calling, and humble enough to engage with the world you serve. This applies to any profession, destiny, and all kinds of people.

I can address many aspects or things about the concert, and maybe I will in the next few days. But I choose 1 thing to address for now – PRIORITIES. Before I go here, I want to say that God was in every detail – I am so grateful and humbled by all of you that came – for all of you who couldn’t come but prayed for me and my team. We made history that night in ways that we don’t even know – Thank you.

Now that those sentiments are out the way – here we go. There were about 200 people that should have been there, but they weren’t. Only in America do we not have the right to question peoples’ priorities. We have to be so polite about peoples’ schedules. Well I was born in Jaffna, so this way of thinking doesn’t apply to me. When you say you are coming to something, you come. Of course – there were people who had valid reasons for not being there – but I’m not talking to those people. I’m talking to you illogical and ridiculous people who don’t take a stand for anything in your life. You are the ones that said you had a dinner to go to. You are the ones that said you are going out to dinner with a friend that night and couldn’t re-schedule. You are the ones that went to a club that night. You are the ones that said there was a last minute thing that came up. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Do you know what happened on June 25? Do you have any idea the amount of work it takes to execute at this level? What in your mind thinks that what you had to do was more important than coming to my album release concert?

We have a way of making everything the same in this country. When someone is performing at a cafe and 5 people show up, it is the same thing as someone performing in front of 1200 people with lighting, dancers, 20 people on stage, etc. It’s not the same – It will never be the same even if you want it to be the same. This is why people in this generation are screwed up – and why our children are liable to the same. It is mixed up priorities, and not being able to distinguish the precious from the worthless. When God invites you to a banquet, you go – You don’t choose the drive through instead. I don’t give a damn what people think about me after they read this. This is where I stand – and I will not move from it. How dare you choose trash instead of my concert? How dare you tell me you are coming and not show up? How dare you not come to a free concert that I am gifting to you? What were you thinking? Why did you choose something else over me? In hindsight, was it really that important? What makes you think that my concert was something that will happen again – it was historic – you missed one of the best works of art in CA that night – what you did instead was meaningless. Even if you had an “important” event, I expect you to cancel it or go late to it. I gave you 2 to 3 months notice – be at my event – period. There are stories of people that left the emergency room to be there at 6:30pm – some people changed flights – someone came from New York – someone even canceled their anniversary weekend plans for this concert. God even stopped for it and watched from heaven – He also was on stage with me – but I guess your plans were more important than God’s.

You 200 people or so – You need to evaluate your entire life – B/c this is a small decision that probably reflects everything else you choose instead. You are probably hating me right now – but someone has to say it since loyalty and trust are lost this day in age. You must be held accountable. Words cannot express how pissed off I am and how much it drives me crazy when I hear of why people didn’t come on June 25. If you think I have no right to question peoples’ priorities, then I question you too. If you are thinking that right now – here is my question to you: Do you put in 50% of the sacrifice, work and heart that I do in my music in whatever your calling is? No – I thought so – So you will never understand why this means so much to me. You will never understand the spirit of dying for what God has called you to. So because we are not even in the same sphere, I have no desire to explain myself to you. You need to play on my field to even have a conversation with me.

Sure – the auditorium may not have held 200 more people – but that’s my problem to deal with – I had a plan for you guys that couldn’t come in the building. It would’ve been amazing to witness – and the world will never know what could’ve been. Where are your priorities? What do you do instead of what you are supposed to do? What compels you? What makes your heart move? For me, my music is my air – you disrespected my air by not coming. This is where I stand – This is who I am – Love it, or Hate it. Peace and ever so much love to you (even if it doesn’t feel that way) – John Baptist.

6 Responses

  1. Lmarcos

    >This is probably the hardest blog to comment on bc it is so convicting to anyone reading it – even to those that came bc there's always more that can be done and there are other areas in all our lives where our priorities should always be checked! thank you for this even if it stings..

    that being said, every word of this post reminded me of a parable Jesus said (which makes it even more convicting, lol)[luke 14:16-24]:

    16 Jesus replied: “A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. 17 At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’

    18 “But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, ‘I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.’

    19 “Another said, ‘I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.’

    20 “Still another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’

    21 “The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.’

    22 “‘Sir,’ the servant said, ‘what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.’

    23 “Then the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full. 24 I tell you, not one of those who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.’”

  2. Anonymous

    >You're right, most people don't put 50% of the sacrifice, work and heart that you do.
    You're right, most people will never understand.

    BUT, Listen to yourself!

    You say that whatever it is that people chose over your concert is "worthless", is "trash", is "meaningless". You say that your plans are God's plans, and that if my plans were different, at least for the night of the 25th, then I was not following God's plans

    The question is, if people are not as intense as you, as deliberate and intentional and focused as you are, are they therefore not worth your time and effort, not worthy of your conversation, not excellent enough to be in your superior sphere?

