If God is really good how can He allow evil and suffering in the
world? This is essentially the issue that theodicy deals with. However, its
primary concern is with the goodness of God. Belief systems such as deism,
agnosticism, and atheism have even gone so far as to question God’s actual
existence. All because they cannot seem to reconcile God’s claims to be good
and involved in human life and the ever present reality of suffering and
oppression in the world.
Hip-hop as a culture, and rap the mouthpiece of that
culture, voice some of the same concerns. In fact, the issue of suffering and
oppression is central to hip-hop’s hermeneutic. They approach the Bible to see
what it has to say about their existential situation and if it provides any
relief. It is only as good as it helps me to survive “these streets”. In the
classic “hood” movie Boyz N the Hood,
there is a conversation between the character Doughboy (played by gangsta
rapper Ice Cube) and his posse. When asked whether he thinks God exists
Doughboy replies, “man there ain’t no God. If there was a God, why He keep
lettin’ all these brothaz get smoked out here everyday?”.[1]
In another “hood” movie, Menace II
Society, the character O-Dog (dubbed the “craziest nigga alive”) responds
to a question posed by his friend’s grandfather: “I don’t think God even cares
about us out here [the ghetto]. Why else would he have put us here?”. Notice,
in the first quote the assertion was made that there is no God, while the
second quote does not deny God’s existence but His goodness and concern for
human beings (specifically young black males). Here are the two spectrums of
the reaction to the issue of theodicy within hip-hop culture!
It should be noted here that hip-hop is rooted in the struggle for
social justice. In truth, it was the driving force that started hip-hop! It was
the voice of a disenfranchised group who decided it was time to tell their
story. Everything in hip-hop, from the gritty beats that cannot help but
transport the listener to the streets of New York, Compton, or Atlanta, to the
blues samples that provide the melodic tune tells of the pain and suffering of
inner-city life for young black males. It is in light of this sense of communal
suffering that any critique or evaluation of the Bible, the church, or religion
in general is made. Take for instance,
Tupac’s response to a question about churches in black communities. “If the
churches took half the money that they was making and gave it back to the
community, we’d be aight!” He continues, “Have you seen some of these god****
churches lately? There’s ones that take up the whole block in New York! There’s homeless people out here!! Why won’t God let them stay there?!” It
is clear that Tupac’s angst is not with the church’s teachings, but its
activism, or lack thereof. He essentially asks the question “what are you doing
for the community?” In hip-hop, this is the primary question. Those who have
influence in this culture are those who are concerned about the suffering,
pain, and death experienced by young blacks in the ghettos. In truth, this pain
and suffering was most eloquently and powerfully expressed by Tupac Shakur.
His was a life particularly ridden with pain being the son of a
revolutionary. His mother, Afeni Shakur was a prominent member in the New York
chapter of the Black Panther Party. It does not need to mentioned the obstacles
and hardships faced by black revolutionaries during the 60’s and 70’s. But what
has typically been overlooked is the impact this must have had on their
children. Tupac’s music is a transcript of his short, yet troubled life. His
life and words are also intentionally representative of the lives of thousands
of young black males trapped in the “cage” of the ghetto. This experience of
suffering has had an impact on Tupac’s (and all of hip-hop’s) relationship to
the Bible and religion. His cry, “even thugs cry/ but do the Lord care?” is
telling. In Tupac’s eyes, thugs were not irresponsible hooligans who just
robbed and killed for the fun of it. Thugs are the product of the neglect of
society. He even created an acronym for it: The Hate U Gave Little Infants
F***s Everyone. These are the disenfranchised of society who feel that they
have no other choices. So does the Lord care about them? Other questions such
as “I wonder if heaven has a ghetto” and “is there a heaven for a G [gangsta]”
tell of the thought process of this young man and the generation he
represented.
Consider this lyric from his song “Blasphemy”: “The preacher wants
me buried, why? Cause I know he’s a liar/ have you ever seen a crackhead, that’s eternal fire”. Here is a prime
example of hip-hop’s use and interpretation of the Bible. He is clearly
familiar with the biblical teaching of punishment and hell fire. However, he
reinterprets the traditional view in light of what he sees around him everyday.
And truly, if anyone has lived with or been around an addicted person[2],
it is not a pretty sight. Therefore, eternal punishment is reinterpreted as
addiction. This is completely permissible in hip-hop’s hermeneutical method.
This is not to say that Tupac or any other artist does not have a clear concept
of sin and its consequences. Even a frivolous listen to some of Tupac’s songs
would quickly repudiate that idea. Rather, the consequences of sin in many
instances are seen as more desirable than the current situation they find
themselves in!
“God forgive me cause it’s wrong but I plan to die” Tupac cries in
the song “Troublesome ‘96”. He continues, “Either take me to heaven and
understand I was a G/ did the best I could raised in insanity/ or send me to hell cause I ain’t worried
about my life/ ain’t nothing worse than
this cursed a** helpless life!” This is a powerfully striking statement! He
recognizes that the direction he is going in is wrong yet there is still a cry for
mercy. However, this is not a cry of renunciation. He is doing what he feels he has to do given the
situation he has found himself in (“I did the best I could raised in
insanity”). And, according to Tupac, the consequences of this course of action
(hell), can not conceivably be worse than the situation he finds himself in
now. It should also be noted that this line is directly connected to a cry made
earlier in the song: “I’m hopeless!!” This feeling of hopelessness has led to a
type of anarchic nihilism in hip-hop culture. As Malcolm X himself once said,
“The most dangerous man in the world is the man with nothing to lose”.
The situation of misery and oppression that many of these artists
have come up in is the starting point of their hermeneutic. Similar to Dr.
James Cone’s method, they read their sitz em laben (situation in life) into the
text rather than having the text speak to their situation. The conclusion is,
if the Bible has nothing to say to my immediate situation, I have the liberty
to reinterpret it so that it does. An example of this reinterpretation is
Tupac’s concept of “Thugz Mansion” which is essentially a type of heaven for
thugs.[3]
It is clear that this is a reinterpretation that seeks to absolve one of
his/her moral or religious obligations thereby creating, what I have termed, a
“Jesus walks with me” theology. This will be the topic for next week.
[1] It
should be noted that these so-called “hood” movies are really a genre unto
themselves. They are movies that deal with the harsh realities of life in the
inner city, also termed “the hood”.
[2] Tupac is
speaking particularly from the heart on this line. His mother struggled with
crack addiction for several years in Tupac’s teen years.
[3] The
length restrictions of this paper will not allow me to elaborate on this point
but it should be noted that “Thugz Mansion” is an attempt find peace and rest
in the midst of the proverbial storm. A line from the song illustrates this:
“where do niggaz go when we die? Ain’t no heaven for a thug nigga. That’s why
we go to thug mansion.” Remember that the embrace of “thug life” is more of an
obligation than a real choice.
