Who knew the words “Christian” and “rap” could be used side by side in a sentence but some phenomenal individuals are here to prove us wrong. This kind of hip-hop has evolved over time. The music’s unique genre focuses on using fast rhythmic words and commanding beats to convey messages that emphasize faith in a supreme being. If you are a christian rap lover then you might want to slip here for a minute, here is a list of top ten christian rappers who are making waves in the music industry.
Christian Rappers to Follow
Lecrae
First on our list and certainly the favorite of many is Lecrae Devaughn Moore but everyone prefers to just call him Lecrae. This American singer is a Christian hip-hop artist, record producer, songwriter, and actor. He is president and co-founder of ‘Reach Records’, an independent record company. He was also president of the now defunct non-profit organization, Reach Life Ministries. This guy was only 19 when he heard a message that changed his whole life. He began his career in 2004 with his debut album Real Talk, it was Christain’s first hip-hop album to reach #1 on the Billboard Gospel Chart.
In everyone’s book, Lecrae should be the best of the best. We would say he is the legend of gospel rap. His flow, his beats and his rhythm are always there and his production is da bomb. Does it get any better than that? You might want to check out his tracks; Church Vestments Vol. 2 & 3, Anomaly, After The Music Stops, Real Talk, Rebel, Rehab: Deluxe Edition and Rehab: The Overdose.
Andy Mineo
Andrew Aaron Mineo popularly known as Andy is an American Christian artist who resides in Syracuse, New York City. It was previously addressed by the moniker C-Lite. Andy jogs singing Christian hip-hop along with his work as a music video producer and director. He owns a record label called Miner League but is also signed to Reach Records. In fact, he is a member of Reach Records’ hip-hop collective, 116 Clique. The popular singer who made it big on his debut found his way to Christ after listening to Da’ Truth’s award. He joined the TRUCE ministry and has been making great strides in gospel rap since 2001.
Andy started out with songs like Everyday Thing, Hello World and What It’s About. His albums include; Uncomfortable, Never Land, Heroes For Sale, Saturday Morning Car-Tunez, Formerly Known, In My City, and Sin Is Wack. He has performed with other amazing gospel artists including Lecrae, Derek Minor and Sho Baraka. His album “Gravity” was awarded Best Gospel Album at the 2013 Grammy Awards. Without a doubt, he is one of the best Christian rappers in the world.
Da’ TRUTH
Emanuel Lee Lambert, Jr. has been streaming gospel rap tracks since 2003. This Cairn University graduate has been signed to multiple record labels; Cross movement, Xist and mixed bag. His album ‘The Faith’ won Gospel Rap/Hip Hop CD of the Year at the 2007 Stellar Award. His songs have been featured on several Christian platforms such as BET, VIBE, Mixx Master’s Lounge, Revelation’s The One to One Show TV, Word Network’s Bobby Jones Gospel and INSP’s Steelroots.
Da’ Truth has also been featured on New Manmagazine and Source Magazine. It would be hard to make a list of hard-hitting Christian rappers without naming this guy. He has toured with award-winning gospel artist, Kirk Franklin and performed with Lecrae, Trip Lee, Flame, KJ-52, J-Flo, Michelle Bonilla, R-Swift, Thi’sl and The Ambassador. The singer has several albums among his encomiums, they include; Moment of Truth, The Faith, Open Book, The Big Picture, The Whole Truth, Love Hope War, Heartbeat, and It’s Complicated.
Trip Lee
If you have been following the activities of Christian rappers around the world, then you should know a good number of Trip Lee hits. William Lee Barefield III is a rapper, singer, pastor, author, poet and activist signed to Reach Records and also a member of the 116 Clique. Trip Lee is a hardcore Christian who professes the beauty and glory of Jesus in all of his songs. He lives in Atlanta, Georgia, and is a pastor at Cornerstone Church.
Trip Lee started quite early. He started singing gospel songs at the age of 16 after giving his life to Christ at the age of 14. He preached his first sermon at the age of 17 due to his great passion for the gospel. The famous Lecrae was his mentor, he made the young boy the great artist we have today. Trip Lee has many albums to his credit. They include; If only they knew, The Waiting Room, Rise, The Good Life, 20/20 and Between Two Worlds.
The father of two has worked with other artists like KB, Sho Baraka, JR, Lecrae, Andy Mineo, V Rose, Suzy Rock, Jimmy Needham, Jai and Leah Smith. He has also been nominated for several awards. In 2017, his album “The Waiting Room” won Rap/Hip Hop Album of the Year from the GMA Dove Awards.
KB
Kevin Elijah Burgess or rather “K to da B”, has been able to establish himself as one of the most relevant Christian rappers in the world. This native of St. Petersburg, Florida had a troubled childhood accompanied by depression and drug addiction. Then he was thinking of cutting his wrist. But with the help of his friend Jeremy, he turned to God for help.
