Trelissa Moses

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Christianity is a religion that involves individuals who have the desire to learn about the teaching of Jesus Christ. These same individuals also love Christian music.

           

This music is very traditional and has been around since the mid-1800s. The songs are based from those same teachings of Jesus the Christ and other spiritual related subjects.

           

The sound of this music can range from being extravagantly filled with many instruments, or simply put together with acoustic sounds. The lyrics of these songs are beautifully sung by a soloist, a small group or a booming choir. But what if instead of singing, the lyrics were rapped on a hip hop beat?

           

Yes, that has been an idea and has been done. It is called Christian hip hop. The lyrics of the music is on the same spiritual subjects as tradition Christian music, but the sound is secular. Just like a regular hip hop song.

           

The holy hip hop movement started in the mid 1980’s and early 1990’s, according to an article by Matthew Maddex. There were plenty of Christian hip hop artists and groups that were popularly underground back then, like SFC, Cross Movement and Gospel Gangstaz.

           

This movement was started to influence the young people to want to change their lifestyle and bring them into church by introducing them to this secular and modernized version of Christian music. Pastors, artists and other leaders of the movement felt that they needed to reach them by getting involved in their lifestyle, which was through this kind of music. Another thing that is different about this movement is its trending attire.

           

In Maddex’s article, he described churches in New York that include holy hip hop in their services. The traditional ways of church were totally altered, from what the members wore for church down to the way the members spoke.

           

For example, there were DJ’s on turntables that were playing Christian hip hop music instead of the traditional choir singing Christian music. Church members wore casual clothing instead of the usual formal attire. There were strobe lights and other party lights to set the “holy party” atmosphere. And instead of calling Jesus’ followers “disciples,” they were called “homies.”

           

After learning that there were church services like this and about the reason this movement started, I was compelled to ask some youth how they felt if they attended a service like this.

           

I went to the Patti Leach Youth Center, located in Lansing, Illinois, and asked seven youth if they were familiar with Christian hip hop. Four them said that they were.

           

I also asked if they went to church and, again, four youth said that they do. The others said that they did not attend church or worshipped at home.

           

After asking those two questions, I had them visualize themselves going to church and witnessing everyone there in casual or urban attire. There is a DJ playing Christian hip hop and the choir has been replaced with a praise and worship team of rappers who are rapping about Jesus.

           

Every one of the youth said that they would enjoy it. “I would go every day!” said one of them. Her name was Shannon, a student at one of Lansing’s junior high schools.

           

Another youth named Faith, also a student at one of Lansing’s junior high schools said, “I would be T’d!”

           

“T’d” is a slang word for “Turnt” or “Turn up.” All three are used to represent the expression of an individual having fun or being excited.

           

Faith added, “I think that would be something good to have and incorporate in church for the youth.”

           

There was a staff member at the youth center named Crystal, who was around when I asked the youth these questions, that added, “I think there is nothing wrong with [the movement]. Religion has been around for years.”

           

Spiritual hip hop did not receive a warm welcome when it started in the 1980’s but that has totally changed over the years. But now the genre has hit mainstream radio.

           

In the late 90’s very few gospel groups and artists, like Kirk Franklin, challenged the traditional ways of Christian music with their secular-like tunes in their music. But in 2016, there are actual Christian rap artists who are being recognized and supported by churches and their fans, and even winning awards!

           

I wanted a point of view from a religious leader on their thoughts of Christian rap becoming popular and had the pleasure of talking to Pastor Herman Polk of New Hope Missionary Baptist Church in Hammond, Indiana.

           

“I guess I’m the wrong person to ask,” began Pastor Polk. He says that he has conversations about this genre of music with his grandson, who is a teenager, and believes that Christian hip hop is fine if performed live but not during church services.

           

When asked about his thoughts on the future of Christian rap the pastor said, I think they are trying to make something worldly into something Christian, and it is not for me. When I hear Christian lyrics with a hip hop beat, I think that I am listening to something worldly.”

           

Some of the most famous Christian rap artists of 2016 are Lecrae, Andy Mineo, Trip Lee, Tedashii and Da T.R.U.T.H. The holy rap artist, Lecrae, was even nominated for six GRAMMY awards, He won three out of the six.

           

He is now claiming to not be a Christian rap artist; he made this statement via Twitter to a fan that asked Lecrae if he considered himself a spiritual rapper. I learned from an article by Alexander Bouffard, that a lot of people think that he is saying that because he feels ashamed of his music now that he is being heavily recognized for it.

           

Lecrae is signed by a record label called Reach Records, which was also co-founded by him. This is the same label that the artist Andy Mineo is signed to.

           

The label’s mission is, “changing the way people see the world.” And they also used the Bible scripture Romans 1:16 as a representation of them being “unashamed of the gospel.”

           

But ever since Lecrae became more popular, fans noticed a shift in how he and the record label represent themselves as of October or November of 2015.

           

On the label’s website, the Romans 1:16 scripture was omitted from their “About Us” page but their mission statement remains the same. This happened after Lecrae stated that he is not a Christian rapper via Twitter, even though his music says otherwise.

           

As if that was not enough to make fans believe that he and the label began to be ashamed of the gospel, the artist Andy Mineo was interviewed on FOX 5 NY and said something that made fans give him the side-eye. When he asked about his 116 hat, all that he could say was that it was “his team.”

           

It is easy to agree that there is controversy in the celebrity world, even with Christian hip hop artists. For more information and thoughts on this controversy with spiritual rap artists feeling ashamed and on the changing views of spiritual hip hop, I reached out to the artist Da T.R.U.T.H and Fred Hammond on Twitter to ask them these things, but neither of them responded back.

           

When the Christian hip hop movement started, it had a pretty rocky relationship with churches. But now many churches have accepted it and are throwing “holy parties.”

           

Many famous gospel artists have included some of the hip hop movement in their music, like Erica Atkins-Campbell and many more. Now there are Christian rappers being heavily recognized and receiving awards for their word, regardless of the amount of controversy.

           

We all can agree that this movement has proven that it will be here to stay and continually grow in popularity.