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Throughout the history of hip-hop, rappers have acknowledged a higher power than themselves. The members of Run-DMC experienced a spiritual rebirth in the early 1990s, and Run ultimately was ordained Reverend Run. Of the modern-day slang poets, Nas has been one of the most prolific talkers about the man above: He named his 1996 album It Is Written and his 2001 LP God's Son. Lyrically, he's asked questions like "If heaven was a mile away/ And you could ride by the gates/ Would you try to run inside when it opens?/ Would you try to die today?/ Would you pray louder, finally believing his power?/ Even if you couldn't see, but you could feel, would you still doubt him?" (from "Heaven"). Even 50 Cent didn't forget to include requests to God on his Get Rich or Die Tryin' on tracks like "Many Men" and "Gotta Make It to Heaven."
Tupac broached religion throughout his career, making records like "Lord Knows," "I Wonder If Heaven Got a Ghetto" and "Thugz Mansion." In the '90s, MCs like the Wu-Tang Clan, Big Daddy Kane and Brand Nubian spoke about Five Percent Nation beliefs in their raps, and even in the early '80s, Melle Mel rapped, "A child is born with no state of mind/ Blind to the ways of mankind/ God is smilin' on you but he's frownin' too/ Because only God knows what you'll go through" on Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five's "The Message."
Still, a record with religious overtones hasn't traditionally gotten acceptance from a pop audience. Ask anyone you know to name three Christian rap acts and they'll look at you like you just asked them to sprout wings and fly. Ask those same people to name one song from KRS-One's gospel album, Spiritual Minded. Even if there are spiritually inclined records on an album, they're not normally released as singles — and when they are, only rare exceptions like Hammer's "Pray," Bone Thugs-N-Harmony's "Crossroads" and old Kirk Franklin music like "Stomp" have gotten much play.
"I think that a lot of times when you're talking about God or Jesus, people get intimidated," opines P. Diddy, who released the single "Best Friend" about his relationship with God in 1999. "The way Kanye did it, he made the record so hot that they can't front on it. It wasn't about the lyrical content; it was undeniable. Then, because [the record] was blessed to be a hit, you're forced to deal with the power of God and the record is going to touch you. You can't escape it. 'Best Friend' was definitely one of the first records, but to be honest, 'Jesus Walks' is just a hotter record. It's a rap record about Jesus [that] young men and women can understand, instead of you pushing it down their throats. You hit them with that heat and they understood it."
"It's a good thing that we're trying to find morals and boundaries," veteran MC Slick Rick said. "Right now, it's been pretty lawless, it's been about making money and not about raising our youths and the kids that is gonna be the next presidents. So it's a beautiful thing when people start trying to find morals and religion."
It was the lack of such values that led Mase to abandon his extremely successful musical career for the ministry. "I left because I had to get my mind right," he said. "I wasn't mentally ready to deal with how hip-hop was and the role I played in hip-hop. I had to do it for me and for the sake of my spirituality."
Earlier this year, the MC resumed his rapping career — but only for half of the week. "Between Saturday and Tuesday, I don't do anything other than [the ministry]. I go out between Wednesday and Friday and do all of the musical stuff. But I can't compromise my faith.
"The reason for me coming back is, now I can handle it," he continued. "It won't control me; I control it. Before, I wasn't ready. Even [after] three years away, I wasn't ready to take this stand."
Mase — whose Welcome Back LP is not religious in nature but will contain plenty of positive messages and no cursing — compares the current rise in religious hip-hop with the need for stability that drove him to the ministry. "With all the money and the wealth, you have to have something to hold, to keep you grounded. Not really to preach to people, but you need that substance to keep you grounded."
While Mase's clarity has paved the way for his return, a former running mate who has clearly battled demons in the past few years, DMX, is seeking refuge away from rap in the church.
"I know the real reason I'm here on this earth is to speak the word, bring more people to Jesus," X said earlier this year while promoting his film "Never Die Alone." "That's my career. [Acting and rapping] are just jobs. These are things I asked God for, and he's given them to me on a scale that's incredible. He's given them to me the best possible way I can get [them], right out the gate: Two platinum albums in one year? Never been done before. Five #1 albums in a row? Never been done before."
Some have questioned X's sincerity and qualifications to be a pastor. Although he always ends his concerts with a prayer, he's admitted to battling drug addiction, and he detailed a life of crime in his autobiography, "E.A.R.L." And less than a month ago, he was arrested for impersonating a federal agent, among other offenses, and faces weapon and drug charges. While he might not seem the ideal candidate to lead a congregation, X says his past makes him a perfect choice.
"What the Lord has set forth, let no man undo," X said. "Whether I wanted to or not, that's what I'm going to end up doing. I see how he saved my life so many times; so many times I was supposed to be dead and I didn't even realize it. Now I look back and I'm like, 'He was there that time. Hmmmm, he was there that time. Ooh, he was there that time, [too].' My outlook on it is that a preacher can't talk to you about bustin' a gun unless a preacher has busted a gun. I can bring more people to Him because of the struggles I've been through, because of the wrongs I've done, because of the bullsh-- I've been in. I can sit down in a church and be like, 'Come talk to me.' "
X's theory is unconventional by many people's standards, but plenty of today's MCs are showing that it's all right to adhere to your beliefs, whether you're sitting in a church or standing on a street corner. As Kanye says in "Jesus Walks": "The hustlas, killers, murderers, drug dealers/ Even the strippers, Jesus walks with them."
"It's good to have some faith in God," said Diplomats member Jim Jones, who has named his upcoming LP On My Way to Church.
"I came up in the church, I know what it's all about," he said. "If [the current rise of religion in hip-hop] is a trend, that's a bad thing — that's some bullsh--. Any time I mention the Lord, I'm genuine about it. God is my n---a. He's my big homie. I hope I always remember that and never lose contact with what the reality is."
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Photo: mtv.com
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