Should Christians Listen To Hip-Hop?

[BerrySweet]

Yeah Three-6 mafia are devil-worshippers. I mean its clear by their name. Dumb people think Three-six has to do with a CRIP set but no they're also known as Triple-six mafia(666). I never like that group because their name alone gave them away

See I never wrapped my mind around the three-sixes, I thought it was 36 or something. Stupid me-but now I know!

ok I have asked around about this and most people have no clue if they are devil worshippers are not. I think until you guys actually hear them say they are out of their mouth then it is very unchristian like to call them something you have no clue they are. Just like this guy claiming that Aaliyah's role as Queen of the Damned was the reason for her death is just speculation and it really kills me to hear Christians actually believe that mess.

I acutally posted their lyrics, and it's pretty clear where they stand. I don't like to jump to conclusions about anything, be it music or people. That's why I went and looked up their lyrics and saw it for myself-please go back and read the thread.

 

[Emotional_High]

Yeah Three-6 mafia are devil-worshippers. I mean its clear by their name. Dumb people think Three-six has to do with a CRIP set but no they're also known as Triple-six mafia(666). I never like that group because their name alone gave them away

I remember a few years ago they were doing an interview and one of them said "Devil's mafia baby!" So when a friend i went to school with saw them and said they were called three 6 mafia i said no they are called devil's mafia. Later i realized that she was right and then i thought maybe i was just hearing things when the guy said devil's mafia. But now that you mention that i know that i heard correctly...lol...never thought of the three-6 part of the name.

 

[kit25]

I just received my DVD's from exministries.com and I've watched The Truth Behind Hip Hop (Part 1) and What Every Church Needs to Know about Hip Hop. If you are on the fence about whether or not christians should listen to hip-hop, please get these DVD's. He lays out a very sound argument for why hip-hop should not be in the church.

 

[lahennesy26]

I WAS CURIOUS ABOUT THAT BECAUSE MY UNCLE IS A PREACHER OF HIS OWN CHURCH AND THEY ALL LISTEN TO HIP HOP THE ONLY TIME THEY ACT DIFFERENT IS AT CHURCH .

 

[Poohbear]

ok I have asked around about this and most people have no clue if they are devil worshippers are not. I think until you guys actually hear them say they are out of their mouth then it is very unchristian like to call them something you have no clue they are. Just like this guy claiming that Aaliyah's role as Queen of the Damned was the reason for her death is just speculation and it really kills me to hear Christians actually believe that mess.

You can just see by their lyrics that Three-Six Mafia are devil-worshippers. You're not going to have a Christ-like group singing about burning in hell, shooting & killing people and all the other crap they talk about in their songs. And like I and others have said, the name of their group (666) speaks for itself. The clues are all given.

 

[MariposaMorena08]

Regarding Christian lyrics to a hip-hop beat: I don't mean to sound sarcastic, but where is the line drawn? When American Black gospel music was at its genesis it was good; they used the common instruments and rhythmns of their day in in order to honor God. How can we then say, well, if it's more modern sounding than The Winans that it is of the devil? When does the devil enter the song? Once we add the modern sounding drums? Are Native American Christians being "worldly" when they use their drum? What about our African brother and sisters in Christ? In all reality the first "Christian" music probably sounded very Jewish, since the first "Christians" were actually Jews. So in that case, all of us must be headed to THE LAKE in a handbasket. We have to be careful not to allow legalism and our opinions to limit the work of God. Don't lock Him in a box, I tried...he just doesn't seem to stay in there!! LOL Keep the faith, sisters!

 

[Poohbear]

Regarding Christian lyrics to a hip-hop beat: I don't mean to sound sarcastic, but where is the line drawn? When American Black gospel music was at its genesis it was good; they used the common instruments and rhythmns of their day in in order to honor God. How can we then say, well, if it's more modern sounding than The Winans that it is of the devil? When does the devil enter the song? Once we add the modern sounding drums? Are Native American Christians being "worldly" when they use their drum? What about our African brother and sisters in Christ? In all reality the first "Christian" music probably sounded very Jewish, since the first "Christians" were actually Jews. So in that case, all of us must be headed to THE LAKE in a handbasket. We have to be careful not to allow legalism and our opinions to limit the work of God. Don't lock Him in a box, I tried...he just doesn't seem to stay in there!! LOL Keep the faith, sisters!

IMO, the problem isn't with the beat, the music, or the instruments being used... I believe the problem is with the lyrics and the evil things that rappers and some r&b singers sing about.

 

[MariposaMorena08]

ITA with Poohbear! That's why it doesn't make sense to me to say that people like Kirk Franklin or The Cross Movement (love 'em!!!) are not called by God to deliver the gospel message because the beats are different.

