Curt Kennedy is no stranger to tough topics — he’s rapped about sexuality and race and just about everything in between. His latest song is all about guns.
And it features a cameo from author and pastor John Piper.
Interpreted at face value, the song, “I Got a Gun,” could be autobiographical. But that’s not the intention, according to Kennedy, who spoke to Faithwire about the new single, which is part of his latest album, “Feelosophy,” debuting Friday.
“This is a serious issue among believers,” said Kennedy, noting the nuanced perspectives Christians have when it comes to gun ownership. “And no one has talked about it musically.”
For Christians, the rapper explained, there is a natural tension — one that’s made uncomfortably obvious in Kennedy’s five-minute track — between trusting God’s sovereignty and being prepared, in this case, to protect ourselves.
The song’s hook goes this way:
I got a gun on my hip and I trust God’s sovereignty
But I’mma bust a clip if you come in my property
A gun in my crib and I trust God’s sovereignty
But you ain’t gonna live if you come in my property
A gun on my hip and I trust God’s sovereignty
But I’mma bust a clip if you come in my property
A gun in my crib and I trust God’s sovereignty
And I might shoot to kill if you come in my property
In the first verse, Kennedy raps: “’Cause I believe in God, and I believe in guns.”
At another point in the song, Kennedy references Jesus’ words to his disciples in Luke 22, when he is telling them to go share the Gospel, reminding them he has always taken care of their needs. Speaking metaphorically about the persecution they’d face for sharing their faith, Jesus told his followers, “Take your money and a traveler’s bag. And if you don’t have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one!” In response, his disciples told Jesus they had two swords.
“That’s enough,” Jesus answered.
Most likely, Jesus wasn’t literally telling his disciples that two swords was enough. Instead, he was probably frustrated his disciples weren’t seeming to grasp the severity of what was soon to come, when he would be crucified. Jesus’ reply, though, did indicate he likely didn’t object to his disciples carrying weapons for self-defense, given they probably had them throughout their time following him.
Kennedy said his song is all about “wrestling” with the “tension” of trusting God while also having a gun for protection. The hook is very graphic and clear while the verses are more nuanced and indicative of an internal struggle — one that’s all too familiar in Kennedy’s own life. As a kid growing up in Washington, D.C., crime was a natural fit for Kennedy, who began running into trouble at just 7 years old. It all came to a head for Kennedy, whose real last name is Allen, after two shoot-outs with a rival gang. Charged with multiple criminal counts, he was facing nearly 45 years in prison, guilty of numerous felony charges — including possession of a gun.
Sitting in an empty courtroom, though, the judge ultimately dropped the charges, and Kennedy served less than six months behind bars. That was the moment his life began to change, and now he uses his talents to help Christians wrestle through difficult issues, just like Jacob did in the Old Testament.
“I wanted to do a song that I felt like captured both sides of it,” Kennedy said of his latest single. “And also just to say, ‘Hey, it’s OK for us to have that tension.’ Sometimes our faith doesn’t resolve everything; sometimes we wrestle.”
Too many artists today, he added, are “afraid of disagreement,” but it’s important for Christians to address difficult topics like gun rights.
So how did Piper find his way into the new song? As it turns out, all the way back in 2006, when the sub-genre he calls “Reformed rap” was just beginning to emerge, Kennedy became the first rapper to perform at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, the congregation Piper led until May 2013.
At the end of the song, Kennedy included a clip of Piper, which he said perfectly encapsulates the tension between self-defense and trust in God.
Piper was answering a question from a man who wanted to know if he would use a gun against a person trying to harm his daughter. The now-74-year-old preacher said he would “probably” use a firearm to protect his child, but made clear his aim would never be to kill anyone, “especially an intruder who doesn’t know Christ and would go straight to hell.”
“Why would I want to do that, if I could avoid it?” he asked.
That dichotomy is the inspiration for Kennedy’s song, which he said he hopes forces people to deal with the friction our faith sometimes causes, “even if you don’t like it.”
“I don’t mind if people don’t like my music,” he said. “I just want you to be like, ‘Huh. This is making me think.’”
Kennedy’s new album — “Feelosophy” — debuts Friday. To listen to some of the rapper’s other work, click here.