It is said, music is soothing for the soul. Rap music should be no different; it possesses the ability to be spiritual and uplifting at the same time. It has the power of influence and sometimes it can be mind altering as well. The Christian faith in particular, has had a stronghold on black America since the early building of the nation. It seems like Christianity and rap music would make a perfect collegial symmetry since both ideals are accepted in the black community. So this brings up a question I began to ponder:
How come Christian rap is not as mainstream and “well received” like street hip hop?
A study showed that 88% of African-Americans follow the Christian faith and a majority of them are Baptist. Also high percentages of the African-American population believe that the Bible is the literal word of God. It seems that the hip hop community is pulled in two very different directions in regards to what type is played on the radio and seen on videos and faith based music. There have been some crossover artists such as Kirk Franklin, Mary Mary and a few others that have made commerical success and radio airplay. It just seems odd that almost every rapper shows appreciation for their faith in their music.
The irony is in the music of MCs like DMX, who would speak about the horrific stories about killing and even a song “Damien” where he was persuaded by the Devil to commit murder, steal and lie. In the end of the song DMX’s soul becomes corrupted from the sins he made. In the same CD he does a prayer trying to save himself from damnation.It just seems that the duality in DMX shows how far apart and parallel the faith of the church and the struggle in the music is real and can coexist.
Why do you Christian rap doesn’t have a bigger presence in the music industry today?
