Blog

Welcome to RapandReligion.com—the #1 source for news and commentary on hip hop and religion. I am Dr. Ebony Utley, the author of Rap and Religion: Understanding the Gangsta's God. In addition to featuring songs and videos from the book, this blog will keep you in the know when rap and religion collide. Explore the site and come back often for updates.


Kanye West’s Yeezus May Be Sexist but is not Blasphemous

Posted by & filed under Jesus.

yeezusNot unlike the coming of a messiah, Yeezus, Kanye West’s sixth album was heavily anticipated before its release date on June 18th. In all fairness, most of that was due to an internet leak and not any inherent mystical properties of the album itself. In fact, its minimalist sound, promotion, and packaging (there is no coverart) would seem to imply that there’s less offensiveness within this album than other recent West public offerings, but alas, what many consider blasphemy and rampant lyrical misogyny put rap, religion, and Kanye West at the forefront of public discourse. Continue Reading


The End of God Talk

Posted by & filed under God.

End-of-GodTalkAccording to Anthony Pinn, God has outlived God’s usefulness. Imagine a forced retirement party. The CEO of the universe has made a few missteps—misrepresented his enterprise, mismanaged his employees. Continue Reading


Django Unchained

Posted by & filed under Uncategorized.

DjangoUnchainedIf you were worried that Django Unchained is a typical white man saves black boy buddy flick or that it over-sensationalizes slavery or that it otherwise sets back the race, worry no more. Django does none of those things. Now, if you were worried that Django Unchained would be filled with gratuitous violence, masculine bravado, and women characters as props, then your worries were well-founded. Continue Reading


Rap and Religion Tour Recap

Posted by & filed under Events.

Thank you to everyone who supported Rap and Religion on tour at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, the University of South Florida in Tampa, the National Communication Association in Orlando, North Park University in Chicago, as well as the Indiana State Federation of Colored Women and Old Soul Entertainment in Indianapolis. My first tour was a wonderful experience. If you would like a Rap and Religion lecture or event to come to a city near you soon, please contact me. In the meantime, here’s the recap pictorial for the last event of 2012. Continue Viewing