ELLY GRIMM
• Leader & Times
Many people nowadays are looking for ways to remain connected to their faith, and one of those ways can be found on SiriusXM.
Holy Culture Radio is a 24-hour Christian hip-hop and edutainment channel available on SiriusXM that features music, talk shows and cultural conversations designed to uplift, inspire and empower listener. The station’s programming blends music with meaningful conversation and features legendary and next-generation Christian hip-hop artists alongside talk shows that address purpose, culture, faith and community impact.
Holy Culture Radio CEO James Rosseau said the idea really sprouted in the 1990s.
“I started Christian hip hop back in late 90s, and I'd gotten introduced to it by a friend. I found it to be, for me, transformative – I was someone who had grown up in a home that was a Christian home, but I'd drifted away from the faith and was reintroduced to it and have stayed with it since then,” Rosseau said. “From a radio perspective, I wanted to be a communications person – literally, in high school, I'd always dreamed of being on a radio, so that carried over into wanting to be in communications, and one thing led to another. I met the founder of Holy Culture, and I had another company called Core Link, and we were able to come together and become partners. And here we are, 20-plus years later, with Holy Culture Radio on Sirius XM. Back then hip hop was not quite as pervasive as it is today, and at that time, a lot of people said hip hop was still a passing fad, so to speak, but we saw it as a vehicle of communication that could reach people in a very genuine way. Our idea was, if you're going to have this kind of tool that draws people in, why not use it to communicate a faith-based message, and why not share our faith that way? Why not share the life-giving tenants of giving your life to the Lord?”
Throughout the years, Rosseau said there has been a lot of growth seen.
“Nearly 38 percent of listeners are between the ages of 25 and 45, a demographic often associated with digital fatigue and content overload. Among those listeners, 47 percent say they are likely to attend a motivational or inspirational seminar within the next year, and they are 39 percent more likely to volunteer in their communities over the next 12 months, which tells us what they consume doesn’t stop at listening, but translates into action,” Rosseau said. “Our overall mission is to empower people to reach their potential, and we try to do that through four avenues – faith, art, vocation and education, and music is one of the ways. When we started, it was the primary and the thought process was, 'Wow, music and radio are like arteries of the heart into a community.' At that time, if you'd pick a pick a city, there was an urban hip hop station, and most people were listening to it. We knew this was where people were gathered, so we decided to go there.”
Rosseau said that evolution has been good to see.
“Pick any business, and it changes over the years – if you're as old as I am, you'll remember seeing your parents with an eight track system, and then we move to records, and then, if you're used to records, then you move to cassettes, and each change, either you resisted it, or you adapted,” Rosseau said. “Some of us, if I'm honest, did not like every transition, but I think as you go through those transitions, you get more used to learning how to transition and become more adaptable. And I think the same is true with us. We started with one thing in mind, and then we had to learn how to be change agents, and I think now, we're more flexible than ever. In the overall musical 'ecosystem,' I think Christian hip hop has had bit of a difficult time. There were a lot of people with that mindset of 'Wow, that must be corny,' because it was presented in more of a church format – maybe someone you know, as the choir sang, grabbed the mic and did the rap and so on and so forth. In many cases, it got seen as a less-than total creative art, and other times it got seen as something just for the youth.”
However, the genre persevered, Rosseau said.
“One of the trends I've noticed from then to now is there's no longer a question in terms of the quality of the music, the creativity of the art, the audience it can attract, etc.,” Rosseau said. “Another thing is the advent of technology and that mix of mass media and people being able to get anything they want – you also don't have as many toll gates and bridges, so to speak, and you can get direct to the consumer. At one point, the question was 'How do we get this out there, given how expensive it can be to do it yourself, or get on a major label?' It has been a road of trying to constantly pivot in terms of the way people consume changes. Initially, we were a podcast, then radio, and then a Web site, and we've had to adjust like everyone else and adopt and grow. So I think for us, it's been all about that adaptation.”
People can find the station on Sirius XM channel, 140 Holy Culture Radio or by downloading the mobile app, Holy Culture Radio, which is on both Android and iPhone devices. People can also go to holyculture.net and stream the shows from there along with all the other articles and content. Overall, Rosseau said he hopes listeners take away good messages.
“I would say first and foremost, I hope they get what we stand for, and that empowers them to reach their God-given potential, so they're going to understand they're placing their faith somewhere, and our preference is obviously God,” Rosseau said. “People will get a constant message around how do you do that in a practical way? With the arts, everyone has a creative side, and it's whether you choose to use it or not, and we will constantly be provoking thoughts on how to do it. With vocation, you have to have a career, so whether it's as an entrepreneur or an employee, the question is how do you have a successful career? And then education, you're always going to be learning and get comfortable learning and get comfortable being uncomfortable because growth is uncomfortable, so we're always going to be provoking you. If a person listens to us for 30 minutes, I'm hoping, with the way we program, they're going to get great substance and content that they like.”
