The John-Henry Westen Show - May 13, 2022


This rapper has lyrics you will want your kids to memorize

Topics
pro-life lyrics rap music and parenting Catholic music competition
Hosted by
John-Henry Westen
Mentioned
Enoch Weston Traditiones Fawaz Yassi Mike Johnson Clement Charbel Yassif Fawaz Lila Rose
Pope Francis answers Fr. James Martin's pro-LGBT questions with 'weaponized orthodoxy' Gen Z college student takes Christian faith more seriously after COVID pandemic lockdowns

Episode Stats


Length

13 minutes

Words per minute

167.99

Word count

2,302

Sentence count

203

Harmful content

Misogyny

2

sentences flagged

Hate speech

3

sentences flagged


Summary

Summaries generated with gmurro/bart-large-finetuned-filtered-spotify-podcast-summ .

In this episode of The John Henry Weston Show, host John Henry Westendorf sits down with rapper Yassif "Enoch" Yassir, better known as Enoch, to discuss his new album, "Traditions," which is an album about being a Catholic, being a traditional Catholic, and also includes a controversial pro-life song.

Transcript

Transcript generated with Whisper (turbo).
Misogyny classifications generated with MilaNLProc/bert-base-uncased-ear-misogyny .
Hate speech classifications generated with facebook/roberta-hate-speech-dynabench-r4-target .
Topics generated with Qwen2.5-3B-Instruct.
Hosts, guests, and mentioned names generated with spaCy (en_core_web_sm), reconciled against Wikidata.
00:00:00.000 If you're anything like me, it is very difficult to find good music for your children.
00:00:07.080 In fact, as your children move on into the teens and their early 20s,
00:00:10.560 they're always listening to who knows what.
00:00:13.360 And right now, it's very popular to be listening to rap music.
00:00:18.460 The beats are kind of interesting, but for the most part,
00:00:21.600 you're really hoping your kids are very much like you.
00:00:25.340 They don't actually listen to what's being said.
00:00:27.180 They're just listening to the beat.
00:00:28.700 Unfortunately, it's not the case.
00:00:31.680 Any parent of teens or kids in their early 20s will tell you,
00:00:36.120 oh, no, no, no, no, no.
00:00:36.860 They memorize all the lyrics, and it's a bloody nightmare.
00:00:41.740 What do you do?
00:00:43.260 Well, I found something you can do.
00:00:45.260 It's actually amazing.
00:00:47.260 Imagine a rapper who not only raps good lyrics, but does it really well.
00:00:54.380 So your kids aren't going to cringe at,
00:00:56.060 oh, yeah, that was like he was trying to rap, but yeah, it didn't get there.
00:00:59.720 Oh, no, no, no, no.
00:01:00.900 Imagine if it was really, really good.
00:01:04.000 We're going to be talking with one of those rappers today.
00:01:06.700 His name is Fawaz Yassi.
00:01:09.400 This is The John Henry Weston Show.
00:01:11.500 Stay tuned.
00:01:11.980 Fawaz Yassi, thanks for joining us.
00:01:32.760 Thanks for having me.
00:01:33.580 I appreciate it.
00:01:34.260 Thank you.
00:01:34.560 Let's begin, as we always do, with the sign of the cross.
00:01:37.280 In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
00:01:41.860 Amen.
00:01:42.680 Now, you are known popularly as Enoch.
00:01:46.000 Is that correct?
00:01:47.080 Correct.
00:01:48.100 All right.
00:01:49.660 So your music is great.
00:01:51.820 Let's have a quick listen.
00:01:52.980 This is from your album called Traditiones, if that's right.
00:01:57.280 Correct.
00:01:58.020 All right.
00:01:58.440 Here we go.
00:01:58.880 Here we go.
00:01:58.940 Here we go.
00:02:00.940 Here we go.
00:02:02.940 Here we go.
00:02:03.940 Here you are.
00:02:26.680 You are actually doing an album about being a Catholic, being a traditional Catholic,
00:02:32.500 with some amazing lyrics.
00:02:35.220 You've also just released a pro-life song.
00:02:39.660 Talk about controversial as anything.
00:02:42.280 Even before we get to a lot of the controversy, give us some of the lyrics, if you will, of
00:02:47.800 that newly released pro-life song.
00:02:49.380 One of the lyrics I have on there is just calling out, just giving shout-out to those who just
00:02:55.140 profound job throughout the years for the pro-life movement.
