Lil Wayne’s “How To Love”

It’s not hard for me to start a check list of the things I don’t like about Lil Wayne — his bad boy image seems to be well earned, and his lyrics are usually so vulgar I wouldn’t feel comfortable posting two lines together here on the blog.

Right now, though, all I can say is wow. I just watched the video for “How To Love.” Granted, it’s raw in spots (I’d rate it PG-13 for some of the visuals), and as believers we know that there’s something (Someone) missing from the storyline that could drastically change the outcomes.

Just to be clear, I’m not condoning Lil Wayne’s lifestyle, and I’m not saying I’d suggest his music as a whole. But this song and video pack a punch. There are lessons here that, as a youth leader, you need to be talking about. And having them served up on a silver platter like this from one hip-hop’s biggest stars is an amazing opportunity.

Get our “How To Love” discussion guide
The message in “How To Love” about our choices, and the impact that the people around us can have on our life is truth. You can dissect the lessons of the video (or just use the song if you’d rather) and download our re:tuned discussion starter for Lil Wayne’s song “How To Love” to have a conversation with your students about how, as re:tuned discussion author Chris Keating put it, “we often give our love away to others who don’t love us with a nurturing, sacrificial love like God has for us.”

Editor’s note: The re:tuned section in every Music Resource Book features  discussion points for some of today’s most popular mainstream songs. These brief studies are designed to give you a starting point for a “What do you think this song is about?” discussion about a song you hear hanging out with students at Starbucks. Or you might try dissecting the week’s featured “Glee” song in a small group setting. Many youth leaders tell us that the re:tuned section is one of the hidden gems of their YLO membership.