How does a guy like BranNuYu end up knowing about so many different Christian rap artists—and honestly, so many different styles of Christian music in general? Christian techno, Christian emo or screamo, Christian punk rock or metal, Christian alternative or grunge, even country rap. And it doesn’t stop at music. I’ve picked up all kinds of Christian-related stuff over the years: movies, games, animation, and more
It starts with a search. In my mind, I know it probably exists somewhere. Now I just have to use tools at my disposal (search engines) to find something. My first exposure to Christian rap wasn’t something I went searching for—it just kind of found its way to me. But once it showed up, I held onto it and dug deeper. When LitaRodi came to my high school, performed, and talked with us, that moment stuck. So what did I do afterward? I went home, typed his name into Google and Myspace, and started exploring everything I could find. That simple search opened the door to a whole new world of music I didn’t even know existed yet.
Back when Myspace was still the spot, I discovered a whole world of Christian rap just by digging through LitaRodi’s top friends. That’s where I first stumbled onto Tre9, Soldiers Ona Mission, Von Won, DJ Primo (Rest In Peace), Sketch the Journalist (not an artist, but his blogs led me to even more music), Sypreme, M‑Session, TruVine, and a bunch of others. Most of them had music players on their pages, so I’d spend hours clicking around, checking out new artists, and letting the rabbit hole take me wherever it wanted.
Amazon Affiliate Links to some of the music I was jamming back then:
Links to songs or albums not found on Amazon, but found elsewhere:
My youth group played a big part too. That’s where I first heard Flame, Lecrae, the 116 Clique, and Cross Movement. Later, at Texas Bible Institute, I met small, unknown artists right in my dorm and heard new names blasting from speakers around campus. Discovery Camp brought in groups to perform, which opened my ears even more.
Amazon Affiliate Links to some of the music I was jamming back then:
Honestly, not much has changed. I still keep my eyes open for new Christian rap wherever I go. These days it’s mostly TikTok and YouTube recommendations doing the heavy lifting, but I’m always scanning. Real life counts too—Goodwill, resale shops, pawn shops, thrift stores, garage sales, flea markets, Mardel, even Walmart. (Though Walmart usually sticks to WOW Hits or mainstream Christian compilations unless someone like Lecrae drops something big enough to hit the shelves.)
And of course, the digital hunt never stops: Facebook Marketplace, eBay, Amazon, iTunes, Spotify, SoundCloud—you name it. Sometimes you already know the artist you’re searching for. Other times you just type in “Christian Rap” or “Christian Hip Hop” and see what pops up. You can even hit X (Twitter), Instagram, or TikTok and browse hashtags like #chh, #christianrap, or #gospelrap to find new voices.
The search looks different now, but the mission’s the same: stay curious, keep digging, and let God lead you to the next artist you didn’t know you needed.