 

[prettywhitty]

I have completely read this entire post and did a little research on my own. I went to the exministries site and other sites because I wanted to know for myself. Hip-Hop is no joke. I don't believe that it is from God. I know that when I listen to it,my mood changes and I want more things that feed my flesh and not my spirit. I have made the decision to put it down, even the R&B. If its not glorifying God, I don't need to hear it at this point. I think the important thing to do is to listen to the lyrics of the song and decide who its glorifying. If it is not of God, for me, I have to leave it alone. I give my God thanks for showing me the truth through this forum. God Bless.

 

[BerrySweet]

ITA with Poohbear! That's why it doesn't make sense to me to say that people like Kirk Franklin or The Cross Movement (love 'em!!!) are not called by God to deliver the gospel message because the beats are different.

Yea my issues isn't with the beats, it's the lyrics. Those who get into "drums are derived from voodoo etc" are going too far. Christian gospel can sound like anything. People who say it's not Christian because it's not slow and filled with piano and harps are just being old fashinoned.

 

[Trini"T"]

I have completely read this entire post and did a little research on my own. I went to the exministries site and other sites because I wanted to know for myself. Hip-Hop is no joke. I don't believe that it is from God. I know that when I listen to it,my mood changes and I want more things that feed my flesh and not my spirit. I have made the decision to put it down, even the R&B. If its not glorifying God, I don't need to hear it at this point. I think the important thing to do is to listen to the lyrics of the song and decide who its glorifying. If it is not of God, for me, I have to leave it alone. I give my God thanks for showing me the truth through this forum. God Bless.

I noticed what you said in the bold part too. This "I'm down for whatever" feeling comes over me. The music never causes me to sin tho...it ain't that powerful now. I mean really, I like to pretend I have some kind of control of my body and what I do with it All jokes aside tho, I feel like I am at a point right now where my spirit is finally I control of my body.

 

[silverflyt]

Neither all Rap nor all Hip Hop offend my spiritual sensiblities. I decide based on the message. I'm not going to invalidate and disregard an entire musical genre because of an unfair and inconsistant prejudice.

BTW, believing hip hop and rap are going to suck you into hell is absurd-unless, of course you are that unguarded... Perhaps you should pay your assailable mind a compliment-turn off the radio. Better still, think for yourself ...

"..resistance is futile..":assimilat

 

[kit25]

I haven’t read through this post in a while, but I have watched the G. Craig Lewis DVD’s more than a few times since buying them.

A couple of points I would like to hit on…1) The parallels that can be seen between rock & hip-hop music and 2) not being concerned about lyrics and only liking the “beats” in a song.

On his 1st DVD, G. Craig Lewis talked about the devil not being satisfied with rock & roll music because it didn’t draw in the black youth. Thus, he (the devil) came up with hip-hop.

I’ve being doing some more research on worldly music and found some good info worth sharing….


(For the complete article: http://www.av1611.org/cqguide.html )

1a) “WHAT IS DIFFERENT ABOUT ROCK MUSIC?
Rock is unlike any other music. In other music, the melody is the main component, but in rock – the rhythm or the beat literally takes over the music.

"The rhythm in rock is the dominant part of the sound. The heavy emphasis on the BEAT is what distinguishes rock from every other type of music." (Frank Garlock, Music in the Balance, p. 32)

"Perhaps the most important defining quality of rock and roll is the BEAT, . . . Rock and roll is different from other music primarily because of the BEAT." (Charles Brown, The Art of Rock and Roll, p. 42)

b)Does the Bible give us any indication to the type of music we should sing?

Take an harp, go about the city, thou harlot that hast been forgotten; make sweet MELODY, sing many songs, that thou mayest be remembered. Isaiah 23:16

For the LORD shall comfort Zion: he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the LORD; jothe d gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of MELODY. Isaiah 51:3

And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;
Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making MELODY in your heart to the Lord; Ephesians 5:18-19

The Lord God refers to music as — MELODY! According to God — the emphasis of Christian music is the MELODY — not the BEAT!

c) Rock music: no melody, just beats

The world famous composer and conductor, Dimitri Tiomkin said of rock music:

"The big beat is deliberately aimed at exciting the listener. . .There is actually very little MELODY, little sense in the lyrics, ONLY RHYTHM [beat]". (Los Angeles Herald-Examiner, Aug., 8, 1965, p. 9J)

Lenny Seidel, a concert pianist and twenty-five year Christian music scholar, gives this definition of both godly music and rock music:

"True godly music will be composed of three elements - all in perfect balance with each other. They are: melody, harmony, and rhythm.

