It was bound to happen sooner or later: someone has found a way to make hip hop Catholic.

There are no subliminal messages or underlying themes. It is the familiar in-your-face style of rap music placed at the service of the Gospel.

“God has given us gifts and talents and we should use everything we’re good at to glorify Him,” said Dust Sieber, founder of Phatmass.com, an apologetics Web site geared to youths and young adult audiences. The simple, but profound logic is that if someone is good at making music, they can make music to glorify God, he said. Phatmass, founded in 2000, has produced albums for various Catholic rap artists including Point 5 Covenant, Sammy Blaze and Akalyte.

“All the music that comes out of Phatmass is for evangelization and catechesis first,” said Sieber. Christ and His Church “should be glorified first and that’s why we’re making music.” Catholic hip-hop music, he said generally caters to Catholics. It draws the audience to God and enlightens its listeners about the faith.

In an effort to evangelize, the hip-hop and rap music found on Phatmass is marked by unabashedly Catholic lyrics. The Eucharist, the lives of the saints, love of the Blessed Mother, and the universal call to holiness are just some of the common themes among songs produced by Catholic rappers.

Not insignificantly, the folks at Phatmass cite Fr. Stan Fortuna, the rapping Franciscan, as an inspiration and mentor.

Curious? Check out the Phatmass website and get funky with Jesus.

Image: Phatmass logo, from phatmass.com