Hip Hop’s Delusional God-Talk

July 2, 2008

Soulja Boy

I nearly hemorrhaged when Lil’ Wayne approached the microphone at the 2008 BET Awards saying, “I am nothing without God, baby! I just want to say thank God, thank my family and thank Universal.” What god is he thanking? Does he worship some ancient god named “Misogyny?” There is a serious disconnect in the hip hop community that allows rappers to evoke the name of God in thanks while producing music that celebrates evil.

The profound disconnect may be explained, in part, by a new study released by Radio One and Yankelovich, a Chapel Hill-based research firm. The new study, the most comprehensive in decades including blacks ranging in age from 13-74, reveals that while 83 percent of blacks call themselves Christians, only 41 percent attend church at least once a week. Even worse, among black men, 47 percent say they are not as religious as their parents (36 percent of black women confess the same).

For black teens, 86 percent say that they trust God to take care of things and 46 percent believe that they are not as religious as their parents. Most black teens see God as a stop-gap measure only. This is why Lil’ Wayne receives applause, even though he raps about the sadistic treatment of women, at an audience full of deistic blacks.

Deism is a movement forged in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries in England proffering the idea that God created the world but has no interest in intervening in the world’s present functioning, including ethical matters. Hip Hop’s deism allows Lil’ Wayne to produce disgusting songs like “Lollipop,” receive the “Viewers Choice” award, and link his success to God.

Perhaps it would have been more accurate for Lil’ Wayne to thank the convergence of all of the forces of evil that allow lyrics like “Shawty wanna lic-lic-lic-lick me/Like a lollipop” to be praised by viewers. Universal’s sponsorship of Lil’ Wayne’s music is but one indication of the fact that hip hop has become big business. “Lollipop” recently hit number one on the “Billboard Hot 100 Top 10” list and the album, “Tha Carter III” now debuts at number one among Billboard’s “Top 40 Albums.”

It is pure evil that celebrates music that maligns the dignity of women and men. In the song, “Don’t Get It,” Lil’ Wayne, while harshly criticizing the Rev. Al Sharpton, laments being misunderstood. Lil’ Wayne is indeed hard to understand: he’s a confused deist, at best, with no desire to integrate, in his music, gratitude to God with the demands of human dignity, justice, and love.

Lil’ Wayne’s thanking God is equivalent to a strip club patron thanking God for providing women to objectify and dehumanize, or a prostitute thanking God that she has the ability to destroy her dignity to pay bills. There are some “successes” that are rightly attributed to social moral decay and the unchecked spread of evil, and cannot be purified by a passing mention of “God.” With its culture-rotting messages, much of hip hop is exemplary of the kind of enterprise that does no credit to the market that gave it birth.

We should not be too surprised by the juxtaposition of God talk with dehumanzing rap lyrics when nearly half of all black men are not as religious as their partly religious parents and most blacks no longer attend church—the black community’s historic source of moral formation.

The internet lit up in late June when rapper Ice-T attacked Soulja Boy saying that he “single-handedly killed hip hop” with his “garbage” song “Superman.” One might add that the empty God talk in hip-hop today is single-handedly perverting the relationship between God and virtue for an audience of blacks who are increasingly unchurched and uncommitted to a life in pursuit of the good.

Ice-T makes a distinction between “good hip hop” and “whack hip hop” in his warranted attack of Soulja Boy’s song, but a better distinction would separate virtue-building hip hop from virtue-destroying hip hop. The genre’s deistic language exposes just how confused and disconnected the hip hop generation is from the black church platform on which it stands, enjoying its freedom to dishonor the black experience in America.

Comments

Nh:

I completely understand where you are coming from. I think its easy to use Jesus as the "Get-out-of-hell-free card", along with the cop out of saying
"God Knows My Heart" while one continues to live in ways completely contrary to the word of God. I don't want to attack hip hop as a whole because I
am a child of the 80s and 90s and hold a special place for the genre of music but on that same token I stopped purchasing rap music years ago because
I couldn't get past the lyrical content. I think the lyrical content is even worse today.

Unfortunately for some artists like Lil Wayne represent the moral compass simply because he's monied and has a flow that admittedly is off the chain.

