Hip Hop And Religions

Hip hop and religions

Religion and spirituality is found in the music of many successful mainstream and underground artists, even as many artists focus on issues outwardly non-religious. Kanye West made this distinction in his song "Jesus Walks" where he repeatedly declares his devotion to Jesus while noting that "They say you can rap about anything except for Jesus/That means guns, sex, lies, video tapes/But if I talk about God my record won't get played Huh?". Rapper DMX is also known to include prayers on his albums, and claimed interest in producing a gospel album.^{[citation needed]} Mase, a rapper best known for his association with Bad Boy Records, retired from the rap industry to become an ordained minister.

[edit] Islam

Islam has been a spiritual and political force within African-American communities in the United States since at least the 1960s, when the Nation of Islam gained national attention under the dynamic spokesmanship of Malcolm X (who subsequently left and disavowed his support of the group while remaining a Muslim).^{[citation needed]} Many conscious hip hop artists, who see their music as a tool for political and social change, have embraced Islam. A short list of Muslim rappers: Busta Rhymes, Freeway, Mos Def, Ice Cube, Paris, Q-Tip, Brother Ali, Ghostface Killah, Lupe Fiasco, Talib Kweli, Jus Allah, Vinnie Paz, Beanie Sigel, Native Deen, and Jurassic 5.

The Nation of Gods and Earths gained a significant presence in hip hop with the emergence of the Wu-Tang Clan. All nine members, with the exception of Ghostface Killah, a Sunni Muslim, and several affiliates, are affiliated with the nation, as are other artists such as Eric B. and Rakim, Jadakiss, Nas, and Big Daddy Kane. The Wu-Tang often drop references to the nation's teachings in their lyrics. RZA even published a book "The Wu-Tang Manual" which in part, explained these references. The entire Brand Nubian group lineup are members of The Nation; also, Lord Jamar of Brand Nubian, released an album in 2006 entitled The 5% Album. Tupac Shakur was a member of the Nation, but he had never described himself as either a muslim or a christian. There is even a whole subgenre in rap music called muslim rap,but Islam has affected the evolution of hip hop because of the number of rappers who have been Muslim. Some Muslim rappers wear the kufi cap.

Internationally, Islam figures prominently in French hip hop, where the majority of artists are Muslims of primarily Algerian descent, in Arabic hip hop, and in Iranian hip hop.

[edit] Christianity

Main article: Christian hip hop

Christian hip-hop is by far the most common form of overtly religious hip hop and many of the artists in this sub-genre are actually ordained ministers. Artists of note include Cross Movement, Pigeon John, Braille, Red Cloud, Mars ILL, L.A Symphony, Da' T.R.U.T.H., KJ52, Flame, Lecrae, John Reuben, Tedashii, Trip Lee, Sho Baraka, T-Bone, Fresh IE, Mr. Del (formerly of Three Six Mafia), Righteous B, Toby Mac, Guvna B, Corey Red, Json, 116 Clique, Simply Andy,Brothatone, Andale, Heatflow, Oldhead, G-Force, Cho'zyn, Mynista, Karl Nova, BIBLIKAL and many others.

[edit] Judaism

The only Jewish artists to have gained large-scale success in hip hop are the Beastie Boys, although Hassidic Jew Matisyahu has recently gained considerable attention. One of the most respected Jewish Hip Hop artists is MC Serch one half of the New York based Rap duo 3rd Bass. MC Serch is known for his intelligent and socially conscious rhymes and recently created the VH-1 special "The White Rapper Show" which was a talent search for the next great white Rapper. Ill Bill, who is a prominent underground rapper and affiliate of MC Serch had a brief appearance on The White Rapper Show with his group La Coka Nostra, is also Jewish. Rapper Necro, who, coincidentally is Ill Bill's younger brother, is Jewish as well. There is also the lesser know group Blood of Abraham which was comprised of Mazik and Ben-Yad. They were signed by the late Eazy-E and Ruthless records and addressed such themes as anti-semitism and racism in their lyrics. They have toured with the Black Eyed Peas for years. Remedy is a Jewish affiliate of the Wu-Tang Clan. Former The Roots member and producer Scott Storch is also Jewish. Less well known is Princess Superstar.Popular Jewish-Israeli rappers include Subliminal and The Shadow.

[edit] Paganism

Though not as prominent as other religions in hip hop, pagan rappers include Emcee Lynx, a conscious hip hop artist from Oakland, California who self-identifies as a Druid, and The Heretics. There are many other less well-known artists as well.

[edit] Sikhism

Sikhism has gained prominence in the hip hop scene not only in India, but also in other parts of the world where there are large Sikh populations - and in the UK, particularly west London, and the Silicon Valley / South Bay region of California in particular. In India, hip hop music is often mixed with Bhangra and Electronica to produce a high-energy fusion incorporating traditional Punjabi musical traditions and high-speed raps. Most of the artists of indian Hip Hop are based in foreign countires (United Kingdom [UK], Canada, USA etc) where they self-identify themselves as Desi hip hoppers (Desi which means - Of the Homeland). Very few artists like the United Desis [1] originate and represent hip hop from India (Mumbai) [2]

[edit] Other religions

Given the importance of religion in general as a key facet of most rappers' self-expression, the environment in the culture is generally hospitable to a diverse range of religious expressions. Among the minority religions represented in the hip-hop community are Sikhism, The Bahá’í Faith and Buddhism. Sikh rappers are concentrated mostly in the UK, India and Australia, although the most famous is likely the Canadian rapper Sikh Knowledge. Bahá’í rappers include members of Blue Scholars and Common Market, as well as Gabriel Teodoros, New York's Fort Tabarsi and others in the United States and Canada, including one in Toronto who also affiliates with Universal Sufism. Chinese hip hop is home to several Buddhist rappers, although their numbers in the United States are few. Stoupe and Toki Wright are both Buddhists, but presently there is no organized community of Buddhist rappers in the United States.