Christian hip-hop
Christian hip-hop is a cross-genre of contemporary Christian music and hip-hop. It emerged from urban contemporary music and Christian media in the United States during the 1980s.
Christian hip-hop music first emerged on record in 1982 with a track entitled "Jesus Christ " by Queens, New York artist McSweet. The first full-length Christian hip-hop album, Bible Break, by Oklahoma artist Stephen Wiley, was released in 1985, with the title track becoming a hit on Christian radio in 1986. Other early Christian hip recording artists from the mid-1980s included P.I.D., who recorded to funky rock rhythms, as well as JC & the Boys and Michael Peace. During the 1990s and 2000s, rapper KJ-52 rose to prominence in the field.
Christian rock band DC Talk blended hip-hop and rock, and were successful in mainstream Christian music. All three band members have had successful independent careers, Michael Tait and Kevin Max Smith in Christian pop, and TobyMac as a Christian rapper and label owner. Along with Lecrae, NF, KB & Emcee N.I.C.E. who have emerged recently on the mainstream rap scene along with American popular music figures DMX, Snoop Dogg, and Kanye West. Outside of the United States, there are Christian rap scenes in the UK, Australia, Brazil, Mexico and Canada. Asian, Black, and Latino rappers are becoming a major part of the genre, and this success is expanding the appeal of both Christian hip-hop and Christian EDM within general hip-hop and broader popular music.
History and notable examples
The first commercially released and distributed gospel hip-hop record was MC Pete Harrison of Queens, New York. Under the recording name McSweet, he released The Gospel Beat: Jesus-Christ, written and arranged by Harrison and produced by Mac Sulliver on Lection Records of PolyGram.The first notable full album released was Stephen Wiley's Bible Break, written by Wiley and produced by Mike Barnes on Brentwood Records.
In the same year, David Guzman founded JC & The Boyz. Some of America's premiere Christian rappers, such as Michael Peace, Soldiers for Christ, Dynamic Twins, MC Peace and T-Bone came out of this crew. A more commercially successful group known as P.I.D. released five recordings.
Jon Gibson is also considered a pioneer of Christian pop rap, with "Nation in Need" including a quasi-style rap verse and his first rap solo being "Ain't It Pretty". CCM's first rap hit by a blue-eyed soul singer and/or duo, "The Wall", was later released on Gibson's successful album Change of Heart, and featured MC Hammer. Other tracks included the No. 1 "Love Come Down" and "In Too Deep" from Jesus Loves Ya. Gibson also collaborated with MC Peace on "Enough Is Enough", "Happy to Know Jesus" and "You Are the One". Additionally, he notably collaborated with Soup the Chemist on "How I Cope" and "As the Sun Rises".
S.F.C. was led by Chris Cooper, originally performing as Super C, later Sup the Chemist, and then Soup the Chemist. Other rap groups emerged in the late 1980s, including dc Talk and E.T.W.. ETW was led by producer Mike Hill. Christian emcee Danny "D-Boy" Rodriguez was another well-known early gospel rap artist but was murdered in 1990 in Texas. Prior to his death, he helped launch the career of his sister Genie Rodriguez-Lopez, known as MC GeGee, one of the first female Christian rap artists.
The trend of rap artists blending faith and rap continued in the 1990s, with D.O.C. from Oklahoma, as well as the Gospel Gangstaz from Compton and South Central, Los Angeles. In 1991, JC Crew featured the West Coast beat box champion Maximillian and T-Bone. In the mid-1990s, rapper KJ-52 originated in Tampa, Florida, and Jewish rapper John Reuben from Columbus, Ohio. The Cross Movement group was based in Philadelphia, with The Ambassador and Phanatik as members.
File:TobyMac in Concert.jpg|thumb|TobyMac who is known for his solo Rap and Hip-Hop and his work as a member or DC Talk
More Christian rap artists include Dynamic Twins, Freedom of Soul, IDOL King, Apocalypse, 12th Tribe, and Holy Alliance. 12th Tribe and Holy Alliance were produced by Scott Blackwell of MYX Records, among others. S.F.C.'s 1992 album Phase III was DJ'ed and produced by DJ Dove, whose credits also include the 1993 debut album Gang Affiliated by Gospel Gangstaz. Around the same time as Phase III, Dynamic Twins released their 1993 album No Room To Breathe. Freedom of Soul followed with their second album, The Second Coming.
Grapetree Records was the first Christian rap label founded by Knolly Williams and Jeff Adams 1994. Gotee Records formed in 1994, co-founded by dc Talk member Toby McKeehan, making it the first record label marketed explicitly for Christian hip-hop and R&B that was backed by a major label. The label was among the first to market the Contemporary Christian music market through distribution at Christian bookstores and playing on Christian radio.
