“Pac was like Jesus/ Nas wrote The Bible.” These lyrics by
J. Cole from his album “Born Sinner” bring up questions of religion in rap
music.
This summer, multiple albums released with elements of lyricism and culture heard
over the radio. Hip- hop and Christianity are noted as polar opposites; but, listeners
could not avoid the religious references with many of the albums remixing
Christian terms and Biblical allusions into their lyrics, bringing to question
the motives of many hip-hop artists.
On J.
Cole’s “Born Sinner” album released in June, the words "Born sinner, opposite of a winner" echo
through the song “Villuminati”. Similarly, rapper
Kendrick Lamar’s chart-topping track “Bitch, Don’t Kill My Vibe” from album “Good
Kid M.A.D.D. City” released in 2012.
It
rhymes: “I am a sinner,
who is probably going to sin again/ Lord forgive me, Lord forgive me things I
don’t understand.”
Lyrics, such as these,
have raised the question of hip-hop artists using religious contradictions in
their songs. One moment they could be praising God and the next using foul and
vulgar language.
Hit single “Amen” from
Meek Mill’s album "Dreams and Nightmares" is
a perfect example of “religious contradiction”. The song’s hook in itself is
said to be mocking the church: “There’s a lot of bad bitches in the building,
Amen!”
After the track’s
release, Mill responded to much criticism about the song’s crudeness and
association with religion. He was even asked to apologize and repent by a
Philadelphia pastor. In an interview with BET’s “106 & Park”, a music video show, Mill defended himself against the
church.
“No preacher, no church
approve of any rap music […] ‘cause rap music period, there’s a lot of bad
stuff that’s being said. But at the end of the day, it’s real life,” he said.
While religious themes may seem trendy in hip-hop as of late,
literature professor Dr. Karl Martin explains that music by black artists have
had connections to religion for more than half a century, dating back to the
1950s with artists like Ray Charles, Sam Cook and Aretha Franklin—who came
straight from the church and singing Gospel music then transitioned into
secular music.
Ray Charles, an American singer-songwriter, was known for
fusing Rhythm and Blues, Gospel, and Pop together. In 1956, he released a song
titled, “Hallelujah, I Love Her So”, which was highly controversial at the
time.
“The church wasn’t happy with Ray Charles, but also people in
the clubs weren’t happy with Ray Charles either because [people in the club
would say] ‘you’re bringing my Sunday morning into my Saturday night,’” said
Martin, who teaches an African American literature class.
Thus,
the ‘secular’ versus ‘sacred’ debate ensues. According
to Martin, ‘Secular’ is for the time being, whereas ‘sacred’ is God’s sacred plan
for all of history.
Secular music that
uses Christian terms doesn’t mean it’s a Christian song, Martin said.
“These artists are secular; it doesn’t matter
if they are Christian in their private lives, they are producing popular music
for the world to hear—for now.”
Martin continues to compare this to an
artist that makes no claim to faith personally, but sings Christian songs.
There are similarities to the blues and hip-hop
such as instrumental beats and hip-hop artists sampling choruses from rhythm
and blues tracks. According to Martin, hip-hop takes the idea of the brag and
the boast from the genre.
“The ‘I am the greatest in the world’ attitude comes straight
from The Blues. These men were either saying that they were the best artist or
the best lover,” he says.
Known for his boasting, Kanye West’s latest album Yeezus, released in June, caught a lot
of attention for his multiple religious references in tracks like “I am a God”,
“New Slaves”, and “Black Skinhead”.
The track “I am a God” reads: “I just talked to Jesus/ He
said, "What up Yeezus?"/ I said, "I'm chilling/ Trying to stack
these millions”… I know he the most high/ But I am a close high…I am a God/ I
am a God.”
This could be taken to
mean West is to music like Jesus is to the Christian faith.
Can we hold these secular artists to a standard of faith
because they are using Christian terms and Biblical allusions?
“I think what this points to is how secular our society is
and how post-Christian America is becoming,” said Kara Lyons-Purdue, PLNU theology
professor. “[The rappers] still recognize that these words create more of a
charge in their listeners. Saying ‘I am important’ doesn’t say nearly as much
as saying ‘I am a God’, which tells us something about our culture.”
Lyons-Purdue thinks that the Jay-Z track “Heaven” from his
hit album “Magna Carta Holy Grail” was the most obvious, yet she thinks he’s
explicitly saying ‘Don’t hold me to those standards’ of being God-like.
Jay-Z comments on the track in a promotional video “Jay Z+
Samsung+ Magna Carter Holy Grail” saying, “This song is toying with that idea
that Heaven and Hell are on earth…no matter what religion you are, you have to
accept other people’s ideas because have you ever been to Heaven? Have you ever
seen the gates?” Jay Z continues, “It’s just the idea that God will make you
burn in eternity for free will, something that He gave you.”
Senior Nikki Holguin loves music and respects the arts, but
has mixed feelings about Kanye Wests’s recent MTV Video Music Awards
performance.
“It wasn't even Kanye’s actual performance that bothered me, but
the way they introduced him,” Holguin said. “They mocked the church and how we
praise Jesus, not Yeezus. So to me,
the fact that they allowed that shows me that my faith has become a mockery and
to some extent has lost significance.”
Holguin also writes and sings as a hobby and says that it
will always be a passion of hers.
“I try to write or perform songs that are popular without
being too out there. But, as a Christian, you can still sing songs, be you, and
have your artistic edge without having to conform to what the world wants you
to be… It’s time we realize that,” she said.
Wow, you are an amazing writer. I genuinely appreciated your piece on this controversial subject. God bless!
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