2012 08:10:00 AM NowReal Journalism 0 Comments

Emperor sign on- In this day and time it seems like the words Hip-Hop and positive are polar opposites. It wasn't always this way. There was actually a time not all to long ago where people looked to Hip-Hop for positive, militant, educational and historical lyrics&messages. Can this ever be the case again?!!?

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The music industry is one of THE most hardcore, cut-throat industries where sex, drugs, and backstabbing are the core elements to success. Some artists manage to carve their career without facing any of the aforementioned situations. Other artists completely immerse themselves in the lifestyle and allow it to send them down a spiraling path to failure.

What was once revered as a hobby to them becomes addictive and completely consumes their life. It takes them away from family, friends, and ultimately their career that they worked so tenaciously to attain. Below are a list of rappers who turned from being hoes to being holy.

1. DMX

In a recent exclusive interview with GlobalGrind, DMX revealed that he’s recently been appointed a deacon at a church in Yonkers. Always relying heavily on a higher power, DMX is now working on becoming a man of God. ”I just became a deacon at a church,” he said during a recent interview. The Undisputed rapper has boasted reading the Bible from cover to cover, but doesn’t quite think he’s ready to preach from the pulpit.

2. MC Hammer

MC Hammer has always been a churchgoer. He initially became his music career in a gospel rap group in 1984, but eventually strayed to pursue an ungodly hip-hop career. In 1997, MC Hammer recommitted himself to Christ and became an ordained minster.

3. Shyne

Living as Moses Levi, an Orthodox Jew in Jerusalem (he legally changed his name from Jamaal Barrow), he shuttles between sessions of Talmud study with some of the most religiously stringent rabbis in the city and preparations for a musical comeback. “The science of Judaism” as Mr. Levi refers to it, has become his system for living, a lifeline that connects him to God and becoming a better human being. He sees no conflict fusing the hip-hop world with the life of a Torah-observant Jew.

4. Rev. Run

Rev Run became a Penecostal minister when he realized that undeniable success in the music business didn’t always equate happiness. After receiving some spiritual advice from Bishop E. Bernard Jordan, Rev Run decided to dedicate his life to the Lord and become a minister.

5. Kurtis Blow

Kurtis Blow was one of hip-hop’s pioneers, but even the accolades of being a hip-hop legend couldn’t keep him from serving a higher power. In 2004, Kurtis founded his own church and eventually became an ordained minister in 2009.

6. Mason Betha

After bringing the world to Harlem, Bad Boy rapper Mase left rap during the peak of his career to preach in the pulpit. In 2004, Mase decided to leave the pulpit to try his hand at rapping again. He dropped his third album, “Welcome Back,” and signed a deal with 50 Cent’s G-Unit in 2005. Eventually he was reminded that the rap game wasn’t for him and went back under the radar. In 2012, Mase is back rapping and is featured on Miguel’s “Adorn” remix, as well as G.O.O.D music’s compilation album.
7. Loon aka. Amir Junaid Muhadith

Bad Boy rapper Loon converted to Islam in 2008. Loon changed his birth name, Chauncey Lamont Hawkins, to Amir Junaid Muhadith to become an Islamic ambassador and give the Dawah (preaching of Islam). Loon began traveling all over the world to encourage young people to live fulfilling lives, but was eventually extradited back to the U.S. on old criminal charges brought against him before converting to Islam.

-Source