When rapper Bright Patrick officially started his music career in 2010, he was the only rapper on the scene in a gospel music industry dominated by other genres at the time. He said hip hop in general was not welcomed even in secular music at the time. “Technically, I was facing the same challenges as other rappers who were breaking through in secular music back then. But I think it was more difficult and challenging for me, starting from pastors and evangelists...to people in churches, you can imagine how tough the fight was,” he narrates. Despite the challenges, the rapper knew that it was his calling to do gospel rap music. That’s what has pushed him to be the artiste he is now. Though his journey had a difficult beginning, the Canada-based singer says that there were a number of people who supported him in churches, most importantly the media. For him, the perception has completely changed in the last 10 years given that there are a bunch of rappers out there who are doing good, including the likes of gospel female rapper The Pink, and the fact that other rappers joined the movement. However, the number of rappers successfully doing gospel music is obviously low and some blame the trend on the fact that Hip Hop artistes are not given the same treatment as other artistes, both in churches and in the media from which they expect to promote their music. As a result, some rappers decide to switch their careers to secular music while others quit music because their favorite genre is hardly welcomed. Are churches to blame? For Bright Patrick, a large number of pastors are to blame for the modest treatment of rappers in churches because they don’t support artists doing Hip Hop. Some of them don’t really value artistes, they talk to them only when they need to use them for concerts, fundraising, or conferences, but other than that. There is no other connection, guidance or some kind of follow-up, as a result, some artists stop doing music or go to secular music,” he said. He, however, hailed some churches that support their own artists financially, morally, spiritually and emotionally, something that all churches should pick a leaf from. Worse for female artistes Besides public perception that hip-hop, whether Gospel or secular, is not well seen in Rwandan society, The Pink says it gets worse when it comes to female rappers. In a telephone interview with The New Times, The Pink claimed most churches perceive female rappers as just a rapper and not as a Christian who is trying to spread the gospel as the other gospel singers and that made her feel like rappers are not given value in churches. “People were not used to seeing females doing that in churches…so of course sometimes I was rejected. It really hurts, but it made me think twice about why I am doing this genre. I am not here to make rap music famous in churches but to testify that God has been good to me and that Jesus can change people’s lives,” she said. According to the female rapper’s experience, churches are on the spot having no, or little, room for hip-hop music just because of the bad perception of the genre in society, particularly in churches. “One day I was invited to a church concert...and I reached there early because I wanted to leave early... I was surprised to see other artists performing before me, and at the end, someone came and told me that the pastor told them not to give me the stage,” the female rapper narrates. “This also happened in one school where I was invited. The headmaster said I couldnt sing because I was doing Hip Hop,” she adds. Despite such treatment, The Pink never gave up, saying that it was just a matter of time before the situation improved and that seeing a new generation in churches supporting Hip Hop boosted her hopes to carry on. “People will stop judging, and even if they dont, whoever is doing hip hop should think why he is doing it and if it is reasonable, I dont see why they should mind what people think. For me, I do what I feel I have to do despite what people think. When I have a message to deliver,” she said. Another challenge, according to Bright Patrick, is that many gospel rappers are not in the spotlight because they lack promotion for their music hence not many people get to know their music. Eddy Kamoso, a local journalist who hosts a gospel music talk show on Radio 10, claimed that there are presenters who don’t play Hip Hop gospel songs because they are influenced by the beliefs of their churches. Kamoso has been doing gospel shows over the past decade and is one of those who promoted the music of rapper MC Mahoniboni. He recalls that some pastors used to ask him why he plays Hip Hop. “But they had no control over how I was doing my job. To the presenters who have such beliefs, it’s not professional and I dont see why I can’t play Hip Hop songs as long as they carry the word of God. I’ve been promoting local music over the past decade and Hip Hop is no exception,” he said. “The mindset has to change from churches and then to presenters because Hip Hop has the power to spread the word of God, especially the young generation,” he added.
