Mainstream Rap Artists and Spirituality

What relationship exists between mainstream rap artists and spirituality? I will be investigating this question as there is a stereotype behind mainstream rap artists and what they communicate. However, in my paper, I will argue that despite this stereotype of mainstream rap artists and the worldly things they sing about, some of them are vocal when referring to their search for spirituality. Sometimes, their search is in these worldly things. Spirituality can be a broad term and I want to be more specific with what mainstream/secular rap artists are communicating when they refer to something spiritual.

This connection between mainstream rap music and spirituality is important to explore. It breaks the typecast of rap music being “unholy” when in reality, it can be a way to articulate spirituality more. Another crucial reason is to educate people on not judging mainstream rap music as a follower of spirituality. People can connect to spirituality in different ways and music lovers should not avoid the unconventional music that connects to the transcendence.

In general, more “traditional” mainstream secular rap music talks about sex, drugs, money, and violence. A more “traditional” believer in God would tend to stay away from music that vocalizes such things. There is a battle between what is holy and unholy. Beliefs aside, mainstream rap music does touch on spirituality though the lyrics might not be direct in saying “Jesus Christ is my Saviour forever and ever, Amen.” Musicians can be clever in hiding meanings for their listeners and also themselves.

There is this stigma between mainstream rap music and how their words do not properly represent a “traditional” belief in God as stated above. This gap is getting smaller as more rap artists are becoming open to sharing spirituality. With mainstream rap musicians talking about these things, it gives their listeners more exposure to spirituality. However, it is up to the listener to make their conclusions and interpretations on what exactly these spiritual things are that are being mentioned.

Each source below references mainstream rap music, their interpretation of spirituality, and their use of the word in a general sense. These sources are helpful because they look at a wide variety of rap artists and compare their uses of spirituality. Some sources mention 90s rap, others early to mid-2000s, and then other sources reference more recent musicians. You will see that these sources do not just talk about the Christian religion but religion, spirituality, transcendence, and the divine as a whole. Moreover, I have included my own examples in my music collection as I feel there were not enough strong sources for them. That being said, these songs and musicians use the term spirituality in a unique way that I thought would be crucial to share.

90’s Rap & the Quest for Transcendence

Starting with early 90s rap, Wu-Tang Clan is a 90s hip-hop group based out of New York (Staten Island). In an article by Marcus Evans, he mentions how Wu-Tang Clan is extremely spiritual. The production of their music makes it clear that they are searching for transcendence and yearning for the world to come together. They aim to be set apart from other hip-hop groups and focus on their music being sacred. Evans states that Wu-Tang does not just talk about one specific religion but wants to identify with a variety to help them connect to more people. They use the word brotherhood as a way to connect to East Asian tradition through specifically Asian martial arts movies about Shaolin Buddhist monks and Wudang Taoists and find inspiration for “their quest for transcendence within an Afro-Asian history.”1

With a large emphasis on Asian history, Evans does mention Wu-Tang's focus on Jesus as well. RZA (the main group member of the Wu) says their first song “Reunited” references the return of Jesus and the world yearning for it. The final song on their project called “Second Coming” speaks on “its salvific implications, presenting the Wu’s return as a long-awaited and hopeful answer to the world’s evils.”2 The Wu’s goal is to vocalize their concerns with the world.

With Wu-Tang's focus on transcendence, their songs do connect to worldly pleasures like money, women, etc. However, their foundation is always back to something “higher.” The group says they do not focus on religion but on how it connects to the way of life. They believe everything should come down to peace but that is through God, “be one with the universe, one with God. They are all the Way.”3 Now, a popular question to the group was why the name Wu-Tang? How could that have any relevance to their quest for transcendence? Well, RZA said the word Wu-Tang means a man who is deserving of God. “‘God’ does not refer to the Black man but to a perennial truth. RZA describes his experience at Wudang as one of ‘God,’ which we all can experience.”4 Evans states the significance of their sacred music is to fight a spiritual battle for the people, address the issues of the world and proclaim their experience in their quest for transcendence while doing so.

