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God and hip-hop

Christianity and Hip Hop have a long and complex relationship. But who鈥檚 rapping about God right now and is anyone claiming the title of Christian rapper?

Christianity and Hip Hop have a long and complex relationship. From Kanye鈥檚 Jesus Walks to the development of Christian Hip Hop, artists rapping about their faith has caused controversy in a genre that鈥檚 known for its violent oversexualised lyrics.

But who鈥檚 rapping about God right now and is anyone claiming the title of Christian rapper?

Swarzy Macaly, a 麻豆社 1Xtra presenter, is a Christian who works within the mainstream music world, playing secular music. She loves it when she hears people share their faith in their music, like the pioneers of Christian Hip Hop like Lecrae and Guvna B did.

But in recent years, artists beyond the Christian Hip Hop world have been releasing 鈥榞ospel鈥� filled music like Kanye West and Stormzy, blurring the lines between religious and secular music. Swarzy wants to know if that鈥檚 having an impact on the music Christian artists make, and if they feel pressure to dilute explicit faith messages in their songs to reach a wider audience. Is the label 鈥楥hristian rapper鈥� too restrictive for artists who want their music to go further than the church?

To find out more, Swarzy meets Still Shadey and Jo Joey, young Christian rappers making popular drill music with a religious message; Deyah and Happi who鈥檝e moved beyond the 鈥楥hristian鈥� artist label, and Limoblaze the artist behind viral TikTok hit Jireh, to hear what it鈥檚 like producing music with a Christian message, and how receptive the music industry is to the growing trend of faith filled music.

Produced by Miriam Williamson for the 麻豆社 World Service

(Image Credit: Chinyere Anosike)

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27 minutes

Last on

Sun 2 Oct 2022 23:32GMT

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