Hip-Hop music, since its creation, has always been an essential component to black culture. It not only sought to empower blacks, it also depicted the daily life of many black individuals and the particular struggles they experienced. Hip-Hop provided a glimpse into black youth, black culture, black fun, and black struggles to those who had no prior engagement with it, but it also allowed a sense of black pride for those who were engaged in the culture. From Soul to Jazz to Rhythm and Blues, many black people gained a certain satisfaction from hearing and seeing their culture plastered in the media. One genre in particular, has always sought to uplift black people in a way that not many other genres can — Gospel. Because of its uplifting qualities, many other genres seek to take elements from Gospel. The linkage between Hip-Hop and spirituality, however, may be an odd pairing to some, but the intersection between the two is crucial to the black experience.
black Gospel music has its roots in the spirituals that enslaved peoples would sing. These spirituals were the result of African traditions mixing with forced Christianity and many of these songs were made to uplift the souls of the oppressed. They also were used to carry hidden messages. The fearless and heroic, Harriet Tubman, for example, would use spirituals extensively in communicating messages. As time progressed, and Gospel music evolved, it began to draw inspiration from Blues. Individuals were often encouraged to testify their experiences with God and the Holy Ghost and profess their faith. Gospel music is and has been at the forefront of black spirituality; it has always been an expression of overcoming odds and uplifting those suffering from these odds. The importance of religion in black culture does have unforeseen consequences — mental health issues are often treated by “taking it up with God” and the black church is inundated with homophobia and hyper-masculinity— however, black spirituality has had an important role in the resilience and perseverance of black people against unfair treatment and the traumas of daily life.
While Hip-Hop serves to indicate these daily struggles, Gospel serves to uplift people from them. It serves as a declaration of triumph over them. The intertwining of the two genres identifies two monumental elements of blackness: black Struggle and black triumph. It also often represents the conflict between spirituality, struggle, and greed. In short, it represents a crucial element of the black experience. Many rappers that have incorporated Gospel into their music (without quite being “Gospel rappers”) have identified these elements. 2pac incorporates spirituality into his music in his song “Who Do You Believe In?” when he boasts “I see mothers in black crying, brothers in packs dying. Plus everybody's high, too doped up to ask why…it’s like we don’t believe in God ‘cause we living in sin.” He, obviously, is not the only rapper to incorporate religion into his music. “Jesus Walks,” for example, one of Kanye West’s most successful and identifiable songs, highlights that Jesus is walking for the killers, the drug dealers, the victims of welfare, and the like. He also highlights that the Devil is trying to break him down.
Most recently, however, rapper Chance the Rapper has been at the forefront of this linkage between Hip-Hop and Gospel. For Chance, this linkage is not a one-time thing, it is nestled neatly into his music: in the lyrics, in the beats, in the samples. He incorporates Gospel into his Hip-Hop without being a Gospel rapper, allowing him to have certain creative freedoms that many Gospel rappers do not (which is often why they don’t get as popular). Chance’s messages are powerful and positive and the inclusion of Gospel in his art only further perpetuates his messages of triumph against all odds. He also maintains the importance of black spirituality, in one song rapping, “Jesus black life ain’t matter,” a reference to the Black Lives Matter movement which erupted in 2013 as a means to protest systematic racial oppression and police brutality.
His latest album, Coloring Book, includes everything ranging from God's blessings and religion to sex and weed, and even maturing and growing up. It is this eclectic blend of subjects that makes the album so relatable to young black kids. It does not boast a “holier than thou” sense of superiority but instead identifies the realities that much of the youth are invested in. Chance also has a wide array of features, from rappers like Lil Yachty and Young Thug on the song "Mixtapes," to Future on the song "Smoke Break." He even has a feature from rapper Jay Electronica, on the song "How Great." The features listed above offer only a small taste of the great features on Coloring Book, but their inclusion in the album is yet another way Chance seamlessly blends the two genres. He features Kirk Franklin and church choirs on the same album as trap rappers. Chance communicates his messages without creating a gospel album. His synthesis of Hip-Hop and Gospel explains and vividly describes his black experience, one of black Struggle and black Triumph. Because the foundations of Black religion are so embedded in black culture, many of the young listeners of the album can feel the warmth of the spirituality without being bombarded by it. The messages of positivity, of overcoming obstacles, of finally obtaining happiness, are merely facilitated by the inclusion of Gospel. The major themes and moods of the album are formulated through this synthesis.
As Rap and Hip-Hop music evolves and changes, much of this positivity is missing. Chance the Rapper links black Struggle with black Triumph in a way that is not forced, gaudy, or lackluster. He perpetuates a continuing tradition of black music being used to uplift (his Chicago upbringing is also a source and subject of much of his music). As Chance continues to grow as an artist, I question how his music will evolve. I also question how the Hip-Hop industry will be affected by his obvious and continuous usage of Gospel music in his art. Will there be a shift as Chance sets a modern precedent linking the two? Or will he continue to be an outlier in a world overwhelmed with hardcore beats and trapping?
