Hip-Hop Discipleship

Approximately a month ago, a significant event in the Hip-Hop nation took place. J. Cole released his highly anticipated album Born Sinner on June 25. On the album there was a track that stood out to listeners everywhere, namely "Let Nas Down". On it, Cole raps about veteran rapper Nasir Jones being one of his idols and how they first met. At their first meeting, Nas informed the up and coming rapper about how he was a fan and that he was the heir apparent. Nas has been the vanguard of political and social conscious Hip-Hop, while simultaneously enjoying mainstream success, for almost 20 years. Nas was signifying to Cole that he believes he could carry on that legacy.

 J. Cole then describes how he succumbed to the pressures of his record label which was pushing him to produce a hit single. Cole did respond to the pressure and released the biggest hit of his career, "Work Out". Soon after the release of the single, word got to Cole that Nas hated it. Why would he release such a mainstream single that gave in to pop-sensibilities? Cole laments on the track that he "let Nas down". But what happened next is a thing of beauty.

About a week after the release of J.Cole's album, Nas released a remix to the "Let Nas Down" track. On the track Nas explains to Cole that he understands the pressures that record labels bring on artists and that he was only trying to explain to him that he must rise above the fray of popular opinion in order to sustain good and meaningful art. Nas affirms the young emcee and tells him that he, in fact, "made Nas proud". This is a beautiful moment in Hip-Hop and I believe it gives us insight into discipleship in the church.

I have been reflecting a lot recently on the idea of discipleship. I have been reading on the concept of personal discipleship and following Christ on an individual basis, but also the idea of communal discipleship. In other words, how do I as a spiritual leader foster and encourage spiritual growth and development in my church? One of the key ideas I have come across over and over again in my reading is the idea of mentoring or apprenticeship. Taking what you have learned and experienced and passing it on to someone else. This is central in Hip-Hop culture!

Once an artist has risen to prominence, it is an unwritten rule that that artist seek out and build up other artists. For example, Dr. Dre "discovered" and developed rapper Eminem. Once Eminem rose to fame he discovered Queens rapper 50 Cent who developed artists like Lloyd Banks and Young Buck. In this cycle, you have four generations of artists that are engaged in relationship and work together. They learn from each other and sharpen one another as artists and hopefully as people.

What if the church had such a concept of discipleship? Everybody is being discipled while they are in turn discipling someone else. It should be a never-ending cycle that keeps on producing new fruit. What if as soon as you become a Christian (or Adventist) you are expected to find someone else to bring into the fold? We allegedly believe this but few practice it. It has not become a core value in our church culture. If the work is to continue and churches are to grow, perhaps we could all take a page from Hip-Hop discipleship.

Adventists and "The Bible" Series

          

          Last night as my wife and I were watching the latest episode of The Bible mini-series on the History Channel, she said something to me that was quite profound. She noted that even though she follows many Christians on Twitter, it was only the Adventists that were being overly critical. Hardly any of them had anything positive to say about the series. I noted the same thing on my timeline. Personally, I enjoyed the second episode more than the first because there was more action. I did have issue with the Samson scene with the jawbone only because I thought it could have been more epic, but the scene of him in the temple made up for that. But this raised a pressing question in both of our minds: what is wrong with us (Adventists)? Why can’t we just enjoy things? Are we the self-appointed “factual purity police”? I want to briefly address Adventism as it relates to our biblical criticism and the influence we have as Christians.

            As I said earlier, I have enjoyed The Bible series so far. My only beef with the first episode was that it was a little slow and slightly boring with the exception of a few parts. Last night’s episode was much more entertaining just as far as the action and drama were concerned. Are there some inaccuracies? Yes. Are there some embellishments? Yes. Do they take dramatic license? Yes. Are people watching it?! YES! Are Atheists and adherents of other religions entering a social media dialogue with Christians? YES!! Is there a possibility that people will be drawn to Christ as a result of this series! YES!! Then what is our problem?!?!? Many critics out there feel it is their responsibility to uphold the factual integrity of the Scripture, and that’s ok I suppose…but when our voice is dominantly critical then I believe there’s a problem.

            I learned a lesson several years ago while studying theology at Oakwood University. Young theology majors that are just being exposed to proper study methods of the Bible easily get lost and caught up in the game of pulpit criticism. Every preacher that dared to stand behind that pulpit was under doctrinal, biblical, and factual scrutiny. I was not exempt from this phenomenon. One week for chapel a guest speaker preached and was well received by the student body. Many people gained a real and genuine blessing from what he presented. When I went to lunch I sat with some friends who were raving up and down about how blessed they were by the sermon. I then proceeded to break down all of the errors in the sermon…all the places where he was exegetically inaccurate and where I thought he was stretching the text to make his point. I immediately sensed that I single-handedly brought a cloud over the whole table. The blessing that everybody was raving about receiving was gone. I robbed them of it. I learned after that incident that everything doesn’t need to be critiqued. I learned that my voice did, in fact, have influence and that I had the ability to literally rob people of a genuine blessing they may have received from God.

