There is type of music which is by its nature forceful and passionate. It perhaps above all other genres wears the beliefs of the artist on its sleeves and because of that attracts hundreds of thousands to it. Passionate, honest and a sound which can’t help but turn heads…what more truly could one ask for?! If you haven’t guessed yet, I’m of course speaking of rap music. While what I have said is true, there is a stigma about rap which circles it like vultures do to road kill. That stigma is what keeps many people from grasping it, and it’s precisely the reason why the Church is so hesitant to accept it. Yeah Christian Rap has infiltrated the Dove Awards and is sold at many Christian stores but a bunch of believers are still hesitant about the genre.
I get asked a lot about “why do you love Christian rap” or “how did you get introduced to it”? I can remember when I first discovered Christian rap. I was at the local Christian book store with my mom, dragged along yet again; I was completely over the store visit the moment we walked in but wandered over to the cd section anyways. I was looking over the genres when Hip Hop caught my eye and I was like, “Wait a second…what?” You see Bone Thugs, DMX, Eminem and others were what everyone listened to and I had found myself listening to them whenever possible, and had grown to like the rap sound. I knew my mom would never let me get DMX or any other secular rapper’s cd, but she’d have to let me buy one if it at this Christian store right? I mean DMX prays on like every single record and even thanked God when receiving an award…has to be Christian right? Yes, I was that naïve…or perhaps that hopeful. Well DMX wasn’t there, neither was Bone or Eminem…but there was this CD that caught my eye. The artist’s name was T-Bone which had the possibility to be good. I grab the demo cd and pop it in their cd player…well it wasn’t as catchy as DMX but it did have pretty good beats and the guy could definitely rhyme.
From that day on I started buying every single Christian Rap cd I could get my hands on. However, I experienced a lot of judgmental glances at the store from people whenever I’d purchase one. I even had a cashier at the local Christian bookstore look at the cd I was buying and asked if I really thought it was Christian? I couldn’t believe it, here I was trying to fight the norm by listening to the style of music I liked but not secular…definitely tarnished my idea of the “slow worship listening” believers. Even some of my family would give me downward glances when I’d pull into family get-togethers with Christian rap blasting out of my speakers.
That’s the stigma which surrounds rap though. No matter what is behind the lyrics of the song, if someone hears rap they only assume its listeners can be nothing good. Skeptically naïve is how I view that thought now, although it is very understandable based on the image rap music has projected. Although, I’m a 25 year old white boy (couldn’t resist throwing that in) who isn’t ashamed to blast my Godly rap music…you know why? Because I’m unashamed of it, just like I’m not ashamed to admit I blast Brandon Heath or even Rich Mullins as loud as I can too! ßTALK ABOUT TURNING HEADS, TRY BLARING RICH MULLINS AND ALL EYES WILL BE ON YOU HAHA! Both genres speak TRUTH, one is just more Christian acceptable; while rap is raw emotion and even confrontational at times. Christian rappers hold nothing back and make the struggles with sin feel more like a battle than its other Christian counterparts. Which is precisely why we should embrace it! Our non-chalant way of being Christians have gotten us where? We have more division in the Christian churches than ever before…we can’t even agree upon basic biblical truths…and we’re losing our identity as being Godly with every pastor accused and convicted of sexual immorality of some kind!
We must make war on our sinful natures, God said the Christian walk isn’t necessarily the easy one so why do we try to make it seem like it is all rainbows and unicorns? It’s not. It’s a daily struggle, a fight which if you’re not careful it will KO you in a matter of minutes! It’s this fight which I feel Christian rap hits on harder than any other Christian genre out there. They convict you by their honesty, relate to you with their stories, teach you how to live and rejoice with you in God!
Now I understand Christian rap just simply isn’t for everybody, but God is and if you believe in the same God as I do you know he can do all things, touch all things and use all things! Even rap..
One love, One way, One God
Your Bro,
Tyni
One love, One way, One God
Your Bro,
Tyni
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