DESC: From its earliest days, hip-hop has really been about "The Message," perhaps best summed up by Grandmaster Flash's enduring 1982 classic of the same name. While that song's decaying world evokes feelings of spiritual abandonment, the forceful track lays undeniable claim to rap's power as a pulpit. Although hip-hop's first few decades did not produce any huge gospel-rap acts, thoughts of God have dominated the hip-hop universe, from the ubiquitous "thanks" to Him in liner notes to the frequent religious-themed hit singles. Even the grittiest of rappers, from 2Pac to Nas to the Geto Boys, have been influenced by God. HOLY HIP HOP: TAKING THE GOSPEL TO THE STREETS contains 12 works of praise from all walks of rap. The first three tracks reveal the collection's spectrum of hip-hop colors, opening with ShonLock's Nelly-esque dance-pop "Boogie Bounce," followed by the Dirty South fire of Ziklag's "Raw & Uncut," and then switching to the R&B-flavored "Praise Him" by Shei Atkins. HOLY HIP HOP's power lies in its...