A Church in the (Capitalistic) Wild?

Beef just got sanctified. Philly rapper Meek Mill’s hit song “Amen” was called out as blasphemous by Philly based pastor Jomo Johnson. Johnson called Philly radio stations to boycott Mill’s song because of its vulgarity and distortion of church and religion. Meek Mill’s response? The ever ready, “I’m out here feeding my family.” To (seemingly) add insult to injury, Mill also ‘comes out’ as an atheist. His spiritual coming out parallels that of Frank Ocean’s own admittance to bisexuality, refusing the limiting (hetero)normative discourses organized religion impedes on society, especially the African American community. Intersecting discourses of race and religion in rap is not new. When receiving an award or interviewing, rappers nearly always make sure Jesus makes an appearance right after mama in their acceptance speech. KRS-One’s Hip Hop manifesto The Gospel of Hip Hop (2009) borrows style from the Christian bible and likens hip hop culture to religious faith and practice. I’m intrigued, however, by the increasingly prevalent role of enterprise in which these discourses currently exist. To borrow from Jay and ‘Ye, is hip hop religion’s latest manifestation of a church in the (capitalistic) wild?