Jesus Muzik
Jesus Muzik – Lecrae from Reach Records on Vimeo.
I am a child of the 70′s and 80′s. I grew up, for the most part, in south Miami and then the suburbs of Atlanta. My music tastes ranged from Motown to heavy metal. In the late 70′s, I first heard “Rapper’s Delight” by The Sugar Hill Gang and I was, for a season, hooked on rap. Or, if you like, Hip Hop music. I had every cassette of Grand Master Flash and The Furious Five, Run DMC, UTFO, Doug E. Fresh and the Get Fresh Crew … you name it.
Late in the 80′s the face of rap began to change. It was taken over by a less desireable crowd. The birth of gangsta rap happened and the songs themselves were less about who had the best crew and who could out-rap the others and turned more toward the self-indulgent, gansgster / hustler lifestyle that caused “Explicit” labels to be put on records and CD’s.
I have not been a fan of any rap since that time and, believe it or not, I’ve missed it. Then I heard Lecrae. Actually, I saw him perform on a video posted by Mars Hill Church, on their website, sometime last year. His song, Send Me, blew my mind. Lyrically it was straight gospel with a missional focus. Musically, it was classic rap with the driving beats and rhythms that are the signature of the genre. And now … I’m hooked.
As I’ve grown older, I’ve realized that for the church to reach the culture, especially the younger generations, we will have to let people younger than us lead us in worship and, sometimes, with a style that many folks may not embrace. But that’s okay. After all, it is not about us…right? It’s about Jesus. It’s all about Jesus. And I believe that the Lord is honored when those of any generation sing about his goodness and his love for us. When they sing about his sacrifice and the free gift of salvation that He provides, no matter what style of music they choose, the name of Jesus is lifted up.
As it usually happens…what comes around goes around…and I am a fan of rap once again. Actually, I am a fan of Jesus muzik!
I’ve never really been a fan of rap/hip hop, mainly because of the gangster/hustler connection. Your comments were really prophetic. My wife and I were asked to be the worship leaders at our church as we began offering two services at the beginning of the year. We were asked to lead during the 2nd service which was to be the “blended” service. The 1st service was to remain “traditional”. Let’s just say that not everyone is in agreement with the “style” that “blended” should be. I have resolved to be obedient to what is being asked of me, understanding it’s not about me. My prayer is that others will come to the realization that it’s not about them…right? It’s about Jesus!