The New Rap on Jesus

Moral values are turning up in the strangest places these days.

Among the songs most honored in this year’s Grammy nominations is a rap tribute to Jesus Christ -- a catchy, beat-driven rhyme that has garnered unexpected critical and commercial success in a genre best known for its profane promotion of sex, money, drugs and lawlessness.

Music critics are hailing the author of “Jesus Walks,” songwriter and producer Kanye West, as the hottest new voice in rap and suggesting that his in-your-face embrace of religion signifies a break with tradition and the maturation of a musical form that has been narrowly defined by its outlaw culture.

Similar to what Mel Gibson experienced with his film “The Passion of the Christ,” West had a hard time convincing recording industry execs that a song about Jesus would appeal to rap fans. He spent $1 million of his own to produce three music videos to help promote the record on TV.

But West is not the only one weaving God into hip-hop beats. Popular rap veteran Mason “Mase” Betha abandoned the music business five years ago to become a minister but returned to rap this year with thumping beats backing up G-rated lyrics. Even crooner R. Kelly -- known as widely for his pending child pornography charges as his sexy hip-hop songs -- has a paean to God, “U Saved Me,” on his recent album.

The artists are careful to say it’s not a trend. West may walk with Jesus on one song, but the rest of his Grammy-nominated “College Dropout” album merits a “parental advisory” label for its language and references to sex and drugs. Rappers are simply laying claim to the spiritual legacy that has long infused black music with a gospel consciousness. Rapper P. Diddy explained to MTV reporters that rap is to urban youths what the old Negro spirituals were to plantation slaves-- an expression of pain, frustration and quest for redemption.

Rap music has been blamed for everything from loose morals among teenage girls to the creep of thug culture in professional basketball. But its broadening appeal cannot be denied.

Twenty-five years after rap emerged as the musical creed of the inner city, it is the nation’s fastest-growing musical genre. Nearly 70% of its sales are to white and suburban listeners. Even Rep. Dick Gephardt (D-Mo.), a former presidential contender, says he enjoys listening to rappers Nelly and Eminem -- for the beat, of course, not their X-rated lyrics.

The popularity of “Jesus Walks” may well reflect an unheralded, if unfocused, spirituality among the genre’s fans. It resonates, West told MTV, because “I’m expressing a lot which the regular person is going through.” Its rough language isn’t going to appeal to the Amy Grant crowd, but it may be a new expression for old musical roots.