Rock "music" has NO MELODY only fragments of melody endlessly repeated. Since there is no true melody, there is no real harmony. There is ONLY RHYTHM. And rhythm in and of itself is not music." (Leonard J. Seidel, Face the Music – Contemporary Music On Trial, pp. 46-51)

 

[kit25]

2a) Drumming and Beats -

Little Richard, the self-professed "architect of rock ’n roll", readily admits Satan’s control and influence in his life and rock music:

"My true belief about Rock ‘n’ Roll — is this: I believe this kind of music is demonic . . . A lot of the BEATS in music today are taken from voodoo, from the voodoo DRUMS." (Charles White, The Life and Times of Little Richard, p. 197)

b)The Bible lists many kinds of instruments:

Psalms 150:3-5 says:
3 Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: praise him with the psaltery and harp.
4 Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs.
5 Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him upon the high sounding cymbals.

With all the many references to musical instruments, there is one instrument that is NEVER mentioned! The DRUM! Why is that? The drum was a very common instrument in Egypt and the lands around Israel. And yet the DRUM is NEVER mentioned in a King James Bible.

c) Did the Lord just forget to include the DRUM or is there another reason?

Is it because — drums are associated with voodoo, shamanism, paganism and magic rituals?

"[Drums] represents the beat of the heart and is played to summon up magic powers." (Miranda Bruce-Mitford, The Illustrated Book of Signs & Symbols, DK Publishing, 1996 p.80)

"The shaman was the original 'long hair', the first rock star draped in leather, dancing POSSESSED to a rhythm banged out on A DRUM." (Danny Sugerman, Appetite for Destruction, p. 208)

In Siberia, in northern Asia, drums are used in shamanic rituals to heal people. It is believed that the shaman can communicate with the spirit world THROUGH DRUMMING. (Louise Tythacott, Musical Instruments, Thomas Learning, 1995, p. 37)

"Pagan dances and rituals are always accompanied by the incessant BEAT of DRUMS. Rhythm plays a major role in these demonic activities." (Hart, Lowell Satan's Music Exposed, Salem Kirban Inc., 1980 p.71)

d) Robert Palmer is a contributing editor to Rolling Stone and other rock magazines. Palmer has also taught courses in music at Yale, and many other universities. Palmer was the chief advisor for the highly acclaimed "History of Rock 'n' Roll" that aired on public television. Palmer, an advocate and lover of rock music, is among the leading authorities on rock music.

Here's what Palmer says about rock and the drum:

"Bata drums [drums used in voodoo], sacred to the Yoruba people of Nigeria and Cuba: Their push and pull provided a template for the inner rhythms of rock and roll." (Palmer, Robert Rock & Roll An Unruly History, Harmony Books, New York, 1995 p.46)

"The idea that certain RHYTHM patterns or sequences serve as conduits for spiritual energies, linking individual human consciousness with the gods, is basic to traditional African religions, and to African-derived religions throughout the Americas. And whether we're speaking historically or musicologically, the fundamental riffs, licks, bass figures, and drum rhythms that make rock and roll can ultimately be traced back to African music of a primarily spiritual or ritual nature. In a sense, rock and roll is a kind of 'voodoo' . . . ," (Robert Palmer, Rock & Roll, An Unruly History, Harmony Books, New York, 1995 p.53)

Palmer describes how drums are used in "voodoo" possession — and the same drum patterns are part of the basics of rock 'n' roll and CCM!

"Bata drummers tap out their toques, or rhythm patterns, like signals to the realm of the gods, inviting and enticing them to come on down and mount or POSSESS their horses, or devotees. . .The specific drum patterns or toques include some riffs and licks basic to the rock and roll vocabulary." (Palmer, Robert Rock & Roll An Unruly History, Harmony Books, New York, 1995 p.62)

e) Do you know why New Orleans is the voodoo capital of the U.S, and also the birthplace of jazz? Because drumming was forbidden in the U.S. – except in New Orleans!

"This was especially true in New Orleans. African-based DRUMMING, singing, and dancing, discouraged and repeatedly banned elsewhere in North America, had flourished there since the early eighteenth century. This unique heritage has informed and enlivened New Orleans music ever since, as well as distinguishing it from the rest of American musical culture, making the city an ideal incubator for a nonmainstream music as rhythmically oriented as rock and roll. (Palmer, Robert Rock & Roll An Unruly History, Harmony Books, New York, 1995 p.21)

When the first blacks from Africa were converted to Christianity they knew the power and evil influence of DRUMS. And the converted blacks strictly forbid the use of drums! They referred to the drums as "the Devil's drum". (Martha Bayles, Hole in Our Soul: The Loss of Beauty and Meaning in American Popular Music, p. 138)

 

[kit25]

THE SECOND WITNESS THAT THE "ROCK BEAT" ITSELF IS DEMONIC

“In April 1990, a Christian from Zimbabwe, Africa, arrived for his first visit to the United States. He is a native missionary under the Awana Youth Association. When he turned on a Christian radio station and listened to the music, he was shocked. Here is his report:

"I am very sensitive to the beat in music, because when I was a boy, I played the drums in our village worship rituals. The beat that I played on the drum was to get the demon spirits into the people.