    I live with someone who is 110% devoted, focused and deliberate about what he does. He considers everything outside of his focus as "worthless", "trash", "meaningless". And you know what, life with him sucks. His children and I have very valuable relationships and interactions and involvements and service that he does not recognize as worthy or valuable. His kids love him cuz he's their dad, but they cry in frustration knowing that he is displeased with them knowing that he condescendingly accepts them but is not proud of them, is not affirming of them, because they are not up there in his sphere of what God has called him to do. His children are amazing, but he would never tell them that. I am having incredible impact on many lives and in many ways, but I am hesitant to even suggest this, knowing that he sees me as a failure, cuz I don't do things the way he would do them. Cuz I'm not him.

    And I think I see this in you. I don't know you, but I see your intense drive and commitment and I see that you are passionate and willing to risk all and do whatever needs to be done to follow your calling and be faithful and loyal, and you demand that of others, you want the best for others. But you can't expect others to be you.

  3. Anonymous

    >I don't agree with the above comment at all – first of all because I know G-Vo personally – but 2nd of all, the argument makes no sense. G-Vo is not saying that others are not worthy of him just because he demands a shifting in priority. You should be extremely careful trying to analyze people if you don't know them. My guess is that you are American and look at the world from a Western and Christian standpoint. It shows in how you use a personal issue that you have with your husband and project this onto someone that will probably be one of the best husbands of all time. Please think twice before you use your emotion out on an artist that you don't know. Thank you for reading this.

  4. Anonymous

    >The comment I made was to g-vo, not you. It was not to judge or condemn. It was in response to a very bold message that he was courageous and loving and passionate enough to say… something most people don't have the guts to do. I don't think he poured out these passions just so people could pat him on the back! I'm not analyzing him, I'm responding to the daring message he sent out to the world, providing a perspective from my experience, bringing up something for him to consider and do what he likes with. I'm not taking my emotions out on him because of a personal issue! It would have been much easier for me to move on and not to say anything. But you don't know me.

  5. Anonymous

    >Dear g-vo, since you don't know me and I don't know you, my comments might need to be clarified a bit more. First of all, my mistake – that one little sentence at the end, where I said, "I think I see this in you." Sorry. Erase that. What I see in you is the passion, the focus, the intensity, etc. (OK? dear fan/friend!). I'm not trying to analyze you. Nor am I in disagreement with your harsh message about priorities and loyalty. What I am suggesting is that you consider how you are going to deal with people in your life who may never understand the spirit of dying for what God has called you to.
    "So because we are not even in the same sphere, I have no desire to explain myself to you. You need to play on my field to even have a conversation with me."
    What about your friends and loved ones who refuse to shift their priorities? Daring to choose excellence is a narrow path, it can be a lonely road. But it does not have to alienate those we love, making them feel worthless or not-up-to-standard or having less value. I am not saying that you do that, I'm not saying that my experience is your experience, I'm simply giving a heads up about an issue you can think about. I've said way too much. peace.

  6. Rajeev23

    >Thank you both for your comments. I appreciate your perspectives and honesty 🙂 It is something I do not dismiss or take lightly – for either one of you. I am not sure who I am addressing since it says "anonymous." I certainly understand where you are coming from. Having to wrestle with interfacing with our friends and families who refuse to shift priorities is something that I have thought about for quite some time. In every circumstance – whether in the prophetic or otherwise – it must all be done in love. I think when I write things like "You need to play on my field to even have a conversation with me" – I think it is with the hope that people can sense something deeper than a surface level response from a bold statement. No one should feel worthless or not-up-standard. In America, the value of preservation or making someone feel valued seems to be greater than actual love. I realize that as I enter into deeper levels with God (by His grace alone), I am forced to become a better version of myself without feeling alienated by Him – in fact, it is only His love for me that can make me better.

    My statement of having "no desire to explain" does not alienate those I love – in fact, I think it has done quite the opposite. People are forced to wrestle with their own excellence – their own calling – their own pursuit of their best. I am not sure if you are familiar with my music, but my body of work speaks into this quite a bit. I understand your concern. I take it very seriously. I appreciate you writing it for people to see because most people are unable to provide a balance to their drive – and I think this is something only the Spirit can achieve in us – in total surrender. We always humbly stand corrected in whatever capacity we must.

    I am deeply sorry that you are living with a person who can't appreciate you or your children, and the brilliance that you have to offer your husband as well as the world. I would question the Spirit of his drive and commitment, versus the fact that he is 110% committed. Someone who is that devoted to his calling should be able to see the best in others – in you and his children more than anyone. I am praying for you "Anonymous." My heart is heavy for you – whether you need it to be or not.

    With love and deep respect —

    G-Vo