It was a Sunday morning just like any other Sunday morning. I arrived at Muson centre for the Sunday morning service at House on the Rock Lagos. I felt the lucid messages from Pastor Paul were always something to look foward to and I guess my sentiment was shared by thousands of others who would struggle to get through the doors to get a good seat. A good seat those days was like a great bargain on the American Black Friday, highly sought after and quickly snapped up. I was one of the lucky ones that day, I got a good seat in the main hall.
After some small talk with familiar faces from Unilag and Ife I settled into the service. Everything was going great till Pastor Paul dropped a bomb..'Rap music is not for Christians'.Pastor Paul's point was that like drugs after listening to Christian rap , people would desire something stronger, the real stuff and would get into secular rap. Based on this premonition it was not worth the risk.
I was shocked because as a member of a Gospel Hiphop Group in Ife (New Wine). I had seen the effect of Rap on people. I had seen people break down in tears and give their lives to Jesus to songs like 'All honour'.
The style of today's 'church worship' songs would have been called secular decades ago. Way back there were spiritual debates on a whether the pianos or drumsets could be used in church! As a Gospel Rapper there is almost no way I can be objective on this issue however my opinion based on my relationship with God is this: If God can use a stick, a donkey or a stammerer He can use rap. God asked Moses 'whats that you hae in your hand?' He is asking us today the same question, all some of us have is one microphone with the ability to string words together. God created the world by words. No other genre of music uses as many words in a song as rap. God can use rappers and the gift of rap.
My problem with Gospel rappers is when no one can tell the difference between us and secular rappers. I watched a Gospel video recently and one of the Artistes had shirt with 'Trukfit' boldly printed on. Trukfit is Lil Wayne's designer label. Not only is it ignorant to wear logos in videos of labels who have not paid you to endorse their product, you are promoting the label of someone with a contradictory lifestyle. There has to be a difference. Personally I'm not a great fan of excessive jewellry and I believe although we should look hip, there has to be some modesty so earings, excessive rings (thats for guys) are not things I'm down with.
There is a place for Christian rap. Gospel Rappers have to work extremely hard because we have a serious message that has to be expressed with artistic vocal dexterity. For instance I dont know how many Christianswill be listening to Don Moen on the treadmill or how many Christian teens will be playing Ron Kenolly at their birtday parties. If Christian rap is not an option it is understandable why at most Preachers birthdays or kids birthdays Psquare et al are on replay.
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