Interview: Who Will Change the Hip-Hop Generation's World with the Gospel? - Efrem Buckle

Since its inception, hip-hop has evolved into a multi-trillion-dollar industry, shaping music, fashion, and social movements across the globe. More than just a genre, it is a cultural powerhouse that has influenced politics, identity, and storytelling on an unprecedented scale. National Geographic hails hip-hop as 'the world's favourite youth culture', noting that 'just about every country on the planet seems to have developed its own local rap scene'. Hip-hop isn’t just a global phenomenon—it’s a mission field. Like any other cross-cultural movement, it demands respect, understanding, and intentional engagement. This is where the mission starts. Now how do we begin?

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Efrem Buckle, as Deputy CEO and Director of Training and Mentoring at London City Mission, draws on thirty years' experience in urban ministry including twenty years as church-planting pastor of ecclēsia (South London). In the early-90s he formed part of a missional music duo, Ministry of Defence (M.O.D.), who were focused on reaching London’s hip-hop influenced community and subculture. Despite viewing music purely as a missional tool, M.O.D. were the first Christian rap artists to be signed to a US record label (Cross Movement Records). Those early years of prison, schools and street ministry resulted in outreaches such as ‘The God Corner’ (reaching over 1 million Notting Hill Carnival goers), artistic directors for Soul in the City - an outreach at Brixton Academy - and an arts-based missional curriculum in local schools. Efrem was born and raised in South London, has two daughters, a granddaughter and has been married for 30+ years. He enjoys swimming, technology and creating digital arts.

Luke Greenwood is British by birth, grew up in Brazil, and now lives in Wroclaw, Poland, with his wife Ania and their two children. He serves as the European Director for Steiger, a mission dedicated to reaching the Global Youth Culture for Jesus. Together with the Steiger Europe team, Luke has helped develop an evangelistic and discipleship movement in over 30 cities across Europe in the past 5 years, and prays for dynamic missionary teams reaching secular culture in every major European city. Luke wrote a book called Global Youth Culture: The Spiritual Hunger of the Largest Unreached Culture Today, which came out in 2019.

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