Holy Hip Hop: Roots of Christian Hip Hop Music

Though hip hop can boast topping the music charts, there is a lesser known cousin of the genre referred to as holy hip hop or Christian hip hop. It was also known as Gospel rap and is also called Christ hop.

What is Christian Hip Hop?

It is form of rap or hip hop that expresses Christian beliefs or a religious theme. It is a way for the artists of this genre to spread their message to the masses. It is thought that Christian hip hop is a great way to evangelize to younger audiences that respond to traditional hip hop but without the conventional themes of violence, disrespect and drugs.

The History behind Christian Hip Hop

One of the earliest Gospel rap albums to be released was Bible Break by Stephen Wiley in 1985. P.I.D. or Preachas in Disguise were commercially successful with their two recordings Back to Back and Here We Are. The name Christian hip hop wasn't coined until the 90s.

Other popular artists of the 80s were Soldiers for Christ or S.F.C. The group was led by Chris Cooper an African-American from California. He and his group were key players in exposing newer groups that sang Gospel hip hop such as T-Bone.

Many others followed in Chris Cooper and S.F.C.'s footsteps joining rap and Christian faith such as Gospel Gangstaz and the Disciples of Christ or D.O.C. As other artists emerged, the Christian hip hop music became more "street" with a hardcore feel to it that interested many young people that grew up MCing or rapping in the inner cities.

The mainstream hip hop groups that labeled themselves Gospel hip hop artists began to fade as the credibility of the new Christian hip hop movement became more popular. The Gospel Gangstaz were ex-members of such notorious street gangs as The Bloods and the Crips. Their goal was to minister to the youths in the gangs to show them there was a better way than the way they were doing it. Their music and message began to win over fans including Snoop Dogg and Interscope. I Can See Clearly Now by the Gangstaz' in 1999 was the era's biggest seller in Christian hip hop and brought attention to the genre when the group was nominated for Grammy.

Who are Christian Hip Hop Artists?

Though many of today's hip hop artists refer to their faith and beliefs in their songs, most are not considered Christian hip hop as their song lyrics often contain objectionable and offensive material that many Christians abhor. Christian hip hop has no set style and incorporates the styles of Dirty South, West Coast and East Coast hip hop rhythms.

You can find many websites that promote Christian hip hop and its artists such as HolyHipHop.com, which are said to have more than 140,000 downloads in 2006 alone. This genre of hip hop will be more pleasing to adults as they would prefer their children to listen to messages of hope and faith rather than hate and violence.