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MIXING HIP HOP LYRICS AND HOLY SCRIPTURES:
Psychology major’s forthcoming manuscript focuses on impact of popular rap artist’s emphasis on spirituality Only a few years ago, while still attending high school in his hometown of San Antonio, Clarence Williams first began to consider becoming a psychiatrist. Williams’ interest arose from his own battle with depression following the death of his father in the summer following his high school sophomore year. “I became interested in psychology after realizing African-American males aren’t represented heavily in the medical and mental health fields,” Williams says, “so I focused on becoming a psychiatrist.” Now, as a junior psychology major at Prairie View A&M University, Williams is nearing completion of a manuscript about the religious themes frequently associated with one of the most popular contemporary rappers — Chance the Rapper (real name: Chancelor Jonathan Bennett). The manuscript is an outgrowth of Williams’ assignment in a broad-based research project launched by one of his professors — Dr. Pamela Martin of the College of Juvenile Justice and Psychology. Dr. Martin’s research deals with African American Protestant faith communities and primarily focuses on black adolescents and the role of faith in their daily lives. Martin’s research is funded by the Hogg Foundation, with $105,000 specifically covering a three-year span of research at PVAMU.
Williams’ interest in putting together a thorough manuscript on the role of faith in hip hop music resulted from him having followed a debate among pastors on Facebook about Chance the Rapper’s faith-oriented lyrics. Williams found that he disagreed with what seemed to be a consensus among the clergy — that the artist’s lyrics were not genuinely spiritual.
“I knew for a fact that they did not listen to Chance the Rapper, or even secular music,” Williams says. “I got into a debate with them.” A short time later, Williams received an assignment in the class he was taking from Dr. Martin.
“So, I picked Chance the Rapper as a subject, and I wanted to do it as correlation with spirituality because I believed that Chance the Rapper was very spiritual,” says Williams, who began reviewing many of the rapper’s works such as, Coloring Book.
“I noticed that in every single song, there is a correlation with spirituality and biblical references,” Williams adds. “Then, I used additional articles from a library database to back up my assertion of how hip hop had brought on a new perspective on divine authority to younger generations.” The feedback Williams received from fellow students was generally inspirational, as many of them went on to suggest to Williams that he should research the spiritual themes employed by other rappers such as Snoop Dogg, J. Cole and Kendrick Lamar.
One PVAMU professor who happened to listen to Chance the Rapper’s work, suggested Williams review additional Chance the Rapper lyrics that Williams had not yet focused on.
In the course of his work on the manuscript, Williams says he’s learned to appreciate how the often rough-but-sincere lyrics of rappers such as the late Tupac Shakur continue to resonate with many young people more than the sermons they hear in some churches.
“A lot of secular music that people put down is actually uplifting when you decipher the lyrics,” says Williams, adding that many young people instantly identify with someone who clearly discusses struggling with problems they are facing, while emphasizing constructive ways to overcome the grief and anger. o
