If the latest Grammy nominations are a measure, religion has found fertile ground in the hip-hop/rap genre. Why?

Erik Nielson is an associate professor of liberal arts at the University of Richmond in Richmond, Va. He is co-editor of The Hip Hop and Obama Reader , and beginning in spring 2018 he and hip-hop artist Mad Skillz will co-teach a class on hip-hop and politics. Nielson blogs about hip-hop and the broader culture here.

Dee-1 is the stage name of David Augustine Jr., a Christian rap artist from New Orleans. Two of his mixtape releases have biblical themes — “David and Goliath” and “Psalms of David” — and he frequently talks about his Christian faith.

Andy Mineo is a Christian rapper from New York City. He is represented by WME Management.