More on 90s rap, in Joseph Winter's article, he reviews Ebony Utley's book about how 90s gangsta rappers connect to God. A lot of the time these rappers are connecting God in their songs about murder and Utley shares how that is contradictory, but they are still clearly looking at a higher power to save them from these mistakes. According to Utley, anytime a rapper mentions God it represents a hunt for meaning, power and respect in a world that deals with constant suffering and evil. “It becomes a way for racialized subjects to ascribe meaning, sense, and significance to inherited social inequities, personal tragedies, and various forms of loss.”5

Through these losses, musicians try to connect to the divine and express their experiences. In addition, Utley mentions how there is a difference between the God up above and the God that is connected down on earth. “If God ‘rides’ with gangsta rappers, if he empowers them to face and overcome painful contradictions and obstacles, this is because rappers underscore the immanent, earth-bound quality)' of divine existence.”6 That being said, depending on which God they look at within the singular God (up or down), that will determine the life they live and ultimately the music they make.

The author expresses that mainstream rappers can connect positively to God within their music so we should take what we can get. Even any acknowledgment they make outside of their music is important and does overall reflect their beliefs when it comes to faith. Utley looks at how these musicians pray within their music. In addition, she shows how God “is often depicted as nonjudgmental and suent, providing a safe space for hip-hop artists to admit and perform vulnerability.”7 They see Him as their comforter.

Moreover, Utley shares specifically that mainstream female rap artists share their faith differently in their music than male rappers do. Women rappers tend to speak about God as a protective father type if their biological fathers were absent from their lives. Furthermore, “or the imperfect lover who too often takes advantage of the unequal power relations between men and women.”8 These songs reflect women's relationship with men ideally. For example, Utley talks about Mary J. Blige and how she wrote a song about overcoming a love that was not healthy for her so she looked to God’s love instead. Lauryn Hill also sings in this song and references the safety of God’s love. However, Utley explains how this look on being submissive and focusing on oppression can be problematic too. There needs to be a balance.

Utley expresses how there can be tension between rap and religion. However, she addresses how there is a connection when it comes to the suffering of Jesus and his understanding of hardships and the suffering of humanity (specifically in this case, rap artists). “Jesus understands and identifies with the struggles and sufferings of street denizens even though rappers occasionally adopt a critical attitude toward Christianity for being an obstacle to black flourishing and freedom.”9 Utley follows up by saying that musicians must be careful when referring to worldly pleasures and God. It needs to be clear who their superior being is between the devil and Jesus if vocalizing spirituality. You do not want your audience confused when it comes to who you are worshipping, says Utley.

1 Marcus Evans, “Beyond Borders: Wu-Tang Clan’s Quest for Transcendence,” CrossCurrents 74, no. 1 (March 2024): 2.

2 Evans, “Beyond Borders: Wu-Tang Clan’s Quest for Transcendence,” 3.

3 Evans, “Beyond Borders: Wu-Tang Clan’s Quest for Transcendence,” 10.

4 Evans, “Beyond Borders: Wu-Tang Clan’s Quest for Transcendence,” 11.

5 Joseph Winters, “Rap and Religion: Understanding the Gangsta’s God.” African American Review 46, no. 1 (March 1, 2013): 183.

