When did you fall in love with hip hop? That’s the sappy signature line from the movie Brown Sugar. Well, I not writing a love story, but I can say that I love hip hop. It’s been a part of my life since I was in middle school. I was in 6th or 7th grade at St. Angela Hall Academy in Brooklyn when one of my classmates stopped me in the stairwell on the way to our next class and said, “you gotta hear this.” Then he took out his tape recorder and played King Tim III. A few weeks later the Sugar Hill Gang came out with Rappers Delight. I was hooked. There was an explosion of this thing called hip hop, Run DMC, Kool Moe Dee, KRS-One, PE, LL, and on and on.
By the time I became a Christian, the lyrics in most popular hip hop music had degenerated from what I would call “chest-beating” and dissing (disrespecting other rappers), to denigrating women, exalting sexual exploits, and what my friend Carl Ellis calls “Ghetto Nihilism.” What do you do when you love hip hop, but not what it’s become? I don’t think that the answer is to discard the genre. It is now no longer simply a part of urban youth culture, it is a part of American culture. There are still some good songs out there among contemporary rap artists.
One thing that has become a major blessing and encouragement to me is the emergence and development of Christian hip-hop. A few years ago I was exposed to the music of Christcentric (www.christcentric.net). Their combination of gospel proclamation through the medium of hip-hop astounded me. Not watered down hip-hop, but Christ exaltation over strong beats and smooth lyrics. Last Friday (August 7, 2009), I went to a concert at Shady Grove Presbyterian Church featuring Christcentric, B. Morr (www.bmorr.com), and Curtis (Voice) Allen. Wow!! Listen. If you love hip-hop, and you love Jesus Christ, check these brothers out. If you love hip-hop, but you don’t love Jesus Christ, check these brothers out. If you don’t love hip-hop, but you love Jesus Christ, check these brothers out. If you don’t love hip-hop, and you don’t love Jesus Christ, check these brothers out. I think that just about covers everybody. Check these brothers out!
Grace & Peace,
Pastor Irwyn
