Rap Testimony: UK Christian rap music and narrative identity

Distinct UK rap cultures such as grime and UK drill are flourishing in the UK. Meanwhile, as Pentecostalism has institutionalised and denominationalised, there is a sense that the narrativity and orality of the early movement has been reduced in favour of more structured, clearly-defined theological statements.

In Rap Testimony, James F Broad examines the musical testimony narratives of UK Christian rappers to analyse how testimony is used in the Pentecostal movement as a vehicle for communicating a religious identity, both in establishing identity for individuals and the wider religious community. Broad argues that narrative and oral expressions are still alive and well and are being utilised in rap, which is often narrative in nature, thus rap can be a vehicle to recapture the orality and narrativity of Pentecostal/Charismatic expression.

The first academic work in the UK in this format, this book is interdisciplinary, focusing not only on the spirituality of the Pentecostal church in the UK but also utilising social science methods and musicological approaches in analysis. 

• Publication date: 30 September 2026
• Page count: 240
• Dimensions: Height 233 mm; Width 157 mm; Thickness 21 mm
• Publisher: SCM Press
• Format: Paperback
• ISBN-13: 9780334067351