            If there is blatant doctrinal or theological error then as a pastor I do have the responsibility to address it. But some things just aren’t that big of a deal...for instance, in the first episode, Sarah ran to meet Abraham and Isaac after she figured out what was happening. Now the Bible says that the journey was 3 days to Mt Moriah, so factually she wouldn’t have been able to do that. Ok, small error. Does it matter to the spirit of the story or did it detract from the message of the text? NO! So who cares!?!

            My concern is that all of us Adventists will be mindful of whatever influence we may have in the larger community. This series provides us with a wonderful opportunity to engage people in conversation about the Bible and about JESUS in particular! Let’s not miss that opportunity because of a few factual missteps! Let us not rob people’s blessings by our incessant criticisms! Christianity is not going to crumble because you failed to point out that there weren’t angel ninjas in Sodom…just enjoy that ride and PRAY that God will use this series to bring people to Him. THAT is the point of the series.

Shalom

Thoughts on Spiritual Growth

As the sun sets this Friday night I find myself reflecting on issues of spiritual growth. I sometimes feel that my spirituality isn’t on the level of a “good” Christian, much less a pastor. If spiritual growth is just regular devotion and a regularly scheduled prayer life then along the spiritual babe-mature Christian timeline I fall somewhere around the toddler range. I feel like I should be so much further along. By now I should be hearing the audible voice or “leading” of God telling me what to do and where to go. That’s how pastors and spiritual mystics describe their experiences. “I felt impressed to go to this place…” or “I was led to talk to this person…”. These are common phrases uttered by the “spiritual” person. While I can honestly say there are a few instances where I feel I had those types of experiences (i.e. meeting and marrying my wife), I cannnot say it has been a part of my daily experience.

 Is that all there is to the spiritual life? Devotions, prayer, regular church attendance? If so, then I fear most professed Christians are destined to walk a long empty road. But I have come to the realization in the last few years that true spirituality is shaped in everyday life through everyday experiences. Is not spending time with and loving your wife or husband a spiritual experience? Isn’t interacting with neighbors and coworkers sometimes a test in spiritual strength? For those with children, aren’t sacrificing 15 minutes of morning devotional time in order to fulfill the ministry of preparing your kid’s lunch or being present for their extracurricular activities acts of “devotion” in themselves?

The point is, God does not make us “spiritual” because of routine devotional exercises. We are made holy by our daily ins and outs, by our daily interactions with people. We grow through experiences and through hardships. We learn through mistakes and failures. Spirituality is the process of living. For those in Christ, who place their belief and trust in Him, just keep on living and spiritual growth will take place.

Shalom

The Death of Hip-Hop

            I’ve found that in recent years I have almost completely lost all interest in Hip-Hop. It used to speak to me, my feelings, my emotions. There was hardly anything as therapeutic as blasting a certain artist or song and venting through my iPod, my CD player or (many moons ago) my walkman. Rap music used to be that friend that understood me when no one else did. When Tupac bellowed “Me Against the World” it connected with the soul in a powerful way. When Mos Def and Talib Kweli proclaimed what it meant to be “Black Stars” it gave a sense of pride and healthy militancy. Even when Eminem started delving into his crazy, angry, vindictive rants it connected with people from the “other side of the tracks” as it were.

 

 

          
 

             But what has Hip-Hop done for me lately? What has Hip-Hop done for any of us lately? For the most part, the answer is absolutely nothing. Sure, there are gleams of light here and there, but in general, Hip-Hop has indeed lost its soul. Every song on the radio is replete with sexuality and materialism and nothing else. Beats and production are better than ever, but lyrical content is worse and shallower than ever. And I’m not the only one who feels like this.

            Sales are reflecting this truth. The decline began to take place after the turn of the millennium. Many consider the late 80’s to mid-90’s the “Golden Age” of Hip-Hop because of emphasis on social issues and lyrical versatility. But after the turn of the millennium, the music began to focus more on “bling” than brotherhood; more on posturing than on politics. The numbers show that rap sales have declined 44% since 2000 and have gone from 13% of worldwide sales to 10%. Ironically, this was all prophesied by one of hip-hop’s most eloquent sages and veterans, Nas.

 

            In 2006, Nas released his highly controversial album Hip Hop is Dead. In that year, only 2 rap artists went “platinum” (selling over 1 million albums and a source of great braggadocio within Hip-Hop culture) and 14 went “gold” (selling more than 500,000). The next year, the quality and content of the music continued to decline as did the sales. Nas’ eerily prophetic omen had come true. Hip-Hop had lost its mojo and, in my estimation, still has not gotten it back.

            What does all this mean for the future of this art form? It means that if Hip-Hop is going to survive it must change. The creativity must come back; the lyrical dexterity and poetic genius must return. Artists like Lupe Fiasco, Kendrick Lamar and Wale still hold promise for this next generation. While I agree that Hip-Hop is indeed dead, it must not remain dead. Everything must die in order to return to life in a new and fresh way. Hip-Hop must continue to speak for generations to come. Hopefully it can once again be music that speaks to our minds and our souls.

Shalom

Preaching to the Choir

 

            Da Truth is back! He has just released his newest album, Love, Hope & War. I’ve listened through the whole thing and am hard pressed to find a song I don’t like! It’s a very well put together album with solid production and great beats. It stays true to its topic with every song falling under one of the three title categories, love, hope or war.

