On Fire For The Lord, By Fuhyda Rogers

One song that comes to mind that demonstrates the use of rap music for listening purposes is All I Ask, from gospel rap album On Fire for the Lord, written by Fuhyda Rogers. Rogers is a San Diego gospel artist that goes by the alias “Hotta”. Much of her musical work, is inspired by her personal story as a single mother, from the streets of South East San Diego, tasked with the responsibility of providing for four kids. All I Ask, is an example of one of her personally-inspired works. This moderate-tempo song opens with a modest horn feature that runs on a loop and lays the foundation for the minor tonality of the song. This horn feature is accompanied by a voice over that provides words of encouragement for the listener. In this voice over, Rogers speaks to those facing hardships, such as economic instability, familial strife, and depression (2012). As words of encouragement, she reminds her listeners: “If you

suffer with Him, you will reign with Him. And if you suffer with Him, you will be glorified with Him”. These words make direct reference to bible verses Romans 8:13 and Timothy. The context behind these verses is that Paul, a disciple of Jesus, explains to his audience why some people suffer and while others seem to live carefree lives. These words remind the reader that, just as Jesus faced immense suffering and was glorified by God, so shall those that face suffering in their time on earth. Rogers’ lyric serves two incredibly important purposes. It, first, provides a spiritual premise for the rest of the song. As Rogers references different forms of modern day suffering, such as homelessness, and depression, she harkens back to the idea that people who suffer have worth and value, through God. Even more significantly, Rogers’ lyric addresses a question that is especially relevant to urban communities today—that question being, what is the purpose and value of suffering, when so many affluent people can live care free?
Returning to our discussion on the compatibility between rap and the more somber messages of Christianity, Roger’s All I Ask skillfully demonstrates how the two can co-exist in a single record. This track, like the more somber topics of Christianity, touches upon mature topics such as ravishing effects of the inequality of wealth in America, and the suicidal tendencies that can follow as a result thereof. However, the harmonic and rhythmic simplicity of the track is such that it enhances the message given by the lyrics, as opposed to distracting from it. So, the argument that full scope of the Christian message and rap are incompatible is not valid, because just as traditional music can be modified in terms of minor/major tonality, tempo, and rhythmic complexity it fit a certain mood, so can rap music.
Not only is gospel rap compatible with the Christian message, recently gospel rap has succeeded where the church has continued to fail—reaching out to young people.

Black churches are finding that their congregations are growing older and older as younger people continue to leave the church (Zanfagna 2011). Even Tupac Shakur, renown rap artist know for invoking spiritual undertones in his music, criticizes the church in his lyric from Black Jesuz, “Went to church but don’t understand it, they underhanded” (1999). Here, Shakur makes a reference to the lack of understanding between pastors, preaches, and youth (especially those coming from urban communities known as “the hood”). Traditional sermons, such as those stressing the importance of baptism or the rote memorization of the Ten Commandments, are not especially helpful to in terms of making sense of the violence and social pressures that permeate throughout urban communities. The inability of the church to address the specific needs of young people, inevitably lead to youth disillusion with the

church.
Gospel rap provides a promising outlook for the relationship between young people and the church in that it was created with their interest in mind. For example, one of the first gospel raps songs, Bible Break, served the purpose of providing children a “break” to learn simple evangelical messages. One of the messages included in Bible Break is the unconditional love that God has for everyone. When Wiley raps, “I’m a winner and not a loser/I’m the head, not the tail/if the prison door is open whatcha doin in jail. Cause Jesus paid the bail” he is teaching his audience that God’s positive regard for his followers, and Jesus’ sacrifice, a reflection of thereof, make it such that nobody has to be a prisoner of sin. The delivery of this message is especially effective because it evokes language such as “winners and losers” and “jail”, which are concepts readily understood by youth through their experience with games such as cops and robbers, rock paper scissors, and tic-tac-to. By deploying language that draws upon experiences common to youth, Wiley increases the relatability between youth culture and the Christian message.
The inclusion of gospel rap into the larger canon of gospel music is has crucial implications for the advancement of the Christian faith. When the 12 disciples see Jesus for the last time, Jesus left them with these final words “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.(Mark 16:15 KJV). With these words, Jesus tells his follower to spread the story of Jesus to every person in every corner of the word. This passage is known in the Christian faith as “The Great Commission” and serves as the foundation for modern-day Evangelism. To isolate rap music as too worldly, is a direct contradiction of this grand commission as it represents a unwillingness to go into all the world, as Jesus commands. On the other hand, by serving as another medium to propagate the gospel, gospel rap allows the Christian message to reach lives that otherwise, will have gone neglected.