How Faith Shows Up in Atlanta's Hip-Hop

"Mom, Dad...I'm about to be a professional rapper... One more thing, my rap name is Pastor Troy."

In Atlanta, whatever cardinal direction you go in, there's probably a church somewhere. And yet, many hip-hop artists don't see church as a go-to place for self realization. Instead, their music reflects the wilderness, the gnashing of teeth, and the ways in which younger generations wrestle with religion.

"I've never really had a religious experience, in a religious place" says Killer Mike on "R.A.P Music." "Closest I've ever come to seeing or feeling God is listening to rap music."

Goodie Mob's "Thought Process" and OutKast's "Liberation" (featuring CeeLo, Big Rube & Erykah Badu) can be considered prayers.

"They say gangsters don't pray – I beg to differ," says CyHi the Prynce on "No Dope on Sundays." "We pray every night, we pray every night to make it out of these struggles."

Zaytoven is one of the most sought-after producers, especially for his signature trap sounds. He's also deeply rooted in the church and evokes it in his music.

"I just need the junkies and the liars and the thieves. I need the pimps, prostitutes and pushers out the streets. That's where I'm seeking God, cause that's where He found me," Killer Mike says on "God in the Building 2."

"It was my first time having to pray for myself," says Pastor Troy, reflecting on the life experiences that led him to write "Vice Versa."

This is music that has not only put Jesus and other higher powers front and center, but that has also openly wrestled with them.