This is where it gets controversial. I want to know why some people can’t appreciate good lyrical content. It seems as if there has to be cursing, sex and violence in the verse to make it worth radio play. What’s the deal? As the Urban Authority and Hip Hop’s best friend and publicist I think it is about time we had a heart to heart.
When I first heard Kirk Franklin’s music I was really upset. My first thought was “God won’t like this.” I mean how can you have people dancing, stompin’ and having fun and call it Christian? How dare he take Christian stuff and make it so worldly! I had to turn off my Jay Z mix-cd and listen to what Kirk was saying. As I listened to the words I was not sure if I liked it or not. If it had been Bebe or Cece Winans it would have been ok but this was clearly not Gospel music. To make matters worse I started meeting Gospel Rappers and I found out that Evander Holyfield had signed an “Inspirational” rapper to his newly formed record label Real Deal Records. I had to ask myself, “has the world gone MAD!” Christian rappers? I was not impressed. So I did what any self-respecting know it all would do. I started dissin’ it. I did not like it and that was that. To add insult to injury I started working with some of the artists and I was even less impressed. One evening while stressing over the lack of funding for the Third Coast Music Conference (TTCC) I came up with a great idea.
I decided to add a Gospel category to the event. I realized that this whole Christian rap thing was an untapped market, and as a Christian it would be a sin not to give it a platform at my conference. I looked at the schedule to see if I should put it before or after the pool party. I spoke to my staff and they thought that I had lost my mind. There is no way that we could get from the strip club to the hotel, drop of the girls and get to sleep in time to have a Gospel breakfast. That’s when it hit me. The problem isn’t the music. The problem is me. I was trying to compartmentalize my Faith. I was being luke warm.
The art form that I love and make a living from was not reflective of my beliefs, in fact most of the artists that I worked for and with, were not people that I would want my daughter to date or my sister to marry (other than them being really rich and famous). Not too long after that and in the middle of my introspection I got some work in England.
I met a guy who is now one of my very best friends. He turned me on to some really great Christian rap artists or Inspirational artists (that is a whole other issue) who blew me away. They were as good as or even better than my top 10 greatest rappers of all time. He took me to a Christian Record shop named Wesley Owen and he let me listen to Da Truth, and the conversion began. About a year later one of the guys in my Friday night Youth group played a song by Lecrae and it was game over!
The issue that most people have with Christian rap isn’t the music, it’s themselves. Similarly, people that don’t believe in Jesus can’t find any fault with what he did, they just don’t like facing their own imperfections. We have been programmed to believe that our music has to be explicit to be good. Maybe because hip-hop culture is so much about rebellion and urban life we find it difficult to appreciate the inspirational content of Christian rap. My advice is if it isn’t good then don’t listen to it and certainly don’t buy it. If it is good then give it a chance. Surly there is a much value in someone worshiping God as there is in worshiping “ice and cars.” I challenge ANY true hip hop fan to listen to Braile, Trip Lee or Sho Baraka and not give them their props for lyrical content and skills.
Last year I put together the UK leg of the Unashamed Tour for Reach Records. I spent about 8 days on the road with the 116 Clique. I have done tour management in the past and I have to say that this was one of the best weeks of my life. The guys are funny, real, intelligent and very down to earth. From a musical perspective they are on top of their game.
I would love to see Christian rap reach more people. Right now some Churches are the biggest critics of the music, not realizing that their youth are probably buying non Christian Rap and R&B anyway. I won’t get into that but I do recommend that you check out some of these artists, Canton Jones, Manafest and the whole Cross Movement crew! Enjoy
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CaTXRaSvq-M
So get at me if you agree or disagree with what I say. That’s why I love Hip-Hop, it is more than just fashion and music. Hip Hop is life! Besides, I KNOW A LOT OF STUFF.
Quiz “the Urban Authority”
This is the start of something. I am not sure what but I have decided to share my thoughts with the world because I KNOW A LOT OF STUFF. My thoughts on everything. Without a doubt this will rub some people the wrong way. It will make some people laugh. I guess my main purpose is to get people to think critically instead of just following the flock. With that in mind we are sponsoring the Urban Fashion and Music Conference.
