Origins of Rap music

Aaron Leatherdale - Rapper 
Follow Aaron on Twitter: aleatherdale
Website & personal blog: aaronleatherdale.org
Aaron grew up in Prince George, BC, Canada and moved to IHOP in May 2007. His passion and desire is to serve the Lord through prayer and fasting and to preach the love of Christ to the nations of the earth.


A Brief Look at the Origins of Rap Music From a Christian Perspective
Rap music is a musical genre that developed in the 1970s in the South Bronx of New York City.  Although often referred to as hip hop, rap music is actually part of a larger hip hop culture.  Rapping or emceeing, breaking or break-dancing, graffiti art, and deejaying are generally known as the four elements of hip hop.

Rapping, a complex lyrical delivery of words usually spoken over a synthesized beat or instrumental in 4/4 time signature, can be traced back hundreds of years to the Griots of Africa.  These traveling minstrels and poets would “rap” about current events and political situations either extemporaneously or with a premeditated verse. 

From the days of “the father of rap” DJ Kool Herc and hip hop pioneers Afrika Baambaata, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five and The Sugarhill Gang, hip hop music has evolved and developed as rappers and producers have built on the innovations and techniques of the previous generations.  Birthed by young people, mostly African Americans and Jamaican immigrants, hip hop music spread from New York City block parties to Philadelphia and the West Coast.  The 1980s to early 1990s are often referred to as the “Golden Era” of hip hop when it seemed that every new single reinvented the genre[1]. Hip hop is an unarguably powerful youth-oriented culture that has grown from humble beginnings to a global movement that encompasses virtually every people group on earth with a radio. According to National Geographic, just about every country on the planet seems to have developed its own local rap scene.[2]

As the influences of hip hop culture have pervaded many sectors of society, including the church, some Christians have resisted rap music and have even categorically written off the entire genre claiming it is worldly or “of the devil”.  This shunning of a certain musical style or sound is nothing new. In Medieval times, the Roman Catholic Church banned the tritone.  The tritone, a musical interval that spans three whole tones, was superstitiously known as “the devil’s chord” or “diabolus in musica” (the devil in music)[3].  In the early 1970s, religious fundamentalist groups criticized Larry Norman, often described as “the father of Christian rock music”, for his song, “Why Should The Devil Have All The Good Music?” As contemporary worship teams and choirs began to integrate and even emulate secular rock sounds in the church, many conservative Christians loudly protested, even though most rock and roll was heavily influenced by country and gospel music. 

There has always been a fuzzy line between sacred and secular when it comes to musical styles.  Throughout the 20^th century, the church has “borrowed” from the world and the world has “borrowed” from the church. Whenever secular music was rewritten and adopted into the church, there was always an outcry from certain factions of the religious community who thought it was inappropriate. Ray (Charles)is one of the cases where it was done in reverse, where he took gospel music and took it to a secular audience and rewrote the words…Elvis Presley certainly had a church undertone to his music and was open in talking about how his music was influenced by the church[4].

Many of the musical genres that have developed in North America over the last century including gospel, blues, jazz, rock and hip hop have roots that can be traced back to African spirituals sung by slaves.  During the Transatlantic Slave Trade when millions of enslaved Africans arrived in the New World, there were systematic efforts to de-Africanize the captive Black workforce. Enslaved people were forbidden from speaking their native languages[5].  In the midst of harsh oppression and bondage, slaves, many converting to Christianity, held religious services and “bush meetings” to express themselves.  It was there…that enslaved Africans…crafted the impromptu musical expression of field songs into the so-called "line singing" and intricate, multi-part harmonies of struggle and overcoming, faith, forbearance and hope that have come to be known as…spirituals[6].  The term “spirituals” is taken from Ephesians 5:19 where Paul the Apostle exhorts believers to sing to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs.  The musical style of spirituals is an amalgamation of African musical influences and music of European origin.

The fact that unrighteous men laid the foundations for hip hop music and culture is obvious.  No one in the church would disagree with that.  Hip hop goes beyond entertainment and culture and has become a worldwide syncretistic religion including a Declaration of Spiritual Beliefs[7] combining Christian, Islamic and Humanistic belief systems into a “hip hop code” created by Universal Zulu Nation and Temple of Hip Hop.  Hip hop culture keeper and founder of Temple of Hip Hop, KRS-One, has even written a life manual for “Hiphoppas” called The Gospel of Hip Hop. The Gospel of Hip Hop: First Instrument, the first book from the I Am Hip Hop, is the philosophical masterwork of KRS ONE. Set in the format of the Christian Bible, this 800-plus-page opus is a life-guide manual for members of Hip Hop Kulture that combines classic philosophy with faith and practical knowledge for a fascinating,in-depth exploration of Hip Hop as a life path[8].

The question must be asked.  Can the Lord redeem a style of music that was birthed by worldly men and use it for His glory?  Or do we reject one of the most prolific music genres of today because it has dark roots?  To properly address this question we need to peer back in time much farther than the flamboyant forerunners of hip hop in the 1970s or the Fisk Jubilee Singers performing spirituals circa 1870s.  Beethoven referred to J.S. Bach as “the original father of harmony”[9] and some have even ventured to call him the “father of classical music”, but who is the father of music in general?  Long before the non-fretted zithers of China or the ouds (a precursor of the lute) of ancient Persia there was a musician named Jubal. According to Biblical records, he was the father of all who play the harp and the flute[10].  Before the Deluge that covered the earth, there was Jubal– the ancestor of all musicians throughout the ages.

