Oftentimes, when I have a brilliant idea, I’ll sit down and think about what it would take to make those dreams a reality. I spend hours imagining the sweet melody drifting in my head. I’ll hum the tune to myself. Words begin to form. Beautiful art blossoms. Yet, it is inaccessible to the masses. Some days, I’ll try writing out words, a tangled mess of imperfection. When the flow doesn’t match up to my tune, I become frustrated. I’ll try to translate the notes on paper, and everything falls apart. By now, I’ve given up, but others persevere, and because of that, the world experiences brilliance. On May 6, 2025, the world was blessed with a brand-new sound: the sound of passionate resistance.
Lancaster Bible College student Nissiah Reason (’27), an up-and-coming artist pursuing his musical career, released 10 songs that fervently express the deep relations between life’s challenges and zealous faith. But who is Nissiah? From the heart of Lancaster city, Nissiah started making music at the age of 12, following in his parent’s footsteps by writing lyrics and exposing himself to the world of Christian hip-hop. His zeal for music grew as he shared his lyrics with his father, who then featured him on a song. From there, Nissiah’s musical talents took off. Since 2023, he has been uploading beats to his YouTube channel, SILVER DUCK PROD, tapping into his instrumental and lyrical abilities.
“It’s honestly like I’m working with myself to create art, and I think that’s cool,” Nissiah said.
LBC student Nissiah Reason released a hip-hop album called ‘Against the Gain.’
Nissiah’s new album consists of 10 songs: “Against the Gain” (also the album title), “Here 2 Stay,” “Sword,” “Autotune,” “Fire Drill,” “Monopoly,” “Cold World,” “Defeated,” “Blue Sky” and “Miracle Child.”
Each song tackles an individual message, but the album encourages an overall positive message for listeners. Modifying the common phrase “against the grain,” Nissiah uses his album to speak against societal gain, including worldly pursuits like money, fame and progressive worship of worldly things. His music is deeply rooted in the Christian faith, pointing his audiences to Christ instead of culture. The album centers around the idea that people don’t need material things to succeed in life. Instead, we all have an intrinsic need for God.
“He gave us life, and that’s the greatest thing,” said Nissiah. “So I’m all for life. And against the gain.”
While still a relatively fresh release, Nissiah’s album has already begun making an impact. One listener, Haley Irwin (’27), continually tunes in. Pursuing a Communication degree at Lancaster Bible College, Haley is no stranger to artistic expression. She loves to write and pursues graphic design in her spare time, enjoying the freedom of creativity. For Haley, Nissiah’s music has been very inspirational.
“Music is very influential in my life,” Haley said. “It inspires me to write and design and do art.” Nissiah’s music is no exception. Impacted through the words and the beat, Haley shared that the album has been a huge encouragement to her. She continues to support the album as she shared Nissiah’s music with others, as well.
Haley’s favorite song on the album, she shared, is “Sword.” Having been released as a single before the album drop, this song has already gathered considerable popularity. But to Nissiah, he cares far less about the popularity of his songs than he does the impact they have on his listeners. Hip-hop culture can be littered with artists rapping about problems and misfortunes, but solutions have become a rare commodity. The world is a broken, desperate place where people are in need of the hope of Christ, he shared. Nissiah hopes that his music can bring people that hope.
“I feel like if I can reach just a few people, it can cause a ripple effect and, hopefully, through God, change some lives around,” he shared. Nissiah is very audience-oriented, seeking to leave people changed for the better after hearing his music. He wants to leave people with love for more than just themselves, branching out of the consumer culture to embrace the hope and redemption of Jesus.
Oftentimes, when I have a brilliant idea, I’ll sit down and think about it for a long time. I’ll tell myself I don’t know what I’m doing and throw it back toward the far regions of my brain, never to return. That was before. Now, when I think about something I want to create, the dread of not feeling qualified slips away. Instead of giving up, I press on. Where does that perseverance come from, you may ask? From stories like these, of strong-willed individuals wanting to make a difference in this cold world, I, too, feel impassioned to step out against the gain.
Carley Weber (’27) is a Lancaster Bible College student pursuing her undergraduate degree in Media Arts Production. She has been involved in various creative film and musical projects and loves to write stories that inspire.