            What is interesting and unique about this album is that it is markedly different from other recent releases in “Christian” hip hop. Some of my previous posts have been about Christian rappers that no longer wish their music to be labeled “Christian”. These rappers, like Lecrae and Sho Baraka prefer that people think of them as rappers that happen to be Christian rather than “Christian” rappers. Artists like Lecrae and Sho Baraka have decided to give their music a more evangelistic thrust. They make music specifically for the unchurched.

            Da Truth, on the other hand, takes a very different approach. He WANTS to be called a Christian rapper. For him, this title is very essential to who he is, and the music that he makes. Truth has made no qualms about the fact that his music is specifically for the church. But is there a place for this in Christian hip hop? From its inception, Christian rap has been overwhelmingly “street-focused”. It was meant to be an outreach tool to those hip hop heads that wouldn’t go into church or listen to a traditional gospel song. Da Truth, however, believes that there’s also a place for in-reach in Christian hip hop.

            So the question is what is the purpose of Christian music? Is it supposed to be primarily evangelistic, or is there a place for Christian music made just for Christians? Parenthetically, pastors are faced with the same dilemma. We are caught between the realm of shepherd and evangelist. Which is primary? There are voices that would argue for one over the other and voices that would say they are both equal callings. I tend to agree with the later. Da Truth cites the Apostle Paul as an example. He was the missionary of missionaries. He was the “apostle to the Gentiles”. He helped spread the gospel message from Jerusalem and nearly to Spain. However, he is also attributed to have written 70% of the New Testament and his letters were undoubtedly pastoral. He was very much concerned with the well-being of the churches he established and Christianity as a whole.

            With this in mind, I believe one can be both. I think that Da Truth can make music specifically for the church and it still have evangelistic components. I think Truth’s stance is also important. In this day and age it is important for Christians to be vocal about what they believe and who they are, and I don’t believe that this stance is in opposition to Lecrae’s. I believe they can coexist. If Lecrae wants to make music that is more palatable to the secular world and has a more evangelistic focus then he should be able to do that, but he should not insist that everybody take that stance. In the same token, if Truth believes his calling is to directly address the church then so be it! But neither should he enforce this stance on others. The key idea is Christian freedom. There is room for both focuses in Christianity and in hip hop. We should be open enough to embrace both without pitting them against the other.

Shalom

 

Has King’s Dream Been Realized?

 

            Today is being celebrated nation-wide as Martin Luther King Day, and in a coincidence of history, it is also the day that America’s first black president is being sworn in for his 2^nd term. In another coincidence of history, this year is also the 50^th anniversary of the March on Washington where Dr King made his famous “I Have a Dream” speech. Many assert that the fact that we have a ‘President’ Barack Obama shows that King’s dream has indeed come to pass. In some respects I agree, but in others I’m not so sure. I will take some of King’s statements from the speech and explore whether his “dream” has been fulfilled or whether we still have work to do.

            Dr King’s dream was one of liberty, equality, and inclusion of African-Americans in all aspects of society. He dreamed of a society in which everyone would have equal opportunities. It could be argued that in lieu of President Obama’s 2^nd inauguration today that has been fulfilled. But it is a strange irony that in the same era of America’s first black president the poverty rate is higher than ever and is led by African-Americans. 50 million Americans are declared to be under the poverty line with over 60% of those being black. 27% of all blacks in the country are under the poverty line. Is this because 27% have not applied themselves? Are these statistics to be blamed solely on individual responsibility (or the lack thereof), or are there still structural and governmental elements that play a factor? I believe it is partially both, but there are undoubtedly structural elements in place that have perpetuated this cycle. Poverty itself is a cycle that once caught in, is very difficult to escape. Is there equal opportunity? Perhaps. But are there still things that we as a nation need to work on, indeed.

             In the final section of King’s speech which began the series of improvised “I have a dream” runs, King states, “I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.” So the question is, is there a sense of true brotherhood between races today? Undoubtedly, it is MUCH better than it was 60 years ago, but in the world I live in, things are still very much separate. King was also famous for saying that “the most segregated hour in America was 11 o’clock on Sunday morning”. As a pastor, this statement most certainly still remains true. In the same religion, in the same denomination, we are still unable to worship together. There are many factors that contribute to this and there is blame on both sides. But it still seems to be the case that even Christians of the same belief system and denomination can’t exhibit “brotherhood”. How much more does this apply to society at large?

            Another aspect of King’s “dream” was that “one day right there in Alabama, little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.” I recently visited the school associated with my church to do their weekly assembly. They showed the children a video about Dr King and the dream that he had. As I sat there and listened to the above statement I thought to myself, “Most of these kids have probably not even met other white kids; much less have friendships with them”. The school, like our church, is historically black. Many of the kids come right from the immediate Southeast D.C. area which is also predominately black. If these kids remain in the area through high school, chances are that they will go to a dominantly black high school due to district restrictions. When they come to church they see only black faces in their classes and in the pews. Perhaps when they go to college they will be exposed to other races and ethnicities, but that’s still a long way off. In my opinion, while these kids will not have to live through a segregated world, they most definitely live in a separated world.

