For a very long time, baby boomers and those alike part of the older generation, have always associated heavy metal rock & roll to be “The Devil’s Music,” Rap has never been an exception to that term either. In many movies and TV shows it’s not uncommon to see a grandma or grandpa yell to their younger family members “Turn off that hippity-hop, that’s the devil’s music!” Which raises the question – is rap the devil’s music?
Is rap the devil’s music?
Now do I believe that rap is truly the Devil’s music? No, I don’t. I think it all depends on the messenger and the message being conveyed. That isn’t to say there aren’t many questionable things in rap culture that I would like answered. To be clear, I think there’s a difference between the promotion of sin (lyrics) and delving into satanism – I think the latter is the larger issue. While rap is not to be looked upon as a holier than thou genre, many artists within it are God-fearing and praise him for the many blessings they’ve received. Not only in song but of course when receiving awards.
Without sounding too preachy, the Bible says two things. First – you shall have no other gods before me. Second – you shall not make yourself for a carved image of anything like that exists in the heavens. One of rap’s biggest titans is a violator of this commandment.
Jay Z has a few nicknames he goes by. Mr. Carter and Jigga are a couple, but Hov is another he’s famously known for. Of course Hov is a play on the word Jehovah, which means God in Hebrew. Not only is it the worshipping of Satan that qualifies as satanic, it is the worship of oneself to becoming a “God,”. Jay Z has referred to himself as the God of rap on numerous counts.
Ja Rule is another artist whose name has an alternate meaning for god, that being Ja (Jah). When the two are combined, the translation is God’s Rule. On his artwork for The Last Temptation, he is seen with two Jesus piece chains across his back. Ja Rule has explained that one of the chains is to represent God, and the other is to represent himself. He also has two crosses on his back – one that is shining, another that is burning. Maybe this is symbolic of the righteous God, and a darker God that he believes to be himself.
Present Day
But I want to bring the subject of this matter into modern times.
Up and coming Atlanta rapper, Sahbabii believes in a following or religion called “unknownism,”. The symbols representing the following are an upside-down cross & three 6’s. I’m not sure what his meaning of the inverted cross is, but while the inverted cross is recognized as the cross of Saint Peter, it is also widely recognized as a symbol for satanism. Rather than symbols of satanism, he says each 6 is representative of proton’s, neutrons & electrons. Sahbabii proudly wears his inverted cross on a diamond necklace, as well as having both of the symbols tattooed on his forehead.
Lil Uzi Vert
Uzi is another artist displaying a lot of this demonic imagery. Like Sahbabii, he too is a wearer of the inverted cross. Uzi has also recently taken to Instagram live to let his fans know that he sold his soul for them. To who he sold his soul to he didn’t mention, but he has been on record saying this. Most recently, the self-proclaimed rockstar has also opted to depict himself as a devil on his “Luv Is Rage 2” album cover. On one of the albums most popular songs, “Sauce It Up” before the track begins, Uzi says his name in a way that eerily sounds like Lucifer. Remember when we all thought Daylyt was crazy? He might have a point.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBSmUlHCN4k
Additionally, it is rumored that he and Marilyn Manson are working together on a new album.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FLh2FNJIfc
The Weeknd
The speculation of the Toronto mega star’s beliefs and imagery is multi-layered. In an analysis of the videos “Can’t Feel My Face,” “Tell Your Friends,” and “The Hills,” They tell a story about meeting a figure holding an apple – a reference to Lucifer in the garden of Eden – he is featured in all three videos.
“Can’t Feel My Face” is where he is introduced. A struggling The Weeknd is shown at a club performing and as he begins, everybody is disinterested, until the figure believed to be the Devil literally set’s The Weeknd on fire and everyone begins to cheer for him. This is representative of a deal being made with the Devil to jumpstart his career.
In “The Hills,” the scene shows a wounded Weeknd getting out of a car accident. Two girls are also with him who start pushing him around as if the car accident was his fault. As the video continues, The Weeknd walks toward a house. As he enters and walks up the stairs he is then greeted by the same individual in “Can’t Feel My Face,” who set him on fire; again with an apple. Ironically enough, sitting with the man in the room are the same two girls who were involved in the accident at the beginning of the video.
Moving on to “Tell Your Friends,” the same apple-bearing individual goes to meet with The Weeknd in the desert where The Weeknd attempts to end his life by shooting him. This is believed to be symbolic of The Weeknd trying to break his deal with the Devil. A burning bush is also shown at the beginning of the video (google to know more)
The series of the videos seem to be a representation of The Weeknd’s initiation into the music industry and how fame and success come at a great price.
Fast forward a bit, The Weeknd has now released his album and single titled Star Boy. For one of the pieces of artwork there are three columns each with six symbols in them – which makes 666.
Again, I don’t think rap is the Devil’s music, but seeing this type of imagery is alarming. Do you believe rap is the Devil’s music? What are your thoughts on artists using this type of imagery? Is it all for fun and marketing or is there more to it? Get in the comments and tell us what you think.
