Trend or Truth: Rap Culture & The Gospel
Kendrick Lamar & Chance the Rapper Performing at 2015 Bonnaroo Festival
Is it just me or do secular rappers who spit a few verses mentioning God get more love than the publicly Christian rappers who preach Bible? Eh, maybe we'll save that for another post. But it's not uncommon for celebrities to acknowledge God on their respective platforms or often times during coveted acceptance speeches. Though perceptively, the realms of stage life and personal life appear separate, their relationship with God occasionally claims a share of the spotlight. So it seems the case with two of Hip Hop's most beloved rap artists, Chance the Rapper and now Kendrick Lamar. From heart to pen and thoughts to mic, Chance and Kendrick helm nods as true purveyors of their craft and have recently self-subscribed their platforms to illuminate the hearts of their listeners with the knowledge of God.
Earlier during this year's Grammy's and as one of the most anticipated acts of the night, Chance surprised us with an explosive performance proclaiming the "Blessings" of God on stage with Gospel favorite, Tamela Mann and a full ensembled choir...on NATIONAL TV. Then just a few weeks ago, Kendrick shook the internet with the debut of arguably the most spiritually provoking album of 2017, "DAMN". So what does this mean? Is this a trend or has Jesus put down the hymnal for a mic and a hot 16? Bars. (lol sorry, couldn't resist). Whatever it is, it's causing the doors of the church to fly open as conversation has stirred saints and sinners down the aisle alike.
Popular music entertainment site, DJBooth.com offers a more in-depth analysis of the message and influence of hip hop's newest evangelists entitled, "Praise & Questions: How Kendrick & Chance Talk to God in Different Ways," which they state, breaks down the very different ways the two biggest mainstream religious rappers display their faith in their music. The writer assigns Chance to an ideal of salvation and redemption reminding people of the hope of Christ and Kendrick to warnings of the wrath of God which to me is somewhat similar to Paul. After the article's heavy circulation on the web, Kendrick actually responds to the article which to some may bring more questions than clarity.
KENDRICK LAMAR to DJBOOTH (edited, but full version available here)
I didn't expect anyone to catch it. How I express God. I went to a local church some time ago, and it appalled me that the same program was in practice. A program that I seen as a kid the few times I was in service. Praise, dance. Worship. (Which is beautiful.) Pastor spewing the idea of someone's season is approaching. The idea of hope. So on and so forth.
As a child, I always felt this Sermon had an emptiness about it. Kinda one sided, in what I felt in my heart. Fast forward. After being heavily in my studies these past few years, I've finally figured out why I left those services feeling spiritually unsatisfied as a child. I discovered more truth. But simple truth. Our God is a loving God. Yes. He's a merciful God. Yes. But he's even more so a God of DISCIPLE. OBEDIENCE. A JEALOUS God. And for every conscious choice of sin, will be corrected through his discipline...No one wants to hear about karma from the decisions they make. It's a hard truth. We want to hear about hope, salvation, and redemption. Though his son died for our sins, our free will to make whatever choice we want, still allows him to judge us... I feel it's my calling to share the joy of God, but with exclamation, more so, the FEAR OF GOD. The balance. Knowing the power in what he can build, and also what he can destroy. At any given moment...Personally, once that idea of real fear registered in my mind, it made me try harder at choosing my battles wisely. Which will forever be tough, because I'm still of flesh. I wanna spread this truth to my listeners. It's a journey, but it will be my key to the Kingdom. And theirs as well. I briefly touched on it in this album, but when he tells me to react, I will take deeper action.
As these artists continue to evolve, Kendrick never ceases to raise our thought (and now spiritual) consciousness and Chance always reminds us to be thankful offering glory to the One whom it is deserved. Through criticism and praise, Chance and Kendrick aren't afraid to push against expectations and lead conversation about Christ transcending through denomination, generation and culture.