Q&A: Christian Rap Artist KB Talks Rebellion, New Music & His Take on Politicizing Faith

Just before rap artist KB took the stage at Winter Jam 2018 in Nashville, he sat down with Studio 5's Efrem Graham for a candid conversation about race, politics and his new project "Today We Rebel."

Efrem: "Your latest album is 'Today We Rebel,' what are we rebelling against?"

KB: "The title comes from a culmination of experiences and writings that I've sort of given myself to, I think one with Martin Luther King - who said that 'to love is to be radical'...to say that Jesus wasn't a radical is to misunderstand Jesus."
 
"When I realized that if you are to love truly and genuinely it will be met with a sense of persecution and pushback. And in that moment we've got to ask ourselves if we are free, or not. If we've been freed to live as kingdom people in this world - when opposition comes, we meet that with rebellion."

Efrem: "We hear a lot of that in the music, I'm thinking of the track 'New Portrait.' "

KB: "'New Portrait' is an important song for me because I had a conversation with a gentleman while I was making the album. He is a part of a black nationalist group in the neighborhood I grew up in, and we were having a great conversation and I mentioned that I was a Christian. He about fell out of his seat. He was like, 'Man you seem to be smarter than that, like why would you go and do that? You've been brainwashed.' My posture was, 'Well I have been washed, I've been washed by the blood of Jesus.' "

"I'm not unaware of the attacks on ethnic people (by people who) would claim Christianity as their own. I'm not unaware of some of the historical failures of folks who were a part of, I'm Southern Baptist, the Southern Baptist Convention. Southern Baptist Convention was started in response to those who wanted to take away their slavery. So, I'm not unaware of that, but I'm also aware that the Jesus of the Bible transcends that and goes back far beyond." 

KB: "I think one of the biggest issues facing us is the politicizing of our faith. That we begin to ask questions like, 'Are you Republican before I align with you? Or are you Republican before I love you? Are you Republican before I consider you a solid believer?' I think that is a tremendous misstep for the people of God in this nation."

Check out the player below to see more of KB's interview, and the Studio 5 Winter Jam Special!