Holy Hip Hop On the Rise

In a world where Christian Rock is a struggling phenomenon, Christian hip hop is an even lesser known entity. But that didn’t stop Terverius Black from believing in the struggling genre of hip hop gospel. According to Yahoo!,  the 34-year-old Mr. Black believed in it so much, he sold his house to get the necessary funds to start his Christian-themed entertainment company.

While mainstream hip-hop used radio as a launching pad, the Christian version can’t count on that method for gaining popularity, as it gets little attention on secular radio stations and almost none on gospel radio.

Mr. Black began his Huntsville, Ala.-based Xist (pronounced “exist”) Worldwide Record Label three years ago with partner Sean Simmonds. Even though their message is faith-based, Black and Simmonds aspire to expand the traditional music industry like hip-hop moguls such as Sean “Diddy” Combs and Jay-Z.

Black commented, “We Christians, but we party, too.”

Xist is hoping to create more awareness and demand for its music with ventures into film, television, and even cruises. Trey Williams, also known as Andale, is a Nashville gospel rapper starring in an Xist Worldwide film. Rather than negativity, his lyrics focus on humility and encouragement. Xist is hoping the reality television show will create more awareness for the holy hip hop movement.

What do you think? Will holy hip hop be the new hot genre?