            Some would argue that this is a good thing, but is it in line with what King dreamed? King’s dream was one where everybody not only lived together in peace, but lived together as brothers and sisters; one where we could celebrate unity in diversity. That dream has yet to be realized, even in the church. Especially in the church! If there is one place that this “dream” should be a reality it should be in our congregations, for it was Christ’s dream as well. Jesus prayed for the church that we would be “one” as He and the Father are one. This doesn’t mean that everybody is the same, but it should at least mean that we be together more than once every 5 years at a General Conference session.

            So my answer to the question of whether Martin Luther King’s dream has been realized is yes and no. In some ways it has, in some ways it hasn’t. We still have work to do to heal wounds, put aside prejudices and stereotypes and fight the good fight for equality and justice.

Shalom

How Far Can Christian Art Go and Still Be Christian?

            About two years ago, Christian rapper Sho Baraka announced that he was leaving Lecrae’s high-profile label, Reach Records. He did so because he claimed that he felt artistically restricted. Indeed, Reach Records is one of the premiere Christian rap labels in the nation, and has a reputation for its “unashamed” stance for Christ. Because of this, Reach, like many other Christian rap artists and labels has a tendency to sound the same. Every album sounds the same. Every artist deals with exactly the same subjects: worship, rebuke to hip hop culture, a song to show a promiscuous girl her worth, etc. Every cd drags on repetitively and boringly. Sho felt like he wanted more artistic control. He was determined to deal with subjects that are considered taboo in the Christian community, like racism, poverty, economic disparity, etc. So he split.

 

            Fast forward two years to this past Tuesday when Sho released his third solo album Talented 10^th. It is a concept album based on an article by W.E.B. DuBois that asserted that it will take 1 out of 10 blacks to get a quality education for the race to excel. He deals with precisely those subjects that were denied him before. The most prominent and poignant of those subjects is racism. Sho deals with it on his highly controversial song “Jim Crow”. In the song Sho repeatedly uses the word “nigga” and even throws a “b***h” in the 3^rd verse. However, the later was used in the context of a rebuke to rappers that use it, not in a glorification of it. Regardless of the context of the song and the context of the verse, this song has produced much controversy, leading to the main question of the hour: “How far can Christian art go and still be Christian? I will approach the question from two perspectives: first from the perspective of an artist, and then as a Christian.

            An artist’s job is self-expression. Whether they are a rapper, musician, poet, or a painter they draw from life experiences, feelings, and emotions to create. One of the most frustrating thing for an artist is to be pigeonholed and censored. For an artist to be told “you can’t write this” or “you can’t say that” is to kill inspiration. Truth be told, musicians and rappers/poets are the only artists that “the church” demands must produce purely “Christian art”. I’ve never heard anyone chastise a painter for painting “non-Christian” portraits. Nor have I heard of anyone demanding someone who draws to only draw pictures of Christ. Why do we put this expectation on musicians?

            Why must musicians, above any other artist, be defined by their Christianity? I don’t believe it’s fair. Furthermore, the church still has a problem with this idea that something “Christian” is always neat, clean, and family-friendly. Let’s face it, if we put the same content limitations on the Bible itself as we put on musicians we would have a very small Bible. The Scriptures are full of R and X-Rated content. Rapes, murders, incest, illicit sexual affairs, prostitution, and countless other things are part of the biblical narrative. Is the Bible’s portrayal of such events glorification or description? I think we would all agree it is description. Therefore, what matters more than content is context. What is the context in which “questionable” material is presented should be the real question.

            So back to Sho Baraka’s dilemma; is Sho’s use of provocative content a renouncement of his “Christian” title? By no means! If those critics of the song “Jim Crow” would actually listen to the song and get a sense of the context in which both words are used I think they would understand a little better. Part of the problem is that the church has ordained musicians, poets and rappers as “ministers” simply because they use words when, in truth, they are simply artists. And even if they were ministers, that does not mean they must censor their content to meet Christian criteria. I wonder what the church would say about the prophet Isaiah walking around naked for 3 years (Isaiah 20:1-3). Sometimes the message God wishes to convey is messy and uncensored and we dare not reject it just because it makes us uncomfortable.

 

Shalom

Gun Control?

                There has been a lot of discussion lately about gun control and the 2^nd Amendment. There have been too many mass shootings this year for this discussion not to take place. Too many innocent lives have been lost and there are simply too many guns just floating around for anybody to get their hands on. The so-called “left” is pushing for heavier gun control regulations which would inflict more stringent background checks on gun buyers, elimination of military style assault rifles and 100 round magazines from the public market. On the other hand, the so-called “right” is very adamant about defending our 2^nd Amendment right to bear arms, and to cap it all off, The National Rifle Association is calling for armed police and guards in schools. I would like to weigh in on the debate for just a moment from three perspectives: political, social, and spiritual.

            From a political standpoint, I in no way believe that gun control regulations are in violation of the 2^nd Amendment, and I wish the far right would understand this. No one is trying to take away your guns! They are trying to “control” who has access to guns and what kinds should be available! As was pointed out in another article I read, times were very different when the 2^nd Amendment was written. First of all, it was written in post-revolutionary war America to ensure that Americans would have protection from any other Red Coats or militias that would try to impose themselves on us. Second, they used muskets that took almost 2 minutes to reload one round, not 100 round semi-automatic pistols or rifles. The context and the situation are completely different. That being said, perhaps the 2^nd Amendment should be updated to reflect a 21^st century world. The context that produced the 2^nd Amendment in the 18^th century is most definitely not the context of the 21^st century.

