By Bethany Sanderson/reporter
Danny Cooper, aka Da Paperboy, grew up in a culture that was engulfed in rap music.Cooper, a current NW Campus student, has been professionally rapping for two years.Living in a neighborhood outside of St. Louis where little religious music was heard, Cooper’s family allowed only Christian music in the house.It wasn’t until he was about 8 or 9 that he got his first taste of Christian rap at his home church, St. Louis Christian Center.
Cooper began to listen to The Cross Movement. His life soon took a spin when his dad took him to get his CD signed by FLAME and he also met J’son, both Christian rap artists.
Through the conversation in the store, Cooper was invited to join a Bible study at J’son’s house. Through the discipleship process, Cooper began to connect with other well-known Christian rap artists like Thi’sl, JR, NAB, Chozy’n, Trip Lee, Tdot and Sho.
Not until he moved to Texas in 2006 at the age of 15 did he realize his calling to minister the gospel through rap.
Now at the age of 19, Cooper is continuing to show his faith through his musical abilities.
He believes God has given him a twofold mission.
The first is to deliver Christian teachings from the hood to the suburbs to those who haven’t heard.
The second is to encourage those who are already believers to strengthen their relationship with Christ.
“I just did what I like to do. I guess I am no different than anyone else who does music,” he said. “Once Jesus Christ came into my heart, he changed my view and changed my passion, which is him and to glorify him.”
Christian rap originated in the 1970s from hip-hop artists expressing their spiritual beliefs in lyrics.
Viewing themselves as ministers or evangelists, current Christian rap artists preach a Christian message using hip-hop or rap as a medium.
Not until the 1990s did the term “Christian hip-hop/rap” become a description of this style of music.
Christian music awards programs such as the Gospel Music Association Dove Awards and Stellar Awards have added rap and hip-hop categories, recognizing the growth in the genre.
Cooper, under his stage name Da Paperboy, has produced a record titled Da Paperboy — Read All About It. Cooper said Christian rap means “a genre of rap that glorifies Jesus Christ.”
The rapper writes his own lyrics.
“It is my job to announce the good news of Jesus,” the reason Cooper gave himself the stage name of Da Paperboy.
Rapping to lyrics about Jesus or the feelings of all people, Cooper has been ministering to the world, traveling all over the country to anywhere he can be heard.
“I have opportunities to go to prisons, concerts at different churches and schools, just anywhere where there is light and a stage. Anywhere where there is people who will gather, I try to get there,” he said.
Cooper enjoys dealing with fans the most.
“After ministering engagements, I enjoy the people. People are drawn to me because of the platform that God has given me,” he said. “I get to fellowship with them, just talk to the people.”
Cooper attended Northwest High School in Justin and graduated in 2009.
Cooper presented a radio spot for an Introduction to Mass Communications class showcasing the mixing and style.
“He has a very high quality of work. I would assume he was a professional who worked in the industry for years,” said classmate Nick Neufeld.
Class instructor Sarah Angle loved the radio spot Cooper created.
“I think Danny showed exceptional creative talent during his advertising agency presentation,” she said.
“The radio spot he produced was surprising, funny and right on target. I can’t wait to see where he takes his musical career.”
