In the final installment of our Sacred Secular Syncopated series, Emily Austin and theologian-writer Femi Olutade dive deep into the sacred undercurrents of hip-hop — from The Message to To Pimp a Butterfly. Drawing on scripture, Orthodox theology, and the language of transformation, they explore how artists like Tupac Shakur and Kendrick Lamar turn lived struggle into spiritual reflection.

What begins as a discussion of protest music becomes an invitation to rethink repentance (metanoia) — not as punishment, but as change of mind, heart, and being. Through examples from good kid, m.A.A.d city, DAMN., and Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, Femi unpacks how Lamar’s art embodies an ongoing conversion — personal, communal, and divine.

Femi Olutade is a theologian, writer, and father whose work explores the intersection of faith, art, and culture through an Orthodox Christian lens. He is best known for authoring the script of Season 5 of the Dissect podcast, a 20-episode analysis of Kendrick Lamar’s DAMN. — winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Music.
Find Femi’s work:

🎟 “Sacred, Secular, Syncopated” with Femi Olutade
🗓 Thursday, November 6, 2025 at 7:00 p.m.
📍 Barth House Episcopal Center (Memphis, TN)
Join us for the Barth House Theological Society Fall Lecture, where Femi expands on these themes — exploring the theology of Kendrick Lamar and the spirituality of hip-hop.
Admission is free, but tickets are required. Get tickets here.

Glad Tidings is a podcast from the Episcopal Diocese of West Tennessee exploring the rhythm of faith in unexpected places — where art, theology, and culture overlap in surprising harmony.