Christianity and Rap, Part III
TRIGGER WARNING: This article will deal with Christianity and/or religious themes, which may be triggering or unnerving to some people. It may also contain graphic content. Continue at your own risk. Viewer discretion is advised.
What I consider my first controversial Rap Clash article is the Chance the Rapper, Christianity and Rap; what would become the first of what is now a trilogy got me noticed. It also got me a palpable amount of hate, that I learned to accept over time. I followed that months later with a much more in depth look at what Christian Hip-Hop should be made of and how this translates into the big picture of the subgenre in Christianity and Rap, Part II. Comments weren't filled with vitriol, which I appreciated, as I had made sure to back everything up with scriptures. I went big - but now it's time to talk about the totality of the Christian music scene. Like a Kevin Feige led MCU, I always left clues as to what the bigger picture was always meant to be. This is my Avengers: EndGame; the answer to a very simple question: is Christian Hip-Hop good for Christians and non-Christians?
It's a loaded question with very few verified answers. To get a proper idea as to the answer, I started with researching the much broader subject of Christian music in general. The closest that I came to a proper definition after a long internet search that was egregious in nature, was Wikipedia. While I don't like to use the source in any academic or day-to-day standard, it's the only way I found to start the article.
"Christian music is music that has been written to express either personal or a communal belief regarding Christian life and faith. Common themes of Christian music include praise, worship, penitence, and lament, and its forms vary widely across the world."
It seems to be straightforward in nature. By those parameters, the idea of music for the Christian heart is easy to come by. But to define what makes music Christian or not always ends in a spiral. There is no definitive answer. We can't claim that it's because God isn't mentioned in the lyrics, as two books in the Bible don't even mention the Lord (the Songs of Solomon as well as the Book of Esther), but are still sanctified and a part of the Holy Bible. Personal descriptors of the artist that sing the songs, such as the length of hair and how "mature" a Christian is, are subjective at best and nonsensical at the worse.
As to the direct point of Hip-Hop, the question becomes harder to answer. The idea of what should be acceptable in church setting triggers some, or the amount of times one should say the name of Jesus sets them off. However, those types of excuses as to why Christians shouldn't listen to Hip-Hop or even the existance of this specific subgenre is ludicrous when you look at other Contemporary Christian Music Artists who don't always say the name of the Holy One or play R&B music by example. Having discernment from the Holy Spirit is the only thing I could come up with.
If I were to define it, I would define it purely on the lyrics, as any analysis of musical instruments would make the entire argument asinine. If the lyrics help you meditate on God's Law and teachings (Psalm 119:48b); think about what is true, honorable, and lovely (Philippians 4:8); even pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17), with edifying words (Ephesians 4:29), I do not believe it to be an issue. While it seems really open to interpretation, it's because every relationship with God is open to interpretation and needs to be studied and understood individually.
My personal belief is that the fact that Hip-Hop is inherently anti-establishment and popular, it was meant to garner such a reaction. It's reminiscent of rock and roll in the 1960's: it's the music of the youth, with pastors and preachers considering it the devil's music. It's more of a generational thing if anything and I hope that in the future, things will change. For now, in conservative churches, I doubt we will see it. But at my church, I have no issue with rapping the dopest Christian verse anyone has ever heard, mainly because I feel comfortable with expressing my faith in that manner.
So we come to a somewhat bittersweet symphony of a conclusion. There is no real answer to the question of if Christian Hip-Hop is good - it is up to you to decide. Through the artists you listen to, whether it be Chance the Rapper or the Lecrae's and Sho Baraka's or even the reasons you listen to the specific subgenre, only you can decide. However, I implore you to support these artists who want to praise in the way that they want to praise. I pray that you all don't discount their talent and ability due to their religious leanings and beliefs, as we don't do so in other mediums. Show love at all times, right?