6 Winters, “Rap and Religion: Understanding the Gangsta’s God.” 183.

7 Winters, “Rap and Religion: Understanding the Gangsta’s God.” 184.

8 Winters, “Rap and Religion: Understanding the Gangsta’s God.” 184.

“Sacred” Begins to Merge into the Mainstream World

As the world naturally yearns for something to fill them, some mainstream rap artists communicate through their music to seek transcendence and gain a sense of spirituality. Timothy Epp discusses various musicians who seek and affirm spirituality. He shows how many artists seek spirituality but do not always affirm it, in addition, their explanation of what is spiritual may also be unclear. “Songs which express spiritual seeking or a vague sense of spirituality account for between 8-13% of total tracks and between 19-34% of selected tracks for each year.”10 For example, Brockhampton's song “New Orleans” shares how he does not go to church but is still spiritual. Or Janelle Moane in her song “Q.U.E.E.N.” asks God if He would accept her in black and white and asks if she is good enough will she go to heaven?11

However, some musicians take it a step further and affirm spirituality. “Songs in this category [affirming] accounted for up to 11% of total tracks for each year, and up to 30% of selected tracks for each year.”12 Another example of this is God Forgives, I Don’t by Rick Ross which has several spiritual songs within the album, “Since Way Back” by Drake and he shares that he is thankful he is a Christian. Even Lil Wayne shares his faith in his song “Open Letter,” which is an open conversation with God about life and how he wants to find answers.13

9 Winters, “Rap and Religion: Understanding the Gangsta’s God.” 184.

10 Timothy Epp, “So Many Paths: Reconsidering the Secular/Sacred Divide in Popular Music,” Journal of Sociology and Christianity 11, no. 2 (October 16, 2021): 17.

11 Epp, “So Many Paths: Reconsidering the Secular/Sacred Divide in Popular Music,” 18.

12 Epp, “So Many Paths: Reconsidering the Secular/Sacred Divide in Popular Music,” 18.

13 Epp, “So Many Paths: Reconsidering the Secular/Sacred Divide in Popular Music,” 18-22.

Modern Rappers & Their Touch on Holy Bars

To more recent musicians, they call them, “hip-hop’s holy trinity,”14 Kanye West, Kendrick Lamar, and Chance the Rapper. Mainstream rap artists do touch on spirituality much but these three are a little more vocal than most and also seem to get more love for their spiritual creations. “Rap got religious in 2016. Its beats and bars were baptized by holy lyricism and Gospel samples. Was it a conversion? A confirmation? Maybe you were told that hip-hop culture was gang culture, that rappers were drug dealers and misogynistic and ready to lash out,”15 stated Zac Davis in an article. He addresses this stereotype that people believe rappers usually talk about violence or drugs, etc. However, some rap artists have not vocalized their religious beliefs thinking it would not give them as many hits.

In an article by Matthew Linder, he discusses Kendrick Lamar’s journey in his faith while experiencing violence, the death of loved ones and gang activity in his community. Linder specifically goes over Kendrick’s album To Pimp a Butterfly and how he speaks on issues he sees in the world but trusts God through it. Not only does he trust God, but he sees how he is used by God to proclaim the power the Lord has. He says Kendrick shows confidence in his relationship with Jesus. In addition, Kendrick knows his identity, dignity and worth are only found in Christ. It “urges him to impart this transcendent hope to the people of Compton on the album’s final track, ‘Real.’”16

Moreover, “Alright” is one of Kendrick's biggest hits and through that, he has shown his hope for a better world through the dependence on God. “And like Jeremiah, Kendrick recognizes the suffering he and Compton have endured, but frames that suffering in the context of a transcendent and forgiving God. Strikingly, he ties Compton, known for its lowliness, with Nazareth, which is a byword for obscurity and unimportance in the New Testament.”17 Kendrick's clever wordplay, helps his listeners connect to God, and to his Christian listeners, they can see his faith through his music.

According to Linder, Kendrick has strengthened his faith through social justice issues concerning the black community. Kendrick has “prophetic” songs that “affirm the dignity and worth of the black bodies in Compton and echo Howard Thurman’s grandmother, ‘You—You are not n------. You—You are not slaves. You are God’s children.’ Or, borrowing a phrase from Kendrick’s own music, despite his doubts and anxieties, he is and his people are, in fact, ‘worth it.’”18 Kendrick wants to focus on unity because we are all God’s children and through that, trust the Lord is good and put your faith in Him.