            From a social perspective, I am trying to understand what in the world is wrong with us?! Pundits that are blaming these mass shootings on access to guns and mass media refuse to acknowledge that other countries have just as many guns and just as much media exposure. In his documentary Bowling for Columbine, Michael Moore showed that countries like Canada, Japan, England and Germany have just as many guns per capita. They also view just as many violent movies, listen to just as much violent music and play just as many violent video games as we do in America, yet have nowhere near the amount of violent crimes that we do. Pundits will then argue that America’s violent past and history is the source of such violence. But as Moore’s film pointed out, are we saying that Nazi Germany’s history isn’t as violent as Americas? Or the British Empire? So violent history has nothing to do with it. What does? In my opinion, there is simply something wrong with us as Americans. If other countries have the same access to guns, violent media, and just as violent a history, why do they all have violent crimes in the hundreds or under while America’s yearly violent crimes totals over 50,000? Perhaps it is part of that age-old prophecy in Revelation that America “looks like a lamb, but speaks like a dragon…”.

            This leads me to my final observation which is spiritual. Things are not going to get better. Gun control laws are not going to stop anything. Armed guards in schools are not going to stop anything. And even the elimination of violent media will do nothing to change the situation that we find ourselves in. Plain and simple, we are living in the last days of earth’s history. I know it’s been said to death, but I see no other explanation. Not only have violent crimes and mass murders been on the rise, but deadly natural disasters are at an all-time high. The world is spiraling out of control, and only Christ can save it now. The world is beyond man’s ability to fix it. Indeed, we ruined it. We need Jesus to come to fix this wretched place. In the meantime, we Christians are to be His representatives on earth. We need to let people know that only Christ can save the world, and only Christ can save the soul. Let us be beacons of hope in this dark age. Christ IS coming back, and He’s coming VERY soon.

Shalom

Lupe's Fiasco and Hip Hop's Culture of Violence

            Last week, rapper Lupe Fiasco announced on Twitter that after his next album, slated to be released on September 25, he would retire from music. He said this as a reaction to a threat on Twitter by fellow Chicago rapper Chief Keef. A few weeks earlier, Lupe had this to say in an interview by a Baltimore radio station: “Chief Keef scares me. Not him, specifically but just the culture that he represents, specifically in Chicago…the murder rate in Chicago is sky-rocketing and when you see who’s doing it and perpetrating it they all look like Chief Keef”. Chief Keef responded by calling Fiasco a series of derogatory names and claiming he would smack him when he saw him. Lupe then responded with a series of tweets noting his discouragement saying “But my heart is broken and I see no comfort further along this path only more pain. I cannot participate any longer in this … My first true love was literature so I will return to that … Lupe Fiasco ends here”.

                I can understand Lupe’s frustration. Lup has always made music that was counter-cultural and made the listener think (God forbid music making us have to think…) and as a result, his music has never been widely popular as far as the mainstream is concerned. While having every excuse for being a product of the culture and environment he was raised in, Lupe chose another route. Lupe Fiasco, like Keef, grew up on Chicago’s westside, which was replete with gangs and violence. Lupe could have chosen, like many other rappers, to make harder music, taking the “I’m rapping about where I’m from” route.  However, he made a conscious decision to stay above the fray because as he put it six years ago, “This isn’t cool. There’s nothing cool about how I grew up. There’s nothing cool about the projects”. Nonetheless, many rappers like Chief Keef decide to glorify these lives of gang violence and savagery, in large part due to the money-hungry record labels that could care less about how many youth are killed each year in Chicago as long as they get their cut.

                Lupe’s voice is more needed in hip hop now than ever. Labels and radio stations are more hit-driven than ever before and hip hop needs a balance; it always has. While NWA was pushing their gangsta revolution, there was the Fresh Prince and Jazzy Jeff talking about the teenage trials of the day. When Snoop and Dre were taking us to Deathrow, Public Enemy was calling us to “fight the power”. There has always been balance in hip hop, but that balance seems to be fading in today’s music. Lupe Fiasco provides that balance by accepting a calling higher than making hits and stacking dollars. His calling is education. He wants the listener to think about what they’re listening to and about the things they value most.

                 As Lupe put it, in some respects hip hop is as good as it’s ever been. It’s more technically flawless; the beats and production are better; the lyrics are as clever and witty as ever, but it lacks one essential component: substance. The substance in the music is perhaps at its worst since the inception of the art form. It is replete with aggression, sexuality, and materialism, which are the three main components of the downfall of a nation or society. The young black community is on pace for genocide and hip hop is providing the soundtrack. So even though I know he will never see this, I hope Lupe continues to fight the good fight. Be not discouraged by ignorance and opposition, but be encouraged by those young minds that you have touched. His voice provides the prophetic balance that calls hip hop to be better and more responsible. He lets us know that we do not have to be products of our environments but that we can transcend our environments and rise above our circumstances and make a difference in this world. So it is our responsibility to be more cautious about what message we support with our money and attention. The violence and the killing HAS to stop, and hip hop MUST cease to be the soundtrack to the genocide of its own people. Let us rise above like Lupe and be voices crying out in the wilderness of mainstream media.

