“If the Lord is with me, who will I fear?”. The slogans printed on the T-shirts of the young people in line tell stories of faith immersed in the battles of everyday life: “Trust in Jesus”, “Work hard, put God first.” Brandon’s straw sweatshirt proclaims “God is good”, in Gothic characters. Twenty-one years old and with a veil of reddish beard, he is here with the Baptist church of Paris, Tennessee. Like them, thousands have arrived on a pilgrimage to the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville to rock out to the rhythms of Lecrae, the rapper who rhymes for Jesus. An artist on the rise who just took home two Grammys: best contemporary Christian music album with Church Clothes 4 and best performance for Your Power. Sculpted physique, magnetic voice. No solid gold chains and diamonds, or sports cars and mountains of cash shown off in videos. Lecrae recites Christ’s Sermon on the Mount to his audience from the stage, explaining that poverty is not weakness nor failure. Producer and songwriter, he is the greatest living interpreter of an all-US genre that in the 80s some defined as “holy hip hop” or “gospel rap”. Still vibrant, evolving trend. So much so that the market is no longer limited only to churches which continue to participate en masse in the myriad of festivals and concerts organized in the country’s theaters and stadiums. The music of God’s rappers conquers generalist radio and is popular on social media. Historical columns such as the hybrid dominate the charts TobyMac, former leader of the boy band DC Talk; almost one and a half million followers and assets of 10 million dollars. Known for his ultra-trendy outfits, he is very active on Instagram. In his stories he not only shares music, but also pills of encouragement and meditations. There is also the talented NF, with a following of three and a half million fans, who many compare in expressive power to Dr. Dre and Eminem. Among the most recent are KB, Trip Lee, nobigdyl, Social Club Misfits, Flame, Propaganda. And the new recruits led by promising young people like Andy Mineo and Wande. The list is endless. In the last decade, Christian rap has literally exploded, entering mainstream culture.
«The kids in my church like lyrics because they don’t hinder faith, on the contrary they stimulate it. Great music, without profanity, misogyny and obscenity,” continues Brandon. Among the audience there are also slightly punk characters who recite passages from the scriptures without consulting YouVersion Bible, an app that everyone has. Like Mackenzie, fuchsia hair and nose ring. Comes from Texas: «When I listen to his music I feel accepted, not judged». On the other hand, accepted is Lecrae’s motto, sealed on all the gadgets on sale at concerts, together with the number 1.1.6 which recalls the favorite passage from the letter of the Apostle Paul to the Romans: “I, in fact, do not shame of the Gospel, since it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.” Same message contained in the memoir Unashamed, already a New York Times bestseller (Story of a rebirth. I’m not ashamed, House of the Bible, 2019). An uphill life, which began in ’79 in a poor neighborhood of Houston and marked by the abandonment of his father. Two holy cards in his youth spent between California and Texas: Tupac and his gang member uncle, who introduces him to a street life of drugs and violence. Until his encounter with the Lord, in high school, in the guise of a policeman who stops him for drug possession. The officer decides not to arrest him after seeing a Bible on the dashboard of the car. It was my grandmother’s, used as a good luck charm in small drug dealing operations. In exchange for the promise to read it, he is free again. And he embarks on a journey of conversion. «It’s as if he were talking about me: darkness that becomes light», explains Anthony. A few centimeters of his body are spared from his tattoos, he even has them on his bald head. Many artists in the Christian rap world come from strong life experiences, they hit rock bottom before being reborn. NF talks about his childhood with his mother who died of an overdose and the trauma of sexual violence. As the music begins to fill the arena, Anthony leaves us to gather in prayer. His arms covered in ink, pointing to the sky. As the stadium lights up with a sea of cell phones, Lacrae chants: “Each of us is a little light in the darkness, together we are a city on a hill. When we shine, we become the light of the world.”
This is what his “spiritual children” also communicate. Like Wande, born in Nigeria in 1996 but raised in Texas on bread and hip hop. She started rapping at 15. She was the first woman to join the stable of Reach Records, the independent record label founded in 2004 in Atlanta by Lecrae with producer Ben Washer. One of her best-known hits, 2019’s Blessed Up was featured by Michelle Obama in his playlist. In 2020 Apple has chosen Woo for the iPhone 12 Mini advertising campaign. The artist today feels called to support other female rappers who aspire to a career in Christian hip hop, which is heavily dominated by men. «I was the only woman for a long time. It’s an electrifying moment. Finally girls have different role models and more music to listen to, which resonates with the experiences they are living, with the struggles, with their spiritual journey. In short, an alternative to provocative and sexualized female rap.” Even for Wande, the strength of Christian hip hop remains the message. It is the power of the Gospel in rhyme: «Many perhaps will reconsider their prejudices about rap, seeing how people’s lives change thanks to the love of God».
Read the article on over-the-top rappers
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– 2024-04-02 17:27:08
