Is this Vice versa?
Pastor Troy debut a video for a song on 106th and Park in 2001 called vice versa. I sat glued to the tv watching this black man talk about what if we are living in a world that’s actually vice versa. The lyrics hit me- he started the song with some serious questions- Picture everything that you thought was good, was really bad
Everything bad, was really good
(What if Heaven was on Earth, nigga?)
Is this what we are living in right now?
What we thought was good is really bad? The evidence to this question is clear but the manipulation of sources and information clashes with seeing the truth. The truth that Americans have been fed information and propaganda for years about people, places, and things. Passive fear-mongering and white supremacy have flipped into direct reality. No one is immune to seeing what is the truth, they are only avoiding the inevitable consequences temporarily by ignoring what they have seen. What if heaven is actually on Earth? Then it would be impossible to treat people like they are a piece of trash, and let’s be real even some trash is taken care of better than people.
Scholars overwhelmingly agree that what Americans are experiencing is a clear example of what America has fought against- tyrannical leaders and their regimes. Is that vice versa? Does it mean that America is its own worst enemy? Is living in denial of what is wrong, right? If avoiding is the key, then what door does it unlock? Is that the vice versa Americans have been experiencing? Have we been unlocking doors that have been shrouded in lies and corruption? Is this leading people towards the heaven most people picture, peaceful, soft, loving, and restful? These questions seem to be personal in nature, but they are not; we all know the consequences of hitting a domino-when one is knocked over, they all fall. Before there’s clarity, there’s chaos; the clarity is the hindsight that’s received afterwards. Unfortunately, within the chaos people suffer, they lose their lives, loved ones, and overall foundation. That foundation crumbles because it had cracks, just like what America’s truths were built on. History didn’t happen to only provide a timeline; by all means, it happened to teach what didn’t go right and what did. It also didn’t teach to leave the beautiful and beneficial to people in the past, for people in the present to only engage in the next “trendy” behavior. There’s a thought process of learning from the mistakes; unfortunately for 2001 wasn’t the year the people learned.
In 2001, historically one of the worst tragedies to hit an American city transpired, a Boeing 757 airplane served as a flying bomb into the twin towers along with several other threats. That year, several other tragedies around the world happened, including the Eron scandal, the December 2001 riots in Argentina, Albanian insurgents initiated conflict in Macedonia, and the last year of the Yugoslav war. On top of all that, the United States had a president who was not necessarily liked by the people overall. It was a rough year, and this song summed it all up in 4:24 seconds.
Hip-Hop is what I’m calling “truth currency” for the people and it shouldn’t be ignored. Only people who have been and continue to be oppressed can point out oppression, racism, sexism, tyrannical governments etc. People know they deserve better; they deserve peace, no longer the days of others wishing or paying for peace. No more will people accept less just to benefit governments/companies, and those companies/governments not showing true solidarity for the people. Lessons keep repeating because they are not fixed, causing ‘vice versa’ to be experienced up front and personal. Eventually, making uncomfortable truths front and center. No one is judging when the lesson has been learned, guilt is only the issue for the guilty to deal with. Life is heaven sadly, humans have to fight against what other people see as heaven ( that usually is a suppression of peace amongst the people). A perfect example is the hand-drawn political cartoon of one man has all the cookies but telling another man, naw,he got your cookie.
Is this truly what is happening right now? The evidence of the past year going into 2026 would say,yes. Regrettable, this realization will not change the vast population dynamics. Creating heaven on earth is about growth - a shared post on social media had an acronym of ‘Grow’- Getting rid of old ways. The ways that no longer serve the community, like divisive language, underdeveloped cultural education, white supremacy, racism, bigotry, hate, misinformation, misogyny, egoism, etc. What is 2026, I don’t know. What I feel, what my intuition is telling me it’s a fighting year, it’s a fighting year for what people really want and need: peace and solidarity. All the wants are no longer outweighing the needs, but balancing them. People are shifting to have their needs actually be their wants and vice versa. It points to people wanting to feel freedom to be themselves, like a majestic horse running in an open field.
The Chinese New Year happens to be the year of the fire horse (February 17, 2026- February 5, 2027). The horse, according to the astrologers, is associated with the earthly branch sign of wu. According to Chinese astrology Chinese new year, “Horse is confident, agreeable, and responsible, although they also tend to dislike being reined in by others. They’re fit and intelligent, adoring physical and mental exertion; they’re decisive but also easily swayed and impatient.”
Langston Hughes said it best:
“I tire so of hearing people say, Let things take their course. Tomorrow is another day. I do not need my freedom when I’m dead. I cannot live on tomorrow’s bread.”