A rap sermon calls out converts

For those who only know rap music by its image in popular culture, the scene at the House of Deliverance Church of God in Dorchester would have been jarring, to say the least. Yes, there were good beats and free-flowing rhymes, but the MC was a preacher, and the lyrics were about God and Jesus, not guns, drugs, and thugs. Welcome to the world of Christian hip-hop.

The show two Friday nights ago was the first event of the first Holy Hip Hop Awareness Weekend, which drew artists, fans, and entrepreneurs for both the concert and a workshop held at the church the following day. While mixing rap style with Biblical stories might seem like an unlikely combination for an older generation for whom church music is gospel music only, it makes perfect sense to a new generation that knows both the power of their beliefs and the power of hip-hop.

"A lot of the old school still feel that hip-hop is very negative, because of what they're hearing" on the radio, said Alvin Lewis Jr., 27, owner of Focus Entertainment Group, a Christian hip-hop record label.

"So when you bring something new to the table that is still, in a way, under the same category, a lot of the older people are still thinking, 'Oh, no, that's not good, especially if you're putting Jesus into it.' They're still not feeling the vibe."

The uphill-battle theme was repeated by several other of the organizers, who have been resisted by family members and church leaders. One workshop attendee says that the mainstream rap community, including magazines like Vibe and The Source, is actually more welcoming of Christian rap than many churches are.

"I think people are actually surprised now at the quality, because we're no longer 10 years behind the rest of the industry any more," said Cassandra Thornton, a.k.a. DJ Lady Grace.

"Our mission isn't to battle like secular rappers do -- that's not our goal. Our goal is just preaching soul to 'em."

Another difference in recent years, Thornton said, is that Christian hip-hop has now become an organized movement and is listened to by people who aren't necessarily Christian. Thornton herself hosted a Christian hip-hop show while she was a student at Northeastern, and now DJs for an Internet radio station, Holy Culture Radio, which averages 2 million listeners a week. Rap doesn't necessarily have to be about negative things, she said, but that's pretty much all that gets played on the radio.

"Even now, a lot of kids are sick of hearing it, [but] they ain't got a choice," she said.

"They really do want to hear something different, and because of that, when they hear Christian rap, they gravitate towards it because it is that different sound they've been waiting to hear."

Will Kilburn can be reached at ciweek@globe.com.