I have listened to Minister Craig Lewis and found many errors in his definition of Hip Hop and that it is analogous to the anti-Christ and/or evil. He maintains that he has studied Hip Hop and its effect on the youth for 14 years. The basis of these statements indicates his lack of knowledge (firsthand or otherwise) about the real Hip Hop. He asserts that Zulu Nation created Hip Hop; however, Kool Herc is the individual credited for paving the way for Hip Hop. He also states that the word “hip-hop” is derived from the word poh pih backwards, which is a Greek mathematical equation. Unfortunately, that is another erroneous statement. Anyone can arrive at or attach well-meaning words and actually have no etymological bearing. Quite easily, individuals can mistakenly mislead others and make any word fit their needs and/or agenda.

If an individual decided that placing the letters in reverse had some credence then some words would be abominable. Take for instance, “live = evil and God = dog”. Additionally, if a parent decided to name their female child “Inja” because it sounded nice and exotic, most would not know that translated it means dog in another language (isiZulu). If the parent were aware that the translation is dog, I am very certain the child would not be named that. Today, many young people and sometimes older, name their children after entertainers or whatever is the trend. If you research a particular era you will find that in the 90’s many Black girl’s names had suffixes of -isha and -qua. In days gone by that was unheard of. In biblical times, children were given names that had meaning and spiritual significance. Some cultures still practice this (African, Jewish, Asian) but as more and more cultures become westernized, they are losing one aspect that also brought our children closer to God and that was their name.

Minister Lewis does not have concrete evidence that will make his statements accurate. Most people are not schooled in the ways of Hip Hop. I have been into Hip Hop (which by the way is not the original term) for the last 31 years and I have participated (rapped, DJ, danced etc) and later observed and studied the growing trend, allure and destructive aspects of Hip Hop. I do agree that Hip Hop has changed adversely in the last 20 years, but it is not the Anti-Christ (evil in origin) as Minister Lewis suggests. If that was the case then December 25, Christmas (which originally was a celebration of the sun god mithra along with other pagan gods) should not be celebrated because it has its origins rooted in evil (a false god). I recommend taking the good and discarding the bad like any other subject. There are many positive rappers, which comprise only a part of the many branches connected to this tree called Hip Hop. Now, I do believe that the face of Hip Hop (Rap in particular) needs to change for the better along with many other forms of music such as R&B, heavy metal, rock etc.

I believe that Minister Lewis is perpetrating a prevarication (lie) on the youth to promote and sell DVDs and shows. Instead, our energy should be directed as a movement to uplift and change the direction that Hip Hop is going in and not to try to destroy a music form that the youth (Black youth) created. The music (not all) is not and was not what Hip Hop was intended to be. However, just as anything in this world can start as a good thing but in the hands of greedy, misdirected, ungodly individuals can become tainted and destructive. Minister Lewis should really concentrate on ensuring that his facts are accurate. When Jesus (Yashua) was here he did not go to the so-called righteous but went to the sinners to lift them up and to bring sinners into the truth, not to tear them down. In addition, if Minister Lewis is preaching the Bible then he should recognize this one, “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone”.