Alternative Christian Hip-Hop Solves a 40+ Year Old Industry Problem

For over 40 years, the Christian hip-hop industry has had a problem it doesn’t know how to fix. It’s always been too sacred to be secular, but somehow still too secular to be sacred. In the past 5 years or so, churches grapple with the issue of people leaving Christianity to become religious “nones”, the CHH industry has become more concerned with winning Grammy awards, Dove awards, and being recognized by hip-hop greats like Eminem. In other words, the Christian hip-hop industry has gone to great lengths to become accepted by the mainstream hip-hop industry by developiny its capacity to produce more award wining artists that makes music that sounds like secular music.

As Christians, this seems like a great problem to have. But it’s not. You’ll notice that I haven’t used the word “community.” Because the CHH industry, in order to have more mass appeal, has had to do things that the mainstream hip-hop industry does: make music that sounds just like any other rap song on the radio. Why? In hopes that someone will hear it and become inspired by divine intervention (not divine inspiration) to dedicate lives to Christ.

More to the point, at times, this music is targeting the wrong person. If we’re to believe the mission statements on stations like Boost, Christian hip-hop is meant to (I think) get music in the ears of people who are not looking for God (i.e. they’re not in the market to have their hearts, minds, and spirit transformed). But nevertheless, maybe they will still be converted. This prayer relies more on divine timing than it does than our timing. This is, in my view, an unfortunate abuse of our stewardship as Christian artists.

Too Worldly to be Holy

Christian hip-hop is in it for the music and awards, and wants God do the heavy living on the missionary work. That’s what He made us for (Matt. 28:19-20)! From my vantage, I don’t believe that the CHH industry has an intentional focus on creating a community of fans, believers, much less non-believers.

The industry is fishing, not recruiting. The marketing plan for growing its listener base a typical Christian hip-hop label goes something like this:

1. Take a Christian hip-hop artist who used to be “bad” but is now “good”.
2. Make music that sounds “secular”—by mixing in some bass drops, deep 808’s, autotune, and unintelligible lyrics—but is actually “holy”.
3. Present that artist as a ‘family-friendly’ version of some other secular rapper.
4. Mass-market and commodify them, in hopes that someone in the audience will be converted through divine intervention, not divine revelation.
5. Wait for a testimony to come through on the wire.

In marketing, there’s a technical term for this strategy. It’s called “throwing sh*t at the wall and seeing what sticks.” (sarcasm.) That might be good enough to win industry awards. But with increasing numbers of agnostic atheists, liberal media and pop-culture that’s front and center of our younger generations, creating media that is entirely antithetical to traditional Christian values, Christian rappers seem to have cashed in their chips. The industry has given up on its mission to win souls, because awards are the low hanging fruit.

Christian hip-hop has become popular, no doubt about it. But the industry has lost track of its core values. Music from mainstream artists doesn’t challenge people. It helps them feel safe where they are. It says they can be made holy without sacrificing the comforts of the world. I’m not saying Christian hip-hop has to sound terrible. But to sustain our community, it must have substance.

In the hip-hop culture, everybody believes in heaven. By and large, nobody goes to hell.

Da’ T.R.U.T.H

Here’s the thing about pop music: by nature, it doesn’t make people think. There’s nothing cerebral or intellectual about it. There’s no critical thinking involved. It’s just a good beat. There’s no experience, and that’s what makes it a commodity. 

But here’s the problem: Today’s passionate listeners don’t want music that’s skin deep. They’re far more like to be college educated. People want music with substance. They want it to be as discerning as they are. They want to love music for what it’s not, not what it is. They want music that’s real.

This partly explains why rapper NF has been so successful. It’s because he makes music that people can actually relate to. He’s popular, but despite reaching a mass audience, he maintains his integrity. He writes songs that are a response to real questions, real social and emotional issues. That’s why he calls it Real Music. 

Just in case my car goes off the highway
Or the plane that I get on decides that it’s my last day
I want you to know when you’re alone and you feel afraid
You’re not the only person in the world that isn’t okay
There’s millions of us just like you…

“Just Like You” by NF (2021)

Only a handful of faith based rappers have been able to transcend the mainstream the secular hip-hop and Christian hip-hop industries. Kanye West is maybe the most notable exception of late. 

Christian hip-hop is inching closer to sounding more like today’s pop hip-hop artists. And with more artists continuing to use autotune, wavy sounds and a generic New School sound, it’s hard to discern who is in which camp. But remember: today’s discerning consumer wants discernment in their music. Cristian hip-hop doesn’t always provide that. 

Here is an example of an actual song that was played on Christian hip-hop airwaves with alarming frequency since 2018:

Then she see me drip on the beat
Roll up then I pull up call me bond on the beat
Tic toc going imma dip on the beat
Gucci on my wrist call me Von on the beat
Then she call me cool
Girl you got me ooh
Girl you know we do
Cash in the box, he a two
Baby I’m lovin’ lovin’ you
Yea yea I’m feelin feelin you
You got me goin goin goin crazy
Crazy crazy for you
(Hook)
If you lookin’ for a good time
Then you know that I’m wit it
I’m wit it, I’m wit it
G-class goin’ 105
Yeah you know that I’m in it
I’m in it, I’m in it
I ain’t got a lotta time
By tonight I’ll be gone
Gotta catch a flight
I got a lot going on
But if you want a good time
Then you know that I’m wit it.

“I’M WIT IT” by Cape Lions (2018)

Among secular hip-hop artists especially, there’s nothing inspiring about them. They don’t publicly position themselves as role models. They’re not crusaders of righteousness, wisdom, or justice. They don’t advocate a cause, just themselves. That’s not conscious. That’s selfish. 