Matt Pfister: ummyeaaaa2007@yahoo.com

Throw the first stone you perfect embryo. Judging like your Jesus Christ himself. You forget that the 10 million watching just saw their mentor Wayne mention God. Talk about a seed ebing planted. Your a joke.

GEORGE:

Talk about a generation divide!!!! My daughter loves Lil Wayne and I wouldn't give you a nickel for a train load of that juvenile crap, but as I said it's a generational divide. Notice Lil Wayne thanked God and Universal. If he is so thankful to God why are most of his songs not spiritual songs? Because the marketing department of his parent record company tells him what to sing and what to wear. It's all a marketing thing. Go to any public housing area or any mall in urban areas you can almost tell which musician these kids and young adults worship by the clothes they are wearing. Remember the kid killed by the roller coaster in Georgia - God rest his soul? He was reportedly trying to retrieve his cap. Now if it was as expensive as these hip hop caps are now-a-days I can see why he went to the trouble. Yes, hip hops' god is bling and to be hip you must suscribe to the hype. I can gaurantee you that if most hip hop artist came on stage wearing faded jeans, 'Chuck Taylors" and just a plain T-shirt, they would not sell many records and may get booed by their fans for not wearing the "uniform". That's the herd mentality we've been trained so well with.
When I go to my kids' school I see another divide- the divide between the families who spend money and effort to get their kids ahead in school and the ones who worry about whether Johnny and Janis have the latest hip hop wear for school. But come honors day and the representation of black kids is dismal and between males and female blacks is even more sad. But, during school year who do I see hanging out on the curb in large groups? Young black males. The ones that are hitting the books or working a job are truly a minority. Don't fall for the hype young folks. What makes you hip and wanted in the hip hop world doesn't make you wanted and loved come Monday morning and time to apply for a job or go to work. If your weekend wear and attitude clashes with your means of making a living then you better reconsider. And just because someone mentions his God on stage doesn't mean you should bow to him or his message. Is he saying the same thing as Jesus, Mohammed, or Buddha? Then you better not be elevating him to messenger status.

Jeremy S.: jsallee06@yahoo.com

It's a good article, but the review dances around the real issue: That is that JESUS CHRIST is no longer honored as he once was...

Today people claim they believe in "God". but unless it is the True God of the Bible, that washed their sins away and they have surrended and are Devoted to Him,..then their lives can be lived any way they want to and then they attribute it to "God", but in their consciences they know God isn't truely happy...They must repent, surrender their lives to Christ, and live in Him and His Word Daily.. That is the ONLY true fix. I don't care if it isn't politically correct: It, this is the truth.

Starlight :

It's pretty ridiculous that the power of hip-hop and it's underground strength, counter-culture positive, and willingness to stand against the norm has been classified to the supremely narrow "mainstream" versions like Lil Wayne. To say that "the hip hop community that allows rappers to evoke the name of God in thanks while producing music that celebrates evil" is a pretty broad sweeping stroke to make. Lil Wayne is not the paradigm of hip-hop. Take your argument out of the genre and place it into the appropriate category of "mainstream musicians" or "America's preference in music as evidenced by awards shows".

Bill Baker: Iconoclastithon@hotmail.com

You people clearly do not understand true Deism. These rappers do not represent true Deism, nor do they claim to, they claim Christianity as their faith- but live contrary to it's demands- that does not make them Deists. Deism is an ethical philosophy and does not promote or condone the misogynistic,gangsta lifestyle glorifying,homophobic,promiscuis,stupid bullshit that is so prevalent in so much of todays rap music. Deism simply says as Thomas Paine once quoted "God is the power fo first cause, nature is the law, and matter the subject acted upon", REASON is Deisms watchword, and the lifestyles and ideas promoted in or lived by todays mainstream gangsta/pimp rap are obviously not based on reason, hence they are not deistic, but rather they are cultural christians whom have embraced unhumanistic values- many born of christianity and/or rebellion against orhtodox christianity- so they are moral reactyionaries- NOT DEISTS!
If you idiot fundamentalists actually did not real research you'd know this. But you won't obviously because it's not trith or even morals or God matter to you- but only your dangerous and absurd dogmas!

Matters not to me. I reject your absurd and dangerous faith and I also reject rap music{by and large} as I am a metalhead.

