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.

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