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I'm not saying that in order to minister to the rap/street culture one needs to like rap music, nor am I saying that one needs to agree with everything that's said by the various artists. Nor does one need to condone the things that are wrong with their lifestyles. People do respect Christian convictions. It is enough to say that hip hop music is just like any other secular medium-and we would be naive to expect to find the Lord Jesus exalted in everything connected with it.

Yet one can find threads of biblical truth woven into its fabric, if we look for them (Prov. 25:2). I hope to demonstrate in this article that God has not left himself without a viable witness in the significant Black cultural phenomenon known as rap, and believers are not entering uncharted territory when they seek to minister in that context.

My own interest in rap music rests not so much in the medium itself as in those to whom the form is so important, i.e. the YUB'M (Young Urban Black Male). The starting point has to be the people themselves. Rap then becomes a side issue. I must make it a point to become all things (i.e. a rap listener, a not-always-on-the-downside critic and occasional mimic) to all men (particularly to the people group which originated this art form and has yet remained a difficult-to-reach and low-priority group on most missiological agendas), so that by all means some might be saved (1 Cor. 9:22).

While some believers may question using so secular a phenomenon to discover cultural truths for spiritual ends, the apostle Paul quoted several of the secular poets of his day to reach unbelievers (Epimenides and Aratus are both quoted in Acts 17:28), and believers alike (Menander is quoted in 1 Cor. 15:33 and Epimenides again in Titus 1:12). From a missions perspective, what better way is there to understand the mindset of a people than to study its artists-especially when they are striving to retain the people group's unique cultural identity in that art form.

Someone might counter, "That's true, but most of the rap lyrics I've heard are offensive and downright profane." That's true, but does that mean we should turn our backs on the performers and those to whom rap is so significant? Paul describes himself as a former blasphemer, a persecutor and a violent man; yet he was shown mercy, grace, faith and love while he was acting in ignorance and unbelief (1 Tim. 1:13, 14). I never would have expected to hear "Run" (Joseph Simmons of the rap group, Run D.M.C.) say that twenty years from now he hopes to be "preaching the good word of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ" (Fields, p. 26). I consider that another demonstration that there is nothing too hard for the Lord. The problem seems to be rooted more in our reluctance.

Rap: The Semiotics of Style

Semiotics is defined as "a general theory of signs and symbols; especially the analysis of the nature of and relationships of signs in language..." (Webster). In the spirit of author and teacher Jack Solomon, I'd like to probe some of the cultural messages that are hidden in rap music, particularly in the areas of presentation and perception. We'll be looking at these two areas, trying to be an

intellectual detective...seeking clues to explain what is really happening. Semiotics, which was introduced in the late nineteenth century, has become a tool for scholars to analyze human cultures, literatures, linguistics, legal systems.... America has become a semiotic society, moving from the era of print communication to a culture awash in visual symbols. [N]o one is taught how to analyze or even question the images that influence every waking moment. (Koenenn, p. L-6).

This is particularly true with the rise of rap videos. Ask just about any African American young person whether he'd like to star in a music/rap video and you'll more than likely get an enthusiastic affirmative response. Ask that same individual what differentiates one rap performance from another, and more than likely the response will have to do with one word: "Style." This is the quintessential component of rap music.

Style is an attitude that individuals within a culture express through their choice of cultural form.... Black style is more self-conscious, more expressive, more expansive, more colorful, more intense, more assertive, more aggressive, and more focused on the individual than is the style of the larger society of which Blacks are a part. (Kochman, p. 130)

Reflection on Society

Rap music is much more than a series of clever rhymes set to a drum beat and music. It is a reflection of how young Black Americans perceive their place in the dominant society. As Black Americans have observed the entertainment media of music, TV, and movies, they've seen a number of their own succeed quite admirably, and they have done so with the element of style as their foundation. Rap artistry offers access to that same success, since it doesn't require much more than one's innate gifts and abilities to get started. Add to this that rap readily reinforces one's cultural identity and integrity, and it becomes obvious why so many Black youth are attracted to it. Even R & B (rhythm and blues), the staple musical style for several generations of African Americans, is going with the hip hop beat. It is trying to follow rap with a style called hip house or house rap-a fusion of hip hop rhymes with a musical house beat.

One of the major factors in rap's popularity is the video market. The release of a music video is critical to a record's success, because the video gains a wider exposure for the artist than a recording by itself.

The rap video medium provides an important cultural integration point for young African Americans, bringing together some startlingly innovative efforts in the expressive arts. One recent video featured paintings, dancing, rapping and acting, as well as behind the scenes production (stage construction, rehearsal, and even shots of the seated audience watching the performance). And the video managed to communicate a few lessons on Black history as well.

In the typical rap video, one usually finds a troupe of dancers providing a synchronized back-up for the rap artist. The choreography is electric and scintillating, reminiscent of Black dance a number of decades ago, but it's been acrobatically updated with street moves straight from the nineties. Visual clips of the lip-synching rap artist dart in and out of a perpetually moving sequence, interchanged with shots of a "soap-ratic" storyline or of the performance (audience included) taken from different angles. While

some people may experience high levels of [this kind of] stimulation as unmanageable, overwhelming, and disruptive... others may prefer or even require an exciting and stimulating environment in order to function at their highest level. (Krupat, p. 17)

A rap video reflects the multisensoried urban milieu, barraging the viewer with "visual-sampling." The music provides the continuity (a key notion in African American culture).

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Bob Hepburn is an urban worker laboring in Paterson, New Jersey, under the auspices of AIM International. His ministry with young adults and urban youth concentrates on discipleship and leadership development. He is currently working on his M. A. Miss. degree at Westminster Seminary. Address: P.O. Box 1212, 38 Belle Ave., Paterson, NJ 07509.


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