Similarly to Kendrick, Kanye West has a similar approach to his faith while battling social justice issues. In an article by Daniel Hodge, he states that Kanye believed the Gospel was aimed vocally at white people and he did not appreciate how it was being articulated to him as he felt he could not connect as much. That said, music is his way to open up about his faith to everyone but specifically black people in understanding the Gospel. Out of many songs, but one in particular, Kanye relates his pain through the world to Jesus’ persecution. The song “begins with an opening designed to seek a higher personal consciousness: ‘Yo, We at war We at war with terrorism, racism but most of all we at war with ourselves (Jesus Walks) God show me the way because the Devil trying to break me down (Jesus Walks with me) with me with me with me (fades) (West 2004)’.”19 Kanye had one goal in mind when creating a song like this, he wanted to reach those groups who were living for the world like strippers and drug dealers, and those destroying the world like murders and rapists and tell them to look to Jesus because Jesus can relate, sympathize, forgive and give them new life.20

Again with Davis, he addresses Kanye as a model for a Christ figure within his music. “Taking the ugliness of suffering, diving deeply into it and from there allowing for a resurrection and reunion with the divine.”21 Though this language can be controversial, fans do look to Kanye as a representation of Christ, in a way that will help guide them to the ultimate Christ. It is more of a model.

Kanye and Kendrick’s spiritual music focuses more on his suffering and sin, and Chance the Rapper centers his faith-driven music on the rejoicing of the Lord. Chances’ song “‘Blessings (Reprise)’ looks hopefully toward a Christian utopia, like the land of milk and honey that the burning bush promised Moses (‘I speak of promised lands/ Soil as soft as momma's hands/ Running water, standing still/ Endless fields of daffodils and chamomile’), and celebrates his relationship with God (‘I speak to God in public, I speak to God in public/ He keep my rhymes in couplets/ He think the new s--- jam, I think we mutual fans’).”22 His songs give people hope, and a way to look to the Lord and be joyful through the worship of rap music.

All three musicians are extremely active when rapping about their faith still to this day. Kanye West has a Gospel album called “Jesus is King,” and Kendrick Lamar has an album called “Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers,” which has endless religious connections if the cover is not enough with him wearing a crown of thorns. Lastly, Chance the Rapper has not created music in a while but is vocal on certain singles and collaborations about his faith.

14 Davis, “Kanye, Kendrick, Chance & the Surprising Christian Language of Rap,” 36.

15 Zac Davis, “Kanye, Kendrick, Chance & the Surprising Christian Language of Rap,” America Magazine: The Jesuit Review of Faith & Culture 216, no. 5 (March 2017): 35.

16 Matthew Linder, “‘Am I Worth It?’:The Forgiveness, Death, and Resurrection of Kendrick Lamar,” Toronto Journal of Theology 33, no. 1 (June 2017): 108.

17 Linder, “‘Am I Worth It?’:The Forgiveness, Death, and Resurrection of Kendrick Lamar,” 110.

18 Linder, “‘Am I Worth It?’:The Forgiveness, Death, and Resurrection of Kendrick Lamar,” 111.

19 Daniel White Hodge, “Yeezus is Jesuz: Examining the Socio-Hermeneutical Transmediated Images of Jesus Employed by Kanye West,” Black Theology Papers Project 1, no. 1 (2015): 5.

20 Hodge, “Yeezus is Jesuz: Examining the Socio-Hermeneutical Transmediated Images of Jesus Employed by Kanye West,” 6.

21 Davis, “Kanye, Kendrick, Chance & the Surprising Christian Language of Rap,” 36.

22 Davis, “Kanye, Kendrick, Chance & the Surprising Christian Language of Rap,” 37.

Secular Rap Can Honour God

With a relationship between mainstream rap music and religion and the endless examples stated previously, Anthony Pinn explains how secular rap artists can turn their platforms into one that honours God. Their platform is not just limited to connecting to Christianity, but spirituality as a whole. Moreover, Pinn states that some rap musicians are not explicit when it comes to their faith or beliefs, they might just share an experience they had. Nuwine who is an American rapper explains how his music is not religious when referring to beliefs and tradition. Instead, he shares events he was confronted with in his life that have led him to church.23 Pinn further explains Nuwine’s experiences; he dropped out of school and got involved in a gang, which promoted violent behaviour and landed him in court. In court, a man came up to him and told him God loves him and will forgive him no matter what. Nuwine was moved, fell to his knees and began to cry.

