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Heart and Soul: The God of Hip Hop

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17/06/2016 GMT

The God of Hip Hop

BBC World Service - Heart and Soul, The God of Hip Hop

Abdul-Rehman Malik explores the complex relationship between hip hop and religion

Abdul-Rehman Malik explores the complex relationship between hip hop and religion.

For centuries established religions have been using music as a form of spiritual expression but there is one unlikely music genre that today is giving young people a powerful voice to share their faith - Hip Hop.
 
The words Hip Hop often conjure up images of a genre that thrives on sex, violence, and profane language. However, there is another side to Hip Hop that is rarely talked about – its links to God. Hip Hop’s relationship with religion goes back to its inception, with its founding fathers having connections to Islam and groups such as the Nation of Islam and the Five Percent Nation. This religious consciousness is something that has remained at the core of Hip Hop but, like the genre, has evolved over the decades with many Christian and Jewish Hip Hop artists also sharing their faith through their music.
 
Writer, broadcaster and passionate Hip Hop fan, Abdul-Rehman Malik, speaks with artists, scholars and religious leaders to explore the complex relationship that exists between Hip Hop and religion. He asks how a genre known for violence and profanities can also give young religious people a powerful voice to express their faith. He will examine the artists and events that have shaped the genre’s religious identity and find out what draws people to share their faith through Hip Hop.

(Photo: Rappers Chuck D (L) and Flavor Flav of Public Enemy perform at SXSW 2016,Texas. Credit: Rick Kern/Getty Images)

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