Webalejandro nava, author of in search of soul: Webthe religious rhetorical output of many gangsta rappers, both textual and visual, reveals a religious ethos containing a form of religious phronesis (practical wisdom). Webthe religious rhetorical output of many gangsta rappers, both textual and visual, reveals a religious ethos containing a form of religious phronesis (practical. Webstarting with the claim that “the jesus story is the gangsta story,” she points out that jesus himself lived a parallel life to that of many rappers: “jesus fraternized with sexually. Understanding the gangsta's god tackles a sensitive and controversial topic: The juxtaposition—and seeming hypocrisy—of references to god within hip hop. Webebony utley's provocative and engaging new book, rap and religion, is the most recent effort to uncover the myriad ways that rap artists invoke and converse with god, thereby. Webthis book provides an enlightening, representative account of how rappers talk about god in their lyrics—and why a sense of religion plays an intrinsic role within hip hop. Webthe religious rhetorical output of many gangsta rappers, both textual and visual, reveals a religious ethos containing a form of religious phronesis (practical wisdom). Webthis book provides an enlightening, representative account of how rappers talk about god in their lyrics—and why a sense of religion plays an intrinsic role within.