“Suffering & Theology in Kendrick Lamar” with Rev. Dr. Alex Sosler

Suffering & Theology in Kendrick Lamar: Grief & Survival Through Hip-Hop In The Spirituals and the Blues, James Cone connects the hopeful power of black church music to “secular spirituals” called the blues. In Cone’s words, both genres are about black survival. In this Theology on Tap lecture, Alex Sosler develops Cone’s thesis from the blues into a theologically-informed read of modern hip-hop with a focus on Kendrick Lamar. Rather than ignore suffering, the best of the black tradition unearths it. Kendrick inherits the blues tradition by expressing the “why and wherefore” of suffering—and so helps us do the same. Alex Sosler is an Associate Professor of Bible and Ministry at Montreat College and an Assisting Priest at Redeemer Anglican Church in Asheville. He is the author of A Short Guide to Spiritual Formation and Learning to Love, as well as co-author of The Artistic Vision and editor of Theology and the Avett Brothers. He’s also got two upcoming books to be released this year: a co-edited volume called Theology and Hip Hop with Claude Atcho and a book on the spirituality of food and beverage with a focus on Southern Appalachia.