User:Estaples2/Christian hip hop

Christian Hip-Hop To Do's
Once all looks good, remove notice at top.
 * Fix Artists and Style
 * Move performances out into distinct 'Events' section, as the content there is markedly about special events, not concerts or shows in general.
 * Update crossover section and add references to Pigeon John.
 * Review and clean up history, adding references as needed.


 * Work:

Lyrical content
Sometimes faith may be evident in part of a song or other times an entire song or album may focus on Christian beliefs.

Artists such as FLAME, The Ambassador, Purified, Willie Will, Lecrae, Trip Lee, Sho Baraka, KJ-52, Blaze, modern messiahs, and Tedashii see themselves as preachers or ministers who proselytize to non-Christians or try to preach a Christian message using hip-hop as a medium. Others, such as Tunnel Rats, LPG, Brethren, Manafest, and Skribbal, choose to be simply hip-hop artists who are expressing themselves since they are Christian. Their music contains expression of their faith. This also relates to the argument similar in Christian rock and other Christian music genres where some artists welcome being called Christian artists while others would not want it to be labeled as "Christian music" so to not tie them down to the Christian music market. Others see themselves somewhere in the middle, who may constantly acknowledge their faith in songs but are not typically considered Christian hip hop artists and see themselves as both preachers and entertainers and welcome acceptance in both the Christian music market as well as crossing over into secular markets.

There are artists whose work has been predominantly characterized as secular, yet have been known for varying measures of Christian theming. Examples include M.C. Hammer's No. 2 single "Pray"; Richie Rich and his first single "Don't Do It"; many of Tupac's lyrics and his first posthumous record, The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory, the image of Tupac nailed to a cross pinned him as a Hip-Hop martyr; and even recent hip hop/rap artists like Jay-Z with Kingdom Come, DMX with "Walk With Me Now and You'll Fly With Me Later", and Kanye West with "Jesus Walks". However, these artists, although they may profess to be Christians, are not generally considered to be part of the Christian hip-hop movement.

Genres
While many notable studios and artists share influence in holy hip-hop, no one style dominates. Christian hip hop features all conventional hip hop styles, such as Midwest, Westcoast (T-Bone) and Eastcoast (Christiano), and Dirty South (Pettidee) or even mixed with other styles of music such as trip hop, rap rock, or crunk.

Christian hip hop is also embraced and performed by UK artists such as Jahaziel Elliot, Guvna B, Sammy G and Simply Andy & Just C. Some of these artists also incorporate elements of UK Garage, giving their music a more British sound. The GL Live music event 2010, held in the UK saw a fusion of Christian rappers both American and British celebrate their faith together whilst demonstrating their own unique styles. This event was hosted by Simply Andy and included performances by American rappers Trip Lee and Tedashii.