Artists associated with Grapetree Records during its early years included Houston-based rapper Lil' Raskull, who released multiple projects through the label in the 1990s and was later nominated at the 30th GMA Dove Awards in the Rap/Hip Hop/Dance Album category for Glory 2 Glory.
The duo GRITS were among the early artists signed to Gotee Records and were active during the formative years of Christian hip hop. They also won a GMA Dove Award for Rap/Hip-Hop Recorded Song of the Year for "Hittin' Curves" at the 36th GMA Dove Awards.
During the late 1990s and early 2000s, Christian hip hop also diversified stylistically through regional influences. Florida-based artist Pettidee emerged with a Southern hip hop sound incorporating crunk-influenced production. Writing for Cross Rhythms, Tony Cummings noted Pettidee's role in expanding the genre's musical range during this period through albums such as Still Alive and Thug Love.
In 2004, the founding of the label Reach Records by American rapper Lecrae and Ben Washer, also had a considerable influence in the development of Christian hip-hop. In 2015, the label set records with sales and award-winning albums.
Following the founding of Reach Records in 2004, Christian hip hop continued to expand with both independent and regional releases. In 2006, Florida rapper Rawsrvnt released In Rare Form, an album blending elements of hip hop and worship music. Reviewer Tony Cummings of Cross Rhythms described the project as "the best ever fusion of hip-hop and worship ministry", calling it a benchmark for future Christian hip-hop artists. Several tracks from the album received radio play on British Christian music stations.
In the mid-2000s, Lecrae released After the Music Stops, which received recognition within the Christian music awards circuit. At the 38th GMA Dove Awards, the album was nominated for Rap/Hip Hop Album of the Year and its track "Jesus Muzik" was nominated for Rap/Hip Hop Recorded Song of the Year. The album was also included in lists of Stellar Award nominees for Rap/Hip Hop/Gospel CD of the Year in 2007.
Christian hip hop reached mainstream industry milestones in the early 2010s. Lecrae's 2012 album Gravity won Best Gospel Album at the 55th Annual Grammy Awards, the first time a hip-hop artist won in that category. The label's artists continued to influence the genre, with Reach Records helping to expand opportunities for emerging Christian hip-hop performers.
In 2019, artist and producer Kanye West released his ninth studio album, Jesus Is King, which marked a shift toward explicitly Christian themes in his music, incorporating gospel influences. West described the project as reflecting his faith and featuring largely religious imagery and lyrics. The album was also accompanied by West's Sunday Service performances, including an Easter Sunday set at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival that featured gospel arrangements of his songs and appearances by artists such as Chance the Rapper and Kid Cudi.
Influence and style of artists
Although generally described to be Christian rappers, artists such as Lecrae, Andy Mineo, KB, Trip Lee, Tedashii, Social Club Misfits, NF, John Givez, Derek Minor and Propaganda describe themselves as hip-hop artists who are expressing themselves, yet are openly Christian. Just like in Christian rock and other Christian music genres, some artists welcome being called Christian artists while others do not want to be labeled as "Christian music", as to not limit their music to the Christian music market.The record label Ministers of the Underground was one of the few labels to showcase underground hip-hop with the group, Secta 7. Members included: Apocalypse, Optixs, Blackseed, Lord Metatron, Righteous Knight, Kaoticgal, O.N.E., The Final Chapter, A.T.O.M. the Immortal and Stress. Ministers of the Underground had a small-time show on Christian television, but was taken off the networks when Christian television opted for more orthodox style programming. The Ministers of Underground hosted events at a series of venues under the name CRU VENTION, or the convention of Underground Hip-hop for Christ, until around the year 2001.
A few Christian rappers have emerged from Atlanta, including Remnant Militia, D.I.R.T., and 1K Phew. While many notable studios and artists share influence in holy hip-hop, not one style dominates. Christian hip-hop features all conventional hip-hop styles, such as Midwest, West Coast, East Coast, Dirty South and King Wes. Some, such as DC Talk, include a mixture of hip-hop, rock and gospel music in their songs.
Christian hip-hop is also embraced and performed in the United Kingdom, by Gospel rappers including: Jahaziel, Dwayne Tryumf, Guvna B, Triple O, Sammy G, Simply Andy, MpFree and Just C.
In the UK, Christian hip-hop is often merged with a music style known as grime, which gives the music a different sound from American hip-hop. Many agree that grime music originated in London's black community and is predominantly described as a secular genre. Although British, grime music has a strong Jamaican influence as many of the artists are of British-Caribbean heritage. The GL Live music event 2010, held in the United Kingdom, included a fusion of Christian rappers celebrate their faith together whilst demonstrating their own unique styles. The event was attended by Trip Lee and Tedashii, who performed several songs during the event including "Jesus Muzik" and "No Worries".