 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Rappin' Rev
Watch this Video
| Windows Media |
  |
| QuickTime | |
| MPEG |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|||
| Rap music has become a cultural phenomenon in just two decades, impacting music and fashion and taking on a language all its own. The Rev. Joseph Rembert sees the power in the music and he’s stepping up to the mic to give props to G-O-D. | |||
 |
|||
 |
New Items | Additional Stories | UMTV Brief | Archives | ||
Rappin‘ Rev – Script:
Sunday mornings can be sedate …
The Rev. Joseph Rembert: “Young people are asleep half the time.”
To shake things up, the Rev. Joseph Rembert felt he had to get creative.
The Rev. Joseph Rembert (rapping): “Well, I bet you’re all wondering just why I’m here, ’cause no other preacher would dare appear.”
This African Methodist Episcopal minister came up with his first rap back in the ’80s, while trying to connect with some neighborhood teens.
The Rev. Joseph Rembert: “Sometimes they would be drinking, cussing and doing drugs. But they always had those boom boxes. So rap was a way of getting my foot in their door so that I could get their feet in my door.”
The Rev. Joseph Rembert (rapping): “So if you’re wondering who I dig the most, it’s the Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost.”
His syncopated sermons usually focus on religious themes, and he also deals with serious issues affecting children, like drugs and violence.
Aaliyah Martin / 17-year-old: “He took something that would normally be considered bad in some people’s eyes and he took it and made it a positive thing.”
The Rev. Joseph Rembert (rapping): “Now if you like my rap and you can dig my rhyme …”
Rembert says rap speaks to kids in a language they speak, and he’s willing to try anything to get through to them.
The Rev. Joseph Rembert: “We’re not changing our message. We’re only changing our means of delivery.”
Even in church, everyone’s a critic.
Mario McMahon /19-year-old: “Truthfully, I’d give him a three.”
Sean Martin/11-year-old: “About the message, I’d give him about a nine.”
At 55, Rembert says kids are surprised to see such an “old dude” rapping. He’s not embarrassed by the results.
Tamasa Holden /17-year-old: “We have to have a way to reach the young community, and I think that is one way.”
Rappin‘ Rev – Tag:
From street corner to pulpit, Rembert’s known as the “Rappin‘ Rev.” He’s spent the summer rappin‘ at revivals and he’s working on his first music video.