"In our day, there is one fact…the one culture that unifies all cultures, nations, creeds, etc is hip hop. That can not be denied. Hip Hop culture & its music are one. Why wouldn’t God use hip hop? It’s a unified culture among the nations crossing every line of division imaginable. Since music is it’s life force, it includes the main element of praise. This isn’t rocket science."I agree wholehartedly. Hip-hop is a tool waiting to be used. It is a genre with a diverse fan base, covering all racial and ethnic groups and a couple generations, to boot. "Sesame Street" regularly uses hip-hop to teach letters, numbers and other concepts to children. Anyone listening to East Coast secular hip-hop has had an automatic geographic lesson on New York's 5 Boroughs for years--whether or not you've been to Farmers Blvd., Marcy Projects, or "Shaolin," you probably know these places are in Queens, Brooklyn and Staten Island, respectively. Same thing with rappers who rep other regions. KRS-One used the phrase "edutainment" to describe his music; why couldn't this genre with overwhelming love worldwide be used to amazing effect by followers of Christ to teach a hungry world?
The world is starving for substance on all fronts, me included. A line from Common's "Ghetto Heaven" always stuck with me: "the blunted eyes of the youth search for a God." I have been searching for more in my life and can say that I have found an increasing level of peace by putting my trust in the Lord. I started this blog to share the good Christian music that I have found with others because, for me, just buying a "clean" version of a secular album on iTunes wasn't enough to soothe my soul. I have been excited to find a new world of music with substance, music that has inspired me to press on with my faith and to learn as much as I can about the Lord.
The holy hip-hop landscape is definitely a nurturing smorgasbord for willing listeners. As I get more and more into this genre, I am impressed by the level of teaching I hear in the songs, from various artists. Not just in the songs, but also in album interludes as well. There is a lot to be learned from these artists, some of whom I’ve learned have divinity degrees and their own churches. They have a willing audience, of babies just learning to walk, all the way up to people in their forties who marveled firsthand at the architects of secular hip-hop. For those who want more out of life than sin, holy hip-hop is preaching to the choir--only the folks don’t know they’re in the choir until they listen.
Posts
2 comments:
thank you so much for the article. before i was saved i was a hip hop head. i let it go finally after giving my life to Christ. i didn't like Christian Rap at all because i was listening to the wrong artists. so i had to listen to the traditional gospel and as the genre grew finally "urban gospel" launched on the scene. after about 4 years, i stumbled upon flame (myspace.com/flame314) and continue to listen to those from the cmr camp. thanks for not bashing the christian rap artists and their ministry. i feel like when people do that, they not only bash the artists and their specific method of glorifying God, but they also bash my method of praising God through music. i love all styles and to each his own.
grace and peace
Thank you for your comment, Fontana! Like you, I am very glad to have have holy hip-hop artists to listen to and learn from. I am 32 and have listened to secular hip-hop since junior high. I have received much entertainment from secular hip-hop and would've been saddened to not have a Christian analogue. Flame is one of my favorites as well.
I hear a lot of Christians--those in my church and others--bashing all forms of hip-hop, holy or not. A co-worker of my husband's even said that her husband condemns holy hip-hop because he believes there's an evil spirit inherent in hip-hop in general. Personally, I think anyone who refuses to consider the potential power of holy hip-hop is missing out on many opportunities to reach people of younger generations to whom traditional gospel music does not inspire. This is a time when there are so many unexpected challenges going on in the world that I think people are looking for answers and help to endure, anywhere they can find them. We can't afford not to explore every avenue available to reach people and heal their souls, including holy hip-hop. I agree with you totally--when it comes to God's music, to each his own!!!
Post a Comment