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Religion in Hip Hop: Who (or what) is the true higher power?
Ever since its inception in the 1970s, hip hop has been touted as the voice of the underprivileged and the instrument of social and political change for those who could find no other way of expressing themselves. It was also seen as a tool for a pure, uncut form of telling one’s feelings about themselves. In the 80s, this sentiment was back up by rappers and groups like KRS-One and Public Enemy, who used this platform to educate as well as entertain. However, as hip-hop became massively popular in the early and mid 90s, the focus of many rappers has changed. Many have lost sight of what was the original purpose of hip-hop. Nowadays, rappers seem only to be concerned with how rap can pay their bills and lead them to the good life. As long as they are selling records and living lavish, they could care less about how their words are influencing their listeners. That is not to say that all rappers today are only concerned with getting money. Although the majority of rappers nowadays have little to say and just follow whatever trends are popular at the time, there are still some that choose to use hip-hop as a sort of pulpit. Just as other genres of music have musicians who express their faith on wax, so too does hip-hop. Whatever their faith, they feel that music is the best way to convey their message to the masses. But what exactly are they saying? How does it relate to today’s listeners? It stands to reason that religion holds an important space in the lives of many rappers. They feel that they have something important to say to their listeners rather than the typical “thug a bitch, stack my chips” subject matter. Even if their particular religion
doesn’t come through in their songs, the use of religious imagery in their lyrics at least hints at a deeper meaning in their songs than it would appear. So how do they work? Christianity in Hip-Hop As the most prevalent religion in America, it stands to reason that most rappers, even if they don’t consider themselves Christian, were raised in that particular faith. While many of them are not the most devout followers of their faith, they still feel some sort of kinship with God. To some rappers, God has cursed them to their fate to the point where they adopt a “fuck the world” attitude. Some rappers may go so far as to depict themselves as holy figures. Even if they don’t adhere to any particular religion, they use a lot of imagery in their songs and sometimes their album covers to convey a presence of a higher power. Jay-Z has gone as far as to create an alias for himself, Jay-Hova, and crown himself the “God MC”. One rapper who invoked religion many times in his rhymes but was not necessarily a gospel rapper was the late Tupac (2Pac) Shakur. While he was never the greatest lyricist, he earned respect for the fiery emotion he would put into his work. Throughout his life, he had a very tenuous personal relationship with God. At times, he felt that God was the only one who could save him. His lyrics often conveyed his uncertainty about the role of God in his life. In “Only God Can Judge Me”, Tupac says that no matter how he is perceived by the media or the police, his fate is ultimately left up to a higher power. Oh my Lord, tell me what I’m livin forEverybody’s droppin got me knockin on heaven’s door And all my memories of seein brothers bleedAnd everybody grieves, but still nobody sees Recollect your thoughts, don’t get caught up in the mixCause the media is full of dirty tricks Only God can judge me…
Where niggas die tryin to make a dollar out of fifteen centsThe ghetto got me crazy, I smell daises But I can’t die tonight, my old lady’s pregnant with a babyTupac said there’s a heaven for a G But I wonder if there’s a resting place for killers and gangsta niggas like me [Notorious B.I.G.]When I die, fuck it I wanna go to hell Cause I’m a piece of shit, it ain’t hard to fuckin’ tellIt don’t make sense goin to heaven with the goodie-goodies Dressed in white, I want black Timbs and black hoodiesGod will probably have me on some real strict shit No sleepin’ all day, no getting’ my dick lickedHangin’ with the goodie-goodies loungin’ in paradise Fuck that shit, I wanna tote guns and shoot dice Despite this pessimism, some rappers still think that there is a light at the end of the proverbial tunnel. All these difficulties have to mean that in the end, they will somehow overcome them and prosper. After all, Jesus himself had to undergo many trials and tribulations in his lifetime. More than likely, they believe that people endure hard times for a reason. It is all a part of becoming more like God. Going through these hard times can eventually make you a better person. The