00:02:59.480 And the second verse starts off with a shout-out to Lila Rose and the Kristen Hawkins and the 0.95
00:03:03.940 Abby Johnsons and other sidewalk counselors for those who were arrested and sacrificed that
00:03:08.240 you offered.
00:03:08.780 Even though the consequences were monstrous, you took it up.
00:03:14.100 So those are some of the lyrics that are on there, just giving shout-out to the pro-life
00:03:18.020 woman as a whole and the fantastic job that they've done in saving babies and taking care 1.00
00:03:23.500 of women at the same time.
00:03:24.880 This is amazing stuff.
00:03:26.260 This is stuff that I want to give my kids.
00:03:28.400 I really hope they listen to all your lyrics.
00:03:31.320 In fact, it's great.
00:03:32.460 Memorize it, kids.
00:03:33.860 And we won't tell them that.
00:03:35.140 Of course, they'll do it by themselves.
00:03:36.680 But let's learn about you.
00:03:39.940 Who is Yassif Fawaz?
00:03:41.560 Yeah, I'm actually born in Baghdad.
00:03:45.040 I migrated here with my family when I was about seven years old.
00:03:50.500 I was in California for most of my life.
00:03:53.820 I assimilated as best as I can to America.
00:03:57.760 And it's been a blessing here.
00:03:59.440 My father wanted an opportunity for us to succeed and not be in more of a tyrannical
00:04:04.180 country.
00:04:06.220 And kudos to him for that sacrifice that he made for his family.
00:04:10.220 And I've always carried that with me, the sacrifice for the sake of mine as well.
00:04:14.760 I grew up listening to rap in the heyday of the 90s.
00:04:17.480 It was the golden era.
00:04:18.840 I guess the golden, what they call the greatest decade of hip-hop is the 90s.
00:04:24.500 My brother and I, we started rapping around eighth grade and just writing some stuff.
00:04:29.760 We didn't put anything on record until 2005.
00:04:33.540 At the time, it was secular.
00:04:35.880 Clean, but secular music.
00:04:37.800 I joined the Protestant faith for about a year.
00:04:41.840 And then I came back to the Catholic faith.
00:04:44.140 I was baptized, confirmed.
00:04:46.480 I had my first community in the Chaldean, Syriac, right?
00:04:49.740 And then the church fathers kind of brought me back into the Catholic, to the fold of the
00:04:54.220 Catholic faith.
00:04:55.320 And I did find, I found the tradition around 2013.
00:05:00.080 And so, I attended the tradition of Latin Mass.
00:05:02.980 So my brother and I, we switched over to Catholic rap.
00:05:05.780 And we put out an album at the time called Spirit Versus Flesh.
00:05:08.660 We had been signed to a Catholic record label.
00:05:10.440 And then after that, I got married, had a few kids.
00:05:16.200 And we took about a 10-year hiatus from making music.
00:05:20.380 You know, family life took over, things like that.
00:05:22.680 And then it wasn't until I moved to Kentucky about two years ago is where I started picking
00:05:28.380 up music again.
00:05:29.660 I didn't have much time in California working multiple jobs for the sake of my family.
00:05:33.840 And then moving to Kentucky homesteading, I found myself to have a little bit more time.
00:05:38.980 So the love of music never went away.
00:05:40.840 I picked it back up.
00:05:41.860 And then six months later, the album Traditiones came out.
00:05:45.620 And that's what I put out for the sake of the traditional movement and, of course, for
00:05:52.140 the Catholic faith.
00:05:53.300 You're actually on this show on a day that's kind of special for your family, are you not?
00:05:57.700 Yes, yes, it is.
00:05:58.880 Today's my wife's due date for our fourth boy.
00:06:02.320 Yeah.
00:06:02.500 I was joking around earlier saying, you know, if you're a doctor saying, push in the background,
00:06:08.140 don't just ignore it.
00:06:08.900 Just keep going because I want to manage it.
00:06:10.640 But no, we're patiently waiting.
00:06:13.220 It's got the timing for Clement Charbel is his name to arrive and be a great addition
00:06:20.580 to our family.
00:06:21.500 So it's very pro-life.
00:06:24.440 You grew up, as you said, involved with rap music.
