How does a hip hop artist confront the major objections that secular, Western culture levels against Christianity? Well, Da’ T.R.U.T.H. answers that question with the statement “It’s complicated” with his latest studio album. He once mused on on a previous album: “This isn’t the music you drink to/This is the music you think to”. That statement rings true in this project dealing with doubts and disputes about the Christian faith.
How ambitious is this album? Well, it addresses the problem of God and suffering, religious pluralism, judgment in the church, the accusation that Jesus was plagiarized from Egypt, Heaven and Hell. Heavy stuff, but necessary given the ubiquitous and relentless attacks against the Christian faith that have caused many to be confused and reject their faith.
Tackling all these topics is complicated by itself. But engaging youthful fans of hip hop presents an even greater challenge. This era of hip hop is not one in which ideology is explicitly taught like in the 80’s and 90’s. Trap music and bragging about “broads in Atlanta” captivates and sells millions.
To help get his point across, Da’ T.R.U.T.H. invites one of the world’s foremost defenders of the Christian faith, Dr. Ravi Zacharias, along for the journey. Dr. Zacharias, author of over 60 books, shows up in interludes offering thoughtful insights about the topics addressed throughout the project. His contributions are intellectual, and yet, because of his Indian-born, British accent, strangely musical as well. The two released a video of their interaction on Youtube.
Any hip hop album tackling such weighty subject matter in the current musical climate faces an uphill climb in finding significant reception, but this project is important precisely for that reason.
At times, the weight of the content bogs down the musicality of the album, but there are epic moments where this project ascends to heavenly heights of inspiring, thought provoking defenses of faith along with compellingly good hip-hop all at once.
Here’re a few of can’t miss tracks:
- Why So Serious? Featuring Reach Records artist, KB, this is one of the tracks that you will enjoy to listen to and think to. The title is borrowed from the famous line in the film The Dark Knight, when The Joker sarcastically posed the question “Why so serious?” before going on a murderous rampage. The Joker ultimately appealed to a rejection of absolute truth and morality as a justification of the mayhem he created. The analogy drawn in this track is compelling and troubling. Though many today dismiss the emphasis people of faith place on absolute truth and morality, Da’ T.R.U.T.H. agues that the tragic mass shootings so prevalent today offer clear examples about why it’s essential for us to clarify and discuss the reality of good and evil. The song reflects on the mass shooter, James Holmes, who dyed his hair to emulate the Joker, injured 59 people and killed 12 others in a Colorado showing of The Dark Knight Rises. From a Christian worldview, the evil and brokenness in our world can’t be separated from the rejection of a pursuit of goodness, truth and ultimately of God. Why so serious? Because if it is true that the Earth is a battleground between Good and Evil than being on the sidelines is impossible and being on the right side is really serious.
- Heaven: Heaven is a stirring anthem boosted by the strong, soulful vocals of Christon Gray. This track beautifully blends uplifting lyrics and powerful production. It seeks to dispel the age-old misrepresentation of Heaven as a boring, bland and drab existence. Da’ T.R.U.T.H. celebrates Heaven as the ultimate Utopia where we reunite with loved ones and no longer experience sickness and death. He challenges us to anticipate vibrant city life, where culture and art find their ultimate expression of beauty and purpose. Who wouldn’t want to go to a place where there is peaceful race relations, eradication of poverty, and enjoying the presence of God face-to-face? “Everything upgraded … the end of all of our desires”. Heaven’s inspiring vision of the after life provides hope that good triumphs over evil and that God gets the last word. That’s a win for all of us.
- Religion: Da T.R.U.T.H. tackles another tough topic in the song simply called “Religion.” In the United States, we live in an increasingly pluralistic society where we have interactions with adherents from various religious backgrounds. Many have argued that religions are essentially the same, but Dr. Ravi Zacharias responds with a provocative statement: “All religions are superficially similar but fundamentally different.”
But how does a person of faith respond when the reports of religion in the media seem to be so negative? We see the frequent turbulence of the Jewish vs. Muslim conflict in the Middle East. We are frustrated by the frequent attacks executed by extremist, Islamic terrorist groups and the abuse of innocent Muslims from people of other religious groups. Scandals involving sexual abuse or financial corruption are just as commonplace in the church. As a result of hearing of all these tragedies many just reject religious claims altogether. Da’ T.R.U.T.H. notes: “They say Abrahamic religions are the cause of hate and divisions”. Without ignoring the problematic and often ugly history of the Church, Zacharias makes a thought provoking observation: “Christianity is not the same as who Christ is.” Instead of evaluating the truth of Christianity based on the actions of people that Jesus himself would condemn, Zacharias and Da’ T.R.U.T.H. urge us to examine what the claims of the faith actually are based on the person who founded the movement: namely Jesus Christ himself. In our time, this is an important song to discuss. Much of what Zacharias stated can be summed up like this:
Two other tracks that seamlessly stitch together weighty subject matter with amazing musicality is the Color Purple and The Vow. These tracks explore very personal aspects of Da’T.R.U.T.H.’s faith – which is why they work so well. Color Purple exposes the tensions within camps of the Christian faith that look upon each other with suspicion. Similar to the acrimonious political divides of the “Left vs Right” the conflicts between “Charismatic vs. Conservative” can be wrought with distrust, and disdain. The vision of not being a “red state” or “blue state” but the “Color Purple” is especially meaningful given the current political climate and election year. As the Christian worldview is increasingly marginalized in our secularized society, what unites us is becoming increasingly more important than what divides us. Having said that, it would have been nice to hear more about what ideological shifts Da’ T.R.U.T.H. made, if any, to reconcile the sometimes extremely different systems of theology the various camps have. Regardless, though, this track is very authentic, thought provoking and transparent.
The Vow, the last track on the album, is melodic, with a techno feel that is dominant in pop music in 2016. Having dealt with the major intellectual challenges and reservations against the Christian faith, The Vow deals with the heart and the biblical concept of covenantal love expressed in marriage. While initially feeling out of place, The Vow appropriately casts a vision in which the covenant of marriage is held in the high esteem of a Christian worldview. That concept is radically different than the disposable marriages we see so frequently today. Once again, ideas have consequences and the idea that the vow “til death do us part” should actually mean more than ceremony and tradition is powerful.
It’s Complicated reflects Da’ T.R.U.T.H.’s obvious burden to help young Christians fortify their faith as they go to college classrooms and consume popular culture which seems to undermine that faith at every turn. Because of that reality, this is an important project.
It’s Complicated sometimes gets a little too complicated for the average listener. For example, though many millennials have been influenced by Richard Dawkins (author of The God Delusion), far fewer actually know who the atheist apologist is, so when he’s referenced on the the album I’m not sure who will catch it. But this project does what very few have attempted: present a defense of the Christian faith featuring a seasoned hip-hop artist and a world class apologist (Dr. Ravi Zacharias) in the medium of hip-hop.
And it isn’t complicated to say it deserves a listen for that alone.
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