I love hip hop and rap music. Back when I was just a beardless chubby heathen I would listen
to crazy southern rappers like Crime Mob and Lil Jon. I loved T.I., Eminem, and Nas. I
remember being really young and glued to the
TV over the Tupac vs. Biggie beef (I was team
Biggie for obvious reasons. Bad Boy for life!)
Well as the typical story goes, I became a
Christian and what was mainstream for
Christian Hip Hop was a joke at best. I am not
going to name names because they are good
brothers in the Lord and I have met some of
them personally and they really do have a love
for Christ and a passion for the Gospel that is
seen visibly in their lives and in their work.
However, I was not feeling them musically.
I went on this hardcore music path for about 2
or 3 years listening to Underoath, As Cities
Burn, and For Today. It was fun but there was
definitely a cultural confusion in me. I would
be rocking Tall Tees in mosh pits and people
didn’t know what to do with me. That is when I
showed up at Trinity College of Florida and met
Kevin Burgess. You may know him as rapper
KB from Reach Records. He and his friends
became my friends and I learned a whole new
world of Hip Hop that was not only stylistically
great but was also biblically sound.
Since then I have had the privilege of going to
dozens of concerts and building a library of
solid hip hop music that glorifies God and
promotes the Gospel. Here is a top ten list for
those of you who may have never stepped foot
in the Hip Hop world or want a good album to
give to that student that is a bit more “urban”
than you are.
1.Lecrae | @Lecrae
If you know anything about Christian Hip Hop
you probably have seen or heard this guy. He
has been featured on BET and has been
upsetting the mainstream Hip Hop world for a
while. He released Church Clothes in May as a
free mixtape. It was considered the most
important album in Christian Hip Hop History. It
was downloaded over 100,000 times in less
than 48 hours. He since dropped his album
Gravity this past September at debuted at No. 3
on the Billboard 200, and No. 1 under Rap,
Christian, and Independent Albums. Download
Church Clothes for Free or go buy Lecrae on
iTunes .
2.Trip Lee | @TripLee116
If I could define Trip Lee in one word it would
be “smooth”. The guys flow is so smooth and
unique that you just want to
keep listening because there is no one else
that raps like this guy. I love this guy a lot
because he is transparent and kingdom
minded. He just came out with his final album
“The Good Life ” and followed up with a book to
go a long with it. He said he is taking a break
from music. However, there is plenty of good
music for us to enjoy. One of my favorite tracks
and music videos of all time is
The Invasion (Hero) . His down south Texas
swag makes him one of my favorites! His
passion for Christ and desire to serve his
church over music makes me even more in
love with this guy! Buy Trip Lee on iTunes.
3.KB | @KB_HGA
Little known fact. I am in a hip hop music
video. I show up in the “Zone Out” music video
with about 20 or so of my good friends from
Tampa at about the 1:35 mark. I have seen KB
grow up from this kid who would wear over-
sized shirts and rap in church parking lots, to
rocking out 10,000 per stadiums with Lecrae.
His music is amazing! His album, Weight and
Glory , does what the title says, tries to capture
the weight and glory of who God is. If I could
vouch for someone on this list, I can really
only do it for this guy. I have done real life with
this guy. What you hear in his music he really
does live out. He has a passion to share Jesus
to the world. He just happens to be gifted with
the ability to rap, so he takes full advantage of
that for the Glory of God. Go get his music and
Zone Out for a while! Buy KB on iTunes.
4.Andy Mineo @AndyMineo
Can I be really honest here. I am very critical of
white rappers. Just because, for me
historically, white rappers have been jokes. It
can work in the secular world with Eminem.
However, we have seen pure cheesiness when
our Caucasian brothers begin to rap ( anyone
remember Carmen ?). Well this guy shatters any
concerns of cheesiness. He first grabbed my
attention when he came out with “In My City “,
which is like an athem song to see revival in
your city and neighborhood. After Reach
Records signed him to their label he came out
with an album called “Formerly Known “. He is
fun, humours word play, and just raw talent.
