Christian Rapper Dante Pride, shares how he used church hurt as a catalyst for change.  Breaking down barriers in the kingdom and on the gospel charts.  

Growing up as a preacher’s kid (PK) kept Dante in church but he wouldn’t develop a personal relationship with God until years later.  With the help of his parents Dante realize he had to develop his own relationship with Jesus Christ.  “God ain’t got no grandchildren so you gotta know him for yourself,” they would tell him.

Over the years CHH has been the subject of criticism by the traditional gospel community.  This has caused a divide in the kingdom leaving the CHH community feeling like an illegitimate stepchild. “There would be moments where I would invite people to church that dressed like how I dressed and they would tell them ‘hey you need to take your hat off’,” explains Dante.   

Not being accepted by churches in his community confused the rapper.  “A lot of the churches I was getting booked at were predominantly caucasian churches.”  With lyrics like “they say we don’t look like church” Dante’s song Can I Turn Up in Your Church sparked some controversy in the community. 

“It was a lot of people that was mad.” I feel like I became rebellious, says Dante. “At a concert as I was preparing to worship, somebody came up to me and said, ‘Young man you need to take your hat off or you need to get out’. It tore me up.” 

The Christian rapper is now focused on bridging the gap between traditionalist and urban culture.  “I feel like we have come a long way, but we still have ways to go,” declares Pride.  

Dante, says it was around the age of 15 is when he really discovered Jesus Christ for himself. He began to form a relationship outside of the religion and the tradition he was taught.  “They thought I was insane when I began breaking tradition,” Dante explains.  Now, he’s breaking barriers in the kingdom.   

How many Christian rappers you know that make money?

Most creatives don’t get the support needed early on.  Instead they are criticized by what we like to call dreamkillers. People who feel compelled to tell us things like “Rapping is not a real career, you’re not going far.”  

But despite the naysayers, Dante stayed ten toes down.  He quit basketball and decided to focus on the music.  “I still have not got to a point where I’ve arrived, no matter how high you get, you will never arrive.  I’ve been hitting the stage since I was 12 and just now, at 24, I’m actually seeing the fruits of my labor,” the Christian rapper shares. 

Could a secular collab be in the works?

Hip Hop has always struggled with the crossover.  On one hand you have a song that transcends genres authentically and organically.  And on the other, intentionally crafting song for monetary gain and influence. The mainstream conundrum.  In Christian Hip Hop the question is more should we collaborate with secular mainstream artists.  Two sides of the same coin. 

“If the holy spirit told me to do a song with Lil Wayne, I would totally do it,” says Dante.  As far as CHH going mainstream, the rapper admits, “It is a business at the end of the day.  I feel like God wants to bless you and expand your territory, but you have to follow your own convictions.” 

To connect with Dante visit his website www.iamdantepride.com to sign up for updates, follow him on social media, stream music and watch his documentary “I Lived.”

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