Following on from last month, I wanted
to continue on the same theme, of “Roaring on the rooftops”, vs
“Living like leaven”. If you didn't catch last months blog, I
suggest you read it here first. I wanted to start off with a little
video that features a hip hop artist called Trip Lee. Even if you're
not big into hip hop, it's still worth watching... Trip Lee (definitely a Christ-follower) is interviewed by some dude who's running
rapper 50 Cents Youtube channel, connecting the rapper with a whole
new audience. Check out the 6 minute interview below.
Given his cultural context, I believe Trip handles this interview beautifully. He's not the only artist who's
working to avoid the “Christian rapper” label, Lecrae is another
one – he put it simply in an interview (on the same Youtubechannel) “If I'm a Christian rapper, then Lupe Fiasco's a Muslim
rapper”. That's it – case closed right there. These artists, and
many others, are connecting well with an audience that's wider than
the Christian bubble. Even if you dislike hip hop music, there's a lesson in
there for you if you're an artist, or if you're involved with the
media in some way. Just because you're a disciple of Jesus, doesn't
mean that you have to bring a message through everything you do.
There's a lot more to the kingdom than transforming all that we do in
our life into a gospel tract. Of course the gospel is important, and
we should never deny what we believe - but if you know your calling
is to bring music to a large audience, or if you know you've got a
vision and a message that the world needs to hear, then there's
nothing wrong with working not to be pigeon-holed.
Hi Chris,
ReplyDeleteFirstly - I'm enjoying reading your blog. I agree with what you're saying. The reality is that we all (whatever our beliefs) bring a message through everything we do. It may not be overt, it may not even be the message we want to bring. But our deeds, actions, character ie. how we live our life - all bring a message. You're right - 'gospel tract' - is a very limited view because our entire life should reflect Jesus in us.
Looking forward to reading and engaging more!
Aleem