KB is the leader of the hip-hop group His Glory Alone (HGA). He was part of the Acquire The Fire tour with Lecrae. Also signed to Reach Records, his albums include; Who is KB?, 100, Weight & Glory and Tomorrow We Live
tedashii
Tedashii Lavoy Anderson’s unique voice is just one of the things that sets him apart from other Christian rappers. This flow master is a member of gospel rap sensation 116 Clique. He was raised by a single parent and currently serves at The Village Church in Denton, Texas.
T-Dot has been on the music scene since 2003 and is famous for his numerous tours. He was part of 116 Clique’s Unashamed, Don’t Waste Your Life and Man Up tour in 2008, 2009 and 2011 respectively. Additionally, TEDASHII announces a No Boundaries concert series in conjunction with KB and Suzy Rock in December 2012. He was also a host of the NGEN radio show, Serium.
His albums include; Identity Crisis, KingdomPeople, Blacklight, This Time and Below Heaven. The album below Paradise tells the story of his spiritual struggle after losing his one-year-old son in March 2013. Tedashii’s style of rapping is unique. He easily manipulates his deep bass voice through different ranges of flow patterns. His lyrics are easy to understand despite the fast rhythms. Trust us, his songs are worth the click.
Flame
Marcus Tyrone Gray was born on September 16, 1981. He is a Christian hip-hop artist with the label Clear Sight Music. Flame’s creativity with songs is second to none. His songs are all gospel, he’s all about Christ. At first he was signed to Cross Movement Records before launching his own label Clear Sight Music in 2010. He has been featured on Way of the Master radio show, local newspapers World and The Pathway, and was a guest special at Don’t Waste Your Life by the 116 Clique of Reach Record.
Flame has nine albums to her credit; Flame, Rewind, Capture, Our World: Fallen, Our World: Redeemed, The 6th, Forward, Royal Flush and God Knows. The track Gotta Notice from the album Rewind was nominated for Rap/HipHop Recorded Song of the Year at the 38th GMA Dove Awards. Likewise, the album Our World: Redeemed was nominated for Dove, Stellar and Grammy Awards. For sure, his raps come with the flames.
Nathan John Feuerstein
Nate the youngest of the crew goes through the NF name scene, he was born on March 30, 1992. He is a rapper, singer and songwriter. It was a sad childhood, he was raised by his mother after his parents divorced. NF was abused by his mother’s boyfriend, causing his father to seek custody of the child. Shortly after, her mother died of an overdose. His song How Can’t You Leave Us is dedicated to him.
NF is one of the fastest rappers of all time. His style of rapping is comparable to that of Eminem, Logic and Machine Gun Kelly. While his songs are top notch gospel, NF has proclaimed he is a Christian on several occasions but has insisted his songs are not strictly gospel. This is quite doubtful as his songs are popular in the Christian music scene and he is widely celebrated as one of the Christian rappers concerned.
Nate had previously signed with Xist Music but is currently with Capitol CMG; he started singing in 2010. His songs have had their fair share of publicity on ESPN, MTVU, Showtime, VH1, Shades of Blue, Grimm, NBC’s Chicago PD and even Fox’s Empire season finale trailer . His albums include; Moments, mansion, therapy session and perception. We have yet to receive a tour from this amazing rapper, however he has promised his fans a tour with Logic and Kyle before the end of 2018. We are all looking forward to it.
Derek Minor
The rapper whose birth name is Derek Johnson Jr. was formerly referred to by the stage name PRo. He is not only a gospel rapper but also a record producer, actor, screenwriter and entrepreneur. He and Doc Watson co-founded the record label Reflection Music Group. The label operated as a joint venture with Lecrae’s Reach Records in 2011.
Derek was exposed to music at a very tender age. Her father was a jazz musician and her mother sang in the choir. The original plan was to earn money through music and help his mother who was living with her drug addicted stepfather. Everything changed when he lost his grandparents and his godmother in a short time. In his pain, he realized the fickle tendencies of life. Thus, he gave his life to Christ and devoted his talent to divine ends. Derek Minor albums include; The Blackout, Redemption, Empire, Reflection, Dying to Live and Minorville.
Bizzle
Last on our list but certainly not least is Mark Julian Felder popularly known as Bizzle. He is a Christian hip-hop artist and entrepreneur. Bizzle previously had other nicknames such as Playboy and Lavyss. His start in Christian rap is quite an intriguing story, he started out singing secular songs. Even, he has a few openings with Lil Wayne, Juelz Santana, and Lil Boosie. Mark’s family was struggling financially and he desperately needed funds to promote his music career.
His quest for money pushed him to sell drugs, he also became a procurer of prostitution. One day, a prostitute from his prostitution ring asked him to help choose his brother in their family church, the young boy was a drummer. At this single request, Bizzle was overwhelmed with guilt and he decided to retrace his steps to God. His albums include; Tough Love & Parables, Best of Both Worlds, Surrender, The Good Fight, Crowns and Crosses, and Well Wishes.
Bizzle is a controversial gospel artist, the track You Got Some Explaining To Do released on January 10, 2010 was addressed to Jay Z regarding his negative statements about Jesus. On January 28, 2014, he released a single Same Love in response to pro-gay songs by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis. Bizzle used the song to criticize the promotion of homosexuality in society.