chorus of Nas’ “God Love Us” elucidates this point of view: God love us hood niggaz (I know)Cause next to Jesus on the cross was the crook niggaz (I know) And the killers, God love us hood niggaz (I know)Cause on the streets is the hood niggaz And I know he feel us, uhGod love us hood niggaz (I know) Cause he be wit us in the prisonsAnd he takes time to listen God love us hood niggaz (I know)Cause next to Jesus on the cross was the crook niggaz (I know) But he forgive us The relationship between hip-hop and Christianity is an interesting one to examine. Just like each individual has different interpretations of who God is and what their relationship is with Him, so too do different rappers’ experiences shape how they feel about God. However, people’s perceptions of gospel rap may be changing for the better. Last year, KRS-One, inspired by the events of September 11, released Spiritual
Minded , a spin-off of his first album with Boogie Down Productions, Criminal Minded. He had come full circle from the gangsta bravado of the late 80s and now was on a path of enlightenment. Now that one of hip-hop’s pioneers has shown that rappers can teach others about Christ without being too preachy, others may follow his lead. Islamic Influences An ever-growing sector of rappers is embracing the philosophy of Islam. Since the mid to late 80s, there has always been a strong Islamic influence in the words of many rappers. During the Golden Age of Hip-Hop (late 80s – early 90s), groups such as Poor Righteous Teachers, X-Clan, and Big Daddy Kane were putting their beliefs into their work and educating the world of what they believed was the one true faith. The Nation of Islam stands at the forefront of this religious take on hip-hop. It was founded in 1931 by Wallace D. Fard. He believed himself to be Allah incarnate and felt it was his duty to save the black race that were lost in the “wilderness of North America”. He met Elijah Poole in Detroit later that same year and taught him his philosophies. Fard christened Poole Elijah Karriem, which he would later change to Elijah Muhammad. The two men went on to set up mosques in Chicago and Detroit. At these mosques, Fard and Muhammad would preach to other like-minded individuals the importance of self-reliance and separation from white society. The mythology of the Nation of Islam places the root of society’s problems on the white man. In their worldview, after the moon and the Earth became two separate entities, the black man started to inhabit the earth. At this time, there were twenty-four scientists among the black race. One of these scientists, Yacub, sought to teach his ways on the streets of Mecca, but was later exiled along with 59,999 of his followers to the
The Five Percent Nation (also known as the Nation of Gods and Earths) was founded in 1964 by Clarence “Pudding” 13X. He split with Elijah Muhammad and came up with his own interpretation of the ideas of the Nation of Islam. He rejected the notion of Fard being Allah and instead preached that each and every black man was a god unto himself. Because of its base in New York City (in particular the Allah School in Mecca on 125 th^ St. in Harlem), many of the important locations in its theology are based in the northeast. Manhattan (and more specifically, Harlem) is known as “Mecca”, Brooklyn is referred to as “Medina”, Queens is “The Desert”, the Bronx is “Pelan”, and New Jersey is called “New Jerusalem”. Their basic tenets include the following: 1.2. The black man is the original man of the planet Earth.Black people are the fathers and mothers of civilization.
- The science of Supreme Mathematics is the key to understanding man’s relationshipto the universe. 4.5. Islam is a way of life, not a religion.Education should be fashioned to enable us to be self-sufficient as a people. 6.7. Each one should teach one according to their knowledge.The black man is god and his proper name is ALLAH. Arm, Leg, Leg, Arm, Head.
- Our children are our link to the future and they must be nurtured, respected, loved,protected, and educated.
- The unified black family is the vital building block of the nation. The Five Percent Nation gets its name from the belief that there are not many people left in the world that are enlightened to the truth. According to their doctrine, eighty-five percent of the world is still in the dark in regards to the ways of the world. Meanwhile, there is the ten percent of the world that do know the truth and try to corrupt and trick the masses into believing falsehoods. This leaves the five percent of the world that knows the reality and must disseminate this information to the uneducated. The group Poor Righteous Teachers take their name from this philosophy, as Five Percenters also refer to themselves by that name.
