Let’s be real for a second. Most gospel music feels like it’s been scrubbed in a sink with too much bleach. It’s shiny, it’s polite, and it usually pretends the person singing has never even thought about a mistake, let alone made one. Then you listen to Deitrick Haddon Have Your Way, and it feels like someone finally cracked a window in a stuffy room.
I remember the first time I heard the opening lines. Deitrick basically looks the audience in the eye and says, "Yeah, those rumors? I probably did it."
That’s not just a lyric. That’s a confession. In an industry that thrives on "blessed and highly favored" platitudes, Haddon took a sledgehammer to his own pedestal. He wasn't just singing a song; he was surviving a public scandal in real-time. If you were around in 2013, you know the vibe. People were talking, the blogs were buzzing about his divorce and his personal life, and instead of hiding in a green room, he dropped one of the most transparent records in modern gospel history.
The Raw Truth Behind Deitrick Haddon Have Your Way
The song lives on the album R.E.D. (Restoring Everything Damaged). Honestly, the title tells you exactly where his head was at. Produced by Calvin Frazier, the track doesn't sound like a traditional Sunday morning hymn. It’s got that mid-tempo R&B groove that makes you want to nod your head, but the weight of the lyrics makes you want to drop to your knees.
What makes Deitrick Haddon Have Your Way so sticky is the lack of "churchy" ego. He literally says he’s tired of trying to be a superstar. He offers up the money, the clothes, and the cars—the very things that define "success" in the entertainment world—and basically says they’re trash if he doesn't have his soul intact.
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It's a "Sinner's Prayer" for the famous.
Why the "Transparent" Lyrics Hit Differently
Most artists write about struggle in the past tense. "I used to be lost," or "I was in the valley." Haddon wrote this while he was still standing in the dirt.
- The Humility: He admits to being "a man after Your heart" who somehow drifted far away.
- The Call-out: He acknowledges the public's judgment, saying people can’t put him in heaven or hell.
- The Surrender: It ends with a plea for God to take the pride away.
That last part? It's the hardest thing for a public figure to do. Pride is the armor. Stripping it off in front of a microphone is a gamble that paid off because it felt human.
A Sonic Bridge Between R&B and the Altar
Musically, Deitrick Haddon Have Your Way is a masterclass in "Gospel Soul." If you strip the lyrics away, you could almost hear this playing on an R&B station next to Usher or Tank. But that’s Deitrick’s superpower. He’s always been the "bad boy" of gospel, not because he’s actually bad, but because he refuses to ignore the sounds of the street.
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He grew up in Detroit. You can hear that Motor City grit in the production. It’s soulful, it’s got a bit of a "Preacher’s Son" swagger, and it bridges the gap for people who don't usually do the whole "organ and choir" thing.
The Lasting Impact on the Genre
Before this era, gospel was very much about the "collective" voice. You had big choirs and booming sopranos. Deitrick helped usher in this era of the "Vulnerable Soloist." He made it okay for a gospel artist to be a person who messes up.
Since then, we’ve seen artists like Tasha Cobbs Leonard or Maverick City Music lean into that raw, "come as you are" aesthetic, but Deitrick was doing it when it was still considered risky. He was the one who went on Preachers of L.A. and showed the messy parts of ministry. Love him or hate him for the reality TV stuff, you can’t deny that his music stayed consistent with that "I'm a work in progress" brand.
How to Apply the "Have Your Way" Mindset Today
Honestly, you don't have to be a religious person to get something out of this track. It’s a song about hitting a wall. We’ve all been there—trying to maintain an image, trying to keep everyone happy, while everything inside is falling apart.
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If you're feeling burnt out by the "superstar" expectations of your own life, here’s how to channel that energy:
- Stop the PR Campaign: Stop trying to convince people you’re perfect. It’s exhausting. The moment Deitrick admitted he wasn't perfect, the rumors lost their power over him.
- Audit Your "Stuff": In the song, he mentions the cars and clothes. Sometimes we’re so busy chasing the "extra" that we lose the "essential."
- Find Your "California": In his later song One Night In California, he references similar themes of finding God in the middle of a mess. You need a place where you can be totally honest without an audience.
Whether you're listening to it for the nostalgia or because you're currently in a "restoring everything damaged" season, Deitrick Haddon Have Your Way remains a blueprint for authenticity. It reminds us that the best art doesn't come from a place of having it all figured out. It comes from the cracks in the foundation.
To really get the most out of the track, listen to the "Standard Video" version—it’s got over 10 million views for a reason. The visuals of him walking alone, stripped of the flash, really drive home the point that at the end of the day, it's just you and your creator.
Next Steps for Your Playlist:
If this song resonates with you, you should check out the rest of the R.E.D. album, specifically tracks like Restore Me Again. You can also dive into his 2025 live recordings from Detroit, where he revisits some of these themes with the wisdom of someone who actually made it through the fire.