On my way home from another LONG day of work, I stopped at a Subway sandwich shop to enjoy one of my new fave spots these days, thanks to their new Philly Cheesesteak sandwiches.
I decided to eat in today...I'd been all over Fresno, and I was tired of driving.
It wasn't long before I regretted that decision...thanks to what this sandwich shop was providing us for atmosphere and entertainment.
The local top 40 radio station, or at least the FORMER top 40 station, was playing one rap song after another.
Forgetting the question as to why Friday seemed to be "rap night", my immediate reaction was "why"...as in, why is rap called "music"?
I've contended for some time that rap is not so much music as it is scripted contrived anger recited over a rhythm bed, and there is so much latent hostility in most of it to wonder why anyone would derive pleasure from it.
I realize a remark like the one I just made smacks of a generational gap of some proportion, and I have long been tolerant of a wide variety of musical expression...a record collection that ranges from Rubinstein to Ornette Coleman to Ernest Tubb to the Who and Frank Zappa to a LOT of sacred music of all kinds would certainly make a case for me as a relatively diverse person musically.
But as tolerant and understanding as I try to be of the rap genre, I cannot escape the conclusion that it is not even music.
Rap has no discernible melody to speak of, and harmony is even less apparent. The only discernible musical trait of rap is a strong rhythm...obtained as it is from real songs in a lot of cases.
But the whole effect of it, at least that of the numbers I was forced to endure in the Subway, was one of extreme hostility, if not of small-scale violence(at least).
And you'll have a hard time convincing me that this genre does anything to build a more positive outlook on life or a more positive atmosphere.
I know that some genres come and go as fads....that was the case with calypso music in the 1950s, popular folk music the 1960s, and disco music in the 1980s.
And maybe rap is just a product of these increasingly confusing and difficult times, I don't know, but I can certainly HOPE that rap has no staying power beyond these days. I don't see what positive feelings or technical musical achievements can be derived from a steady diet of rap music...it is many things perhaps, but MUSICAL is one thing it is most definitely NOT.
This would not be of anything more than passing interest to me(and once I'm done writing this, I'm SURE it will return to passing interest status), but there are some artists out there doing Christian-style rap, i.e., the gospel message expressed in rap lyrics.
Now I am all for using any available genre to reach its' adherents with the gospel message, and if it does the trick, I have NO problem with the implementation of it. But I really have a hard time linking that M.O. to reaching rap aficionados in search of a REAL positive message.
But if anyone can, our God can...there are no limits to His power to reach across all cultural and age gaps.
So I will pray for the Christian rappers, and ALL rappers who are seriously seeking to communicate a positive message through their genre to their audiences.
For, based on what I heard today, they'll need all the help they can get.
Author: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Written: 12/19/2008
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Category: Southern Gospel Music
Comments: 10
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And I lend a great big amen to what you are saying John.
Elizabeth
Chosing Christ Above Everything!!
Your closing comment made me chuckle audibly. Well said!
Rap Music is as much an oxymoron as Microsoft Works. 
Daniel J. Mount
Editor of SouthernGospelBlog.com
Founder and Admin Emeritus of SouthernGospelForums.com
I couldn't agree more on rap "music". As for the Subway Philly Cheesesteak, I eat them in Indiana, but, they can't ever compare to Pat's or Gino's in Philadelphia.
Mars Ill, Listener, Deepspace5, Playdough, Cross Movement, Sev Statik, I could go on. All Christians making rap music, and doing a great job. These guys are reaching people other parts of Christianity (and especially Christian music) won't touch. I personally know a few of these guys, and let me tell you something - they're definitely spreading the Gospel. Maybe not in churches, but isn't that the point? Should we not be happy that the Gospel is going into places we don't go? Southern Gospel artists wouldn't go within a mile of most of the people these guys are reaching. And, hey, that's fine, because these people wouldn't want to listen to Southern Gospel. Different strokes for different folks. I know of several people these men have had good one-on-one time with after concerts, and have been able to share the Gospel with them. I've even met people saved through the work these men have done.
Thanks Daniel for making those comments. I've been trying to wrap my mind around my thoughts about John's blog - but I think you did a fantastic job.
Yes, Daniel..I am surprised...pleasantly so, I might add.
I hope you will see by my third-to-last and next-to-last lines of my post that I am fully supportive of ANY way that the gospel message can be communicated...whether I understand it or not.
And from the outset I intended this little corner of the web to be interactive...so I appreciate your comments and commend you for your courage and initiative in making your thoughts known...and perusable here, for all the world to see.
And thank you too, Chris, for understanding me and where I'm coming from, and adding your own thoughts to this discussion.
One last thing, Daniel...I post what I do here not because I think people will or won't agree with me, but only to express my own opinions, for better or worse. This is my own forum for doing so, and I choose to use it for that purpose alone...and readers can agree, disagree, praise, criticize, applaud, or dispute as they see fit.
This is what sharpens me and makes me a better person(and maybe, a better writer). So thanks again to everyone who stops by and leaves their .02 as well...I trust and pray we'll all be better off for the interaction.
Morning glory and evening grace,
Giving the world a smile each day,
john.sogospelnews.com
"Christian rap" music? As far as I'm concerned, there is no such thing! Having said that, I'm sure I'll be labled "narrow minded, out of touch, bigoted, redneck, etc." When I was in college, in the OLD days, I took a basic course called "Music Appreciation 101". At that time rap music was not on the radar as being a style of music. Somewhere along the way since, some poeple who have no vocal talents of any kind, has rhymed their way into something called "rap music". As stated earlier by someone else, this "msuic" USUALLY carries a connotation of immorality, hate, and violence. In the field of "gospel music", which includes a wide variety of styles, we have become so intent on being politically correct and non-offensive, we tolerate anything and everything in our music.
singin said "'Christian rap' -- Not for me!"
I wish you would have just said that instead of spouting everything else ridiculous like you did. It obviously showed that you know nothing about something that you think you know about.
Why do we have to tear down another form of music just because we don't like it or understand it?
By simple reputation in our culture, and by who has popularized various forms of music, I've noticed:
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