Sounds of Christ

I love music. Whenever I'm feeling happy or sad or angry or disappointed, I listen to music. I enjoy all genres but my favourites are house and hip hop. Although the links between these two genres may not be as obvious as a genres such as rock, there are some Christian content in house and hip hop. The emotions experienced during a rave and a techno concert can be compared to the emotions experienced during a sporting event. The same sense of euphoria and community can be felt during a rave or at a packed Swedish House Mafia Concert. Instead of 30,000 people packed into a stadium to watch a few men beat each other up, raves are smaller, but the one DJ (or multiple DJs depending on the event) is located on a raised stage, almost like an idol or a supreme being, dictating to movements of the people below him/her. At most of these raves, there is copious use of drugs, meant to induce a sense of euphoria, a sense of transcendence.

The group Justice, whose logo is a cross

On the other hand, hip hop, has a strong connection with the Christian tradition. Most hip hop artists come from a Christian background. The roots of hip hop is blues, which is also strongly rooted in the Christian tradition. Hip hop has been criticized by some mainstream media for being overly violent and degrading to women. Unfortunately, it is the small 5%-10% that draws the criticism. One of my favourite songs in by a group called Blu & Exile titled "The World is...(Below the Heavens)". (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKhA5aaCb-Y). The song talks about Blu's upbringing in a Christian household, and his ideas of Heaven. One of the most inspirational songs I've ever listened to.

"Hell is what you choose to call the present, that's why you're going through it, I just choose to call it stressin', to tell you fools the truth I don't feel that why I'm destined, so you can call it hell but bro, I'll just say I'm below the heavens"