Shalom

PEACE be unto you

How Far is Too Far?

                Ok, I cannot hold this blog post any longer. I don’t know how many people will care about this particular post but I have to get it off my chest. The question is, how far do we go in order to reach the lost? To what extent do we make ourselves “available” to the unsaved in order to reach them? Before I endeavor to answer any of these questions let me back up and explain where they come from.

             Christian hip hop artist Lecrae is currently positioned to be perhaps the most important artist in the history of Christian rap. The mainstream exposure he has attained in the larger hip hop world is unprecedented. First, he was a participant in the 2011 BET Hip Hop Awards Cypher, and was the first “Christian” rapper to do so. Several things set him apart from the other emcees: his lyricism and flow were impeccable, and he boldly proclaimed the name of Jesus Christ and was 100% “unashamed” as is his mantra. This was probably the beginning of Lecrae’s mainstream rise. His album sales shot up on iTunes, mainstream hip hop magazines and sites such as XXL, the Source, and allhiphop.com began scrambling for interviews and stories to discover just who this young “Jesus-spitting” artist was and whether or not he was the real deal. All the sudden, this Houston-born rapper who was at the top of his respective totem pole was now placed at the bottom of a much larger pool.

            The next thing that began to catapult Lecrae to mainstream notice was his recent release of a mixtape entitled Church Clothes. What was so special about this mixtape? For starters, the day it was released, it was a trending topic on Twitter. No, not a passing, local trend, but a worldwide trending topic. The next thing that set this mixtape apart was that Lecrae worked with well known secular producers such as Don Cannon, 9^th Wonder and Boi-1da.

            Furthermore, with the release of this mixtape, Lecrae began to proclaim that he no longer wanted to be “boxed in” by being labeled a “Christian” rapper. He wanted to be known as just another rapper in the world of hip hop that rapped according to his particular niche and convictions. His argument stemmed from the fact that artists like Lupe Fiasco and Freeway aren’t known as “Muslim rappers”, nor is the Wu-Tang Clan known as a “Five-Percenter” group. If they aren’t so labeled and categorized he felt it was not fair to box him in as a “Christian rapper”. It is key to understand that Lecrae was not saying he no longer wanted to boldly rap about Christ, but that he didn’t want the label of “Christian rapper” that has, for many years, carried a very negative connotation, to limit the expanse of his message. Church Clothes was still very much a Christian album and the message of the gospel was in no way compromised.

            Now Lecrae is gearing up for the release of his 6^th studio album, Gravity. This is perhaps the most important album of his career. His goal on this album is not to make music just for people that are already believers, but to reach out in a powerful way to non-believers; to make his music accessible to the mainstream while not conforming to it. The big controversy that arose from this album (which hasn’t even been released yet) is that there is a notable collaboration with known secular rapper Big K.R.I.T. Finally, it was revealed this week that Lecrae would be featured on Saigon’s upcoming album.

            So now the stage is set, and we can ask the previous questions again. Lecrae claims that he is not adjusting the content of his albums, but the coloring if you will. The sound is more accessible, and the message is more palatable to the mainstream listener. But has Lecrae gone too far? Is having a popular secular artist featured on his album or agreeing to feature on a secular artist’s album going too far? I say absolutely NOT! I think Lecrae understands what it takes to reach this generation of postmodern, agnostic, church-hating, Christ-lovers. It isn’t preaching and it isn’t a traditional OR contemporary church service. It is relationships. This generation (The Mosaics, Millennials, etc) is HUGE on relationships. In order to get anywhere with them one must first build significant relationships with them. By interacting with secular artists and producers, Lecrae is building relationships and impacting change. Some say this is compromise…I disagree. Jesus too was labeled an infidel for “entertaining” the presence of “sinners” and “undesirables”. But Jesus knew the difference between “hanging out” and reaching people where they were. Christ’s goal was always to engage people in order to bring them the message of salvation and I believe Lecrae’s goal is the same.

            We do not know the long-term effects of Lecrae’s relationship-building endeavors. I mean, what if Saigon or Big K.R.I.T. were to accept Christ like former Clipse member Malice (now No Malice) or 106 & Park freestyle star Jin? If these guys will not seek the council of a typical pastor, why shouldn’t Lecrae be their pastor? I do not doubt that if these guys needed council or help that they would reach out to Lecrae because he has made himself accessible. We should all be accessible enough to reach those in need. Perhaps Lecrae is exactly what hip hop needs. Perhaps he was raised up for such a time as this.

Even Thugs Cry, But Do the Lord Care?

 Part 2 of my religion and Hip Hop series examines the question of theodicy (God's allowing suffering) and how it impacts Hip Hop's hermeneutic.

 

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.

 

 

If there is any goodness found in this work, then that goodness belongs to the Creator. If there are any mistakes or shortcomings, those are mine.

 

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[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.