In Reason:
Bill Baker

D.M. Diggs:

I totally agree with Mr. Bradley. Our Lord Jesus does say that "...by their fruit you shall know them." (meaning by the overall bent of one's words and actions you can tell if they are on the Lord's side and are one of His own). I am persuaded that many people--famous and otherwise--who invoke the Lord's name, to thank Him, or laud Him, while the overall tone of their lives is one of enslavement to fleshly pursuits, cursing, gossiping, outbursts of anger, and slandering those who DO strive to please God-- indicates that they are really of the spirit of AntiChrist, rather than part of God's family. Christ said that that spirit (of AntiChrist) is ALREADY in the world, that there are already MANY antichrists are in the world (1John 4:18), and Hip Hop "artists" who are misogynistic, vulgar, profane, etc, in their lyrics, should lay down their microphones, pick of a Bible, and read the Gospel according to John, just for starters, to find out WHO this God is whom they truly don't know at all! (They really need to be born again!!) Otherwise, there would not be this HUGE DISCONNECT between what their "art" is mainly and truly about (i.e, sexual (lust-filled) license and glorification of gaudy, extravagance--where money is their true god, etc....) and what they hypocritically spout from their lips at music awards ceremonies. They cannot and, in fact, ARE NOT thanking the true and living God, because Him they obviously do not know at ALL!

William: jamesfisher007@hotmail.com

I guess the industry really does think they can score points by invoking god whenever the odds turn out in favor of them. But then again they seem to be more and more out of touch every year with what invoking god really used to mean. And it's not just the music industry where this happens either.

-will

ELois Poole-Clayton: eloisclayton@sbcglobal.net

I have but one comment to make. Well, maybe two.
I'm aware that our people are drawn to the beat of the music, but I deeply wish that we would sincerly keep digging for a higher powered beat.
I am sceptical about speaking for our music lovers, but I wouldn't be myself, if I didn't show my true feeling and concerns, for the way our youths are being reared and what they're being reared from. I simply pray, that we, as adults, will see things through a clearer glass and take the time out necessary, to see how beautiful the Holy word is. You'll be surprised how much of a marvel the Holy word really is, for it's our youth, who has to endure the results of our labor.
Lil Wayne, I truly love you, as my brother in christ and I pray that you will stop and see how much more beauty there is in you, for if you can release that much power and enthusiasm in the works that you perform, just guest how HIGH you can reach, with God reaching down for you and that's all the time. Just maybe, Hip Hop, in that particular fashion, will fade, but I am a true believer that since gospel hip hop, has hit the scenes, it has made our genuine hip hoppers, taste a beat that has drawn them a little closer to the light.
"OH TASTE AND SEE", how good the lord is!
LOVE YOU!

Tracy Michele Jue: juetm@juno.com

Our culture especially from the media has caused us to shape our thinking based on pleasures and emotional appeal. As stated " Deism is a movement proffering the idea that God created the world but has no interest in intervening in the world’s present functioning, including ethical matters". I think Lil Wayne is a good example that without God being apart of His life, He can make decisions effortlessly on pleasures instead changing his behavior by God transforming His life.

CJL:

Howard,

While I respect your opinion I have to disagree with it. Could one say the same thing about a Christian singer who sings songs of praise to God but yet includes a song on his CD talking about how to get a girl to give a blowjob? Would this Christian still be considered a Christian or at the very least following after Jesus? I would say no, because he is demonstrating a life bounded to the flesh and not yeilded to God. Paul argued that Christians would be known for their fruit.

So, if a Christian singer cannot sing about these fleshly activities than a rapper cannot claim to be of God in one song all the while displaying the fruits of the flesh. One song about God does not make one a Christian. While I agree that we need to examine an artists total work to get their worldview, it is quite evident from the abundancy of most rap artists, or any musician for that matter, are displaying the fruit of the flesh and deism. If the majority of his work is decadent chances are he is decandent himself.

Blessings,

Chris

Howard:

Hello,

I understand your comments and the way you may feel about Lil Wayne, but i believe thanking God for the accomplishments that he has received over the past couple of years is ok, i suspect that you only listen to Lil Wayne commercially as he has a number of songs about God and life and one which is called "Pray to the Lord", search for this song and listen to it and you will see what i'm talikng about.

Acton Commentary