Just had the opportunity to tackle a fun assignment for Christianity Today: profile several of the most prolific gospel rap artists. Cat, meet catnip. CT just published the piece, which is a sidebar to Russ Moore’s cover story on the Christian hip hop movement (presently behind the paywall). My shorter piece covers Lecrae, Trip Lee (photo), [...]
Your Weekly Hot Rap Song
January 19, 2013 By
Hot new rap video from a young gun I haven’t heard of: Skrip. Features Andy Mineo, one of the most talented rappers around.
The Best Song of 2012 Is…a Rap Song!
December 20, 2012 By 2 Comments
I listen to a good amount of music. The best song I heard in 2012 was “Beautiful Eulogy” by the rap group of the same name (Beautiful Eulogy, just to make that abundantly clear). BE is based out of Portland, Oregon; in the oddness of life, I first listened to the song while walking on [...]
Reflecting on Propaganda’s Fiery “Precious Puritans” Rap Song
September 26, 2012 By 64 Comments
The talented Christian rapper Propaganda just released “Excellent,” a strong new album on the Humble Beast label (buy it here). Humble Beast is the home of Beautiful Eulogy, the group from Portland, Oregon that put out an excellent album this summer. Propaganda is equal parts slam poet and rapper. He hits hard in his content [...]
Scorching New Flame Song: “Trap Money”
September 21, 2012 By Leave a Comment
This one goes very, very hard, as the rappers say. Flame and his colleagues tear this song up. Good to see Young Noah get some shine. Believe it or not, I have rapped–in public, no less–with Flame and Young Noah. And that is all we shall say about that.
What Is the Good Life? On Trip Lee’s New Book
September 13, 2012 By Leave a Comment
This looks like a really helpful book: The Good Life by Trip Lee (Moody, 2012). Moody has a nice website up at which you download the book’s first chapter. Also, watch the video above to see Trip’s heart for this topic, which he rapped about in his most recent cd of the same name. This [...]
The Two Hottest Songs from Lecrae’s “Gravity”
September 8, 2012 By 6 Comments
Yesterday, I noted that I just reviewed rapper Lecrae’s brand-new Gravity. Today, I wanted to link to the two songs I consider fresh to the point of heat-seeking. The first is “Falling Down,” produced by The Watchmen, which includes a Boyce College student named Alex Medina. It’s a staggering beat, gothic and weighty, and Lecrae [...]
Reviewing Lecrae’s Brand-New “Gravity”
September 7, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Have you heard of the new album by Lecrae, probably the best-known Christian rapper today? Gravity debuted this Tuesday and immediately hit #1 on the iTunes charts. That’s a remarkable achievement, especially considering the history of gospel hip hop. Actually, it’s a remarkable achievement for a Christian artist of any musical genre. Over at The [...]
The Hip Hop Poet-Laureate of Evangelicalism Strikes Again
September 5, 2012 By 6 Comments
Jefferson Bethke, the Washington spoken-word poet who started a national conversation with his poem going after religion, has just released a new one entitled “Counterfeit Gods.” It’s deep, thoughtful, and beautifully shot. Here’s hoping for more efforts like this from Jefferson and a whole generation of slam poets, rappers, beatmakers, and other artists who love [...]
One of the Most (Honestly) Uplifting Songs of 2012
August 13, 2012 By 3 Comments
I blogged last month about Portland, Oregon rap group Beautiful Eulogy, part of Humble Beast records. Here’s my favorite song from their album, also titled “Beautiful Eulogy.” Both verses are powerful; the second, by the rapper Braille, hits hard, because Braille is referencing the difficulties he’s experienced after his marriage fell apart due, it appears, [...]
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