Rhetoric Race and Religion
Dan Hodge, author of the soon to be seminal work, The Soul of Hip Hop: Rims Timbs, and a Cultural Theology,” wades into the religious rhetoric that invariably will be a part of the upcoming election season. Drawing from the work of Wade Clark Roof and Neil Smelser who argues that our civil religion may at times hurt us, Hodge reminds us that hip hoppers sometimes act as prophets that speak out against the hegemony of civil religion. Hodge writes that “at the root of Hip Hop essence and culture is the power and strength to call out authority and question authoritarian powers that have, historically, been non-trustworthy and continually lied to the public; particularly the urban public.” For Hodge, Tupac provides the best example of this prophetic critique. Read the article here
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