Jesus & the Hip-Hop Prophets: Spiritual Insights from Lauryn Hill and Tupac Shakur

Lauryn Hill and Tupac Shakur are modern-day prophets. Written on subway walls and tenement halls, their lyrics challenge us as individuals and as a society to stop doing wrong and learn to do right (Isaiah 1:16-17). They paint an honest picture of life as it is lived, and hint at a vision of life as it ought to be lived. With this book John Teter and Alex Gee invite us to enter into the world of these hip-hop prophets--to follow their message to its ultimate fulfillment at the feet of the Prophet-King Jesus.

Cleverly organized into seven short "tracks" instead of chapters, this slim volume offers reflections on the lyrics of two popular recording artists, Lauryn Hill and the late 2pac Shakur. That Teter, director of two More Than Conquerors campus ministries in California, and Gee, pastor of Fountain of Life Family Worship Center in Madison, Wis., are knowledgeable fans of hip-hop and admirers of the two featured lyricists is unmistakable. Equally evident is their desire to enable their fellow fans to discover the spiritual truths embedded in the lyrics. But the jarring shifts from hip-hop jargon to standard English throughout much of the book causes the jargon to come across as inauthentic. The book also suffers from the typical awkwardness of the first-person narratives of two writers-the "I, Alex" and "My (John's)" type of construction. Finally, there's the not-so-minor question of prophetic attribution: To include "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You"-recorded by Hill but written 35 years ago by Bob Crewe and Bob Gaudio-as evidence of Hill's prophetic voice is a bit of a stretch. Still, the book offers a valuable look at the connection between the harshness of urban life and the prophetic warnings from two singers who managed to find hope amid difficult circumstances. (Dec.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

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