Sho Baraka has released his Talented Tenth album and it has garnered much conversation, praise and its share of controversy. Sho talks to NRT's Dwayne Lacy about the album, the controversial song, "Jim Crow"and even his beloved LA Lakers.

OK man, you are definitely bringing something different to hip-hop, especially, to Christian hip-hop. Why did you choose the Talented Tenth as the topic?

I think the purpose of the album fits the title. There's a book of the same name by W.E. Dubois. It's sort of like what Lauryn Hill did with The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. She took it from the book titled, The Mis-Education of the Negro by Carter G. Woodson. It's trying to get people who are talented, who have skill sets, to use their gifts for the benefit of others. Don't use it for your own self-gratification. It's basically a form of discipleship.

You did something that I have not seen done too often in music. Why did you choose chapter titles instead of song titles? 

It fits the concept of it being a book. When they listen to this album, I don't want them just to listen. I want them to think about why certain music was used for a certain song: "Why did he use these words? Why did he say that line?" I want them to connect the fact that everything that I do is intentional. Everything the Lord has used me to do is intentional.

There is nothing new under the sun. I have been motivated by other people, and others have been motivated by me. I want to also use my gifts as an actor and producer. You can expect that I will be using all of the gifts that God has given me to communicate Truth in all aspects of life.

OK, one song that stands out to me--even the title alone--is "Jim Crow." What issue are you tackling with the addition of this song?

I'm dealing with the issue of racism perpetuated by racial self-loathing. It's also dealing with superiority trying to make others feel inferior. It's also dealing with how racism has perpetuated in the inferiority complex some people and those who feel superior. It's just the idea of the monster that racism creates. It all creates an island which I called "N**** Island." The goal is to get off of this island and rescue people off of this island.

Do you think the church is scared to deal with issues such as racism? When I say this I mean reverse racism, etc. 

I wouldn't say they're scared. I think they deal with it in a way that is fairly incomplete. I think a lot of people touch on issues, but in order to really deal with issues, you can't be afraid to lose the favor of people. Now this is a very extreme case: If somebody rapes or kills somebody, you can't be afraid to communicate the truth to that individual about what they have done in fear of losing their favor. I think pastors have been afraid to call out groups of people, individuals and ideologies on their ignorance. This is because of fear of losing support or being linked to something. That goes from everything from homosexuality to adultery to drunkenness to sexuality. Not just looking at homosexuals--but also addressing what sexuality is. There's a slew of things. The racial issue is so touchy and people really don't know much about it. I'm still learning. I still read a lot. I do feel that since I grew up in a majority white culture, then moving to an impoverished, predominately African-American area and the books that I'm reading, that I am able to talk about it. I think a lot of people don't care to learn about it. They go off of their own existentialism, which is not enough at times.

OK, I know that you are a Lakers fan. As of January, what do you think about the current state of the LA Lakers?

(Laughs) Since [Steve] Nash has been back and Pau [Gasol] has been healthy, we haven't played bad basketball. It hasn't been great, but it hasn't been bad. I think if we get into the playoffs, we're gonna be a problem. I would like for them to have a Top Four seed, but I think the best that they will get is a No. 5 seed. I'm not necessarily worried about us at this moment.