"When I became a Christian, I rejected this kind of beat because I realized how damaging it was.

"When I turned on a Christian radio station in the United States, I was shocked. The same beat that I used to play to call up the evil spirits is in the music I heard on the Christian station."

-- Stephen Maphosah, Zimbabwe, Africa”

http://www.dccsa.com/greatjoy/music.htm

 

[kit25]

http://www.jesus-is-savior.com/Evils in America/Rock-n-Roll/rock_curse.htm

Satan’s influence on musicians -

ANGUS YOUNG, lead guitarist for AC-DC, is called the “guitar demon”; and he admitted that something takes control of the band during their concerts: “...it’s like I’m on automatic pilot. By the time we’re halfway through the first number someone else is steering me. I’m just along for the ride. I become possessed when I get on stage” (Hit Parader, July 1985, p. 60).

“I was directed and commanded by another power. The power of darkness ... that a lot of people don’t believe exists. The power of the Devil. Satan” (LITTLE RICHARD, cited by Charles White, The Life and Times of Little Richard, p. 206).

“You can’t describe it [playing rock music] except to say it’s like a mysterious energy that comes from the metaphysical plane and into my body. It’s almost like being a medium....” (Marc Storace, vocalist with heavy-metal band KROKUS, Circus, January 31, 1984, p. 70).

“[Of his music JOHN LENNON said] “It’s like being possessed: like a psychic or a medium” (The Playboy Interviews, p. 203).

Jimmy Hendrix once said, "I can explain everything better through music. YOU HYPNOTIZE PEOPLE... And when you get people at their weakest point you can preach into the subconscious what we want to say. That's why the name "electric church' flashes in and out."

“It’s amazing that it [the tune to ‘In My Life’] just came to me in a dream. That’s why I don’t profess to know anything. I think music is very mystical” (John Lennon, “The Beatles Come Together,” Reader’s Digest, March 2001).

“I felt like a hollow temple filled with many spirits, each one passing through me, each inhabiting me for a little time and then leaving to be replaced by another” (John Lennon, People, Aug. 22, 1988, p. 70).

“The music to ‘Yesterday’ came in a dream. The tune just came complete. You have to believe in magic. I can’t read or write music” (PAUL MCCARTNEY, interview on Larry King Live, CNN, June 12, 2001).

“Rock has always been the devil’s music, you can’t convince me that it isn’t. I honestly believe everything I’ve said—I believe rock and roll is dangerous. … I feel that we’re only heralding something even darker than ourselves” (DAVID BOWIE, Rolling Stone, February 12, 1976, p. 83).

“In the end you have to look at a song and not know exactly where it came from” (BRUCE SPRINGSTEIN, Dateline, Dec. 14, 1998).

“That certain feeling happened to me in a big way quite often with the first King Crimson. Amazing things would happen--I mean, telepathy, qualities of energy, things that I had never experienced before with music … you can’t tell whether the music is playing the musician or the musician is playing the music” (Robert Fripp, guitarist for KING CRIMSON, Down Beat, June 1985, p. 61).

John McLaughlin, leader of MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA, testified: “One night we were playing and suddenly the spirit entered into me, and I was playing, but it was no longer me playing” (The Rock Report, p. 58).

Glen Tipton of JUDAS PRIEST says, “I just go crazy when I go onstage … it’s like someone else takes over my body” (Hit Parader, Fall 1984, p. 6).

In 1974, JONI MITCHELL told the press of a male spirit who helps her write music. “Joni Mitchell credits her creative powers to a ‘male muse’ she identifies as Art. He has taken so much control of not only her music, but her life, that she feels married to him, and often roams naked with him on her 40-acre estate. His hold over her is so strong that she will excuse herself from parties and forsake lovers whenever he ‘calls’” (Why Knock Rock? p. 112, citing Time magazine, Dec. 16, 1974, p. 39).

“I wake up from dreams and go ‘Wow, put this down on paper,’ the whole thing is strange. You hear the words, everything is right there in front of your face. I feel that somewhere, someplace it’s been done and I’m just a courier bringing it into the world” (MICHAEL JACKSON, Rolling Stone, Feb. 17, 1983).

