Water to WineĀ is the final episode ofĀ Wine & Hip HopĀ in 2025āand a reflection on everything this year has been about:Ā community, leadership, and surviving the times together.
In this closing conversation, Jermaine Stone sits down withĀ Shaun J. Lee, the seventh pastor ofĀ Mount Lebanon Baptist ChurchĀ in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. ForĀ well over a century, Mount Lebanon Baptist Church has stood as aĀ historic anchor in the Black community in Bed-Stuy, Brooklynāa place of gathering, organizing, protection, and continuity when resources were limited and the future uncertain.
The conversation lives at the intersection ofĀ church and hip hop, examining how both have historically functioned as survival languagesāspaces where people tell the truth, process hardship, and find ways to keep going. Pastor Lee and Jermaine talk about community leadership, responsibility, and what it means to hold people together during challenging times.
As the year comes to a close,Ā Water to WineĀ isnāt about spectacleāitās aboutĀ endurance. About how communities survive through culture, mentorship, presence, and shared space.
This episode is the bow on a year dedicated to building community.