00:06:26.800 What's your assessment of popular rap music nowadays?
00:06:32.380 Is it stuff that parents should let their children listen to if they are concerned about
00:06:38.320 their children's spiritual welfare?
00:06:40.860 And that's something I've wrestled with myself as I became a parent.
00:06:44.860 You know, rap music and music has a hierarchy that is just like the hierarchy of man.
00:06:50.540 You know, the man has the intellect, the will and the passions.
00:06:53.480 Music also follows that same hierarchy because it comes from within man.
00:06:57.940 And rap music, rock music, even country music is what we call syncopated music.
00:07:03.300 So it falls off of the hierarchy.
00:07:05.380 And the only correct hierarchy of music, you have chant and classical.
00:07:10.460 So those are the only ones that are simple and follow the hierarchy correctly.
00:07:13.980 So those you can listen to almost, you know, all the time without worrying about the passions.
00:07:20.180 And especially with teenagers, because they're so accustomed to using the passions as the
00:07:25.640 principle of decision-making.
00:07:27.120 And sometimes rap adds to that.
00:07:29.320 Now, if it can be done in moderation, maybe at the gym or something that is more rhythmic
00:07:35.980 to get you pumped up, it can be done in moderation.
00:07:39.080 It's a good thing.
00:07:40.320 As long as the content, the lyrics on that song are actually either identifying, they're of
00:07:46.400 the faith, but if a lyric are modest or blasphemous, I think it should be avoided, to be honest
00:07:52.080 with you.
00:07:52.760 Because I think we end up memorizing lyrics, whether we know it or not.
00:07:58.380 And sometimes I was listening to a rap song at the gym the other day, and a song came on
00:08:05.400 from back in the 90s.
00:08:06.740 And then I finally got to pay attention to the words.
00:08:09.240 I'm like, I can't believe I used to listen to this.
00:08:11.060 So I skipped it right away.
00:08:13.140 And you just don't realize what they're saying and what you're picking up subconsciously.
00:08:18.640 So in moderation, I think it's fine, as long as the content are good.
00:08:25.620 Hopefully lots of parents aren't like me.
00:08:27.780 I always figure, oh, they're listening to the beat.
00:08:29.780 They're really not paying attention to the words.
00:08:31.780 But then I was horrified as my kids got older and older to hear they were rhyming off the
00:08:38.340 lyrics to rap songs that were rather extremely offensive.
00:08:44.360 So it was, you know, having to say, absolutely not.
00:08:48.820 And when they're so old at this point that, you know, I'm saying, absolutely not in my house.
00:08:54.660 You want to do that somewhere else?
00:08:56.260 I still think it's a bad idea, but that's on you.
00:08:59.220 So it's great to have something to give to them that is edifying, that works.
00:09:06.360 But you very interestingly have that challenge you have to face.
00:09:10.420 All your little guys are little still.
00:09:12.040 Correct.
00:09:12.520 But my kids really like my music.
00:09:14.700 So that is, except for my middle child, he always tells me to turn it off.
00:09:20.740 But, you know, I'm lucky there.
00:09:23.340 And, you know, as a parent, as yourself, you know, that's a mark of a good parent.
00:09:26.740 It's a good father, making sure that your children consume what is good for the soul.
00:09:30.940 So, yeah, that's a challenge at times, but it's definitely necessary.
00:09:37.040 What is your challenge for artists who are Christian, who are struggling in this world of, you know, they want to produce something.
00:09:45.280 They might have super talents, but the industry is very, very difficult.
00:09:49.700 What would you say to them?
00:09:50.760 Unfortunately, Catholic music, no matter what genre it is, has kind of fallen behind.
00:09:57.200 I know a lot of the Protestants have made, you know, they really control the rap game as far as Christian rap. 0.99
00:10:03.340 The secular has the machine and the money behind it, so their productions are just completely astonishing. 1.00
