I have been a fan of hip hop for a long time, at least since junior high (early 90's). Being raised in a Christian home, I listened to some of the early Christian artists, ETW (End Time Warriors), PID, Michael Peace, and, yes, DC Talk. As I got older and was more influenced by the kids in my neighborhood and school, I started listening to a bunch of garbage with foul language that promoted sex, drugs, disrespect of authority, and narcissism. The music really affected me deeply, and I regret the stupid decisions I made based on this indoctrination of "hip" worldliness. The sad and subtle thing about rap music is that a lot of these rappers would claim to know God and have a relationship with Him; it was the church and society that didn't understand them. They would have a song about heaven or a song that was some sort of a confession to God. Then, the next song would talk about their sexual exploits. What a distortion of what it means to know the Lord! I soon bought into this subtle lie, that I was a good person because I "talked" to God and asked Him tough questions about life. He was a God of love, and, at the end of all of the chaos, sinfulnees, and unhappiness, He would receive me into heaven because I believed the Bible was true and could quote it.
When God brought me to repentance (We are called not only to believe, but to repent also!), I had a half-hearted approach to walking away from all of that garbage. For the first time ever, I realized all of the hopelessness and futility in the words that I once thought were truth. However, I still loved the music from an artistic standpoint.
I tried to find good Christian rap. ETW and PID were outdated; DC Talk was on their fourth or fifth genre of music. What I found were a bunch of artists who were just trying to be like everyone else in the world without cussing and being sinful. Rappers were talking more about the hood than they were about Christ and the gospel. A certain rapper who has amazing skill made it a point to talk about all of the violent things that he could do to the devil and demons. I thought that I might as well listen to secular stuff, not Christian music that was trying so hard to sound like secular artists. This was an area of compromise that God has graciously broken me of in the past year thanks to a new movement called Holy Hip Hop.
I have written my own rap songs since junior high. After high school, I was in a rap duo with a great friend, but our music promoted all of the things for which Christ died. After Christ transferred me from darkness to light, I was compelled by the Holy Spirit to walk away from our rap pursuits just when we were finally starting to get good. I tried writing some Christian lyrics shortly after that, but there were no truly sound artists from whom to draw inspiration. About six years later, I started writing lyrics again. They were better, and they reflected spiritual growth and a better understanding of Scripture and Christ's centrality in redemption. The old narcissism that is so prevalent in hip hop was slowly dissolving away.
Then came an email from a friend with a link to Shai Linne's myspace page. I clicked it right away and heard the song "Where You There?" It was similar to a song that I had written entitled "Still Screamin'", only Shai Linne's was so much better. Below is a link to a youtube video that includes a slide show with the song:
I eventually purchased a copy of "The Atonement" by Shai Linne. It was the first sound Christian hip hop album that I had ever purchased. I have heard a number of testimonials about people who totally despised rap music (people who are a generation removed from hip hop music), but were so blessed by the content of "The Atonement." It is a must have for all believers, in my opinion. It will change your life if you will just sit down and listen carefully to it. If you just can't bring yourself to listen to the music, please check out his lyrics at the following website:
http://www.lyricaltheology.blogspot.com
Over the past year, my Holy Hip Hop collection has expanded greatly. I could go on and on about each rapper or group that I listen to on a regular basis, but I will just talk briefly about one group and then provide links to the music pages of some groups that I fully endorse.
116 Clique is out to magnify the Savior and His Word. 116 Clique includes Lecrae, Sho Baraka, Trip Lee, and Tedashii. These guys are all about the Lord and His gospel. They are not about themselves. They are not trying to sound like anybody else. Their music is an inspiration, first and foremost, to help people live their lives to the glory of God, and they are also a blessing to serious hip hop fans who crave solid and God-glorifying content. Their music is amazing from an artistic standpoint. These four are on tour right now on the "Don't Waste Your Life" Tour. The video at the top of this post is of Lecrae performing the title track. I was blessed to see part of this concert two nights ago in Phoenix (the non-air-conditioned venue was a little too much for me and my four-year-old son). I walked away from the show somewhat disappointed that it was overwhelmingly hot but thankful for the hearts of all four of these men, living their lives to the glory of God and touring the country to encourage other people do the same.
Check out the webpages for the following God-glorifying record labels:
http://www.reachrecords.com
http://www.lampmode.com/home.html
http://www.crossmovementrecords.com
Artists I recommend:
http://www.myspace.com/lecrae
http://www.myspace.com/shailinne
http://www.myspace.com/tedashii
http://www.myspace.com/truthonduty
http://www.myspace.com/flame314
http://www.myspace.com/timbrindle
http://www.myspace.com/hazakimcamp
http://www.myspace.com/triplee116
Finally, here is my music page. Definitely, not as good, but I hope that God will use it. More on that at a later time:
http://www.myspace.com/joshuagilchrist
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