The influences bring together a diverse culture to hip-hop not often recognized, but it is well understood by fans.
The spiritual belief can help people survive what they have struggled through. Kanye West incorporates Gospel in his soundtracks are in a contradiction with materialism and spiritualism in Kanye West's gospel album "The College Dropout." Kanye's lyrics express spirituality and that he wears expensive clothing that costs more than a person's salary. That is contradicting materialism because it is all about wealth and clothes.
Some of DMX’s and Jay-Z's albums represent spirituality in walking with God, but in popular Culture their albums mostly mention materialism. For example, the song by Jay-Z "Can I Get A," expresses a lot of sexual content and commodification. Also, the music video of that song displays having materialistic things, such as gold chains, money, and women to fulfill their wants and needs. In DMX's song "Ruff Ryders' Anthem," expresses so many materialistic things. Its content discusses the only way to get by living in the ghetto and reaching to the upper class, you have to have money, women, cars, motorcycles, houses, chains, and the clothes.
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