It's rap, not crap . . .

Ok. Here it is. I'm putting myself out there. Ready?

I love rap.

Phew! There, I said it. I feel better!

You may laugh or shake your head, but those who first meet me would never assume that I love rap. That I could listen to Eminem for hours because the intensity of his voice is incredible. That I get goosebumps when I hear a sick hook on a Chris Brown song [And yes, I said sick hook. Deal with it.]. That I listen to Missy at least once a day.

Things I love about rap:
1. Beats, beats, and beats. Oh, and also beats.
2. The human voice. Rap is music, people, seriously. These artists are amazing with their flow. Eminem's intensity. Luda's deep timbre [Ha, look at me use a word like timbre when talking about rap!]. Missy's screech.
3. The rhymes. I'm a poetry junkie. Music that is sung is beautiful. I love it. I love singing it. But rap allows freedom, flow, and the use of words and rhyme in a way that a melody doesn't.

What's hard about liking rap?
1. The content.

I'm a lady who loves Jesus. And, you know, I can enjoy the way Luda's voice sounds and the beats he has produced all I want, but that's not going to take all the sex out of his lyrics.

I'm not preaching, ok? I'm just talking about myself. And I know that for me, listening to "Work It" by Missy Elliot makes me want to dance, but it also makes me want a lot of things I can't have yet. And I've lived in the world. I've been places that have not honored Christ. I can't listen to this music and claim ignorance of what she's talking about. I know exactly what she's getting at all too well.

Ok, so take all that. And put it with this:

I once heard a radio commentator say that the Christian version of things should just put a "C" in front of them, so you can know it's Christian.

This would mean that Christian rap would be called Crap.

And at the time? I totally agreed with him. I thought, Christians can't make good rap? They're not hip enough. They don't understand culture. Their beats and hooks will always be behind.

Fast forward to now. There are artists who get it. They know what rap is. They don't shy away from it. They just make their content honor God. Love it.

If you like rap, take a listen to these. If you like Christ, take a listen to these. Expand your horizon. You might enjoy it.




Have you heard Lecrae before? He is a solid, solid man.




And you know, sometimes a Christian group doesn't have to have Jesus's name in every song. They can have fun too! My friend just got married, and this song was played at her reception. So fun! Oh, and they're called Grits not Gritz.




Another Lecrae. So true. I can play the background. Although [watch out, snide MB coming out here] for reals, what is up with C-Lite's outfit? The hat? Really?

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And one last one for fun. I want a convertible so I can be ridin' with my top down, listenin' to this Jesus Muzik.







So. What do you think?