“When I hit the stage it’s all of a sudden a ‘magic’ from somewhere that comes and the spirit just hits you, and you just lose control of yourself” (Michael Jackson, Teen Beat: A Tribute to Michael Jackson, Summer 1984, p. 27).


“The sexuality of music is usually referred to in terms of rhythm, it is the beat that commands a directly physical response. Music with the heavy, hard beat got the name "Rock and Roll" when a disc jockey coined the term from sex in the back seat of a car. The rock beat is Satan's sound of lawlessness. The rock beat is musical perversion. Every knowledgeable musician knows that the term "rock" really means a shameful act of lust. But that is not the only problem! The beat of rock is nothing new. Pagan, animistic tribes had the "rock beat" long before it came to America. They use the driving beat to get "high" and bring them into an altered state of consciousness. Traditional drumming and dancing techniques are designed to achieve the Shamanic State of Consciousness. You see, the beat is a vehicle for demon infestation.”

http://www.goodfight.org/exposelist.htmL

 

[kit25]

Beyonce/Sasha (I figure this is relevant since r&b and pop stars collaborate with hip hop artists.)

http://www.toure.com/CONTENT/ARTICLES/beyonce.htm

“Her choreographer, Frank Gatson, said that when she gets onstage she gets the Holy Ghost. “She’s fearless,” Gatson says. “When I worked with Usher I wanted to think Usher was that, but Usher has fear sometimes. Kelly and Michelle don’t have the nerve that she has. She has no fear. I think when you get out there you have to give it to the audience with no inhibition. You gotta let the spirit take you. Something powerful takes her over and in that time onstage she’s gone. On VH-1 Divas she threw her $250,000 earrings and later she said she didn’t know why she threw them. That’s losing yourself. I’ve been in shows where people booed Beyonce. And she’d be right in their face dancin, lettin em have it like it was nothing. Most people would panic in that, you’d see them buckle down. But Beyonce has learned to dismiss fear.”


………….“As showtime nears her intensity grows. She stares at herself in the mirror, eyes burning. She becomes restless, her foot shaking with nervous energy. She bounces around a bit to see if she’ll leap out of the dress when Sasha! arrives. Her back still doesn’t feel right.

At the edge of the stage, just before she goes out, she stands alone, eyes closed, head down as if in prayer. She’s introduced in French, the music leaps from the speakers, and Sasha! explodes. If Beyonce was sick and ailing, Sasha! is a tiger who attacks the crowd. They stand and applaud from their first glimpse to their last. “They were excited and that got me excited,” she says afterward. She runs through half of “Baby Boy,” then half of “Crazy In Love,” singing and dancing full out, then struts off-stage with a smile. The dancers look dour, upset that they missed a few moves, but Beyonce is beaming and invigorated. Now that she’s performed there’s a new spirit inside of her. “It’s funny,” she says. “Whatever hurts, when you get onstage it don’t hurt no more.”

 

[MariposaMorena08]

Thanks for the posts, kit25! However, I disagree in this because Satan is the creator of nothing, he only takes God's creation and twists it to turn it into an evil thing. Even with tambourines, some have a skin on the outside of them to create a drum sound. Traditional Israeli music also uses the drum in their music. So is it a certain drum beat altogether that is wrong to use for Christian music or the usage of the drum itself? I thought that the story of the Zimbabwean was *very* interesting, but am not ready to say that certain Christian artists' (i.e. Kirk Franklin) music cannot be used to glorify God because I have worshipped to some of those songs and felt the presence of God. What are your thoughts on this?

 

[AnnDriena_]

Garbage in garbage out. "Bend over and shake it b!Tch" and every other reference in a song that aludes to a woman that de facto refers to her as a ho and this and that is GARBAGE.

Hip hop as a genre has evolved into everybody tryin' to out cris' and out rim' everybody else. So unfortunately when you listen to it, it's not something you would get up and play in the house of God you shouldn't be allowing it in the Temple of God (your body, your ears, your brain).
So much of it is like audio porn. It is a creative genre of music so every once in a while you can pick and choose but it's not worth it to give your money to someone who is spouting something that seems to be good but then turn around and paint images of sex, cars and violence. Fresh water and salter water can flow from the same source.

I'm glad their are speakers who are finally opening our youths eyes to what hip hop has evolved into. It used to be a the creative voice of a generation now it's just one big advertisement for strip clubs, designer alcohol, car rims and sexual acts.
One of the latest eye openers about what hip hop is really doing to our generation came when I saw the ad for 50 cents movie in a white neighborhood and one in a black neighborhood. In the poster for the movie that was displayed in the black neighborhood he is holding a gun behind his back. In the white neighborhood poster he's holding a microphone.

