I Don't Think T-Pain Realizes How Pervasive He Is In Gospel Music

I'm not sure if T-Pain is aware of the extent to which his synthesized beats and vocoder prowess are employed by those seeking to appeal to lost souls. While at church today, members of our worship team composed and performed a song to the tune of T-Pain's most recent hit "Chopped & Screwed." I realized that many of the older congregants don't listen to hip-hop, much less the garbage they are playing on the radio today. But those closer to my age who listen to secular music were familiar with the song; we began to glance at each other questioningly, wondering if it were appropriate to condone the emulation of such a worldly song. Don't get me wrong, the song was catchy. I found myself walking out of service singing, "You've officially been saved by Christ, by Christ, saved-saved by Christ. You've officially been saved by Christ..."

But this wasn't the first time that I've heard Pain's influence in gospel music:


Mary Mary - God in Me

Powerhouse gospel group Mary Mary recently released an album that features a song entitled "God in Me." The song explicates the stories of those who are apparently living the "good life" as noted by peers and strangers while the subjects within the lyrics choose to credit God for blessing them with the things that they have. I think the message within the song is wonderful. Within the first 10 seconds, T-Pain's synthesized trademark "Haaa" is sampled on the track, and is looped several times throughout its duration. Christian rapper Sho Baraka also enlists references from the rap mogul in his song, "Higher Love":

I've been burned by the world, and it showed no sympathy
I would give my all and it stripped me of my dignity
Stripped me of my reason, my morals and my temper
Stripped me of everything, I was in love with a stripper

Of course, Baraka is not referring to an exotic dancer nor is he irreverently analogizing our Savior to one. After our worship team finished their song, I was left with a few questions (surprise!); it was difficult for me to understand how permissible it was to fashion Christian music after that of an artist who chooses to refer to himself as "Teddy Pinnedher[...]down." I was always wary of artists who employ secular music to appeal to the unchurched because I figured that it would eventually funnel them back into secularity. I imagined that if someone outside of relationship with Christ was actually appealed to by this type of Christian music, they would more than likely ask the artist about their song. Upon discovering that the song was actually a sampling of music by a secular artist, they may go home, research the secular artist, decide that genre appeals to them more, and essentially abandon the Christian artist altogether.

I met up with my friend after service and discussed the performance with her. Her opinion was that the worship team engaged in what she refers to as "deep sea fishing." By this, she meant that the team was simply approaching evangelism in a way that would reach those who aren't into Christian music. Her argument made sense as I know many people who aren't fans of Christian rap because they either don't like the beats, the lyrical styles, or either. Her point of view reminded me of a scripture in 1 Corinthians 9:21-23:

To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having the law... I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.

As it turns out, contrary to the older beliefs of what is and is not permissible for worship in the House of God, the worship team actually wasn't wrong for their decision to sample a secular song. Some may still have their contentions about whether or not it was appropriate to perform it at Sunday morning service, but neither here nor there, I am sure that the song appealed to somebody somewhere. Who am I to judge?

PEACE