"It's All the Same to Me" Postmodernism and its Impact on Hip Hop's Biblical Understanding

For the next few weeks I will be doing a series on Hip Hop, specifically, how Hip Hop culture engages with religion and the Bible. Just for clarification of terms, “hermeneutics” refers to the lenses through which one studies, reads and interprets the Bible. Some may be saying, “Hip Hop has absolutely nothing to do with the Bible!” Many would agree that hip-hop is clearly in opposition and rebellion against everything the Bible teaches and stands for! Nevertheless, hip-hop draws from the Bible and biblical images more than one might think. In fact, hip-hop is obsessed with it!! Various songs contain cries and pleas for God: His presence, His mercy, His forgiveness, His peace, His deliverance, and His guidance. Numerous music videos and even album covers contain religious symbolism and invoke biblical images to get their message across. This series will explore how Hip Hop’s use of biblical and religious images and symbolism gives us insight to Hip Hop’s “hermeneutic” or interpretation of the Bible. The first such segment will explore Hip Hop and postmodernism.

It is no secret that we live in an age that has been classified as “postmodern”. The precise meaning of this term, however, is quite ambiguous and open to interpretation (ironically right in line with postmodern principles). Webster’s College Dictionary defines the term this way: of or pertaining to any of various movements in architecture, the arts, and literature developing in the late 20^th century in reaction to the precepts…of modernism. So postmodernism is essentially a reaction to modernism. This begs the question, what is modernism? What were its “precepts” and tenets? Being that this is not a paper on postmodernism, this subject will not be dealt with exhaustively. Our purposes here are to provide a basic summary of postmodernism and then evaluate its influence and impact on hip-hop culture and hermeneutics.

English writer and theologian David Cook says this: “Postmodernism moves beyond the ‘modern’, scientifically based view of the world by blending a skepticism about technology, objectivity, absolutes and total explanations with the exploration of every spiritual and material perspective.”[1] Modernism’s emphasis was on science. Science and technology were going to be the savior of mankind. I like to describe modernism in terms of the popular TV show that arose as a result of its ideas, Star Trek. In my estimation, Star Trek summarizes the main tenets of the modern perspective. The main gist of the show was that through science and technological advances, mankind rose above all its problems and ascended to a new level of evolutionary existence. In the motion picture, Star Trek First Contact, Captain Picard explains to an earth-woman he had met that humanity no longer suffers from divisions and wars. When asked about his financial stability he replies “The acquisition of wealth is no longer the driving force for humanity in the 24^th century. We work to better ourselves and all mankind”. The idea is that humanity is capable of solving its own problems through the advance of reason, science, and technology.

Postmodernism, is essentially a reaction to, and rejection of this idea. It was quickly realized that instead of advancing humanity, technology was contributing to its destruction! Instead of helping find cures for cancer, it helped discover how to burst an atom to destroy thousands of people. Rather than making warfare more “civil” and efficient, it has only made it more brutal and inhumane. Nihilism and hopelessness are the children of this age. Stanley Grenz puts it this way, “postmodernism replaces the optimism of the last century with a gnawing pessimism…Members of the emerging generation are no longer confident that humanity will be able to solve the world’s great problems.”[2] In general, the postmodern worldview is that “no worldview exists”.[3] Its main tenets could be summarized as follows: a reaction against modernity, a rejection of objective truth, skepticism and suspicion of authority, a continued search for the transcendent, materialism, and individualistic pluralism.[4]

Now the question is, what has postmodernity to do with hip-hop? The answer is simple: postmodernity is hip-hop and hip-hop is postmodernity!! The main aspect of postmodernity I would like to focus on in this section is what Smith and Jackson call, “the culture of questioning everything”.[5] Hip-hop is rooted in this idea of questioning everything. In truth, it is very much in line with the postmodern principle of innate suspicion of authority and institutions. Hip-hop has thus questioned just about every authority and institution that has shaped American society, especially the place of police (basically the entire criminal justice system), the government and, surprisingly enough, the Christian church.[6] It should be noted here that social movements such as civil rights and the black power movement, along with religious movements like the Nation of Islam form some of the roots of hip-hop culture. These movements radically questioned the Christian churches validity and effectiveness for young black Americans.

Keeping this line of thought, hip-hop has questioned just about every “truth” that society tries to impose upon it. In his song “Rock N Roll”, conscious rapper Mos Def questions the true origins of the musical art form saying, “Elvis Presley ain’t got no soul/ Little Richard is rock n roll/ you might dig on the Rolling Stones/ but they ain’t come up wit that style on their own”. Rapper Kanye West, in his album College Dropout, questions whether it is really necessary to go to college to achieve success (using his own example). Rapper Common questions “what if God was a her?” in his song “Faithful”. Slain rapper Tupac Shakur questioned the relevance of the educational system for poor, inner-city black youth. “I think that we got so caught up in school being a tradition that we stopped using it as a learning tool, which it should be…I’m learning about the basics, but they’re not basic for me….To get us ready for today’s world [the present curriculum] is not helping”.[7] Hip-hop is truly a culture of questioning.

