dzheremi
Coptic Orthodox non-Egyptian
- Aug 27, 2014
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Like any other artform, there is some rap or hip-hop or whatever you'd call it (sorry; I don't mean to sound dismissive, I just don't listen to a lot of this music, so I don't know where the boundaries between the different kinds are) that has great depth and at least thematically can be in keeping with some Biblical themes or broader Christian themes. That's not really an endorsement in and of itself (just like I wouldn't say "Christians should/shouldn't listen to rock music", or "Christians should/shouldn't watch movies", or make any other blanket statement like that), but a recognition that not everything is the same just because it might fit under a broad genre label.
Probably my favorite rap group (and the only one I actually own any music by), the Mexican group Control Machete, uses Matthew 6:34 as the entry point for a very stark meditation on the nature of life, death, and the passage of time in this song "Amores Perros" (which I will not translate the title of, since it is an idiomatic expression that would contain a curse word in English), for instance:
Sufficient for a single day are its own problems, without worrying about the future
We forget that to be able to get to the other side, you have to start by breaking down the first of the walls
We spend our lives viewing triumphs and failures achieved in the past tense
How many times has the sun stopped rising at noon because it does not want to live through any more sunsets?
... Reality hurts, it hurts
Fantasy stays only in dreams
What if I were to never die,
And (hence) did not have the chance to be born again?
It sounds better in Spanish (and also I never use my Spanish anymore, so I can't really think of less awkward ways to phrase things in translation on the fly like this; I checked Google and it pretty much said the same thing, which is not really encouraging, haha), but still, even if they're not the greatest lyrics ever, it's definitely not about girls and drugs and having a car that makes everyone jealous or whatever the stereotype is that makes some people say all rap is mindless glorification of hedonistic lifestyles and sin.
I was likewise impressed by Kendrick Lamar's anti-drinking culture song "Swimming Pools" from a few years ago (though I don't know what else he's done, or how it fits in with his overall approach), but unfortunately I can't link it here due to the presence of the 'n-word' in some parts. That's another, more recent example of rap music that has a thoughtful message (the Control Machete song is already 21 years old...yikes...past tense indeed).
So I would say to any Christian or anyone period about rap and really anything: be selective. Be alert. Don't uncritically accept something into your brain because it has a good beat or whatever excuse there is for listening to stuff that you know is degrading to your faith, yourself, and everyone else involved in making it and listening to it.
Probably my favorite rap group (and the only one I actually own any music by), the Mexican group Control Machete, uses Matthew 6:34 as the entry point for a very stark meditation on the nature of life, death, and the passage of time in this song "Amores Perros" (which I will not translate the title of, since it is an idiomatic expression that would contain a curse word in English), for instance:
Sufficient for a single day are its own problems, without worrying about the future
We forget that to be able to get to the other side, you have to start by breaking down the first of the walls
We spend our lives viewing triumphs and failures achieved in the past tense
How many times has the sun stopped rising at noon because it does not want to live through any more sunsets?
... Reality hurts, it hurts
Fantasy stays only in dreams
What if I were to never die,
And (hence) did not have the chance to be born again?
It sounds better in Spanish (and also I never use my Spanish anymore, so I can't really think of less awkward ways to phrase things in translation on the fly like this; I checked Google and it pretty much said the same thing, which is not really encouraging, haha), but still, even if they're not the greatest lyrics ever, it's definitely not about girls and drugs and having a car that makes everyone jealous or whatever the stereotype is that makes some people say all rap is mindless glorification of hedonistic lifestyles and sin.
I was likewise impressed by Kendrick Lamar's anti-drinking culture song "Swimming Pools" from a few years ago (though I don't know what else he's done, or how it fits in with his overall approach), but unfortunately I can't link it here due to the presence of the 'n-word' in some parts. That's another, more recent example of rap music that has a thoughtful message (the Control Machete song is already 21 years old...yikes...past tense indeed).
So I would say to any Christian or anyone period about rap and really anything: be selective. Be alert. Don't uncritically accept something into your brain because it has a good beat or whatever excuse there is for listening to stuff that you know is degrading to your faith, yourself, and everyone else involved in making it and listening to it.
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