Sword & Trowel 2015: Issue 1 


of music, it is easy to demonstrate that music is more than a sum of its parts. It is quite obvious to any listen- er that our B-flat played with a D and an F has a different function to when it is played with an E-flat and a G-flat. A chord played forte and staccato by a brass band has a different impact to the same chord played pianissimo and sostenuto by a string quartet.


Mood of music


As for the statement that ‘music in itself is an amoral vehicle,’ and with- out regurgitating Marshall McLuhan, we should perhaps in response con- sider the question whether music can sound angry. Most would agree that it can. Is it possible then, that in identifying closely and often with angry music people might themselves become angry, even sinfully so? If this were the case, should that music be used to worship the holy, gracious God? The same test might be applied to other feelings and ideas conveyed in music. If we view music as itself containing information, then we may find styles which are sensuous, violent, hypnotic, etc. If the informa- tion contained in the music can be assessed morally, then perhaps music is not an amoral vehicle.


It is with these thoughts in mind


that we now consider Christian rap artist Lecrae and hip-hop in general. The rapper has had much success and is very popular in new Calvin- ist circles. Lecrae seems to have the personality, the voice, the look, the style which popular music by its nature values so highly. Rap music is so very much about individuals, and Lecrae doesn’t fail to deliver as an


artist. His antics on stage are overtly masculine and aggressive, removing his clothes, jumping and strutting with a physical stance indistinguish- able from any pride-ridden secular rapper. His vocal style is punctuated with growls, yells and shouts setting forth the kind of machismo that any male rapper on MTV (music satellite television channel) would utilise. Lecrae’s voice relies heavily upon its tone, inflection and energy, all of which are expanded with compres- sion, vocoder and autotune effects. The music itself obviously employs the usual kinds of up-tempo drum loops which are the engine-room for every song. Even in a number of the slower tempo songs, the actual rhythms employed by the drums are based on 16th


and 32nd note patterns,


creating a high energy double-time feel. This is a music of extreme contrasts: beats disappear for small sections and then return with incredi- ble force. With raised hands, a capella moments again serve as a foil to the high energy songs that inevitably follow. The harmonic material is pre- dominantly in the minor, yielding an increased pathos, emotional pull, and often a sense of menace. Some of the long choruses have very little content musically or lyrically, eg: ‘Don’t stop, get your hands up.’ There may be some lyrical substance, but the music primarily takes momentum from its emotional thrust.


Unsuitable for corporate worship


Though people can sing along with rap if they know the words, the nature of the melody is that it relies more on individual voice inflections,


page 20 A Musician’s Perspective on Contemporary Christian Music


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