In Ivory Coast, gospel rap wants to “rejuvenate the image of Christian life”

In music videos, bars or nightclubs, these songs integrate easily into playlists of Abidjan pop and “ivory rap”, this hip-hop mixed with coupé-décalé. So it's not uncommon to find yourself on the dance floor belting out the choruses of hits like Commandoby KS Bloom… without realizing that the words are actually to the glory of Jesus. “Soldiers of Christ, we are sent to win souls…”

Behind the star with 1.4 million subscribers on YouTube, several evangelist artists have managed to establish themselves in recent years in Ivory Coast. The new talents of Christian rap are called Elvyn Le Conquérant, Iron, Leufa, Djess le Fromager… and collaborate on occasion, in a genre closer to pop and gospel, with the singer Milo and the rising star Morijah.

The recipe for “gospel rap”? First, limits imposed on the themes covered. We will not find in the texts an apology for violence or drugs, nor any misogynistic remarks or explicit profanity. But rather an astonishing convergence between the codes of rap and the messages of the Gospel. Rhetoric is thus put at the service of proselytism and« ego trip » dear to « gangsta rap » is replaced by a message about personal accomplishment. One of KS Bloom's hits, God, not fucked upthus enjoins the listener to “go to work” remembering that “God gives gas but he doesn’t put rice on fire.”

Gospel rap has become popular in the last three years thanks to the youth movements of evangelical churches, in particular the very popular Bloom, of the Vases of Honor Church, who presents himself on his website as « the ministry of young people [enthousiasmés, en nouchi, l’argot abidjanais] of Jesus.” « Our mission, specifies the site, is to lead young people to manifest the reign of God in their lives and put their gifts and talents in the service of the Lord. Members are therefore encouraged to practice their art (music, singing or dancing) within the Church and the most talented are invited to go on stage during worship.

“Demonic” music

It is precisely from this movement, from which he emerged, that Souleymane Koné chose his stage name, adding it to his initials to create the pseudonym “KS Bloom”. “I wanted to show that we could be young and love God, to rejuvenate the image of Christian life a little,” explains the rapper, reached by telephone. Since his first album, Turn on the lightreleased in 2021, it offers consensual music, very marked with coupé-décalé, festive and danceable. His popularity allowed him to go beyond the pews of the church to reach the Abidjan nightlife. “Today, I sing half a dozen times a year in churches, but the bulk of my performances are concerts and showcases,” he admits.

However, the situation was very different when, almost ten years ago, a handful of precursors took on the challenge of inventing gospel rap. “My first model when I started rapping, at 14-15 years old, was Lil Wayne, remembers today their leader, Yohanne-Axel Thalmas, known as Yung King. Always with ego trip, lots of insults, all that…” He made his classes in 2012 alongside the future stars of Kiff No Beat and Suspect 95, but preferred a style to ivory rap « hardcore » imported from the United States. His career took a turn in 2015 when he found faith. “When I met the Lord, I decided to dedicate my music to him,” he sums up simply.

At the end of 2016, he released his first Christian rap song, Daddy's Sonthen an EP in 2018, Roar. For a decade, Yung King has never stopped claiming to be gospel rap, even if he has kept “a very dark musical universe, between trap and melodious drill”. “Gospel rap is not linked to the style of music but to the objective, which is to touch souls and glorify the Lord, explains the man who became a pastor alongside his musical career. For me, I do the same thing when I preach and when I rap. It's the same person and it's the same emotion. »

At the time, however, it remained difficult to convince parishioners of the relevance of his approach while many considered Christian rap as an oxymoron. “I heard all the time: 'A Christian shouldn't rap,' remembers Yung King. The most conservative even claimed that it was demonic music! » Over the years, success has muted any reluctance. « There was a real need for young Christians to have modern music in which they could find themselves, rejoices the pioneer. Nowadays, we no longer hear anyone saying that rap is not Christian. I even have faithful in my parish who tell me that they pray to my songs! »