Why because those whites would not put up as easily with that being pushed to their kids as easily as we do. Why do you think all that racket was being made about britney spears showing some belly button and nobody blinked an eye when Destiny's Child did a song about being with somebody elses man while writhing around in the video dressed in black patent leather outfits that made britneys' getups look like nuns habits.

 

[Denim And Leather]

I look at this as an "in house" debate. I don't see anything wrong with listening to secular music as long as it doesn't glorify sin, whether it be rap music, heavy metal, etc. I still listen secular music, but try to be more selective as to what I listen to, as to not to listen to anything that promotes fornication, drunkedness, etc.

Some Christians feel differently, they feel that all secular music is off limits, and that's ok, too. This is something that doesn't concern the doctrine of salvation, is not something heretical, so I don't sweat it.

I think it's wonderful that there are music acts out that that praise God with rap, metal, etc. God can use their music to reach the lost just as much as he can use CCM or traditional gospel music.

 

[DomesticDiva]

Hey Ladies,

This is my first post

I was never a huge hip-hop fan anyway, but I looooooove every type of music. My ipod is full of everything, but my heart is in listening to praise/gospel music. I agree with previous posters who said that the devil didn't originate anything, but he perverts everything. I have found that for me it is important to listen to a variety of different genres expressed in Christian music. I love the diversity of the people of Christian faith, and I'm excited by how different music will reach a different segment of the Christian people. I'm not a big fan of old-time hymns (except a few of them!), but my husband loves them; I listen to Christian hip-hop and have a wonderful time of praise; he can't stand it! But I tend to be more free, he is more laid-back.

I've been through too much in my faithwalk to ever think that listening to a secular song is going to send me to h*ll. Personally, though, I do not have the tolerance for secular music stations for the same reasons one of the ladies posted, they play Kirk Franklin, then they play something vulgar. That's just nasty. You can't go from a moment of praise to something else. It creates an unsettledness in my spirit.

My husband used to listen to secular stations more than Christian stations, and he's admitted that it contributed to how him feeling spiritually distant, so he chooses not to go there these days. What convicts one person today, may not convict another person. It's part of our spiritual journey, in my opinion.

Look forward to talking with you all more

Nicole

 

[Denim And Leather]

I love the diversity of the people of Christian faith, and I'm excited by how different music will reach a different segment of the Christian people. I'm not a big fan of old-time hymns (except a few of them!), but my husband loves them; I listen to Christian hip-hop and have a wonderful time of praise; he can't stand it! But I tend to be more free, he is more laid-back.

Nicole

I totally agree! Christian music would be extremely boring if there was only one type available. I love 80's Christian metal bands, but I also like some CCM, and in church, I love traditional hymns as opposed to modern worship music.

BTW, welcome to the boards!

 

[StrawberryQueen]

bump!

 

[Minx]

I strongly feel that Hip-Hop music is demonic, and it didn't take G.Craige to show me that.

It's just so nasty, vile, filthy, and disgusting, there is nothing apealling about it at all.

My distaste for it goes way back:

Back in 1993, I remember KRS-1 came and performed in my town.
A friend of the guy that I was dating knew KRS1 personally and so he went backstage.
He came back that night, telling us that Kris was explaining to him that the Black man is god, and was giving his list of reasons based on what Kris taught him that night.

My then boyfriend debated him for hours then we finally left it alone.
That was my first taste of the 5% nation, I just didn't know it then.
So yeah, KRS1 is a true 5%er( OT:did y'all know that his son committed suicide about 2 weeks ago?)

Back in 1998, right before I stopped listening to secular music,
I was listening to the radio and something EXTREMLYsexuall came on, unedited.
So I called the local radio station that was playing the song with the sexually explicit lyrics (it was little Kim, I believe)
I spoke with the radio station manager(a white man) about why would he be playing that.
He said that it's what his listeners want.
So I said,"Who is your target audience?"
He said, "18-24 year olds"
I asked him to be more specific.
So he finally said, "18-24 year old African-Americans."

I asked him, "What about the kids who tune in, should they be exposed to that? What about your kids? Do you have your station playing for your kids to listen to at the breakfast table?"
He actually insulted my intelligence and said, "Yes"
I just thanked him for his time and hung up, and have never listened to that station since.

I had a good mind to start a petition to ban this station, but did not follow through with it.
To this day, I denounce it every chance I get.

I despise Hip-Hop and everything associated with it.
I see it as a plot of the enemy to keep souls away from Christ, away from God, a distraction that leads to him.
I've written papers in college about the negetive effects of this music.
I look at our black children, our black women, our black men, society as a whole, and I can see the toll that this culture has taken on us.

I DO want to start an anti-hip hop movement.
I break and burn Hip Hop CD's if I find them in the hands of any youth in my family, they all know this about me.

