College Students Give Nicki Minaj's 'Super Bass' a Christian Twist
A new YouTube video has taken hip hop artist Nicki Minaj's hit single "Super Bass" and parodied it with uplifting praise music.
Titled "Super Grace," University of Florida college students created the cover song for their school’s annual "Skit Night," a homecoming event where the campus' Christian Greek organizations perform for one another. The clip won first place in the event, and has subsequently experienced similar success since appearing online before Christmas. So far, it's a video over 147,380 viewers have seen.
Taking center stage in the clip is University of Florida student Raychel Manko, who wrote and performed the song. Writing in her blog "A Work in Progress" yesterday, the singer said it was parody with a purpose. While Minaj's version describes the power of a romantic crush, Manko wrote that hers deals with having faith in God for finding love instead.
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"But Christian boys have my heart beat running away," confesses Manko in the song's chorus. "But I have to guard my heart so I'll pray, God give me your hallelujah, hallelujah grace…give me your super grace."
Manko described her music video as a "humorous, somewhat exaggerated commentary about the single Christian girl's struggle to appreciate the Christian men in her life while still guarding her heart and waiting patiently upon the Lord" in its YouTube description. In it, she dons sequins and a neon blue wig not unlike Minaj's famous, multi-hued hairdo. Though it's a comical clip, Manko wrote on her blog, its lyrics do broach a more serious subject.
"I believe that the reason you even care about this song to any degree is because Jesus cares about you," Manko wrote. "He wants you to know him. He wants you to love him like he loves you."
It's this love God has, Manko wrote, that helps him grant humanity such "super" grace. Mankind faces a death sentence for its sins, she said, but it's one Jesus' death and resurrection satisfies before the penalty takes place. As such, Manko wrote, she hopes her song shows people the salvation available in Christ's love.
"But God loves you and me so much he just couldn't remain separated from us," she wrote. "He sent his only son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross and be the payment for our sin so we could have a relationship with him."
E-mails to Manko and Steven Gallo, the video's audio and visual productions specialist, were not returned by press time for additional comment. As for the video's legacy, Manko wrote that she hoped it made apparent God's love and kindness in dealing with His human subjects.
"I choose to live my life in light of that truth not because I have to," she wrote. "I want to. God has so radically changed my life, that I cannot help but seek him and desire his best in full confidence that he will be faithful. I am praying for you, and pray that God blesses you and shows you the reality of his love toward you."
