Who's in my Playlist?!

I'll be the first to admit it, Christian music can be... corny. But not all of it! In this post you'll find some of my favorite Christian artists that won't make you cringe with goofy, offbeat, and sappy lyrics.

"Are you the safest when the world loving you or had enough of you? Who's in more danger, the persecuted or the comfortable? Give us a crown, You can hold onto them thorns..."

-KB, Crowns&Thorns

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When my walk with God became stronger, I starting having convictions of the music I was listening to. One saying that continuously popped into my mind when I would listen to certain songs was, "is this glorifying God?" Typically, that saying is a common decision-guiding question for someone who has given their life to God. Let's put it this way; would it make sense for a Christian to be blaring music that glorifies selling drugs? No, of course not! Another thought that kept reoccurring was while I was driving and listening to music. It might sound a bit crazy, but I kept thinking, "if I were to crash and die, but the music I'm listening to didn't stop, would the first responders know I'm

a follower of Christ, or will my music choice make them think I love the world more?"

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While I like most music genres, my favorite is hip-hop/rap. As you are most likely aware, hip-hop in the secular world is anything but glorifying to God. And while I still appreciate the skill and artistry that countless of the secular hip-hop artists have, I realized what listening to their songs day by day was doing to my way of thinking. Instead of having songs of praise stuck in my head all day, I had less-than Godly lyrics repeating in my mind all day. In the Bible, we are taught to pray without ceasing, and to think about things that are good, lovely, and admirable (1 Thessalonians 5:17, Philippians 4:8). So, I bet you can easily see why I was having convictions when listening to secular hip-hop.

Part of my testimony that I did not write in "My Faith Testimony" post, was that Christian based hip-hop was one of the things that pushed me back into loving God. Years ago when I tried listening to some Christian rappers, it was definitely on the corny side, It didn't last long in my speakers. But a couple of years ago I decided to give it another try- you know, maybe back then I wasn't finding artists that made music that was more "my style." Lucky for me, I found new artists I didn't hear before! Once I found artists that made music that I actually liked listening to, I fell in love with it. It was a guilt free way of listening to the hip-hop genre that I love.

The lyrics of the songs really starting eating at my heart the more I listened, and I knew that the songs weren't coming on my playlist by chance, God knew exactly what I needed to hear, and when. The lyrics were spot on for what I was dealing with in my life, and they were the "nail on the coffin" that I needed to start changing certain things in my life. The music pushed me to rely more on Christ, and to live more intentionally for Him.

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Anyways! Let's get to the music!

Here's the list of artists that I listen to most frequently:

Hip-hop/Rap:

1. Jackie Hill Perry

2. Eshon Burgundy

3. KB

4. nobigdyl*

5. Beautiful Eulogy

7. GAWVI* (mix of rap/electro/"club" sounding music)

Contemporary:

1. Keith & Kristyn Getty

2. Fernando Ortega

3. Casting Crowns

4. Hollyn

5. Selah

The following list will be all of the rap artists that I listen to, but just not as often.

1. Lecrae*

2. NF*

3. Andy Mineo*

4. Ty Brasel*

5. Shai Linne

6. Timothy Brindle

7. Bizzle

8. Sevin

9. 1k Phew*

10. Canon

11. Da' T.R.U.T.H.

12. Flame

13. Trip Lee

14. Tedashii

15. Wordsplayed*

||| ** So you may have noticed that multiple artists have * next to their name. The reason for that is these artists are Christians, but their songs are not always "easy" to find Godly references in. Not every one of their songs is only about God, though most are. Many people have rebuked these artists for not preaching the Gospel in all of their songs, when really, if you listen closely, they use their artistic ability to use words in ways that preach the Gospel without using words/phrases that bluntly preach... The artists that do not have a * next to their name are more outspoken and blunt about God in most, if not all, of their songs. The reason I'm even making this distinction is that it is not wrong to listen to these artists if they make a songs that do not mention the Lord's name. Of course, if they glorify worldly things, it is time to move on from listening to their music. |||

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I hope that this list has opened up opportunities for you to discover new artists that glorify God! It has certainly changed my daily routines, and my daily thoughts. I hope that you agree that what we listen to can affect our minds, thoughts, and even actions. Let's fill our heads with God's praise so we live it when the music turns off.

Do you have any favorite artists? Let me know!