Restless art

PORTLAND, Ore.—Hip-hop artist Shai Linne grew up in Philadelphia, immersed in rap culture. When he came to believe in Christ after reading the Gospel of John during a party in his room, he thought he would need to drop his music for the sake of his faith, not understanding how the two could coexist.

Then he went to a music release party where he saw hundreds of people who were “externally hip-hop” but whose Christ-centered lyrics revealed an inner depth and strength he found appealing. Now Linne is part of a movement of “young, restless, and Reformed” artists communicating biblical truths in hip-hop form.

The Christian rapper was one of several musicians, pastors, poets, and authors speaking last month at the “Canvas Conference” in Portland, where artists gathered to encourage and challenge one another as they grapple with what it means to glorify God creatively.

During one session, Linne showed pictures of frogs on a big screen. About 4,800 species exist, providing a glimpse of the high value God places on creativity. Good art—rooted in good theology—speaks effectively to mankind, God’s most creative creation, Linne said.

Linne is especially excited about the power of hip-hop, noting that its “in-your-face, bullhorn” nature grabs the attention of listeners. It’s structurally ideal, he said, because so many words fit into a small amount of musical space.

“Hip-hop takes hymns to the nth degree,” Linne told me. “It dwarfs hymns in terms of word count and potential for communicating information.”

As an example, take this verse from “Sacred Science,” a song on Linne’s 2013 album Lyrical Theology, Part One: Theology:

“First day of school, I got a list of classes / History, physics, literature, mathematics / But there was a course missing / But no one seemed to listen in admissions / Brought it up throughout the year, but cats were already conditioned / In my school my history teacher failed to mention / This person whose multi-dimension epitomizes non-fiction / Unlike others, within Him, there is no contradiction / She never said that each person we were quizzed on was working within His jurisdiction / Never learned a description of His holy inscription.”

Jason Petty, better known by his stage name, Propaganda, grew up in a rough part of Los Angeles, learned to rap, and was discovered by the underground hip-hop collective Tunnel Rats. He now releases albums through Portland-based Humble Beast Records. Known for his bold lyrics and rhythms, Petty had people on their feet with a performance of “Make”:

“Yo, let me tell ya / Elegant, brilliant, audio Helvetica / Mind change with side change, compression it’s bliss / Didn’t see it, but now I know possibilities endless / Who would have thought something as dumb as rap / Could spark this / Paradigm shift.”

Singer-songwriter Latifah Phillips, of the band Page CXVI, exhorted artists not to be consumed with their art and with social media. She suggested gardening as a way to “witness life.” Page CXVI has used fresh musical arrangements to bring new life to hymns like “Were You There?” and “O Sacred Head, Now Wounded,” making them more accessible to a younger generation.

Speaking to that younger generation, hip-hop group Beautiful Eulogy (also with Humble Beast) calls out self-centeredness in its song “Entitlement”:

“Limited in mind / Limited in body / Ruler of our own domain / Claim false authority / Like we’re the ones who rule and reign / The mentality of the majority / Is more than metaphorically / Morphing into a / Misinformed form / Of who we were born to be.”

Best-selling author Randy Alcorn compared the structure of a novel—a strong, creative start; a crisis in the middle; dramatic resolution—to the unfolding drama of God’s redemption story, with the resolution realized in heaven. Living in the middle of God’s story may be painful, but artists should “burst through” the curse that sin placed on creativity and make beautiful and meaningful things, Alcorn said.

Writer Bret Lott pens secular novels with redemptive themes. At the Canvas Conference he said his writing conveys a Christian worldview, yet his 11 fiction books don’t tell tales of whitewashed people and don’t have “born-again scenes” or happily-ever-after endings. Lott’s novel Jewel, an Oprah’s Book Club selection, tells the story of a Mississippi woman whose sixth child is born with Down syndrome.

“Christian fiction oftentimes props us up and encourages us,” Lott told me. “But Christ tells beautiful stories that don’t have what we desire as resolution. That’s how art is made: It doesn’t answer your questions fully.”