In 1990, Brand Nubian took the Five Percent philosophy in rap one step further with their classic debut album One For All. The group, comprised of Grand Puba, Lord Jamar, Derrick (Sadat) X, and DJ Alamo, put their words behind radio-friendly tracks that made their messages easier to digest. Grand Puba in particular was a particularly ardent follower of the Nation. Both versions of his song “Wake Up” preach the virtues of the Nation as well as criticize Christianity for being concerned with money first and enlightenment second: Preacher got my Old Earth putting money in a panFor the rest of the week now I’m eatin out a soup can He has a home, drives his Caddy through townHas my Old Earth believing that he’s comin from the ground (Jesus) After Grand Puba and DJ Alamo left the group shortly after One For All was released, Lord Jamar and Sadat X recruited DJ Sincere and came up with In God We Trust in 1992 (Ironically, the album cover shows a burning dollar bill.). The poppy, upbeat production of the first album was replaced with darker, sparser beats that made In God We Trust a more secular (for lack of a better word) hardcore rap album in the vein of Onyx’s Bacdafucup and NWA’s Straight Outta Compton. Whereas All For One was more about respect for self, In God We Trust demanded the respect from others and would take it from you if you weren’t willing to offer it. The lone skit on the album is even called “Meaning of the 5%”, which is an excerpt from a speech by Minister Louis Farrakhan that basically spells out the objectives of the Nation: the education of the uncivilized eighty-five percent by the five percent and the defeat of the ten percent. Other songs on the album include “Allah U Akbar” (which translates to “God is great”) and “Allah and Justice” (a jazzy number that has the members singing about finding the god in themselves). Another song that reflects the Nation’s ideologies is “Ain’t No Mystery”.
[Mos Def]We chasin after death just to call ourselves brave But everyday next man meet with the graveI gave a damn if any fan recall my legacy I’m tryin to live life in the sight of God’s memory, like that y’all Rappers who preach the doctrines of the Five Percent Nation in their work don’t receive the same amount of flak as Christian rappers in the sense that they are not seen as being too preachy or God-fearing as their Christian counterparts. This is due to the fact that some of the more popular rappers today (Wu-Tang Clan, Busta Rhymes, Mobb Deep, Gang Starr) and of the past (Ice Cube, Big Daddy Kane, Public Enemy) are either members or sympathizers of the Nation. A lot of hip-hop slang is derived from phrases prevalent in the Nation (word is bond, represent, dropping science). Also, many Christian rappers wear their faith on their sleeves. Whereas on a Christian rap album most (if not all) of the songs are in praise of God, Five Percent rappers may dedicate a couple of songs or just a few lines on an album discussing their beliefs. The Wu-Tang Clan, in particular, keeps their hardcore fans happy by balancing their braggadocio with the teachings of the Nation. They are masters of mixing up their faith with typical hip-hop sensibilities. Method Man drops a bit of knowledge in his appearance on Ol’ Dirty Bastard’s “Rawhide”: A wise man killed one horse and made glueWicked women putting period blood in stew Don’t that make the stew witches brew?I fear for the eighty-five that don’t got a clue How could he know what the fuck he never knew?God-Cypher Divine come to show and come to prove A mystery god that’s the work of YacubThe Holy Ghost got you scared to death kid, BOO! Interestingly enough, it seemed that late in his life, 2Pac was embracing the philosophies of the Nation of Islam, if not the Five Percent Nation. Under the alias of Makaveli, besides taking some final potshots at his rivals, he took a look at his own
spirituality and what it meant to be a God-fearing individual. Just like on the album cover of The Don Killuminati , he once again envisioned himself akin to Jesus Christ on “Blasphemy”: Tell me I ain’t God’s son, nigga mom a virginWe got evicted had to leave the burbs, back in the ghetto Doin wild shit, looking at the sun don’t payCriminal mind all the time, wait for Judgment Day 2Pac appeared to be rejecting the teachings of Christianity on the whole and being more in touch with his blackness than ever (not that he wasn’t before). He appeared disillusioned by the lack of respect given to black leaders who had fallen in the past and wondered why he should be concerned when another important figure passes away. He was also preoccupied about the possibility of being persecuted even more when he finally dies: The preacher want me buried why? Cause I know he a liarHave you ever seen a crackhead? That’s eternal fire Why you got these