Stepping Up – Jose Maria Fierro [Official Music Video]

Stepping Up’ is a Baha’i-inspired rap song by Jose Maria Fierro, who finally decided to record it when he learned that Mona was only sixteen years old when she stepped up and kissed the rope before she we hanged by the Iranian government for being a Baha’i.

Jose Maria Fierro is also featured on the album ‘Wizdome’ by Colby Jeffers, which you can learn more about from Baha’i Blog’s interview with Colby Jeffers here: Wizdome: A New Hip-Hop Album by Colby Jeffers

You can find out more about Mona from this article found on Iran Press Watch.

You may also be interested in this 1985 top 20 hit song by Canadian musician Doug Cameron dedicated to Mona, called ‘Mona with the Children‘, and also Tom Francis’ cover of the song found here on Baha’i Blog’s Studio Sessions series: “Mona With the Children” by Tom Francis

Lyrics

I thought I’d drop a verse about some issues that are plaguing me
How do I aspire to become what I was made to be?
Sometimes it’s hard to figure out, just like some matrices
But if you look inside, like deep within, it’s stated blatantly
But we’re in a race to beat each other to the top
And we don’t understand that if we work together
We can stop all the disunity and hate
And we can use the tools we’ve got to fix things
And finally we’ll reach the peace we’ve sought now for ages
Contagious is the spirit of courageous individuals who’ve risen up
So let’s not work for wages
No, we’re paid in faith so we can make the world start turning pages
I think what we can accomplish is amazing
And so let’s work now and not wait til it’s over
Focus on your service, don’t give it the cold shoulder
In the past I used to say “Yo, I’ll just do it when I’m older.”
That’s until I realized I was the same age as Mona
When she kissed the rope
In a state of bliss and hope
When she was hanged..
It pains me, but it God’s omniscient scope of things
He gave her the honor to be a martyr for the cause
And you can be a living martyr if you’re down for the cause
Let’s give a round of applause to those in it and those committed
To crafting a better standard to implement where we’re living
For men, women, and children
It’s our world we’re building
Let’s rise up, stand tall, and we can help billions

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Naysan Naraqi

Naysan is passionate about using the arts and media to explore the teachings of the Baha’i Faith. Back in 2011, Naysan started up the Baha’i Blog project, channeling his experiences in both media and technology companies to help create a hub for Baha’i-inspired content online.