"Christian" Rap

An Essay (overly-long rambling) by SDtektiv. (enjoy in portions)

As a disclaimer, I hardly know what I'm talking about here, I'm just saying things as I percieve them. I'm probably percieving them a little wrong, it can change as I get more information, but here's what I got so far:

--Part One--

Today I'm blogging about this thing called "Christian Rap." Now, hopefully by the end of today's bloggings, you will understand that calling "Christian Rap" a genre doesn't make sense, as it is diverse and pretty much the same as any other rap, except that it isn't filled with the same repetitious cuss words and stuff that the rest of them put on TV. It's the same as regular rap in every aspect except for what I just said, meaning there are the same genres within it and there are good and bad rappers.

If it were up to me, I wouldn't even have the label "Christian Rap" existing because it is misleading in that if someone hears one rap song they'll think that all "Christian Rap" songs will be like that one...

But, because it is hard to find rap that isn't loaded with junk, the label is necessary. At one time, "Christian" music and "Mainstream" music were not separated from each other, but instead they were the same. People might think that good music has disappeared, it hasn't, it's just that the cable networks and media and whatever choose not to make it public, and it is evident that people draw a lot of what they decided to listen to from a TV channel.

So, it would make sense for a Christian TV channel to have a lot of cool music, right? Nope! Instead it's mostly the same boring, gaudy sets, overly-expressive preaching. There is a place for that, but not the whole entire day please! They used to have a Youth-orientated music video show that I would tell my friends about, but now it is long gone.

Something that bothers me is when people have an assumption with art that if a Christian is producing it, it won't be as good as someone in the mainstream producing it. I disagree, both Christians and Non-Christians have been successful and not-successful. In the past, the main music artists in America were Christians, and this hasn't changed, only who the TV channels choose to put up.

---Part two---

Basically, "Christian" rappers have a lot to put up with.

First, they have to put up with the reactions they get from having this label. For example, one time I was listening to some music, Deepspace 5 to be exact, and someone said to me, "What are you listening to?" Was I about to say "Christian" Rap? No! Not because I'm ashamed of God, but because I wanted him to give the music a chance.

So, instead what I did was I handed over the CD player with my humongous headphones, and he listened to it. Of course, he had large respect for it because he didn't know it was Christian rap. As he listened, he made statements about how he was surprised that a person who looks like me would into rap, statements of other artists that is similar to it. He asked "Are they white or black?" (both). And he made recommendations for other artists I might like. But, in the middle of the song, the smile disappeared from his face, he pulled the headphones off, and handed the CD player back to me without a word.

I put the headphones on to see where he left off, and it turns it out that it was right after the first reference of respect to God in that particular song!

I think he was embarrassed that he actually enjoyed a song that had a word of respect to God in it. Don't get me wrong, I don't like listening to rap CDs with every song being 100% about God, but I don't understand why people won't give a song a chance if it has respect for God and even other people in it. It's their opinion, and... (to quote what they often say when being challenged at their music), "it's just a song!"

I've found out that I cannot present some music that I like to someone and say it is "Christian Rap," unless the person has a lot of knowledge, more than I'll ever have, and respect for rap in general. I have a better chance of saying "here's some rap that I like because it doesn't have anything bad in it." Then, when they look like they're enjoying themselves, if they haven't figured it out already I'll tell them that it is "Christian", just to see their reaction.

Second, "Christian Rappers" have to fight negative feelings from both of what they are. What I mean is that they are two things, "Christians", and "Rappers." There are actually Christians who think that putting poetry on top of a beat is a sin, and so they don't get a whole lot of support from the major Christian media, since a lot of Christian media knows that some Christians may be offended by rapping, even if it doesn't have sinful lyrics. I don't know if the last statement I just made is true, but it is my best guess.

I actually don't think that "Christian Rappers" get put down by Rappers, they might even be respected on a person-to-person basis, they just get kept secret by the Hip Hop Media. In a way, "Christian Rappers" are forced to be underground, because even if they come out with the best song ever, if they're on a "Christian Rap Label"...well, good luck getting on TV.

"Christian Rappers" really shouldn't be grouped together on a music standpoint, or separated from as a unit from the mainstream. Again, this is from a music standpoint. From a content standpoint, they just don't have raps about materialism, sex, drugs, gangs, killing... and if they do, they usually present it in a less-glamorized, more-realistic, "the consequences in my life" fashion.

I don't know, it's just my personal musical preference when it comes to the fact that I'd rather listen to someone rap about how people don't respect them just because they don't cuss enough (see Not Enough Dope (in my rhymes) by This'l) than listen to men rap about how they have lots of shiny jewelry around their neck... that's just me, apparently a lot of people like that sort of thing, I respect them. I don't understand why people are interested in hearing people talk about all their chains and cars all day, but as far as I see there are only a limited number of possibilities:

a) they actually do,
b) they don't care about the lyrics, just the music (you have to admit that it is definitely cool musically)
c) they don't know what else there is.

Third, "Christian Rappers" don't get the same criticism as other rappers. What I mean by this is rappers without that label get judged on a person to person basis. People want to judge "Christian Rap" as a whole, and you can't do that, just like you can't judge "Mainstream" or "Underground" Rap as a whole. I'm sure that there are Mainstream rappers who rap about things that I might like and don't cuss, the trouble is that I can't find them because the TV networks aren't going to play someone with respect for himself and others.

I don't see cussing as a sin, but I suppose the Musical TV networks with rap might see not-cussing as a sin, and cussing bothers me, just a personal preference, everyone else can make up their mind on that issue (but not every issue).


----Part Three---

Alright, some of you may be wondering, "You're talking a whole lot about not judging groups of rappers as a whole, but yet you seem to be judging these TV networks as a whole!" I'll give you that, but look, recently, TV networks haven't, from what I've seen, in the past four to five years, been putting even a rapper on a Christian Rap Label on TV. Alright, Grits get to be the exception. (I like Grits. the band, I haven't tried the food yet).

It seems to be a sheer coincidence to me that the time when music that respects God gets separated from the rest of the music happens to be just as Rap gets into its prime. This is what's causing people to automatically associate rap with all the bad stuff. True, some rap ventures into bad stuff that hasn't been heard in music for centuries, actually a lot (of the stuff that gets put on TV,) but a lot of it doesn't do that. It is sad that Rap and this phenomena had to occur at the same time, because now people only get the small window and now have lots of bad feelings about rap.

I bet that people would be a lot more open to rap if it didn't always come packaged with ugly lyrics inside. (I'm talking content here, not musical skill).

I leave you with a short list of good rap songs if you're curious or to get you started:
"Song Title" Artist <- (this is just the example but that would be funny if this was a real song eh?)

"Rowdy" The Ambassador
"When I flow (it's Gospel)" The Cross Movement
"Talk Music" Deepspace 5
"Here We Go" Grits
"Not Enough Dope (in my rhymes)" This'l
"Raised in Harlem" Hero! the Rock Opera
"Blazin' Mics" T-Bone
"Jesus Musik" LeCrae featuring Tripp Lee

Fortunately, some Christian bookstores have a good rap section.