The world of hip hop music has been playing a massive role in shaping the culture of American young people – and not so young people anymore – now for decades.
It’s a world whose creativity and freshness has shaped trends and impacted other whole genres of music. But it’s not commonly known as a realm shining a particularly positive light when it comes to morality. Yet, there are people of great faith in the industry who are working to change that with their music and the way they live. And we meet one of those remarkable individuals in today’s trek On the Road.
At just 27, Trip Lee is a hip hop artist with top ten billboard chart hits to his name. He’s toured the world performing his music, and gained a huge following. He’s also a poet, and the author of a new book released this year called . Yet – at his core – Trip is a young man of great faith, a pastor, a dad to two kids, and the husband to his wife Jessica.
In a refreshing conversation, Trip reflects on what drives him; the unique challenges of his career; and how he came to faith. We explore his belief that young people have an incredible contribution to make to our churches & nation – but that we so often settle for less.
“It doesn’t make any sense to say, ‘I’m going to wait to do the very thing I was made to do until I’m older’! Why would I waste these years to do some of what God made me to do? And why would I waste my years when I have the most energy, freedom and most zeal to be able to do these things?”
He also shares his earnest belief that the church has what it takes to be a primary healing force in a time of continued tensions over race.
To hear our full conversation, you can skip right to the bottom of this post. Otherwise, here are some fascinating highlights from the interview first.
Growing up in Dallas, TX, Trip discovered his love for music in junior high. But he came to a point where he decided that he wanted all the music he made to celebrate God.
While just a young Christian, Trip experienced a startling interaction that made him realize that not a lot was expected of him – simply because of his age. He explains how that moment has shaped his faith and his message.
As a young African American man with a huge platform, Trip has had the chance to share his heart for healing in the wake of racial tensions across the country in the past year. He explains why – even amidst continued challenges, he has great hope that the church can be a healing force for unity.
And now here’s our entire conversation with Trip Lee. Discover more about his faith journey, his passion to see our generation live with purpose, and what’s on his horizon.
