Today's Top Gospel Rappers Worth a Listen
Checkout some of today's best gospel rappers I think are worth your playlist.

Hip-hop is one of the biggest genres in the music industry. Some people fell in love with rap from the early days of Tupac and Biggie. Others discovered rap through megastars like Eminem and Jay Z. Still others found rap not so long ago with the good work of younger artists like Roddy Rich and Future. But this article isn't about any of these guys...

I'm here to talk about a section of rap that many in the general industry consider a niche genre. I'm here to talk about gospel rap, or Christian hip-hop, also called CHH. This subgenre started somewhere around the 1980s and has grown steadily with talented rappers who've chosen to spread their faith. These are my top seven...

Top Six

Hip-hop has been associated by many with violence and a gangster lifestyle. Amid this negative impression given off by mainstream rappers, these gospel rappers have stood out with their message of faith and repentance. They've become an alternative to the norm. Let's find out who they are…

Kanye West

Let's start right off the bat with one of the most dramatic and controversial public figures of all time. Already a legend of hip-hop, Kanye West shocked the world by ditching mainstream rap for gospel rap. He released his first gospel album called Jesus is Lord in 2019 and shut down all the charts. He topped both the gospel and secular rap charts and topped the Billboard 200 as well. No one had ever done it before.

Kanye West continued his strong start to life as a gospel artist by releasing some singles before releasing another album in 2021 called Donda. Although there was some controversy around the album, it topped streaming charts in over twenty countries and won Kanye two more Grammys.

There's been some division among Christian hip-hop fans over whether to accept Kanye West as gospel or not because of his past and continued collaborations with known secular artists like Jay Z. That said, he's broken records and helped gospel rap make massive strides, so he makes the list. You may have heard some of his old songs before, but here's some Christian Kanye music with Jesus Lord.

NF

Known for his emotional and incredibly relatable lyrics, NF is a personal favorite for me. Like Kanye West, there's been some argument on whether he's a gospel rapper or not. Some people argue that being a Christian who raps is different from being a Christian rapper. I disagree. NF makes awesome music and flies his faith proudly; that makes him as much a Christian rapper as anybody if you ask me.

NF caught the public eye in 2015 with the release of his first studio album called Mansion. It featured fast flows, deep allegories, and passionate rapping. By the time he released his second album, Therapy Session, he'd started to become a household name. He's gone on to release two more albums and an EP. The most impressive thing about his projects is that they all seem to be connected in a single story. NF fans call it "the journey", and it all starts with this song called Mansion.

Lecrae

Regarded by many as the best Christian rapper of all time, Lecrae was a shoo-in for this list. He started his music career five years after converting by founding an indie label named Reach Records and releasing his first album, Real Talk. Over the next seven years, Lecrae would go on to dominate the gospel music industry and establish himself as a force to be reckoned with.

By 2012, Lecrae set his sights on new territory. He not only wanted to dominate Christian rap, but he also wanted to dominate mainstream rap without abandoning his Christian lyrics. His next album, Gravity, debuted at number three on the Billboard 200, and number one on the Rap Albums Chart.

He's released five more albums since then and has continued to dominate gospel rap. He's also been instrumental in the rise of several gospel rappers, some of whom are on this list. You can experience Lecrae on this song with Tori Kelly called I'll Find You.

Andy Mineo

Alongside Lecrae, Andy Mineo is a member of the illustrious 116 rap crew. He started his rap career as far back as 2006 but only released his first project in 2011 after featuring in several books and dropping some singles. He's released three solo albums since signing for Lecrae's Reach Records and a host of smaller mixtapes, and collaborations. I've listened to Andy Mineo's music and he's smooth with his flow and super deep with his lyrics. I especially enjoy this song called Vendetta.

KB

Another Reach Records protege and 116 crewmember, KB is yet another product of Lecrae's work. He hasn't been around as long as many of the others on this list, but he's made a good name for himself in the industry. His rapping is what the kids like to call "sick". KB released his first mixtape under Reach Records in 2011, one year after signing on. He went on to release three studio albums before leaving the label in 2020 to join Essential Sound. He released a fourth studio album called His Glory Alone there. I especially enjoy this song off his last album called Armies.

Social Club Misfits

We finally have a band. The Social Club Misfits made up of the duo FERN and Marty Mar is one of my favorite Christian hip-hop rappers without a doubt. They came together as a group in 2011 but waited until the next year to release their first album called Misfits. Their breakthrough came three years later with the release of Misfits 2 in 2014, rising to number three on the Gospel Album Charts. They've since released six more albums, not counting their EPs, so you get an idea of how immense their work rate is. My favorite song of theirs is called Carpe Diem.

Final Thoughts

We've all heard rappers talk about gang life, violence, and toxic relationships. If you're tired of all that, why don't you check out some Christian rap? I'd say it's been somewhat neglected by mainstream rap fans because of the niche associated with it, but these guys are genuinely good at rapping and they carry a strong, positive message. For a niche subgenre, Christian hip-hop isn't doing badly at all...