kids’ minds, thinking that they evilWhile the preacher bein richer you say honor God’s people Should we cry when the Pope dies? My requestWe should cry if they cry when they bury Malcolm X Mama tell me am I wrong, is God just an evil copWaitin to beat my ass if I don’t go pop? The teachings of the Five Percent Nation are pretty esoteric to most listeners of hip-hop. In fact, the majority of hip-hop consumers – i.e. white suburban youth – would not catch any of the Islamic references in their favorite rappers’ work. However, rappers are smart enough not to alienate their biggest fan base. When it comes down to it, they are still making records to make money. If the white consumers actually knew that some of their favorite rappers were decrying their faith and heritage, there would be a severe backlash in terms or record sales. In such a case like this, most rappers know how to tread the fine line between entertainment and education; they know that there is a time and a
the West to the grimy thugs from the East. Two albums released within a year of each other would start the trend towards being the flossy drug dealers that would become a new trend in hip-hop: Only Built 4 Cuban Linx … by Raekwon (and Ghostface Killah) and Reasonable Doubt by Jay-Z. These two albums popularized the fly pusher with the expensive cars and blinding jewels. This caused many other rappers (Nas, Shyne, etc.) to jump on the bandwagon and portray themselves as drug kingpins without a care in the world. However, Cuban Linx … and Reasonable Doubt had hidden depth behind their facades. While most albums that came after these two glorified the drug trade as a means of getting rich, Raekwon, Ghostface and Jay-Z also showed the pitfalls of the crack game and that it wasn’t all fun and games. In the intro to Cuban Linx … , “Striving 4 Perfection”, Rae and Ghost have plans for a life outside of the crack game. Rae states, “I'm not trying to just be sitting on, motherfuckin, $200 grand, and acting like I'm gonna be a drug dealer all my life; I got bigger and better plans... Let's keep moving ahead, man, keep our head up, man, take care of our families.” Jay-Z, meanwhile, shows remorse for the people he has hurt in his pursuit of riches. In “Regrets”, he takes a look back at the pain he has caused because of his drug dealing ways: As sure as this, Earth is turning souls burningIn search of higher learning turning in every direction seeking direction My moms cryin cause her insides are dyinHer son tryin her patience, keep her heart racin A million beats a minute, I know I push you to your limitBut it’s this game love, I’m caught up all in it While they were enjoying the spoils of the chosen profession, Raekwon, Ghostface, and Jay-Z knew full well that at any moment, it could all disappear. There were a myriad of possibilities: they could get arrested and locked away for life or get killed by a rival dealer. There was always a sense of paranoia because they knew that the
drug game would not be able to support them forever. They realized that the good times were fleeting and that in the end, they could end up paying immensely for their deeds. If Raekwon and Jay-Z provided the spark for the materialism dominant in hip-hop today, Bad Boy and Cash Money blew it up to monstrous proportions. These two labels are the ones who deserve much of the credit (or the blame, depending on your point of view) for the prevalence of the riches of the rap game. Now not only was it cool to be rich, it was also profitable to tell other people about how rich you were. No one seemed to mind the apparent shallowness of topic matter. As long as the words were backed up by danceable beats, the public could care less about the rappers’ opulence. Although Biggie’s debut album Ready To Die is considered to be one of the best hardcore albums in hip-hop history, it wasn’t all about thuggery and hard times. On the first breakout single, “Juicy”, Biggie described his rise from rags to riches and how the rap game has been more profitable than the crack game: Super Nintendo, Sega GenesisWhen I was dead broke man, I couldn’t picture this Fifty-inch screen, money green leather sofaGot two rides, a limousine with a chauffeur Phone bill about two G’s flatNo need to worry, my accountant handles that And my whole crew is loungingCelebratin everyday, no more public housing On Life After Death , Biggie created a perfect synergy of religion and hip-hop with “The Ten Crack Commandments”. Here, Biggie shares with the listener ten rules to succeeding in the crack game and keeping aware of one’s enemies. This is an example of how money has superceded actual religious figures as the Holy Grail in hip-hop. The main concern here is not following instructions to better oneself as a person, but rather how to earn more money peddling drugs.