I want a national ban, by the people, not by the government, sorta like what's happening now with the N word.

As a Christian, I cannot stomach Hip-Hop.
I can't support what it stands for: profanity, vulgarity, drugs, sexually immorality, degredation,etc.
My spirit just won't tolerate it!

I have three children, ages 19, 14, 10 and they know why we do not listen to Hip-Hop nor participate in it's culture.

For example:
My children do not have peircings and tatoos and
I do not clothe my children in "urban wear"
(Baby Phat, Phat Farm, Roca Wear, Applebottom,etc).

I want nothing of that culture reflected in our life and/or lifestyle.

dk

I also do not allow BET, MTV, VH1 in my home, so videos are a no-go as well.

 

[Monilove122]

bump!

I disagree 110% with any genre of music being Demonic. I just don't get how music which is something that came from God (not speaking of a particular genre just in general) is demonic. Now, what is demonic or in my opinion goes against my beliefs (cause to me demonic is STRONG) are the messages that disrespect women, glamourize negative lifestyles, etc. but the whole genre? No can't say that at all. It's all in what the message is that goes along with the beats. To me to classify a whole genre of anything as denomic is a S-T-R-E-T-C-H to say the least. There are Christian hip-hop groups and to say they are demonic while their songs are filled with the word is INSANE!!!!

It's all about what is instilled in people and your foundation which should be GOD. What's the difference between when Dottie Peoples proclaims "He's an On Time God" and a christian rapper says the exact same thing. I listen to good music PERIOD no matter the genre. But because of my beliefs I don't listen to disrespectful, immoral, crazy music that pushes a negative message. Other than that, I don't see the problem.'

They said the same thing about Thomas Dorsey's music when music was more "traditional" in the church. And this too shall pass....

 

[golden bronze]

Holy Ghost Filter

I think every song should be judged through the lens of Christ. If it edifies and uplifts, or does it promote sin. What I do is use my "holy ghost filter". If I start to get a feeling that I shouldn't be listening to something I cut it off.

In the case of groups like Bone Thugs and 3six Mafia, it is obvious that those groups are promoting the devil and not Christ.

Others may seem to be promoting Christ, but not in his entirety. That is also dangerous.

Some people can listen to the music and not be affected. For others it encourages sinful desires.

Sometimes the area is gray. For example, a married person may be able to listen to love songs if they encourage or promote desire for their mate. I certianly don't think that gospel music would be the sountrack during wedding night, because the act is fleshly, though approved by God.

I used to listen to hiphop all the time. Now I limit my consumption. The music doesn't lead me to sin anymore, but too much of it is like empty calories. It doens't fill my spirit. I listen to it so I can understand what the young people are listening to, but that's about it.

I don't think that the church should shun those who are promoting holy hip hop--- they need guidance in their ministry to be effective. I tend to believe it is not always the song, but the spirit in the person who made it that makes the difference. I heard a "gospel" song recently that was so full of self worhship it sent chills down my spine. The spirit was all wrong.

 

[StrawberryQueen]

I disagree 110% with any genre of music being Demonic. I just don't get how music which is something that came from God (not speaking of a particular genre just in general) is demonic. Now, what is demonic or in my opinion goes against my beliefs (cause to me demonic is STRONG) are the messages that disrespect women, glamourize negative lifestyles, etc. but the whole genre? No can't say that at all. It's all in what the message is that goes along with the beats. To me to classify a whole genre of anything as denomic is a S-T-R-E-T-C-H to say the least. There are Christian hip-hop groups and to say they are demonic while their songs are filled with the word is INSANE!!!!

It's all about what is instilled in people and your foundation which should be GOD. What's the difference between when Dottie Peoples proclaims "He's an On Time God" and a christian rapper says the exact same thing. I listen to good music PERIOD no matter the genre. But because of my beliefs I don't listen to disrespectful, immoral, crazy music that pushes a negative message. Other than that, I don't see the problem.'

They said the same thing about Thomas Dorsey's music when music was more "traditional" in the church. And this too shall pass....

Co-sign as usual! I love you posts

 

[gone_fishing]

It is a fact of life that whatever a person allows to occupy his mind will sooner or later determine his speech and his action. This is the premise behind Philippians 4:8 and Colossians 3:2,5: establishing wholesome thought patterns. 2 Corinthians 10:5 says we "take captive every thought and make it obedient to Christ." This is how we allow Jesus to be "the Lord of our lives". That gives us a pretty clear picture of the kind of music we SHOULDN'T listen to.

There is nothing inherently wrong any particular style of music. It's the message you must be wary of because of the first sentence above. IF certain types of secular music leads you to think about, or get involved in something that does not glorify God – then you should avoid it.

