Top 20 Christian Rappers of All Time
10. Andy Mineo
Andy Mineo is the youngest rapper on this list, and he earned a spot with flow and delivery that may allow him to climb even further in the future.
“Not only is Andy a dope rapper, he is a producer, writer and decent singer,” Sho Baraka, who’s called Mineo “The new face of Christian hip-hop,” said on Forth District. “I’ve gone a couple rounds with Andy in a real freestyle cypher. Not the ‘I recite unpublished verses that I remembered’ freestyle, but the fumbling-over-concepts-and words-as-you-go freestyle. He did exceptional because he’s a real emcee.”
Retail LPs:
2013 – Heroes For Sale
2015 – Uncomfortable
9. Mr. Solo
The Gospel Gangstaz were one of the earliest Christian hip-hop success stories, having the backing of Interscope after dropping two LPs on DJ Dove’s record label (from SFC). Mr. Solo was one of those rare emcees who was so talented that he demanded respect from the streets, pews and backpacker audience at the same time.
Retail LPs:
1994 – Gang Affiliated
1995 – Do Or Die
1999 – I Can See Clearly Now
2002 – The Exodus
2006 – The Flood
8. Manchild
The voice of Mars Ill, Manchild became one of Christian hip-hop’s most prolific lyricists throughout the 2000s, and few emcees worked as hard as him to achieve that success. If Pro Pain didn’t get locked up in legal limbo, like L.A. Symphony’s first album, who knows where they would be today.
“The framework of Mars Ill, the two-piece Atlanta collective comprised of Manchild (emcee) and Dust (DJ) may seem deviant of others in the circuit but the results achieved are in a class of their own. Razor sharp rhymes interact with street smart lyrics, turntable scratches and free flowing hip-hop rhythms,” CBN wrote in its review of Pro Pain.
Retail LPs:
2001 – Raw Material
2003 – Backbreakanomics
2004 – Pro Pain
7. Shai Linne
Since The Cross Movement disbanded in 2007, Shai Linne has been the undisputed face of lyrical theology. Depending on who you ask, the amount of “classic” albums he’s put out may be unparalleled.
And his Christ-centered rhymes are more intricate than most. A Finnish doctoral candidate took the lyrics of 94 artists and plugged 10,082 songs into an algorithm that he created to detect assonance rhymes, and Shai Linne ranked fourth, only behind Inspectah Deck of Wu-Tang Clan, Rakim and Redrama.
Retail LPs:
2005 – The Solus Christus Project
2008 – The Atonement
2008 – Storiez
2011 – The Attributes of God
2013 – Lyrical Theology, Pt. 1: Theology
2014 – Lyrical Theology, Pt. 2: Doxology
6. Da’ T.R.U.T.H.
One of the most-embraced Christian hip-hop artists by the gospel and mainstream markets ever, Da’ T.R.U.T.H. has consistently held the title of a lyricist over the course of his seven studio albums.
“Da’ T.R.U.TH has always written and performed as though his life depended on it, and his latest release proves no different. With The Whole Truth now in the open, T.R.U.T.H. raps as one whose career as an artist hangs in the balance,” Christina Faith wrote in Rapzilla’s review of his fourth studio album.
Retail LPs:
2004 – Moment of Truth
2005 – The Faith
2007 – Open Book
2009 – The Big Picture
2011 – The Whole Truth
2013 – Love Hope War
2014 – Heartbeat
2016 – It’s Complicated
