Kurtis Blow developing Hip Hop Church America for Television

By: Yves Erwin Salomon

Rap pioneer Kurtis Blow was the first rapper to sign a deal with a major label and now he's poised to be the first rapper with his own weekly church show. Blow is developing Hip Hop Church America in hopes of making the worship process more fun for all ages. The television show, which is based on Blow's years of hosting and emceeing at the Hood Memorial Church in Harlem, is being developed in conjunction with The Machine Productions. The show will include song and praise for 60 minutes of clap-along inspiration.

Blow said in a released statement, "There is one main reason we have for starting all of this. We want to bring kids to church! Let them know God forgives them and that there's a better way. Our goal is to present the gospel to them in a language they can understand, teaching them about Jesus and the Bible and salvation. We think the church can save hip-hop and hip-hop can save the church. Let's face it, kids are our future and the future of the church is in their hands. When we're long gone, our great grandchildren will be running it, so it's important to teach them the right way to go."

Blow, who is working on Doctorate of Divinity at Nyack College in New York, added, "But even as we get the kids excited, we want people of all ages to come in and have a great time worshipping God. When I was growing up, the kids were always separated from the parents or taken out of the sanctuary for smaller Sunday School classes. With 'Hip Hop Church America,'we want grandparents bringing kids, and kids of all ages fellowshipping with their parents. Jesus is for everyone, remember. And just as he spoke in parables, which was the medium of teaching during his time, we're communicating His message through one of today's most powerful and exciting mediums -- music and hip-hop."