Christian Music - Taking it to the Hardcore

I'm huge into the Christian music genre, and thus finding music I, as a college student, can enjoy is a major priority. Sorry, but that gospel junk from the 20s isn't going to fly. I like the stylings of rap and rock, but paying attention to lyrics, I can't stand most of the mainstream stuff. That's part of the reason why Christian music has been moving towards mainstream sound for a while, and I applaud it- why can't we have the music we love, with clean lyrics?

If you read one of my previous articles, I've written on the topic of Christian music before, offering some upbeat suggestions that could be played on many different airwaves.

Same song, second verse.

This is a different list, however- although it may contain a few of the same artists, I promise it's jam-packed with music that you could find in a club, on the radio, or in a boombox by some dude on a corner somewhere. It's that awesome.

Rap music:

Sometimes referred to as "Holy Hip-Hop" among other titles, the rap scene under the Christian label has been growing steadily for a while now. Some artists I enjoy:

Lecrae- He's been making waves with his latest release, After the Music Stops. With "Jump" (my friends love this track- fun, upbeat, and easily danced to if you feel like it) and "Jesus Muzik" he proves the combination of mainstream sound and Christian lyrics can work. You get the bump beats from the club scene as well as the more epic, downtempo type of sound on this album. Lecrae got his start, however, in:

116 Clique- Featuring Tedashii, Trip Lee, Json, Sho, This'l, and the aforementioned Lecrae (rap names- already mainstream, right?), this group has gone in three different directions on three different albums. The latest, 13 Letters, contains fun hits such as "Get Loose" but also more serious rhymes in "Begin With the End" and "Keep the Faith" to name a couple. Their previous album, The Compilation Album, helped jump-start Lecare with such songs as "Breathe In, Breathe Out" and "Fanatics."

The Cross Movement- Rumor has it they're disbanding after the latest release, HIStory: Our place in his story, but if that happens they'll still have contributed plenty. Featuring hip-hop and jazz influences, HIStory contains many hits that would qualify as great for blasting with the windows rolled down, including "Louder" and "The Last Cypha" that could bring that commercial of 50 Cent directing an orchestra to mind.

Rock music:

Pillar- I mentioned them last time, but they've become much bigger since their title track to For the Love of the Game got picked up by ESPN. That's right, chances are you've heard "For the Love of the Game" if you watch a lot of sports. Featuring edgy guitars and the occasional solo in tracks such as "Reckless Youth" and "Throwdown", but a softer side in "Smiling Down," Pillar presents a unique blend of sound worth checking out.

Disciple- They haven't done anything new since my last article, but I still always recommend both Disciple and Scars Remain to anyone looking for the hard rock sound you crave with clean lyrics. Heck, Disciple even hits the screamo note a couple of times.

Steve Fee- More recognized for his contemporary versions of well-known worship songs, Fee has been featured at such events as Student Life Camp and Passion '07. The upbeat sounds of "We Shine" and "Broadcast" will have you beating the steering wheel in your car along with the drums and loud-but-not-too-much guitar, as this music could also fall under the "worship" genre.

Electronic music:

Andy Hunter- Again, he was mentioned in the last article, but the release of Colour this year puts Hunter back at the forefront of the electronic music world. This time, he's kept a few 150 bpm+ songs such as "Out of Control" and "Sound Pollution", but with the birth of a new baby in the family, he's also taken a step back and brought some more reflective tracks, including "Smile" and "Sapphire."

I hope this keeps you growing your iTunes music library!