Hip hop artist Trip Lee wrote a recent blog post questioning Beyoncé Knowles' choice to dance provocatively at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards in late January.
Beyoncé's performance at the Grammys was nothing short of provocative. Forbes reports that the singer wore lingerie and danced sexually with Jay-Z on stage - "Once the queen of class, Beyoncé has bowed to the stalest of pop female conventions: the stripper act sells," Ruth Blatt writes.
Trip Lee is a popular Christian hip hop artist with the Reach Records label, recording alongside Lecrae, Tedashii, and Andy Mineo. He came to Christ when he was 14 years old, and his love for rap transformed into a passion to exalt Christ. Trip Lee's desire to study and to teach the word of God to others propelled him to begin to incorporate theological matters into his lyrics. Now touring the country with other popular Christian artists, Trip Lee hopes that an opportunity will open up in the future for him to pastor a church.
Beyoncé Knowles has reportedly professed to be a Christian in the past. The contrast between the immodesty displayed in her Grammys performance and the character traits that God helps us to exhibit for His glory is hard to understand. Based on her profession of faith in Christ and her influence on millions of American teenagers, Trip Lee asks, "Do you think the attention you draw to your own beauty and sexuality (which often distracts from your art) contradicts the message in songs like, 'Pretty Hurts?'" - the song where Beyoncé encourages young women to focus on the beauty of their soul rather than on their bodies, he writes.
"How influential do you think your music is in the lives and values of young people?" continues Trip Lee. The hip hop artist also asks Beyoncé if there might be a better way to celebrate marital love than to publicly do so in a way that tempts others to lust.
Hopefully these questions would help Beyoncé assess whether her dance performances align with Christianity and might help her to use her platform to set a better example for young women around the world.
The hip hop artist does not write vehemently or with condemnation - "We're both sinners in need of God's grace," he says.
