You Prayin' For Me, Brah?: I Love Jesus But I Love "Norf Norf" Too

I have more rap lyrics memorized than I do Bible verses. As a committed Christian, that’s probably not ideal, but nevertheless, I thump Biggie and Run the Jewels as much as I thump the scriptures. Apologies to my pastor, but man, Rakim’s verse on “Paid in Full” and the production on “In Da Club” are just so effing cool, you know?

I was confronted with my relationship to hip hop this past week when I came across the now-widespread “Norf norf rant” video on YouTube, in which a young Christian mother is reduced to tears over the graphic lyrics of Vince Staples’ 2015 single “Norf Norf.” You should watch it:

Look, it’s a really funny video. That feels terrible to say and this woman has certainly been mocked enough, but there’s such an endearing “mom-ness” to it all that makes it feel okay to laugh at. This lady—we’ll call her Conservative Christian Woman—continually mispronounces the song’s various slang terms, and she calls out “Summertime Oh-Six” as an irresponsible, lude lyricist (that’s actually the album “Norf Norf” appears on; the artist is Vince Staples—whoops). While her frighteningly young daughter tumbles around in the background, Conservative Christian Woman recites the f-word and the n-word with abandon. It’s cringey. It’s remarkable. It’s comedy.

For most viewers, I imagine that’s all the video is, but as I watched Conservative Christian Woman fight back her stress-tears, I found myself mulling over some unexpected questions. Part of me actually feels a bit guilty about this video, because, even though I share this woman’s religious beliefs, “Norf Norf” is one of my favorite songs.

There’s a thousand reasons to love “Norf Norf.” Some lines are amusing (“Bitch you thirsty, please grab a Sprite”) and some lines are horrifying (“Never no problem playing no bitches/Never no problem spraying no witnesses”). Some lines are easy to understand (“Real Norfside nigga, never went to Poly, Wilson or Cabrillo”) and some lines are inscrutable and mysterious (“Where the ladies at? Where the hoes? Where the bitches?/Every real nigga know the difference”). “Norf Norf” is hyper-regional in its details, but its narrative achieves a nasty universality. It’s local news, but it’s also—to borrow from Public Enemy’s Chuck D—black CNN. The song feels far away and revealing and it’s utterly fascinating. I love listening to it.

I understand, though, why Conservative Christian Woman does not. If we set aside her ignorance of the song’s purpose or mission or message (basically, it’s not the glamorized brag rap she seems to think it is), it’s not off-base to say “Norf Norf” isn’t a kid-friendly song, and probably isn’t a radio-friendly song either. I can imagine that as a parent it would be stressful to realize your child is being exposed to lines like “Cut class ‘cause it wasn’t ‘bout cash/School wasn’t no fun, couldn’t bring my gun” on a seemingly regular basis. It would be even scarier to think about what your child might be hearing when you weren’t around to police that intake. Conservative Christian Woman’s distress in the video, on a surface level, makes total sense. Most parents are censors in that way.

The woman’s religious context, from the perspective of one of her so-called “brothers in Christ,” provides a bit more food for thought. It feels regretful. Christians hear about the alluring dangers of modern media all the time: Video games are too violent, movies are too sexual, music is too explicit, and on and on. Conservative Christian Woman’s desperate rally cry for believers to pray against this kind of corrupting art is one I heard many times as a secular, susceptible, swallow-hard-and-say-it-with-me “member of the youth,” and it’s one I heard tenfold after I became a Christian at 19. The idea of Christians holding themselves up as the world’s only clear-eyed media watchdogs still bothers me. It’s an otherizing stance that draws battle lines between the righteous, holier-than-thou Jesus freaks and the rap-banging, blood-crazed heathens. As a newer Christian who still feels ultra-conscious of such delineations, it sucks to see such a stereotypical example of a self-righteous believer, especially in relation to a subject I enjoy this much.

It’s hard to be cool and Christian at the same time, and though many artists have tried to merge those things, it always feels like they’re going to be a bit at odds with one another. Rock music is rad in a laid-back, crack-a-beer, “Do your thing, brah” kind of way, but Christian rock is ear poison. Standup comedy is crowd-pleasing and delightful, but Christian standup doesn’t know it’s already a joke. Rap music is powerful and fun and puff-out-your-chest, but Christian rap is corny; bow your head. On a wide level, with very few exceptions, Christian music, movies, and television are definitively not cool. Really, a lot of it is just plain bad. For a kid whose heroes come more from 80s action movies than the Bible, but still looks to Jesus as a way of life, that sucks. Jesus is dope; He should be in dope stuff.

Conservative Christian Mother says she usually listens to the local Christian radio station instead of the hits station her daughter prefers. That’s cool. Christian radio has its place, but personally it makes me feel like I’m drowning in a vat of cane syrup—it’s too sweet and overwhelming and sticky. I enjoy the message and I appreciate the positive nature of Christian media, but before long, I just end up wanting something better. Is that bad? It’s a weird feeling—the nature of being Christian means that Jesus is the center of your life—so are you allowed to think that the way He has entered popular culture is lame? Are you allowed to prefer other pieces of art over art that’s explicitly Christ-oriented? I really don’t know. I secretly hope so.

If there’s a way to differentiate between honoring my values and bumping hot jams in my car, I want to find it. There has to be a way to honor your values and have the discipline to play “Norf Norf” without guilt, right? Is there a balance between loving secular art, no matter the content, and being an uncompromising Christian? If Conservative Christian Mother is our litmus test, the answer seems to be No. Are Christians going to read this and pray for me? Will they hear “Norf Norf” and cry too? Yikes, man. I hope not.

That mother’s response to “Norf Norf” strikes me as ridiculous, but I wonder if her sentiment is true. Will busting NWA give me an attitude in contrary to the gospel? Will the Wu Tang Clan’s credo corrupt my soul? Will blasting Killer Mike make me a killer, too? I sure like to think not. Hip hop’s too good and it feels too important. It quenches my thirst. I want my Sprite.