What music are American teens putting on their ipod? Country? Rock? Pop? Dance? Rap/Hip Hop?
Overwhelmingly, without question teenagers are listening to Rap/Hip Hop. Seriously it isn't even close. From a Kaiser study in 2005, 65% of teens listen to recorded (mp3 and CD) rap/hip hop in a typical day. The next closest music genre listened to by teens in a typical day is Alt Rock--32%.
If you are over 18 and reading this, you should be paying attention. Why? Because what is mainstream in the youth culture today will be mainstream in the broader culture tomorrow. So understanding and learning hip hop culture, values and style--and every musical genre has some distinct values and culture that come with it--will prepare you for the resulting changes in the broader culture.
For example, trace the rise of rock's influence in the youth culture and then in the broader culture from 1950 to 1990. What started as a suppressed youth movement which adults seemed to fear and reject became in a relatively short span, a broader culture shaper--one who's influence we now take for granted.
10-20 years from now the same will be said for rap and hip hop's influence on broader culture. It won't be "them"--teens who embrace rap and hip hop music and values. It will be "us"--adults in large part defined and influenced by their immersion in rap and hip hop's culture and values.
So for a Jesus follower who wants to be culturally engaged and able to relate to each generation in language that makes sense to that generation (and to avoid looking and sounding like these guys 10 years from now...)
...I'm working at learning and embracing hip hop culture. And I'm listening to guys like these who are doing hip hop with a decidedly Christian orientation... and doing it well.
Comments
Good food for thought.
GREAT food for thought, as Gil says. One thing I'll tell you is that while there is a segment of the evangelical population that is accepting (or, maybe closer to the truth, tolerating) of hip-hop culture, it is still generally marginalized, seen as something "out there" that is for "those kids" (meaning, inner-city kids) rather than what your numbers suggest, which is not only that hip-hop is the dominant style of music for generation Y and beyond right now, but that it's also a native language and culture for a whole generation of educated, cultured, professional people of color, and if our major institutions of Christendom (churches, parachurch organizations, Christian media outlets, Christian advocacy and political orgs) do not wake up to this fact and be intentional about trying to embrace hip-hop culture to the extent that God is calling us to (I leave that vague because it's different for each of us) then we'll continue to find ourselves pushed to the margins of the culture, camping out in insular irrelevancy, and wondering why no one is responding to our message.
by the way, there is a LOT of Christian hip-hop out there and not all of it is great quality, but if you want a good place to get caught up, check out the following songs (I'm pretty sure they can be found on iTunes):
(oh and one other quick thing that can help you... be aware that the term hip-hop is often used to refer to a culture in general, and that while rap music is part of hip-hop culture, so is contemporary R&B... and even "rap/hip-hop" as an overall genre has many subcategories and offshoots, some of which have began to venture into different musical territory than what people normally expect from rap music. But hip-hop, like all forms of culture, continues to evolve.)
here is a small sampling of the stuff that I've been listening to, either because it really ministers to me or because I really love the sound/feel of the music (or both):
Sho Baraka, "God Is Like/Who Is Like Our God"
Sho Baraka, "Catch Me at the Brook"
Beckah Shae, "Yeshua"
Cam feat Exodus, "Get Gone"
Dre Murray feat Cam and Emcee One, "Still Cleaning(Remix)"
DJ Maj, "So Free"
Lecrae feat Da Truth & JR, "Identity"
JR, "OK"
K-Nine, "Bottom of the Ninth"
The Phanatik, "95 degrees"
Canton Jones, "Hater Day"
Khul Rhema, "Throw Em Up"
The Phanatik, "North and South"
4th Avenue Jones, "Rush"
J Moss, "Afraid"
Mark J, "Suffer the Little Children"
Kirk Franklin, "Jesus"
Verbs feat The Light, "Be Still"
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