Quite a few songs by West Palm Beach, Florida-based artist Rawsrvnt have received sports-related placements, most recently being the use of his track “Game Changer” by ESPN First Take.
Rawsrvnt recently talked about his approach to intentionally making music for the sports world in an interview with Rapzilla.
“I know for me writing wise I’ve learned that, specifically, if we’re going to target that community, we’re going to target that world and those key spots,” he said, “we have to put it in a way that they’ll embrace and accept. If we’re overtly emphasizing our message that we believe in here (points to heart), it may kind of, ‘Ah, I don’t know if I’m going to pick it up.’
“But if you kind of go at it from an angle of, ‘Hey, I’m a believer. I do believe in Jesus authentically. But I want to rock your world, and I want to share this encouraging message with you,’ I’m going to articulate it in a way that undeniably everybody can accept and embrace.”
This method may sound like compromise to more conservative Christian hip-hop fans, but Rawsrvnt made a comparison to Christian athletes as an example for why it works.
“Look at all the big athletes and the sports teams that are winning championships,” he said. “You start digging into their history and their players, and what are they saying? ‘Well I’m a believer. I’m a Christian.’ But first and foremost, what are they to us? An athlete or a sports team.”
Watch Rawsrvnt’s three-part interview below about sports placements and his latest album Game Changer, which released in October. Buy Game Changer on iTunes.