So how does this affect hip-hop’s hermeneutic? What impact do the postmodern traits of universal questioning and institutional suspicion have on hip-hop’s interpretation of the Bible? Fundamentally, it has created a type of religious pluralism where no one religion can claim to have all truth. As noted earlier, hip-hop is automatically suspicious of institutions (primarily because institutions have proven themselves untrustworthy). Therefore, any church or religion that claims to be or have absolute authority or truth is automatically viewed with suspicion. Take a lyric by Philadelphia rapper, Black Thought: “Sex, drugs, murder, politics and religion/ forms of hustling…”.[8] Hip-hop is fundamentally distrustful of any religion that makes an outstanding claim to truth.[9] Well this poses a very potent problem with Christianity and its Bible that claims to be the exclusive Word of God. Rapper Talib Kweli says this: “Who was King James?/ and why did he think it was so vital to remove chapters and make his own version of the Bible”.[10]            So the Bible cannot even truly be trusted! This inevitably creates, what has been termed in the academic community, religious pluralism. In the everyday language of everyday people it is adequately termed “survival”. These people are so frequently lied to by social and government institutions that they feel it necessary to be suspicious so as to not be sucked in by another “hustle”.  There is no absolute truth in one religion, but they all hold information that can lead any of their adherents to God. Consider this striking statement made by Chicago born rapper, Common: “As a child given religion with no answer to why/ just told believe in Jesus cause for me he did die”.[11] So first, he questions the validity of a religion evidently handed down from his parents. It seems that Common is addressing a type of religious ritual or formalism that takes place in many Christian families across the country: church. If we had a tally of how many children were dragged to church on Sunday or Saturday mornings with no other reason than the threat of a belt, I doubt this page could contain the results. Common’s statement also suggests a sort of agitation at the fact that he was brought up with only one religious viewpoint. “Just told believe in Jesus cause for me he did die”.

His next few lines will illustrate what he did with this youthful frustration. “My mind had dealt with the books of Zen, Tao, the lessons/ Koran and the Bible, to me they all vital/ and got truth within ‘em, gotta read them boys/ you just can’t skim ‘em, different branches of belief/ but one root that stem ‘em”.[12] As a reaction against his seemingly narrow upbringing, he took it upon himself to investigate some of the other religious claims ranging from Buddhism to Islam. His conclusion? “To me they all vital and got truth within ‘em”! Now do we object that some truth can be found in other religions? I hope not. I hope we are not that narrow. However, for us, the Bible still holds the absolute authority and is the basis by which we judge the “truth” in the other religions. For Common however, (and here Common is representative of hip-hop as a whole) the only authority by which to judge this truth is rooted in survival. Truth is that which can help one survive in this life. Author Terrence Tilley points out concerning hip-hop’s grandparent, the blues, that for blues artists, “truth is experience and experience is the truth”.[13] I believe the same observation can be made of hip-hop.

Consider the next line: “Who am I or they to say to whom you pray ain’t right/ that’s who got you doin right and got you this far/ whether you say ‘in Jesus name’ or ‘Al-hum-du’Allah’”.[14] In Common’s eyes, nobody has the right to dictate the “rightness” or “wrongness” of a religion that has helped one survive. A lyric in Talib Kweli’s song, “Give ‘Em Hell” has the same ring to it, “So it all sounds the same to me/ that’s why when they say one is right and the other is wrong it just sounds like a game to me”. Numerous other artists deal with the same issues and they are all saying essentially the same thing: all of these religions and their holy books are valid paths to God and no one of them has absolute truth. There is a rampant pluralism that exists within hip-hop that makes pinpointing an actual hermeneutic a very difficult task. However, even with hip-hop’s pluralism, some things that were mentioned earlier are essential to understanding the key to unlocking hip-hop’s hermeneutic. We noted that hip-hop’s critique of the Bible or any religion and religious book is rooted in that which helps us survive in this life. This leads us to the major issue that drives hip-hop’s hermeneutic which will be explored next week: the question of theodicy or suffering.

If there was any goodness or merit found here, that goodness and merit is from the Creator. If there were any flaws or errors, those were mine. Blessings

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[1] David Cook, Blind Alley Beliefs (Leicester, England: Inter-Varsity Press, 1996), 9.

[2] Stanley Grenz, A Primer on Postmodernism (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1996), 3.

[3] Graham Johnston, Preaching to a Postmodern World: A Guide to Reaching Twenty-first Century Listeners (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2001), 27.

[4] Ibid, 26.

[5] Smith and Jackson, The Hip-Hop Church, 103.

[6] It would be more accurate to say organized religion as a whole, but this will be explored later.

[7] This is taken from a homemade interview of Tupac when he was 17 years old.

[8] The Roots, “It Don’t Feel Right”. Game Theory (Def Jam Records, 2006).

[9] It should be noted here that while this statement is true in general, there are many hip-hop artists that subscribe completely to a religion, even though it is mostly Islam.

[10] Talib Kweli, “Give Em Hell”. Ear Drum (Blacksmith/Warner Bros Records, 2007).

[11] Common, “G.O.D. (Gaining One’s Definition)”. One Day it Will All Make Sense (1997)

[12] Ibid

[13] Anthony B. Pinn. Why Lord?: Suffering and Evil in Black Theology. (New York: Continuum International Publishing Group, 1995) 118.

[14] Ibid