(ft. Jesus): How Lauryn Hill and Sampling Shaped Christianity in Mainstream Rap

Rap and religion currently exist in unity, but this hasn’t always been the case. Religion’s road from corny to respectable has been paved by those who shaped the sound of hip-hop and not just the ideas sung on the mic.

Written by Glenn Rodgers
Illustrated by Mark Yoder

These days, Christianity finds no struggle existing alongside hip-hop, despite being a contradiction of some rap stereotypes. Though this contradiction is where the two find their balance, the relationship hasn’t always been respected. To quote Kanye West’s “Jesus Walks”: “if I talk about God my record won't get played.” But how did the views of the genre change?

There’s no question that Lauryn Hill’s lyrical hooks are what brought the Fugees mainstream recognition for The Score. Songs on The Score focus on Hill’s choruses to attract the listener and made Hill a household name and inspiration for following rappers, even before she went solo. Helped by the sounds of the West Coast hip-hop scene, Hill’s melodies signify rap’s shift towards the sound of popular music, but they also remind listeners of the sounds of a Sunday gospel.

Hill grew up in a musical and religious family. Using the sounds and ideas of her youth, Hill would go on to start her school’s gospel choir long before she rapped in the Fugees. These early influences of Hill’s sound are what would later define her solo work. Hill’s first album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, would earn her five Grammys and find her rapping about newfound religion and motherhood on “To Zion.” But it was Hill’s step back from her chart-topping style on her live album MTV Unplugged No. 2.0 that would be her biggest statement advocating for Christianity in rap. Every song from the album sings like a sermon. Hill jumps in and out of her powerful melodic hooks to spoken-word poetry that flows almost as beautifully. She sings over sparse but choppy guitar licks, to give even the most unreligious listener something to worship. Despite mixed reviews upon its initial release, this album would go to find its way into the minds of countless young rappers and onto their albums as samples, including West.

West was obviously not the first rapper to use samples, but he was one of the first to make them a focal point in his songs. While some rappers feel the need to hide their samples within the rest of the beat, Kanye wears them on his sleeve. West’s samples are always clear by their overproduced, but not poorly produced, nature or clear reference. Samples carry the weight of the artist’s ideas, and by not hiding his samples, West’s music also carries their reputation. One of West’s most notable samples is from Hill’s Grammy-nominated song “Mystery of Iniquity,” from MTV Unplugged No. 2.0, on “All Falls Down” on The College Dropout.The song features Hill’s lyrics on the chorus, sung by Syleena Johnson. Hill’s words revolve around the idea that when American consumerism falls down, only God will be there to pick you up, and thus salvation is found in Christianity. West would then go onto to cite Hill as an influence in his lyrics, rapping “I've been uninspired since Lauryn Hill retired” on “No More Parties in LA” and “Lauryn Hill say her heart was in Zion / I wish her heart still was in rhymin'” on “Champion.” West would also not shy away from putting Christianity at the forefront of his music.

West’s relationship with religion and music begins with the previously mentioned “Jesus Walks” and travels all the way to the long awaited Jesus is King. But it’s the path he paved for other rappers to speak on the subject that is his most important contribution to the subject. West’s album 808s and Heartbreak was a paradigm shift in rap. It allowed for rappers to open up more about their feelings and almost forced them to do so. This would later open up new doors to a younger generation of rappers being able to speak on their emotions, and on religion.

Today, religion finds major themes amongst songs by the most respected rappers, including Kendrick Lamar, Chance the Rapper, and J. Cole. Religion owes its newfound presence to West’s pop characteristics, but also to Hill’s spoken-word style. J.Cole sampled Hill’s “To Zion” on the Born Sinner track “Can I Holla at Ya.” Chance the Rapper was featured on West’s gospel-inspired “Ultralight Beam,” and much of Chance’s new music has featured religious-centered tracks such as “Blessings” from his 2016 album, Coloring Book. While Lamar tends to be less referential to his influences, the Pulitzer Prize-winning rapper sought advice from Hill after the success of his freshman album good kid, m.A.A.d city. She advised him “to completely throw away [his] ego,” an idea that’s present on Lamar’s song “Pride” where he states that he’ll “take all the religions and put ‘em all in one service.”

These rappers are expanding past the Christianity set forth by their predecessors, but show clear respect for their elders. The numerous times that Hill’s religious messages have been sampled or that Christian ideology has popped up on a track indicates their clear influence on the art. While Christian rap has always existed, it’s too easy to refer to it as corny until now.

Afterglow ATXOctober 30, 2019