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Kendrick Lamar: Are His Songs Considered ‘Christian Rap’?

By Antonio J. Newell

From the archive: published Mar 18, 2016, 10 years ago. Details may have changed since.

Kendrick Lamar’s recent songs are under speculation as being deemed “Christian Rap.” Does Lamar know this? Do Kendrick’s supporters feel the same about it?

Apparently, Kendrick Lamar’s fan base is well-aware of his relationship with God. However, does that make Lamar a “Christian rapper,” or a rapper who is Christian? There’s a difference between the two.

Unlike artists who label themselves as Christian rappers, Kendrick Lamar doesn’t subscribe to the social stigma which usually comes along with the topic. Since 2009, a large portion of Kendrick Lamar’s songs have included lyrics pertaining to his relationship to God.

However, in essence, Kendrick’s songs are about his life and the situations he’s encountered throughout his journey as a man. In multiple Lamar interviews with MTV — in 2011 as well as 2015 — Kendrick has expressed that God is always with him. Likewise, as in “How Much Does a Dollar Cost?,” the affluent rapper mentions that he notices when God uses people to speak to him. During Kendrick Lamar’s 2015 interview with the source, he noted as follows.

“It’s a true story… These are moments in my life deeper than just handing somebody a dollar. These are actually moments of integrity, actually being able to talk to somebody. Me talking to him was simply a thank you from God. And I felt God speaking through him to get at me.”

It’s true that Kendrick Lamar grew up in a Christian home. However, as you know, Kendrick is from a rough city with unforgiving tendencies — or as Lamar puts it, a “M.a.a.d.” city. So, while “Christian rap” might seem like an appropriate label for such God-included rap, Kendrick Lamar doesn’t see himself as such an artist. His walk with God is simply the reality of his life.

Although, in previous years, the aforementioned rap genre used to spit only about God, the Bible, biblical situations and scriptures, or problems within the church, things nowadays have changed a bit. Some of its more popular rappers sound like Kendrick Lamar — as far as targeting a larger audience with everyday situations and real life. “Christian rap” has long-been a label that has existed with limited undertones when it comes to reaching rap demographics.

The thing is that Kendrick isn’t opposed to communing among and relating to his people. Even recently, Kendrick Lamar showed up and started freestyling with other underground MCs in Manchester, United Kingdom.

[Disclaimer: The following video contains explicit lyrics. Viewer discretion is advised.]

Yet, to digress, while some of the more-influential songs other rappers have created mention relationships with God, once they were coined “Christian rap,” they were undermined and potentially dismissed — even though their messages were personal testimonies, much like Kendrick’s. Billboard notes that over 15 songs on Kendrick Lamar’s newest album release make mention of biblical references.

Kanye West’s “Jesus Walks” was a mainstream hit. Eminem’s “I’m Not Afraid” was a mainstream hit. Both received positive and negative feedback. And, mostly, the negative feedback stemmed from the assumption that the artists were “going ‘Christian rap’.”

Nevertheless, while Kendrick Lamar talks about his personal struggles and relationship with God, he simply relays his experiences to the public. However, while doing that, he’s not pushing Christian beliefs on his listeners. Rather, Kendrick Lamar is giving his listeners a glimpse into his life. This is the same that Kanye and Eminem did as well with their songs.

Unfortunately, Kendrick Lamar’s world gets more grim the deeper you plunge down the rabbit hole. To his experience, Lamar has lost several childhood friends to nonsensical violence in his city. Whether due to incarceration or murder, Kendrick has had to possibly — and involuntarily — part with many close relationships. And Lamar’s death experiences started when he was 5-years-old. After that, it’s as if “Lucy” was tailing his journey — often leaping ahead to plant obstacles in front of Kendrick’s times of joy.

So, while certain skeptics might label Kendrick Lamar’s music as borderline-religious, it’s like the rapper said during an interview with Ebony.

“But we was always taught to have faith. We was brought up like that. Whether we was inside a church or not, my mother always kept that faith inside of us. The more I started going through my own things in life, my faith got put to the test, and I had to believe that God is real in my heart, my lord and savior Jesus Christ, and I can’t run from that.

“I’ll always put that in my music or it just wouldn’t be right. People can take it or leave it, I really don’t care, because it’s for me to put it on records. And I will continue to put more of a spiritual nature in my music.”

So, again, are Kendrick Lamar’s songs categorized as “Christian rap”? Or is he simply a rapper who doesn’t forget his spiritual foundation while discussing his life? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below.

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