Top Rap Songs About God
Hip-hop has always been a platform for religious expression. The art form has long been intertwined with the religious beliefs of the society. Whether you believe in God or not, it’s safe to say that your closest relationships are with other people and with yourself. When a person has faith in God, their attitude on life changes. When I pray and ask God questions about my personal life, I often find it to be a stress reliever.
What’s amazing about Hip-Hop is that it encourages originality and transparency in the artist’s life story. A good song is one that makes you feel something deep inside—like crying.
I remember Tupac being one of the first hip-hop singers to discuss God and the afterlife. I became aware as I got older that musicians like D.M.X. included prayers on each of their albums. Due to the fact that they, too, are human and must face difficulties, many of these artists let that aspect of themselves shine through.
15 Rap Songs About God
1. Jesus Walk by Kanye West.
This song is almost certainly going to be the first song that comes to anyone’s mind when they are asked to mention songs about rap songs about God.
Kanye West has never hidden the fact that he has a close relationship with God, even at the outset of his career. Kanye has showed us that despite his immense fame and fortune, he still struggles with his own inner demons and with doing what he believes to be morally correct.
Consider the popular song “Jesus Walks,” which proclaimed that Jesus is among everyone, good and bad alike. The first lyric is written from the perspective of a drug dealer, who reflects on his faith while engaging in his illicit trade. In the second stanza, he considers how the press will cover the story and whether or not the track will ever be broadcast on the radio.
Now in the present day (2019), Kanye has created a live performance series called Sunday Service, which has a choir performing music with a beautiful, soulful vibe.
2. “God in the Building,” by Killer Mike.
In this song, Killer Mike talks about his faith in God and how it gives him strength to fight with the oppression that Black men face in today’s society.
The song’s hook is intriguing because he uses Bible scriptures to demonstrate that God is with him despite Satan’s best efforts to tempt him away from God.
For starters, Mike’s statement that he’d rather be a king in a black hell than a servant in white heaven was a striking image in the second stanza of this kind. Because our actions as Black men might be interpreted differently from those of other races, we are forced to rethink the nature of good and evil. Lyrically this is one of the best rap songs about God.
3. “Want You to Fly,” by J. Cole.
This song had its debut in an HBO documentary on J. Cole, which is where I first heard it. The idea that God might use us for something greater than ourselves is explored wonderfully in this excellent song.
Cole begins singing about his connection to God right away. Since many modern-day adolescents don’t attend church, hearing an artist like Cole discuss his or her personal relationship with God may be as near as they get to attending services. Cole makes a passing reference to the potential of contemporary music to encourage people to study the Bible in the church setting.
This passage demonstrates how the pursuit of wealth has supplanted a desire to hear God’s message among today’s youth. In this song, J. Cole use Hip Hop as a means of drawing listeners closer to God.
4. Kendrick Lamar’s “Faith”
One of the most well-known rap songs about God is this favorite Kendrick Lamar song, Faith. This song features an open discussion of Kendrick’s connection with God. The first time you, a man, chose to talk to God and tell him everything that had happened to you up to that point. The song recounts the struggles of several individuals who, despite their circumstances, maintain their faith.
5. D.M.X. – “Prayer”
D.M.X. has always been upfront about his religious beliefs and his humanity, never pretending to be flawless just because of his stardom. D.M.X. debuted with the famous album “It’s Dark, and Hell is Hot,” where he also debuted the spoken word piece “Prayer,” which would become a signature of his work.
On the first “Prayer,” D.M.X. expresses gratitude to God while also casting doubt on God’s motivations. We’ve all been in situations when we prayed to God, “What’s next?” while we were feeling lost and confused about what to do next. This is one of the rap songs about God that reflect on a lot of things.
6. Tupac – “So Many Tears”
Tupac Shakur was a talented poet, rapper, and actor who also made waves by speaking out against social injustice as one of the first prominent MCs to do so. Despite having his life cut short at the age of 25, Tupac didn’t hold back and lived the way he wanted to.
I think Tupac was the first person I heard redefining the word “thug” (Thug Life). Pac was human like the rest of us; the only difference was that he was a mainstream superstar with millions of record sales. Throughout his brief musical career, Tupac frequently mentioned God and the fear of him. Tupac didn’t strike me as the religious kind; rather, he struck me as a spiritual seeker.
