You don’t have to be a hip-hop head to appreciate the beauty of the currently trending #PopeBars hashtag. Created off the back of an image of His Holiness holding a microphone, #PopeBars saw the pic transformed into a hilarious meme. Even celebs such as Kerry Washington, star of Scandal, jumped in on the action, calling it “the best” hashtag.
The resulting tweets included references to other hip-hop lyrics (from the likes of Eminem and Drake) and original cyphers that the current pontiff could use to bless the mic. If Pope Francis chooses to drop a mixtape anytime soon, he will no longer require the assistance of a (holy) ghostwriter.
Check out some of the choice cuts below, some of which were retweeted over a thousand times, courtesy of Twitter.
A Nun in a wheeeeel chairrr call that "Virgin mobile" #PopeBars pic.twitter.com/7MGDdPSdSG
— The Black Pope (@Pope_khofe) November 30, 2015
His psalms are sweaty, knees weak, cross is heavy. There's vomit on his robe already, Vatican spaghetti… #popebars pic.twitter.com/u7gBksSHSR
— Andrew Bloch (@AndrewBloch) November 30, 2015
"God had a mixtape he named it the Bible, Jesus had a rap crew called it the disciples" #PopeBars pic.twitter.com/s9bu5PfHci
— Crenshaw BLVD (@FloydSupreme) November 30, 2015
From Genesis to Revelation my God be spittin' fire. I don't smoke weed cus Scripture gets me higher. #PopeBars pic.twitter.com/lkmhsWzqi0
— Manny Rutinel (@MannyRutinel) November 30, 2015
God is the Father,but all yall are my sons, Pray I don't take your girl and make her one of my nuns #PopeBars pic.twitter.com/KyfxjvRhUF
— TheNegroStableBuck (@jaclyn41random) November 30, 2015
I got enemies! Got a lot of enemies! Got a lot of sinners trying to drain me of this energy! #PopeBars pic.twitter.com/ZPiM3CnV6f
— The Black Hokage (@Mr_iKeepitreal) November 30, 2015
The original image originated during the Pope’s recent tour of Africa. The six-day tour included trips to Kenya, Uganda, and the Central African Republic (CAR). The photo in question was snapped in Bangui, CAR, at a home for displaced people, according to Time.
Commentators claim that the African region is integral to the future of the Catholic Church, with the number of devotees in the continent growing faster than anywhere else in the world.
Although Pope Francis has never professed to follow hip-hop, he did release a pop-rock album titled Wake Up! Whether or not his Twitter transformation into a viral hip-hop artist will result in a rap album remains to be seen.