But that’s why there’s Christian hip hop. Clean, faith-based, positive, family friendly, right?

Yes, but not always. 

She got the spirit of God
But don’t think that she won’t go off
What we got goin’ on can only be love
So grab somebody like in the movies (yeah)
And hit the dance floor, oh

“GIRL” by Gawvi (2020)

Yes, those are real lyrics by a real Christian rap artist (who has since been “cancelled”). And I have bad news: there’s more.

I got so much drive but I’m back in
Reverse
Play this song at the church
God is great, God is good
My girl is bad, and I’m worse
I stomp on the beat like I’m Kirk
I wear it out like some merch
God said the last gon’ be first
So I got it poppin’ like a perk
You can’t play this game from the bleachers
So I practice everything I’m preaching
Don’t call me fam cause we ain’t related
If you got my blood it’s cause you leaching
I be on stages but I don’t act
I’mma last forever but don’t got no tats
I feel like Jesus gone play this song
When the sky crack like 
I was gone but now I’m back 
I’m back 
Back in bag (back in yo bag?) 

“Back in my Bag” by Aha Gazelle (2017)

(First of all, why is a Christian rap artist making a reference to Percocets?)

So, as you can tell, not all Christian rappers are conscious. But not all conscious rappers are Christian. 

So what can be done? We find artists who are both.

 Today’s Conscious Audience

Why doesn’t CHH try to reach people who are actively, consciously, intentionally, and earnestly asking questions about the divine, and provide resources and solutions? This target market is interested in learning more about God and is far more likely to convert to Christianity than those who are not actively seeking Him.

In a very general sense, today’s consumers want products that are green. And that serve a higher purpose, and will mobilize around a cause they believe in. And in fact, to call them consumers is a bit of a misnomer. They want to invest. In themselves especially. And they want music, like any other product, with value. They want their purchases to provide themselves an ROI. They want to buy from companies that are honest, ethical, stand up for truth (in a supposedly post-truth world where all facts are relative). For once, they just want someone to tell them the God’s honest truth. The explosion of podcasts and other spoken word-type formats since 2020, listeners want to be informed first, entertained second.

But don’t underestimate them. These people are not straight edge, conservative, cleaned up, Sunday best shirt and tie folks. If there’s one thing they do love, its music and TV that provokes a debate. 

If CHH record labels could find a way to reach today’s music consumer, who is looking for music with substance, who is looking for ways to live a lifestyle that is intentional, spiritual, and centered around “PLUR” (peace, love, unity, respect), they need to have music that reflects that. Christian hip-hop labels need to evolve. And they need marketing experts who knows how to reach this segment of consumers.

Prepare to Meet Your Market: Alternative Christian Hip-Hop

And that’s where Koshiz Music comes in. The Koshiz Kommunity is a community of believers and non-believers. Because I believe that, if we put religious terms aside for a moment, that agnostic, non-believing audiences and Christians have far more in common than they are different. Our goals, our values, and even how we perceive the world around us is similar. We may use different words, but we want the same things. We could even stand to learn a lot from one another. I created Koshiz Music because I believe that common grace should be a #1 priority in any marketing plan in Christian hip-hop.

My mission is to publish Christian Christian hip-hop music that is socially conscious. It’s music that encourages people to build up themselves and others spiritually and mentally. I create, buy, sell, and promote music that serves a higher purpose; music that’s socially and culturally relevant, and it offers a solution to the most pressing issues of our time: Jesus Christ. Koshiz Music is conscious music for conscious people. 

I want to help those listeners who have been underserved, unrecognized, and maybe even hurt by “church people” in the past feel validated. I make music that affirms their mindset and their socially aware, goal-focused, continuous improvement lifestyles. It helps underground artists get more exposure by joining the mainstream. This helps the Christian hip-hop industry evolve, and it gets music into the ears of people who actually want to hear it, not the ones that don’t.

Because the more the Christian music industry makes music that sounds like this:

Party in the Hills, it’s a celebration
I’m talkin’ lit with no limitations
Gotta keep it rockin’ with the crew, yeah
Work hard, play harder ’til we through, yeah
Vacay all the way to the Bay, yeah
Up to Hollywood just to get away, yeah
I’m talkin’ West Coast maybe on an island
In the Hills, way, way up how we wylin’, woo!
On one hundred with the squad
Poppin’ wheelies on the block
Tell ’em keep up with the boy
Lookin’ at the world and everything we achieved
But blessin’ to be successful
Livin to see the dream
Like every weekend we drama free
And we ain’t leavin’ until the sun come up
Like every weekend we drama free
And we ain’t leavin’ until the sun come up

Yeah, every weekend we throw a party in the Hills for fun
It’s drama free and only got room for my day ones
Singin’ like oh, oh-oh-oh-oh (on the weekend)
Party in the Hills for fun
Oh, oh-oh-oh-oh (on the weekend)
Only got room for my day ones
…
Yeah, every weekend we throw a party in the Hills for fun
It’s drama free and only got room for my day ones
Singin’ like oh, oh-oh-oh-oh (on the weekend)
Party in the Hills for fun
Oh, oh-oh-oh-oh (on the weekend)
Only got room for my day ones
Oh

Party, party, party
Party all day, party all night
Party, party, party
Party all day, party all night
Party all day, party all night
Party like a rockstar, party like a rockstar
Put them hands in the air, it’s about that time
…

“Party in the Hills” by Hollyn ft. Andy Mineo & Steven Malcom (2017)

It won’t be much longer before the Dove award shows start to look more like this: