Everyone has heard a rap song once or twice in their lifetime, premeditated or involuntarily. HipHop is something the Catholic Church should take very seriously as it resonates with our culture especially in the teen department. In order to gain a faithful commitment to the Catholic faith & its teachings, something must connect the adolescent youth of today. Now I'm not saying the Catholic church should start a record label or anything but redistributing the importance of our human existence throughout the church by inspiring musicians to proclaim their faith in ways that only the Holy Spirit can call us to.
I write these paragraphs as a person who grew up listening to Hiphop & was fascinated by it. With very little knowledge about Hiphop or Christianity I was subject to the way of the world. Speaking now from the perspective of a secular artist who converted & devoted his music & lifestyle to Christianity, I have a deep passion for connecting Hiphop with Catholicism.
Why Catholicism? I'm glad you asked.
Well for one, I am a Catholic. A Christian who believes in a very merciful God who seeks our trust.
There are plenty controversial topics involving Christians who listen to rap music & whatever may have you but I'm only here to discuss the possible reasons why they still do.
Now I would't dare to say that there isn't any Catholic rappers out there, that wouldn't be the God honest truth. There are plenty of Catholic rappers all over the world seeking listeners day in and day out. The problem though is simply poor listening discipline.
We as listeners have a tendency to listen to the things that only benefits our temporary emotions. The emotions that creates desire. The desire creates passion. The passion that trails reminisces of pain. These musically inclined desires are experienced billions of times a day, each minute of the day, by people all over the world. We were born to be receivers of information. In many ways Jesus inspired his disciples to proclaim the things that would benefit peoples salvation.
The beauty of Christianity is to be blessed with a father who is always there for you in spirit. A father who adopts your spirt to be purified. Just like a father who loved his child so dearly but died before he could share that love with his first child, Jesus is my savior. He died so I can live & I shout that.
Trust me, all of this relates to Catholicism & Hiphop...
With Catholic musicians worldwide brandishing the "Letter to Artists" from Pope John Paul ,published in 1999, http://www.ewtn.com/library/papaldoc/jp2artis.htm - on either their website as a mission statement, or excerpts from the letter jpeg'd across their Facebook page as a banner, the letter has eventually become a symbol of the difficulty Christian Catholic musicians face daily trying to create a faithful audience.
The missing connection is simply that the Catholic church needs to express peace with how information is interpreted in Christian Hiphop. Peace between with what Jesus brought to his disciples & how practicing Christians posses many traits that can accomplish the proclamation of God's glory through music.
The role of the Catholic church in Hiphop should be to serve as a pillar of the churches teachings that will render souls to a life of virtue, confession, & a sunday mass commitment.
How can we get the Catholic church to bridge the gap between Hiphop & Catholicism?
Condition our musically inclines emotional desires. Avoid preparing your own happiness. Avoid situations that can warrant the need for an emotional desire of self appreciation. Lyrics (no matter how creative they were written,) that express a desire to be deceiving to others, better than others, to seek revenge, or to hate those who we should love due to another persons experience is no entertainment for souls striving for eternal life.
With eternal life at stake great suffering is around the corner. There is no balance between being a Christian & still listening to secular music. One would be a fool to judge a persons soul that way hence sin has made many convert to higher standards of morality. The only answer is personal conviction. We must declare our need for the holy trinity. It is only in that moment his will reveal himself and God's will for your individual soul.
Listen & pray fervorously.
I am a christian rapper and I go by the name of @Rabelzthemc.
Marian Helpers Magazine Spring 2016 Features An Article About Catholic HipHop Artist Rabelzthemc. - http://www.thedivinemercy.org/news/From-the-Epicenter-of-Hip-Hop-6636