 

[Nice & Wavy]

Re: Holy Ghost Filter

I think every song should be judged through the lens of Christ. If it edifies and uplifts, or does it promote sin. What I do is use my "holy ghost filter". If I start to get a feeling that I shouldn't be listening to something I cut it off.

In the case of groups like Bone Thugs and 3six Mafia, it is obvious that those groups are promoting the devil and not Christ.

Others may seem to be promoting Christ, but not in his entirety. That is also dangerous.

Some people can listen to the music and not be affected. For others it encourages sinful desires.

Sometimes the area is gray. For example, a married person may be able to listen to love songs if they encourage or promote desire for their mate. I certianly don't think that gospel music would be the sountrack during wedding night, because the act is fleshly, though approved by God.

I used to listen to hiphop all the time. Now I limit my consumption. The music doesn't lead me to sin anymore, but too much of it is like empty calories. It doens't fill my spirit. I listen to it so I can understand what the young people are listening to, but that's about it.

I don't think that the church should shun those who are promoting holy hip hop--- they need guidance in their ministry to be effective. I tend to believe it is not always the song, but the spirit in the person who made it that makes the difference. I heard a "gospel" song recently that was so full of self worhship it sent chills down my spine. The spirit was all wrong.

This is like dynamite:woohoo:....good stuff!!!

 

[melodee]

I just heard this man speak on Friday and had no idea what I was about to hear. I went in thinking "Oh goodness is this another basic Hip Hop is negative song" I left confused and conflicted. Some of the stuff presented has me in shock even till now. I am a HUGE music fan, most of my money goes to CD's, live shows, satallite radio, etc. But there is SOOOO much out there that we really aren't aware of when we listen to a lot of this. Prime example is the Grey Album, the Jay Z Black album mix tape released shortly after the Black Album. I have this as well as other Black album mixes...I've shared this with other people...to find out that one of the tracks played backwards, the DJ mixed Jay Z chanting "Murder, murder, murder Jesus" has me messed up in the head. I'm am just going to pray on it...it's crazy how the devil tries to get in our heads. Do I feel all music is demonic, no, but how do you know you aren't missing something that's been hidden so carefully.

Another thing that got me was the Three Six Mafia spill...I HATE this group, but never in a million years would I have thought the "three six" stood for six six six. I have no clue what those boys are saying, but to read and see the lyrics from some of there songs.....UNBELIVEABLE and UN-GODLY!!!! To hear the words and philosophy of one of the most respected hip hop artist KRS One on the basis of that 5 percent garbage (I knew it was craziness, but to REALLY learn about the basic beliefs)

To see a Animation from the Wu Tang Klan that showed the Wu-bird (their Wu Tang symbol of the "W" and bird together) fly and sever the head of Jesus....then see it absorbing the spirit out of the severed head of Jesus, and the Wu bird create the members of the Wu Tang Klan...Now, I'd love to find this for myself to offically see it's a Wu Tang production, but right now, knowing them, I'm going with it is and hope to be proven wrong. Why did ODB change his name to Big Baby Jesus? Why does Jay Z call himself Jay Hova and have everyone chanting his name and raising our hands in the air to him?

He didn't have time to get into Neo Soul, but he breifly touched on that. I'm thinking Neo Soul??? What in the world can be wrong with that! He mentioned Erykah Badu (who we all knew was off anyway, lol) and Andre naming their child Seven. . He explained that the number seven in the "5 percent" world represents the seventh letter of the alphabet, "G" which stands for God who they believe the black man and woman is.


I'm am not ready just yet to throw everything out. I have some research to do on my own and things to work through with God to get some understanding. At this point, I cannot ignore what I've been exposed to (although I kinda wish I wasn't...almost like ignorance is bliss, I know that's terrible!!!) because that would, for me, would be blatant blasphemy. It was soooo much to swallow and I wasn't prepared. This was an eye opener and I'm praying to God to find some peace in all of this because out of all my struggles in my working to become a better Christian, this one, music, is proving to be one of the biggest.


ETA: I didn't have a chance to read through this thread to see the turn it took. My intentions wasn't to start anything back up, so I hope this remains positive. I've just really been uneasy about all of this lately as I am working on strengthening my personal relationship and walk with God and needed to kinda let some stuff out.

Very interesting post. As far as neo-soul, many of the artists are non Christian, and in fact as into a mixture of different "faiths"or "philosophies" . Badu constantly talks about gods and shares humanistic views. As does Maxwell. Take a listen to Common. And there are many others.

Generally, "artsy" people tend to be more humanistic/pantheistic.
It makes for some very interesting lyrics, but sometimes you're left saying "Wow....what?"