From there, Nuwine started his rap career by expressing his experiences with the Christian faith. He saw his music as a way of spreading the Gospel, Nuwine says “That's what ministry is about. Reachin' out to those who don't know God. Reachin' out to the sick, the rebellious, the angry, the hurting. That's what it's for. Jesus did it. He spent very little time in the synagogue. Why do the well people need a physician? It's the sick people that need a physician,”24 and that was his goal with his music was to help those in need.

Moreover, Pinn shares that people's ethics and morals might not coincide with what they are singing about, so that can be problematic. “A type of wrestling between existential realities and religious sensibilities. We may not find the resolution offered by artists appealing, when such sensibilities do not raise a critique concerning oppressive attitudes and behaviors. Nonetheless, this should not mean a lack of attention to the nature of confrontation with the ‘religious’ expressed in their work.”25 In addition, this quote explains how yes, rap artists are talking about God but their actions might not align with what would honour Him. There still should be a focus on the religious element as a listener though.

Furthermore, Pinn states that the theological explanation of religious content might not be explained and that can also cause problems. However, musicians do not have the time to do a whole hermeneutics approach to the issue and neither does the listener. But not explaining could also confuse the listener and lead them down a path that is not true. Pinn shares, “Explicit theological or religious pronouncements in rap music are worth time and attention not because of perfection of practice but because of what they say about the musically expressed encounter with questions of meaning, those with great existential and ontological weight.”26 In this way, musicians leave their listeners with a question of “why” which opens their minds to new possibilities in understanding music but also their own creative journey when it comes to faith and music.

23 Anthony B Pinn, “Bling and Blessings: Thoughts on the Intersections of Rap Music and Religious Meaning.” Cross Currents 57, no. 2 (June 1, 2007): 292.

24 Pinn, “Bling and Blessings: Thoughts on the Intersections of Rap Music and Religious Meaning.” 292.

25 Pinn, “Bling and Blessings: Thoughts on the Intersections of Rap Music and Religious Meaning.” 293.

26 Pinn, “Bling and Blessings: Thoughts on the Intersections of Rap Music and Religious Meaning.” 293.

Examples

Here are various examples of other mainstream rap artists and their connection to spirituality, transcendence, faith, etc. Mac Miller’s 2016 album Divine Feminine connects “‘love and the universe, and how they work together,’ says Miller, 24. Channeling his emotions and a so-called ‘female energy’ into his songwriting.”27 At this point, Mac Miller was dating pop star Ariana Grande and was referring to her as this divine female energy that he was so captivated by.

In addition, Mac later put out songs that connected directly to God and was open about his faith and spiritual struggles. “The Scoop On Heaven,” says, “If you hear what Heaven's like, can you tell me? Please, I'm really tryin' to know... I heard ain't nobody famous up in Heaven, everybody the same. Just kick it up there in Heaven 'cause nobody goin' change.” Or “Ascension” which says, “I need a religion to follow... Crucifix heavy, who gon' carry mine?... What's between heaven and hell? A brand new me, oh it's the brand new me.” Theologically some phrases might be inaccurate, but the point of this paper is to show how mainstream rap musicians connect to spirituality in whatever capacity that may be. Lastly on Mac Miller, though Mac enjoyed his earthly pleasures he was always intrigued with Heaven and that was notable in his album Circles and specifically with the song “Good News” which says “There's a whole lot more for me waiting on the other side, I'm always wondering if it feel like summer, I know maybe I'm too late, I could make it there some other time, I'll finally discover.” This song was Mac’s way of expressing his mental health issues and yearning for the afterlife. In the depth of his music, he was always yearning for something higher.

