Hip-hop message draws teens

Heavy bass beats echo through the church as youngsters rush down the sanctuary aisles. Colorful stage lights spin around overhead as the eager fans start screaming, "JESUS, JESUS, JESUS!" When the sextet Dem Unknown WarriorZ appears up front, the music and the fans go quiet.

Group leader Bennie "Preacha" Foster asks the crowd of about 2,000 to first "give God the praise." Then the beat returns even louder than before. "We're fishing," Foster said after the performance at Divine Faith Ministries in suburban Jonesboro.

"The bait youngsters are eating is hip-hop. So we take that music, dice it up, we put some Jesus flavor to it and save souls in Jesus' name. That's how we do it.

" To its fans, crunk music, with its electronic drums and synthesized brass instruments, generates excitement akin to a religious experience. But the genre -- most often

associated with R-rated chants by hip-hop artists -- is seldom heard in churches. Crunk became popular through Southern-based producer Lil Jon, who is known for his energetic trademark shouts and hit singles, "Get Low" and "Snap Yo Fingers.

" "I respect Lil Jon as a producer," Foster said. "But we switch up the message with the thumping beat they recognize. We present ourselves in a hip-hop manner, so youths can have something they can relate to.

" Dem Unknown WarriorZ first came together in 2001 through Foster's NowFaith International Ministries. They came up with the group name when a fan called them Christ's warriors, who aren't concerned about receiving recognition for their good deeds.