Holy Hip Hop.......Good or Bad (Moved from Test Posts)

[minister ralph]

How do you feel about Holy Hip hopand it's influences over the youth?

[HisLeast]

As long as its genuine talented artists capturing the old soul of hip hop. I hope its not a movement of fakers ignorantly leveraging a medium they know nothing about to try to reach people.

I'm talking about someone who can give a compelling message about the Gospel, and not just put words to a beat like assembling lego with boxing gloves on.

The movement needs someone like Grandmaster Flash: "It's like a jungle sometimes, it makes me wonder, how I keep from going under". Someone who's words can get a privileged suburbanite like me and for a fleeting moment give a hint of what its like to live in a urine smelling project where your neighbors are slaves to drugs and hope is a cruel joke at your expense. They need someone who can invoke that kind of feeling through the hip hop medium.

... otherwise its just a waste.

[tango]

How do you feel about Holy Hip hopand it's influences over the youth?

Much the same as any other music with Christian lyrics.

Personally I'm not really into hip hop, but if youngsters are listening to it I'd rather they were listening to the message of salvation, than the message of picking up women and treating them as playthings for the night.

[Firefighter]

Someone who's words can get a privileged suburbanite like me and for a fleeting moment give a hint of what its like to live in a urine smelling project where your neighbors are slaves to drugs and hope is a cruel joke at your expense.

That's a neat way of putting it.

I made a video that tried to do just that with real people from my church. It is FAR from Hip Hop, but I tried to convey the same message. Tell me what you think.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2WBup717Zk

[KATMAN]

I have a friend in church who makes his own Christian rap cd's. They're very good and with a positive message. This young man is a great influence to the young people in church. While rap is not my thing,I feel all music can be used to get the message of Jesus Christ in people.

[thepenitent]

How do you feel about Holy Hip hopand it's influences over the youth?

One point made by Pastor Rick Warren I agree with is in regard to music. He says there is no unChristian music - only unChristian lyrics. I agree spot on.

[Strix]

Also, there is a tendency for rappers to enter ministry. As well as MC Hammer, Ma$e (of Badboy Records) also took to the pulpit

I love all sorts of hiphop, especially G-unit, and I think it would suprise a lot of people how many overtly christian songs these groups put out on their albums. For example, try this one by P Diddy from the Victory album:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rmc1pnA9i-g

To thepentient: Have you heard "stairway to heaven" backwards?

[thepenitent]

Also, there is a tendency for rappers to enter ministry. As well as MC Hammer, Ma$e (of Badboy Records) also took to the pulpit


To thepentient: Have you heard "stairway to heaven" backwards?

Is that the one that says "Paul is Dead"? Actually, I haven't....but I have used "Dark Side of the Moon" as a soundtrack for "Wizard of Oz" - it wasn't as freaky as everyone says although there are some moments.

[xSTEADFASTx]

depends on who your talking to about "hip hop" most stuff on the radio isnt hip hop

[Reynolds357]

How do you feel about Holy Hip hopand it's influences over the youth?

My personal opinion is that I do not like it. My opinion is strictly based on taste and not doctrine. Nowhere in scripture did God establish what Christian music should sound like for all generations. I have my style of music I like and "holy hip hop" most definitely does not fit into my likes. To those who do like it, I am sure that it brings them as much worship experience as the Christian music I like brings me.

I remember several years ago we were having a debate in a deacons meeting about a sound system and using a different style of praise and worship music. One deacon was fussing about the change and making reference to the fact that he felt this new type music was of the devil.
A very old deacon asked him if he liked the organ we had in Church. He said he liked it very well and enjoyed the music played on it. Then the old deacon told the complaining deacon that when that organ was bought the complaining deacons father was on the deacon board. The old deacon then told him that his father said that organ was of the devil and tried to stop the church from buying it. Music changes with time. If you go far enough back in history, you can find a time where ultra conservatives thought everything you enjoy today was of the Devil.
I follow doctrine, not tradition. From doctrine, we can not criticize a music type; we can only criticize lyrics. In doctrine, I am ultra conservative. In style, I follow the command "judge not." This most abused verse in scripture is never applied where it should be applied. This is an instance of where we most definitely should not be judging. When we judge the style and worship actions of another, we open ourselves up to the same judgment of our worship.