One of my favorite tracks is Young which
features KB! Buy Andy Mineo on iTunes.
5. Thi’sl | @Thisl
Maybe it is because he is a big guy like me.
Maybe it is because he just makes heave hood
music. I don’t know what it is but I love Thi’sl.
I actually first heard about this guy from
watching a YouTube video of him sharing the
gospel to a Muslim . If you want to see a good
glimplse of his heart and his background,
watch this mini-documentary he made . It
explains his upbringing and how he went from
a drug dealer selling Cocaine to a Hip Hop
missionary sharing the gospel to thousands of
people across the country and getting people
out of the “Trap”. Buy Thi’sl on iTunes .
6.Propaganda @Prophiphop
You may know him from his super epic video
on the Gospel produced by Dare2Share . This
poet/rapper/lyricist has been on many of the
big conference circuits and is currently on tour
with The Unashamed Tour . His latest project
“Excellent ” still broke the Billboard top 200 even
though the album could be downloaded for free
from their website. I can honestly say that
there is nothing else like this out there that I
am aware of in the Christian Music industry.
Super original and provacative. Buy
Propaganda on iTunes or download it for free
from HumbleBeast.com
7. Beautiful Eulogy @BeautifulEulogy
This group is newer but the rappers in the
group have been around for awhile. They were
featured on Lecrae’s Church Clothes on the
track “Misconception “. They came out with an
amazing album called Satellite Kite. One of my
favorite tracks is Anchor featuring Josh
Garrels. Buy Beautiful Eulogy on
iTunes or download it for free from
HumbleBeast.com .
8. Shai Linne @ShaiLinne
Shai Linne is an icon. He has been in the
Christian Hip Hop world since the early 2000’s.
If you want good classic hip hop, turn in Shai
Linne. If you want to teach propitiation and
expiation to your students, turn on Shai Linne.
The guy shouldn’t be a rapper, he should be
a professor at a seminary. This is one of my
students favorite rappers because he makes
theology exciting and epic. It is hard to find a
favorite track. It is hard to find a favorite
Album. In 2005 he had “The Solus Christus
Project ” which was great. In 2008 he came out
with two amazing albums, Storiez and
The Atonement Two unique albums, however
both saturated in scripture and theology. His
most recent album, “The Attributes of God ”
brought a new level of production and style to
Shai Linne’s already awesome discography.
Buy Shai Linne on iTunes .
9.Tedashii | @Tedashii
If there is one guy who I always enjoy seeing
live, it is Tedashii. There is something about his
deep booming voice and his large stature that
makes his live shows so crazy. It seems like he
has 1 or 2 iconic songs on every album he puts
out! Though “Go Hard ” is technically a Lecrae
song, when I hear it, I think about Tedashii’s
verse and every football game I ever played.
“Dum Dum “, “26’s “, “ Make War“, and “ I’m a
Believer ” are all classics that make me want to
get up and either start dancing or go work out!
Tedashii is great for pre-youth group service
music! Buy Tedashii on iTunes .
10. Swoope | @MrSwoope
I love this guy. If you don’t know who he is,
don’t sweat it but get to know him. Every
feature he is on is pure gold. If I hear Swoope
is on an album, I will go out my way to listen to
that track first before anything else. His flow
and wordplay are off the charts! His album
“Wake Up ” shook the Christian Hip Hop world
with his transparency and honesty. Buy
Swoope on iTunes.
Notable Mentions: Da’ T.R.U.T.H. , Flame , Pro/
Derek Minor , Canon , Reconcile, S.O. (best UK
rapper ever), Timothy Brindle, and J’Son .
There is a great website to keep up with all
things Christian Hip Hop. It is pretty much the
only place on the web you would ever need to
go to for this: Rapzilla.com
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