The Rise of (Asian) Christian Hip Hop

By Hyunwoo Park

When you think about hip hop, what are some names that come to mind? You may think of Kendrick Lamar, Jack Harlow, Drake, and Eminem just to name a few. 

Narrow it down to Christian Hip Hop, and unless you are an avid listener and fan, it may be hard to think of more relevant names. 

There once was a time when Christian Hip Hop was seen as cringy and embarrassing. However, within the past decade or more, there has been a revolution in the rise of hip hop rappers that label themselves as Jesus followers, are active within the Christian community or publicly talk and rap about their faith in Jesus. 

Rolling Loud, one of America’s biggest hip hop festivals, featured some of the most popular Christian rappers on stage in 2024 and 2025. In Miami, rappers like Hulvey and Nobigdyl took the stage and gave strong performances that went viral on social media. 

At Rolling Loud Los Angeles, Miles Minnick also went viral on social media showcasing his elite musical skills while also publicly preaching and inviting attendees to listen to the Gospel and hope that Jesus personally gave to him. 

Lecrae, a godfather in the Christian Hip Hop scene, founder of Reach Records, and someone who boasts over 1 billion streams on Spotify, has been the biggest Christian artist to break into mainstream media with big artists like John Legend, Tori Kelly, Ty Dollar Sign, and more. 

Recently, Lecrae also featured Will Smith on his podcast. 

“If you want to talk about Jesus, we are at a point in time where you need to bring other skills to the table that cannot be ignored to be acknowledged and talked about by the broad community,” Marty, a well established producer for the likes of Hulvey, Lecrae, and more with over 3 billion streams put together, said when I interviewed him. 

And this trend is exactly what we are seeing. Not just restricted to the “Christian” category, we can see talented people in general bringing more attention to what Christianity and the messages of Jesus is like Justin Bieber teaming up with gospel singer Chandler Moore and Pastor Judah Smith in 2021 with the song “Where Do I Fit In.” 

Stormzy, a British rapper with over a billion streams who has worked with the likes of Ed Sheeran and H.E.R., also professes his love for Jesus and writes songs like “Blinded by your Faith” that talks about how the grace of God brings him to ultimate humility. 

George Janko, someone who used to feature a lot with famous Youtuber Logan Paul, has completely shifted his content to be Jesus focused. In addition, the likes of Bryce Crawford and Cliffe Knechtle have also exploded on social media with their talented and eloquent speaking skills to gain millions of views and also talk about Jesus with mainstream celebrities like Logan Paul, Too Hot to Handle’s Harry Jowsey, and Alex O’ Connor, famous for his atheist views, just to name a few. 

It is fair to say that there is a boom in Jesus loving celebrities breaking into mainstream media, in the Christian Hip Hop space and other spaces as well.

“If you want to talk about Jesus, we are at a point in time where you need to bring other skills to the table that cannot be ignored to be acknowledged and talked about by the broad community.”

However, with this rise of Christian Hip Hop, a question that can be raised is the balance of Asians in this space.

In the past few years, entertainment has seen a huge rise in Asian representation with the rise of Korean music, Kdramas, movies like Crazy Rich Asians and Shang Chi, and more.

“I can’t reach everyone…so that is why we need representation from as much unique people as possible,” Marty said when asked about why right now is the right time for asians to break out in the Christian Hip Hop space.

Michael, founder and blogger of Bias Wrecker who exclusively interviews big asian artists like Junny, Kim Woojin, and more also says that right now is the right time for asians to break into any area of American life because we need to ride the momentum.

“There is so much momentum going for asians in every space, right now is the time to keep it up and capitalize. If not, we may have to wait another decade or two for another chance like this.”

An asian artist who wants to represent the voices of Asians in the Christian Hip Hop space is Dylan Chai- a senior at Pepperdine studying communications.

“I hope that through my music, people can just relate to my story, my faith,” Chai says.

Chai started music at church playing for his local church’s worship team. His love for music kept growing and he started releasing music for fun just because he loved it so much.

While it started off just for fun, the people around Chai started encouraging him to take it more seriously, especially as each release he put out kept getting better.

In 2025, Chai finally committed to taking his music to greater heights and take it more seriously.

Since the start of the new year, Chai has release two singles, “Love me Like You,” and “Hallelujah.”

“The Christian Hip Hop space does not have someone that looks like me, just a regular asian kid that looks like I can be a computer science major. However, there are thousands of asians like me who love Christian Hip Hop and would love to be represented in this space and feel like they have a voice,” says Chai. “I hope these two songs I released this year can relate to those like me.”

While Chai is just getting started, his song “Hallelujah” recently featured on a huge Christian page with over 122,000 followers.

Miles Minnick and Marty both liked the post and Marty commented and followed Chai on Instagram.

“I would love to make a song with Dylan one day,” says Marty.

Chai also featured an upcoming, white Christian rapper PAT. on his song. “I do not just want to work with asians or be confined within an asian space. I hope I can just be an artist that every color listens to.”

PAT. echoes the same sentiment and praises Dylan for his approach. “I see a lot of asians stay confined to just their asian circle, but what I love about Dylan is that he just tries more than anything to be an artist more than an asian artist.” 

Chai’s pursuit of a place in the Christian Hip Hop space is more than just a creative ambition- it is also his personal calling rooted in his identity, faith, and purpose. Chai is in the process of carving out his own lane in an industry where Asian representation is scarce. In a sense, there is no blueprint to follow, but he hopes to be a trailblazer.

While many artists enter the music scene with dreams of fame and money, Chai’s motivation is different. His goal is not to go viral, but to be a bridge between cultures, faith, and art.

“There’s not a single artist in the Christian Hip Hop space that I grew up seeing who looked like me,” Chai shares. “So I’m not just making music for myself—I’m trying to make space for the next generation of Asian believers who also want to express themselves.”

“There is so much momentum going for asians in every space, right now is the time to keep it up and capitalize. If not, we may have to wait another decade or two for another chance like this.”

While Chai is immersed in music, his pursuit is mainly about ministry. His lyrics reflect his personal struggles, his ups and downs in his faith, and ultimately he desires to give others hope.

“I want to be the artist that makes people feel like they’re not alone. Whether you’re Asian, Christian, or just someone trying to figure out life—I want my music to speak to you.”

While Chai is just beginning and in his early stages, his drive to be more than just another name in the music industry is very clear. He hopes to build a genuine movement – one where underrepresented voices find purpose through faith-fueled creativity.

Conclusion

The Christian Hip Hop landscape is evolving rapidly. From artists appearing on Rolling Loud, this genre is carving a powerful and relevant identity in modern culture. Artists like Dylan Chai are uniquely positioned to stand at the intersection of these two movements: the mainstream rise of Christian Hip Hop and the demand for Asian voices in the American mainstream media.

Chai’s story is a reminder that representation is about relatability. As new voices like Chai emerge, they do not just bring diversity, they bring new sounds, new dimensions, and an opportunity for faith to collide with culture like never before.

There is room and a need for everyone at the table.