Jesus and the Gospel Rap Movement - Part 1

Guest Post by Robert Sagers
Last year around this time, I was grateful to post an interview with Marcus Gray—FLAME—on this site. Today, thanks in part to Marcus’ (kind) assistance, I’m happy to post an interview with some others associated with the gospel rap movement, as well. I’m thankful for these artists—Tedashii, Shai Linne, Thi’sl, V. Rose, and FLAME—and for the way they are employing their God-given gifts, and their life experiences, to serve Christ.
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Robert Sagers: Perhaps you could tell us a little about yourself—where you’re from, your family, how you came to know Christ?
Tedashii: Of course. I was born and raised in southeast Texas with my mom and sister, and a stepfather for a time. Life was simple and we didn’t have much, but somehow it worked. My mother was a very family-oriented woman, so we were always together and visiting relatives nearby. Besides school, a part-time job, and sports, family life was it. I was the typical “good kid” from Texas with a truck—no horse—but I did play football. I lived and breathed the sport of football. I dreamed since the age of four to play in college and then the NFL. I idolized the sport, players, and even the coaches. I graduated high school and headed off to college, receiving a partial academic scholarship. I walked on to the track and football team to try and cover the rest. Everything was going my way. I was a “good kid” and good things were happening for me.
That same semester my freshman year another student came up and shared the gospel with me. I was offended. How dare he tell me I’m not the “good kid” everyone said I was. How dare he tell me I was born in sin, or that I needed a Savior, or even that I may go to hell. Needless to say, I was offended by the gospel. I walked away upset, but I was bothered more by him saying I wasn’t good enough. That truth pierced my soul.
A couple of weeks later I was injured working out and it ended my football career and removed the idol in my life I had had for so many years. With a clear focus, I met the same student again, and he shared the gospel another time. This time, I heard him. Two days later I surrendered my life, by faith, to God through Jesus Christ. That same man was my first discipleship leader, was the best man at my wedding, and is a great friend to this day. And speaking of wedding, I am now married, almost five years in, and we have a beautiful son who will be two years old this fall. God has been gracious to me in so many ways and that grace drives me daily.
Shai Linne: I was born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I have a background in the arts. I attended The University of the Arts in Philadelphia, where I studied theater. I’ve been heavily involved in hip-hop culture since my youth. I didn’t grow up in a Christian home. When I was in high school, my mother came back to the faith that she had grown up believing, but had strayed away from. She began to tell me about the Lord and invite me to church. I was hostile towards Christianity and it became a source of conflict for us. After a while, she stopped arguing with me and prayed for me. For eleven years, she prayed and saw no fruit in my life.
Long story short, I was abruptly converted as an adult. While I was intoxicated at a party, out of nowhere I began to consider things my mother had told me years before. When I told her what was going on, she encouraged me to read the Gospel of John. As I read, I was struck by the authority with which Jesus spoke. His claims to deity were both surprising and compelling to me. By God’s grace, I believed the gospel while reading, and crossed over from death to life in 1999. I’m married to an amazing woman named Blair and we live in Washington, D.C., where we’re members at Capitol Hill Baptist Church.
Thi’sl: They call me Thi’sl (thizil). I was born in Greenwood, Mississippi, and moved to St. Louis when I was two years old. I grew on the westside of St. Louis in a single parent home—and the parent that was in the home, my mom, struggled with drugs most of my life. I lived in a neighborhood that was highly effected by poverty, drugs, and gangs. When I was twelve years old I started selling drugs and running with the blood gang that was from my neighborhood. My teenage years were the same: friends getting killed, life disappointments, locked up for petty stuff, facing death on the regular. In 1999 my best friend in the world—my cousin, Tank—was murdered by one of my friends. The Lord used this to rock me and draw me to himself. After this happened a church came to my neighborhood to evangelize and I met FLAME, who the Lord used to help me grow in my faith.
V. Rose: I am from Sacramento, California. I have kind of a big family—six brothers, I’m the only girl. I have a real supportive family—mom, dad, step-mom. I grew up in church my whole life, singing in the choir. My mom was real supportive of my music, always teaching me to not be afraid to sing, just teaching me to be brave—she’d call me out and have me come sing in front of the church, on the spot, just trying to make me brave. She taught me to sing for Christ. When I was 16, I was in the service, and I just remember God changed my heart; the Holy Spirit touched me, and I remember it was just different in my heart. I no longer felt separated from God, but I felt like I knew God. My heart just changed—I really wanted to minister to people. And I knew that’s when I got saved. It wasn’t like somebody necessarily told me, because I had lived in church, but God did it, God saved me. It was something that I wanted, so I knew that God pursued me.

FLAME: I’m from St. Louis, Missouri. I grew up in a family that was professing Christ. And I was always impressed with Jesus; I liked the idea of going to heaven, forgiveness of sin—those things were attractive to me, but I wasn’t walking with the Lord. I read my Bible, I told people about Jesus, and one probably would have thought I was saved at a younger age. But my teen years proved that I wasn’t a Christian, and the way the Lord saved me was through a series of events getting my attention. I was in a tragic accident—got hit three times by an 18-wheeler gas truck; I had to do physical therapy for about almost a year, half a year. Shortly after that, my grandmother passed away. And I was invited to church at that point. One of my close friends, his father had just gotten life in prison, so my friends and I would just hang out over at his house and just waste our lives, doing crazy stuff. And eventually I was invited to church, and I went, heard the gospel the first time there, wept like a baby, and the Lord drew me and I committed myself to him. The Lord took most of my vices away immediately, instantaneously. (He left a few for me to grow in sanctification, obviously—of course.) And that’s what the Lord used to save me.
Justin Taylor