Very little is known about Jubal but according to Jewish tradition he exercised himself in music, and invented the psaltery and the harp[11].  Jubal laid the foundations thousands of years ago and musicians ever since have been building upon this antediluvian music of the Fertile Crescent. 

Instead of looking at hip hop music and writing it off because of its “dark roots”, we should look at the roots of music in general.  Who created music?  Obviously, God did.  God is the author of music and artistic expression and created it to be used for His glory.  For by Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by Him and for Him[12].  Since the days of ancient Mesopotamia, people have developed diverse styles of music as they have built on the “harp and flute of Jubal”.  Some of these people have been righteous but many have been wicked and have perverted music and used it for self-glorification or worship of demons. 

Hip hop pioneers in the 1970s did not “create” drums, beats or syncopated poetry – they built upon and were influenced by the musicians who preceded them.  (Rap music) is an art form based on borrowing elements from other forms, and using them in new ways. Think of the first DJ’s who took James Brown and Parliament records and found the hidden break beats in them. DJing itself is an artform of taking something that already exists, and using it in a new way, cutting, splicing and scratching.  Obviously, there is no single ‘hip-hop sound.’ When Afrika Bambaata was presiding over block parties in the Bronx in the late seventies, he’d instruct the DJ’s to find break beats in all kinds of music, from jazz records to funk to soul to gospel to the ‘beach blanket’ pop songs all the white kids were listening to in the fifties. All of this got incorporated into hip-hop.[13]  Although they developed sounds never heard before (e.g. Grand Wizzard Theodore inventing scratching and perfecting the “needle drop”), all styles can be traced back to God, the Author of music.  EVERYTHING is created through Jesus. I believe there is no sacred/secular divide. If it exists, Jesus created it. Even if it has been distorted for evil or glorifying bad things, in its original form, Jesus created it in a pure and holy form.  It's up to Christian musicians to be obedient with what Jesus has created and gifted us with. It's up to us to make a choice to give back to the Lord what is the Lord's.  It's no different than any other aspect of life: money, sex, governmental authority, land ownership, literature, knowledge, food, etc.  It all belongs to God. None are wicked until humanity distorts or uses them in corrupt ways.  Music and any genre of music are not any exception.[14]

Nowhere in the Bible does God put format above content.  God is more interested in a person’s heart then He is a particular musical style.  Every musical instrument and every genre can be used for the glory of God.  Frank Breeden, president of theGospel Music Association, an organization that sponsors the Dove Awards,states, "there really is no such thing as a Christian B-flat, music in itself is an amoral vehicle.[15]  If Christians in the 21^st century are required to stay within the cultural framework of Biblical music, then we should all be playing harps, lyres and singing in Hebrew.  In the Book of Revelation, we see a great multitude of saints from every nation, tribe, people and tongue standing before the Lord.[16]  Heaven consists of a diverse multi-cultural blend of people groups from every corner of the globe.  Does the Lord take delight in the indigenous culture, language, art, dress and music of every people group?  I believe the answer is yes.  Although fallen man has temporarily perverted much of what the Lord created, I think we will see representations of every culture, including every musical genre, redeemed and sanctified in heaven.

Music and prayer go hand-in-hand.  As we draw nearer to the Second Coming of Christ, the Holy Spirit is raising up a global prayer and worship movement.  The primary expression of the church in the final days before Christ’s coming will be a praying and worshiping community.  Prayer and worship will no longer be a “side-ministry” of the church relegated to a few nightly meetings a week.  Jesus will physically come back to the earth in response to the church singing and declaring His praise day and night.  There is worship in heaven and the Lord is bringing about the full expression of that worship on the earth[17].  I believe this end-time worship movement will include every musical genre.

Rap music has come a long way since the old school flows of Melle Mel and has become an unequivocally strong force molding and shaping culture. The Lord is bringing this worldwide movement that was birthed in the context of racial oppression and violence, to the forefront before He returns.  As the Lord pours out a spirit of prophecy in these last days, there is an invitation for those who carry the heart and message of the Lord to “spit rhymes”.  If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God[18].  All you need is a set of vocal cords.  And maybe a notebook and a pen, but those aren’t required. 

© 2010 Aaron Leatherdale  
 

[1]Rolling Stone magazine
[2] “Hip Hop: National Geographic World Magazine”. worldmusic.nationalgeographic.com. 2002-10-17
[3] Reinhold, Hammerstein (1974) (in German). Diabolus in musica
[4] T.D. Jakes, interview with Beliefnet
[5] Wikipedia – Spirituals (music)
[6] Ibid
[7] www.hiphopministries.org
[8] Ibid
[9] Kerst, Friedrich (1904). “Beethoven im eigenen Wort”
[10] Genesis 4:21
[11] Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, Book 1, Chap. 11
[12] Colossians 1:16
[13] Flocabulary, The Rapper’s Handbook, Pg. 102
[14] Jeffrey Alan, rap artist
[15] Barnet, Richard D. (2001) Controversies of the Music Industry (1st ed.)
[16] Rev. 7:9
[17] Luke 18:7-8; Mt. 25:1-13; Rev. 5:8; 6:9-11; Isa. 24:14-16; 42:10-13; Ps. 149:6-9; Matt. 6:10
[18] 1 Peter 4:11