Datin and Bizzle ‘Had Enough’ of judgement toward their aggressive approach to music

The vast majority of the responses to “Off the Leash,” the lead single of Datin’s upcoming album, The Roar, were positive. But a few of negative responses took aim not at his delivery, but instead the heart behind the delivery.

“This song is of the flesh and not Holy Spirit,” one critic wrote on Facebook. “I see a demon in his eyes when he’s rapping. I do not feel the presence of Jesus on this song.”

Datin laughed out loud.

“Man, this is just perfect,” he said after reading criticism of the song. “I already have an answer for them.”

Datin had an answer because in Sept. 2014, Bizzle’s “Love We Share” music video featuring Datin and Lavoisier received similar criticism for its “angry” tone and “worldly” look.

“I’m addressing these people that are poisoning our youth, and you’re mad at me?,” Datin said. “Where are y’all? I’m pissed off at y’all because y’all are not mad enough!”

Fueled by that criticism, Datin wrote “Had Enough” featuring Bizzle for The Roar, his God Over Money debut project which will release on Feb. 12. By the time that “Off the Leash” dropped on Friday, Jan. 15, he had already sent “Had Enough” to Chris Chicago to premiere on his Rapzilla radio show and planned to release it as his second single.

“I guess God is interested in marketing schemes,” Datin laughed.

Bizzle took screenshots of “Off the Leash” critiques and used them to promote the release of “Had Enough.” He even sent some feedback to one commenter privately.

“Check this out, man,” Bizzle said, “You talk really calmly, really soft-toned, and you think because you do that, you’re humble. Meanwhile, I asked him what’s the worst thing somebody can call you as a Christian? For me, it would be demonic or satanic, so you just called my brother, who I love, the worst thing you can probably call a Christian. But because you did it in a soft, somber tone, you don’t think you’re disrespecting anybody. Meanwhile, we didn’t say anything disrespectful, but what we did say, we had an aggressive tone to, and you feel like what we’re doing is of the devil. That’s so backwards to me.”

He also had wisdom that could be applied to any online criticism.

“You know how almost arrogant you have to be to attempt to tell me about somebody I do life with, as if you have the proper discernment and the proper perspective, and you never met him?” Bizzle said.

“My pastor doesn’t see it,” Datin said. “My accountability and label mates don’t see it, but one little video clip and they already know my whole life.”

Datin did manage to find the humor in his frustration about the criticism, though, based on his reaction to the heat that Bizzle had taken in the past for controversial tracks like his response to Macklemore’s “Same Love.”

“I remember Biz sharing some of his frustrations,” Datin said, “and I’m basically like, ‘Man, It comes with the territory, Biz.’ … They when someone takes a snapshot of me doing a hand signal by accident and pairs it up next to the Baphomet and everything I stand against, and they’re like, ‘See, they is Illuminati,’ I’m ready to throw my phone. … I’m like, ‘Wait a minute. Now I got to take my own advice because I was just telling Bizzle to brush it off.”

David Daniels
David Daniels
David Daniels is a columnist at Rapzilla.com and the managing editor of LegacyDisciple.org. He has been published at Desiring God, The Gospel Coalition, Christianity Today, CCM Magazine, Bleacher Report, The Washington Times and HipHopDX.
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