Another example of mainstream rap musicians connecting to the transcendent is 6lack who is open about his belief in the Christian God. His song “Talkback” shows a conversation between him and God as he faces haters, “Ayy, I just spoke to God on the phone (ayy), That ain't cap (nah, nah), He was there (he was there), Loud and clear (loud and clear), I said, ‘What's up?’, He talked back, Don't let your enemies throw you off track.” Or his song “Loaded Gun” where he mentions how God helps him through his troubles, “I pray to God and then I conquer my fears.” Or “Spirited Away” which speaks on the reality of temptation of sin “I learn from mistakes, I'm fallin' in love with my sins... Pray for the day and run (run), Man, I just met all my demons, I had a load of fun.”

Lastly, other examples, “Stop Trying To Be God” and “Utopia” Travis Scott, “Change” J. Cole, “Kelly Price” Migos, “Jordan’s” V.I.C, “I Got My Smile Back” Stormzy and his whole This Is What I Mean album.

27 Ryan Patrick, “Mac Miller Has Love in Mind on ‘Divine',” USA Today, September 15, 2016, https://search-ebscohost-com.redeemer.idm.oclc.org/login.aspx?direct=true&db=asn&AN=J0E063536913416&site= ehost-live.

Discussion / critical analysis

According to my sources above, it is known that mainstream rap artists do connect to spirituality in one way or another. Musicians like Kendrick Lamar, Kanye West, and others are direct when vocalizing their beliefs about the Christian God and Jesus the Messiah. They refer to Jesus being King, being alright if they have God, and depending on the Lord through struggles. Other musicians use spiritual phrases but do not grasp any religion, for example, Mac Miller and his album Divine Feminine. He uses spiritual words but sometimes does not connect them to “God.” Wu-Tang Clan even took their band name and morphed it into something spiritual. Other musicians use spiritual words to describe their experiences, or rap about worldly things and connect it to spirituality. They do that by comparing or even explicitly saying they are yearning for someone spiritual to fill them. In addition, many rappers mentioned here use spirituality to connect to their higher power and guide them through life in whatever way that might be.

This paper was not to identify how musicians connect to the Christian God, but how they connect to spirituality as a whole. Everyone has different spiritual experiences. My sources do recognize how it can be problematic when connecting spirituality to unfaithful behaviour as it can lead to a false narrative of spirituality. Moreover, mainstream rap musicians are still trying to connect to something higher so it should come down to their heart. What are their intentions? It is the listener's responsibility to figure their story out.

Conclusion

Through this paper, I have talked about how mainstream rap artists connect to spirituality. Though it might not be explicit to the Christian God, there is a recognition of a higher power. There is a stereotype of what rappers sing about, they use their experiences to connect with the transcendence. The world of spirituality can be different for everyone. However, this paper shows what mainstream rappers mean when they connect personally to something spiritual. The various examples listed show how these musicians experience spirituality and how they rely on God. In addition, how their spiritual encounters have made them who they are, inspired them to do something and/or connect to worldly events. Some might have found spirituality during a drug problem, sleeping with many women, or being in a gang. Some might have found it in creation, the gift of life, their child, and a relationship with loved ones.

So next steps? We need to be more aware as listeners of mainstream rap music and not put it in this box as something bad. Just because they rap about something that is not within the traditional Christian beliefs, does not mean we disregard the music completely. Come and discern for yourself. These musicians are trying to figure out faith just like the rest of us. We are with them on the journey and can learn from their experiences. Maybe these experiences will inspire us too.

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Originally submitted:

Eden Corner
APS 355: Sociology of Popular Culture Dr. Timothy Epp
November 28, 2024
Chicago A

Redeemer University