00:10:08.980 And I think we need to, as Catholic artists, to compete, because not only do we have the fullness of the faith and the truth that we can present and the beauty to the world, but, you know, beauty and truth belong to one another.
00:10:23.260 So to, you know, to make music, to compete with the world, and to have the same production, to seek it out, and to really push yourself to compete, I think is very important.
00:10:35.160 And a lot of times, I think we just kind of put it to the side and say, well, it's a song about Jesus.
00:10:40.920 It shouldn't be cringe just because it's about Christ.
00:10:43.720 It should be as powerful and as beautiful as anything else that the world is offering.
00:10:48.480 And I think that's the challenge as a whole, as an industry, is to challenge all these artists out there.
00:10:54.660 It's, you know, let us rise to the occasion and compete with the whole world.
00:10:58.200 Now, how could you possibly up your game when you're doing all sorts of stuff and you're now living in, it sounds like you're rural Kentucky?
00:11:06.320 By the grace of God, to be honest with you, and my wife stayed home.
00:11:10.420 We homestead.
00:11:11.820 I do work from home, so that is a plus.
00:11:14.620 And to be honest with you, the funny thing is my wife came out to me when I finished the CD.
00:11:18.480 She said, you could have come out, handed me an album, and I would have never even known that you did one.
00:11:22.340 I made sure to do it while the kids were sleeping or early in the morning, I would write, and then late in the evening, I would record.
00:11:30.480 Things like that, just finding different ways.
00:11:33.320 And outsourcing, talented folks who know how to mix the music, put it together, master it, outsourcing, working with producers who are incredibly talented, making sure that I write every single lyric.
00:11:48.400 I want to make sure that all the songs were written by myself and content, things like that.
00:11:53.040 There's people out there who are very talented and willing to work with us, and I just tapped into their talents, and Traditiones came out.
00:12:00.360 Amazing.
00:12:01.000 What are your plans for the future?
00:12:02.580 Putting out a second album.
00:12:03.800 The first album was called Traditiones.
00:12:05.500 The second album I'm calling Et Cum Spiritu 2.0.
00:12:10.120 So that one's going to be, I just want to put out Catholic music.
00:12:14.780 My brother and I, his name is Elijah.
00:12:16.680 My name is Enoch.
00:12:18.860 Now that's great.
00:12:20.420 Thank you.
00:12:21.760 We have a YouTube channel called Enoch and Elijah CMC, Catholic Music Channel.
00:12:28.240 And what we're doing is we really want to highlight Catholic musicians who are talented.
00:12:32.460 We want to interview, we're interviewing Catholic artists in any genre, whether it be folk, country, rap, or chant, whatever it may be.
00:12:41.600 We really want to put Catholic music out there and compete with the world, because I think there's talented folks out there.
00:12:47.360 That's my plan, is to really elevate Catholic music to the highest I can get to it.
00:12:51.520 Beautiful.
00:12:51.960 And where else can people find your album and get in touch with you?
00:12:55.460 Instagram, Holy 40 Project, or if you go on Spotify, any digital stream or channel or music stream or stores, is Enoch, E-K-N-O-C-K. 1.00
00:13:08.700 And the album is called Traditiona.
00:13:11.620 So you could find me on YouTube also at Enoch and Elijah.
00:13:15.640 I'm pretty much everywhere on Twitter at Catholic Kingdom.
00:13:19.580 And that's my rap name, Enoch.
00:13:21.640 And it actually means Eternity Knocks.
00:13:24.560 That's what the real meaning is.
00:13:26.440 But I also plan with the word with the prophet Enoch.
00:13:28.800 Fawaz, great speaking with you.
00:13:31.380 And thank you for your gift of music, which I'm very happy to share with my children.
00:13:36.980 Thank you so much, Ms. Enoch Weston.
00:13:38.300 I appreciate it.
00:13:38.880 Thank you.
00:13:39.520 And God bless all of you.
00:13:41.060 And we'll see you next time.
00:13:42.060 Thank you.