Pac declares in the beginning of the song that he has nothing to fear except God, even as he describes walking through the valley of death. Tupac’s albums frequently dealt with themes of dying and passing away. I think he understood that his time on Earth was limited.
That’s why he’d make so many recordings. In my opinion, Pac wrote songs like “So many tears” to share with God and the world what he was going through. Along with his rising stardom and the possibility of being killed, Tupac also had to deal with the effects of childhood trauma. He found healing in expressing his faith through song.
7. “Wizdome” by Colby Jeffers.
Colby’s “Wizdome,” which he contributed to the compilation, delves into the spiritual aspects of his rapping technique. He quotes the Baha’i scriptures frequently, rapping, “I mix up these rhymes and rhythms, intermingled with the word of God baked into ’em!” Some of Phoenix, Arizona, where Colby grew up, is included in the film as well.
8. Praying For You” by Lecrae.
In his song “Prayin’ for You,” American Christian hip hop musician, composer, and record producer Lecrae transforms a prayer into a thoughtful and moving hip hop composition.
Lecrae’s lyrics provide a window into the kind of conversation the average person has with God when praying for the well-being of a dear “friend.” The unexpected turn in this song will make you reflect.
9. Rapper Rakim’s “Holy Are You”
Rapper Rakim, who is based in New York City, is famous for his song “Holy Are You,” which explores many religious themes. Rakim, a follower of the Five Percent Nation sect of Islam, closes his rap with the group’s central tenet, “Men are God,” thus justifying the title “they call [him] the God MC the lyricist.” A profound understanding of an intriguing faith.
10. O God, Direct Me is a song by Nabil and Karim.
Nabil and Karim, a Canadian hip hop duo with Baha’i influences, have released a new prayerful music titled “O God Guide Me.” The chorus is an actual prayer from the Baha’i literature that has become popular among youngsters, while the rap lines reveal the inner monologue of a young person trying to find his way spiritually under the pressures of modern life.
11. “Pray” by MC Hammer (Rap Artist)
The American hip hop recording artist, dancer, and entrepreneur MC Hammer, who is more known for his bouncy pop style of hip hop, presents a different sort of sound with “Pray.” The song, as you may assume, is on the efficacy of prayer. Hammer says, “we got to pray simply to make it today” as a way of success, humbling oneself, or surviving tough circumstances.
12. DMX – “Lord Give Me A Sign”
However, in “Lord Give Me A Sign,” the American rapper DMX demonstrates his flexibility by rapping about spiritual matters, despite the fact that this is not his usual style. The song opens with a prayer from the Old Testament book of Isaiah, in which DMX begs God to “teach me what I need to do to get me closer to you” as he struggles to stay on the straight and narrow in the face of adversity.
13. “Lose My Soul” by TobyMac, featuring Kirk Franklin and Mandisa.
TobyMac, a Christian hip hop singer and music producer, has teamed up with American gospel performers Kirk Franklin and Mandisa to create a song that will cause serious introspection.
The theme of “Lose My Soul,” which is the conflict between financial achievement and spirituality, is to serve as a reminder that our time on Earth is meant to be spent preparing for the next. TobyMac sings, “I don’t want to get the whole world, and lose my soul” in response to the many temptations we all face.
14. Chamillionaire’s “Void in My Life.”
Chamillionaire, a rapper and entrepreneur from Texas who is known for his socially aware raps, presents us a rap with a spiritual theme in his song “Void in My Life.”
Songs like “Father say he a Muslim, your mother say she a Christian, the Bible or the Koran, which one would you be picking?” reveal Chamillionaire’s inner turmoil as he tries to decide which faith to follow.
The major theme of the song is summed up by the hook: Chamillionaire wants the Lord in his life to “make it right” while he navigates these difficulties.
15. Power of God” by LL Cool J.
A departure from his usual approach, American rapper LL Cool J’s “The Power of God” features some mellow raps aimed squarely towards the women.
LL Cool J clearly pays homage to God in this single by alluding to the numerous spiritual energies of the Almighty, such as the capacity to cure, protect, uplift, and enlighten.