The Blackshakespeare Chronicles - Is Hip Hop dead?

“I was told to my face by a white radio announcer that the only reason why our songs are not getting airplay on CCM radio is because we’re black.” – Christian hip hop artist Bonafied of The Grits

According to Nielson Soundscan, Geffen Records rap artist Calvin Cordozar Broadus, Jr. a.k.a. Snoop Dog has established a career that has resulted in the sale of more than 18.5 million albums to date. Snoop, who emerged from the gangsta rap ashes of NWA, quickly became the West Coast’s spokesperson for smokin ‘the chronic’ and pimpin from a catalogue of women that strolled, in his words, “from southern California’s 10 freeway to the 101.” Absolutely the Doctor’s Advocate ( a reference to Dr. Dre), the Long Beach Crip christened the red light house party with his four time platinum Doggystyle debut. “What’s My Name” branded Snoop while his second single “Gin and Juice”, which was nominated for a Grammy in 1995, branded the leisure exploits of the Dog’s lifestyle. “Rollin down the street, smokin indo, sippin on gin and juice. Laid back [with my mind on my money and my money on my mind.]”

There was no question whether or not hip hop was alive back then. It was America’s lucrative yet defiant runaway child prodigy that had a mouth as boisterous as a southern Pentecostal preacher in a tent revival. The music was representative of what was happening in the streets. And everyone from Compton to Brooklyn was jockeying for ear space.

Fast forward to 2007, and the maturation of hip hop is etched in stone like the thirteenth commandment with the release of Jay Z’s Kingdom Come. Def Jam’s presidents’ “30 Something” sharpens the lens of the genre’s most humbling critics. The patriarchs, minus slain disciples Biggie and Tupac, have upgraded their corner boy hustle. Snoop publicly retired from pimpin in 2003 for a more family-oriented Commissioner post with his much publicized Youth Football League. Russell Simmons, lauded for his early pioneering of the hip hop movement, sold his stake in Def Jam to Universal Music Group in 1999 for $100 million and through his Rush Communication s, parlayed the clothing lines Phat Farm and Baby Phat into major million dollar success stories.

The disorderly juvenile had finally grown up and dedicated its swagger to developing financially lucrative brands that move whole families out of Marcy Projects. However, contrary to the monumental exploits made by the senior veterans of hip hop, the lyrical destiny of the overall genre still garners valid concerns. Def Jam’s 33-year-old Godson Nas brought the subliminal questioning of the genre’s commercial mic skills to the forefront with his fourth quarter 2006 release “Hip Hop is Dead.”

With the perpetuation of lower conscious rhyme schemes in today’s hip hop music it would appear that the genre could find redemptive balance with the emergence of spiritually based lyricism. However, 20 years have passed since the first commercial release from the movement and Christian hip hop, by most accounts, still suffers from a lack of credibility and commercial success in the marketplace. As a result the Blackshakespeare Chronicles is dedicated to taking a discerning look into the state of the subgenre through the eyes of some of its most fervent lyricists to ask, Is Christian Hip Hop Dead?

Teron Carter a.k.a. Bonafied of the Nashville rap duo The Grits is arguably hip hop’s most trusted disciple. So when the question of whether his beloved genre was dead surfaced the answer, in his opinion, was as simple as American Pie. “We [Christian hip hop artists] don’t even have a category by most music standards. Therefore how can something be dead, when it’s never been considered alive by the corporate decision makers of our music?” The Grits, whose name is an acronym for “Grammatical Revolution in the Spirit”, consists of Bonafide and Stacy “Coffee” Jones.

Unlike most hip hop evangelists, the southern charismatic rap artists, who teamed up in 1993, have penned songs for Hollywood and pressed ink in the mainstream pages of XXL, Vibe, and the Source. However, it was the top selling rap duo’s ink blot in Christian music’s leading publication, CCM Magazine, which transformed them into revolutionaries in an industry starving for representation. In the interview Coffee blasted the industry for its blatant racism by stating that black faces scare the white [Christian] industry that is supposed to support their [Christian] music.

Additionally, the more fair skinned of the duo stated, “Stacie Orrico, whom they’ve [CCM market gatekeepers] embraced, she’s doing her version of urban music. Her beats are very urban-driven. They feel safer with a white face promoting that kind of music than with a black face.” Bonafied echoed Coffee’s comments by stating, “There is a blatant division within our [CCM] industry. Why shy away from talking about race and about who’s really running things? You see it in music, our churches, etc. In the Christian music industry, everything is predominantly white. Black music doesn’t really exist in that genre. There are even moments where we feel as though we’re the Affirmative Action of Christian music: “Well let’s put GRITS up there just because we have to. We need something.”

The real dichotomy of Christian music is that black hip hop artists, unlike their mainstream counterparts, appear on opposite sides of the racially drawn lines of Christian music. Christian Contemporary Music [CCM], which is traditionally Caucasian and the Gospel music market that targets an African American demographic, are split down the middle when it comes to hip hop. Evangelical lyricists spit Jesus rhymes from both sides of the track.

The Grits, who are African American and signed to the more CCM driven Gottee Records, have traditionally been exposed to a Caucasian demographic by the nature of their signing. While former Three Six Mafia convert Mr. Del, signed to the EMI distributed Holy Hip Hop brand is predominately marketed to a black audience with spill over white appeal. Meanwhile, artists like The Grits are challenged with the racism which exists in the market, Gospel or Holy hip hop artists are challenged by some within the black church who perceive that hip hop is overtly demonic. The latter is primarily due to the Extreme Ministry’s Elder, G. Craig Lewis’s self proclaimed revelation from God.

Lewis has traveled the country preaching and selling video tapes which state, among other things, that the hip hop culture originates from demonic activity and should not be supported by the church. Lewis’s message has notable inconsistencies and as a result many in the industry have discredited a large portion of his ‘hellfire and brimstone’ evangelism as just another hustle. However, Lewis’ message has reached the pulpits of the black church and has persuaded many to close their venues to hip hop artists altogether.

A greater obstacle in hip hop’s pursuit of refuge within the ranks of gospel is the fading relevance of gospel radio. Gospel radio has comfortably found a home on AM frequencies. The hip hop generation however, doesn’t tune into AM frequency in large enough numbers to justify stations playing music that caters to this demographic.

Unfortunately, it appears that the ills within Christian hip hop spread far beyond the gospel that is tries to preach. Striking comparisons could be made between Christian hip hop artists and Civil Rights Era war veterans. Both have fought hard with their respective causes but have yet to receive any of the benefits of homeland security. Bonafied says it best, “It hurts, especially when it’s coming from your brothers and sisters (fellow Christians): “You’re not accepted here.”