Intersections with Phil Allen, Jr.

Episode: 018 “Tupac, Biggie, and Jesus: The Role of Hip Hop in Black History and Theology”

Airdate: February 8, 2021

Length: 1:08:58

Guests: Dr. Dwight Radcliff, PhD.

This episode is not just mind-blowing, but it is fun. Dr. Dwight Radcliff, PhD is a professor, theologian, and pastor and is known for his work at the intersection of Hip Hop and theology. He helps us frame Hip Hop not only in the context of Black History, but also in theological terms. One question we hope to answer in this conversation is whether or not we can see and/or hear the Divine in Hip Hop culture in general, but in the music more specifically.

Not only does Dr. Radcliff provide a theological lens, he also gives us a brief history lesson on the phenomenon called Hip Hop born out of the Bronx, NY. He helps us connect the dots between the fruit of Hip Hop we enjoy today to its roots in jazz, the Blues, and the Negro Spirituals.

Listen in on this episode. Allow your mind and faith to be stretched. Take God out of your box and see how God can speak to the culture and use its artist and this generation in fresh new ways for necessary transformation.

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Phil Allen, Jr. is a Los Angeles-based theologian, social justice activist, filmmaker and author. Allen’s book Open Wounds explores the murder of Nate Allen—Phil Allen’s grandfather—in the Jim Crow era of South Carolina and how that traumatic event resonated through generations of his family. Open Wounds – which is based on the Allen-produced documentary of the same name – will be published February 9, 2021. Allen is a Ph.D. student studying Christian ethics and Theology and Culture at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, CA.