from Biggie, Lil’ Kim, and the Lox, he bragged about how he had attained all his wealth and that he was now a wanted man because of his success. [Puff Daddy]Swimmin with women in they own condominiums Five plus five, who drive MillenniumsIt’s all about the Benjamins, what? I get a fifty pound bag of ooh for the muttsFive carats on my hands wit the cuts And some European figures, fuck the clutch, what? A couple of years later, Cash Money made waves by signing a $30 million distribution deal with Universal Records. Their roster at the time included the Hot Boy$ - Juvenile, B.G. (Baby Gangsta), Young Turk, and Lil’ Wayne – and the Big Tymers, who are label co-CEO Bryan “Baby” Williams and in-house producer Byron “Mannie Fresh” Thomas. True to their name, their purpose was to fully show the virtues of capitalism at its highest level. The Big Tymers, in particular, are particularly guilty of raising the dollar as the holiest symbol in hip-hop. Before Cash Money was signed to Universal, there was a serious dearth of artists on their label. So Baby and Mannie decided to form the Big Tymers until they could find more roster talent. However, after they found out that there was a market for their brand of flossy rap, they decided that they might as well keep rapping. The Big Tymers’ philosophy has not changed since their first album. One of their most successful songs to date, “Get Your Roll On”, is a prime example of how of their egos had grown due to their success in the rap game. From the simplistic flows of Baby and Mannie to the even more simplistic subject matter, this song also epitomizes the attitude of most rappers today: [Mannie Fresh]Benz, Vettes, Hummers, Jets Ro-lex … mo’ sexTelevision … head rest Twenty inches … nothin less [Baby]
Show them … bitches no … loveRidin 2G ‘llac on dubs Ounces … quarters … halves … bricksNigga I done sold all that shit Soon as … my tour stopBought five Bentley Azures … props They then began to flood the market with Pen & Pixel decorated album covers that exaggerated their wealth to the point of parody. Constant staples of these albums covers include platinum jewelry, expensive cars, bright colors, and an image of the rapper obviously digitally inserted into the image. The label soon became synonymous with the flossy style of rap that had dominated the airwaves in the mid-to-late 90s. Truly, they were (and still are) living up to the name of their label. One song on B.G.’s 1999 album Chopper City In The Ghetto would change the face of hip-hop. The term “Bling Bling” would soon enter the hip-hop lexicon as a way of describing the amount of jewels a rapper wears. It actually refers to the reflection of light off the jewels. The song is typical Cash Money fare, but the addictive Lil’ Wayne chorus kept the song in people’s heads for a long time: [Lil’ Wayne]Bling bling, every time I come around yo city Bling bling, pinky ring worth about fiftyBling bling, every time I buy a new ride Bling bling, Lorenzos on Yokohama tiresBling bling So how did the dollar become hip-hop’s new god? It took a long time, especially since hip-hop was regularly dismissed as a fad during its inception, just like many other new forms of music. But as soon as it was learned that a profit could be turned from sharing life experiences on wax, hip-hop became the new vehicle for capitalism and entrepreneurs. With the possibility of expansion into other forms of business (witness Master P’s clothing line, sports agency, and real estate company), rappers have now found a way to keep the money flowing. Many a rapper has said on wax something to the
