MC Zappa Turns Self-Examination Into a Digital Sermon on “Why?”

There’s something disarming about hearing a spiritual gut-check delivered over what sounds like a resurrected arcade console. MC Zappa’s “Why?” weaponizes nostalgia, pairing 8-bit video game melodies with boom-bap DNA to create a track that feels playful on the surface and confrontational at its core.

Zappa, a Yonkers and Atlanta-based rapper-producer and filmmaker, has built his identity around Bit-Hop, his hybrid subgenre that fuses vintage VGM textures with Golden Age hip-hop structure. On paper, it sounds niche. In execution, it’s oddly perfect for a song about faith and moral accountability. The digital bleeps and pixelated synths mirror the track’s central tension: a modern generation wrestling with ancient questions.

“Why?” is structured as a loop of rhetorical challenges. Instead of offering easy answers, Zappa stacks questions about repentance, hypocrisy, and spiritual integrity, forcing listeners into a dialogue with themselves. The hook doesn’t soothe. It presses. Each bar feels like a spotlight swinging across a crowd, daring someone to stand still under it.

Lyrically, the track is rooted in Scripture but framed with the cadence of classic hip-hop critique. Zappa calls out contradictions inside Christendom without slipping into cheap provocation. There’s a difference between attacking belief and interrogating behavior, and “Why?” lives firmly in the latter lane. His tone isn’t nihilistic. It’s corrective. He’s less interested in tearing down faith than in exposing the comfort people build around it.

Production-wise, the Bit-Hop approach keeps the song from becoming heavy-handed. The chiptune leads bounce with a cartoon brightness that contrasts sharply with the lyrical weight. That friction is intentional. It keeps the track moving, letting the message land without suffocating the listener. The beat feels like an old-school game level you can’t exit until you finish the mission.

Zappa has said the purpose of the track is to push listeners to examine themselves and spark dialogue, and that ambition is audible. “Why?” doesn’t pose as a final statement. It functions more like an open case file. The song invites argument, reflection, and discomfort in equal measure, which is rare territory in a genre that often rewards certainty over inquiry.

What makes the record stick is its refusal to sanitize the conversation. Faith here isn’t aesthetic wallpaper. It’s treated as a living system that can rot if ignored. By framing that critique inside a playful, hyper-digital sonic palette, Zappa sneaks a serious conversation into a space where people might otherwise scroll past it.

“Why?” feels less like a single and more like a checkpoint. It asks where you stand, what you believe, and whether your actions line up with either. Whether listeners agree with every line is almost beside the point. The track succeeds because it demands engagement. It doesn’t beg to be liked. It insists on being considered.

For an artist carving out a lane as specific as Bit-Hop, MC Zappa proves that novelty doesn’t have to come at the expense of substance. Sometimes the most unexpected sounds are the ones that carry the sharpest questions.

You built an entire subgenre with Bit-Hop. Do you see the 8-bit aesthetic as nostalgia, rebellion, or a tool to smuggle heavy themes into spaces people don’t expect to confront faith?

I see it as all of the above. Bit-Hop is a deeply personal thing to me, so therefore it can be said to be a reflection of what's important to me. And what's important to me is God, funky music, seeking justice, defending the oppressed and correcting the oppressors. I am a walking anachronism; my gear includes both the Akai MPC2000 and the Akai MPK Mini. I own more analog cameras than I do 4k cameras. On my cluttered entertainment center, my VCR sits opposite of my PS5. Stacked crates of records line one wall of my living room, while the other wall is covered by shelves of retro video game systems. This is what I do; this is who I am. So my genre, Bit-Hop, is always going to have anachronism and nostalgia baked into its core.

You speak of "rebellion". That reminds me of the line that opens the third verse of "Why?":

"Why do rappers do the bidding of corporate devils, Then have the audacity to market themselves as rebels?"

In other words, we all know that the "bad boy" archetype in music has been around for a long time. But you gotta think: interpretation of behavior can never be interpreted apart from the context of the times. In the pre-integration era where the Hays Code made it taboo for married couples to be shown in the same bed (think "I Love Lucy"), Elvis getting on stage and gyrating while singing raunchy Negro music quite understandably upset and outraged a lot of people, because at the time it went against the status quo. But now? As a society, we have collectively rejected God and told Him to f**k off, because we can make our own laws and govern ourselves just fine. The direct result is that we become more and more degenerate by the year, and now the only law is that there is no law. So with that being said, the promotion of fornication, self-love, alcohol/drug abuse, money worship and violence with a triplet flow over trap drums is no longer the exception but the rule. Therefore when you get on the mic and you rap or sing about these things and you live this lifestyle, you're doing what you've been told, which is by definition the exact opposite of a rebel. Moreover, while hip-hop is supposed to be about calling out and changing the status quo, those who do the bidding of corporate devils are now enforcing it rather than going against it. So when I come on the scene with an ill Bit-Hop joint telling you to love God, love your neighbor and forsake the love of money, the vast majority will side eye me. So I would say that Bit-Hop does indeed represent rebellion, that is to say rebellion against the fallen world and the one who currently controls it.

“Why?” is structured around questions instead of answers. Were you worried about alienating listeners by refusing to resolve the tension, or is discomfort the point of the record?

If I were to alienate any listeners with this record, it never occurred to me that that would be the reason. I anticipated alienating people because of the subject matter, but not necessarily the song format. This ain't meant to be a nice little funky song that you can just bop your head to and then walk away. I want you to think real hard about the things that I'm asking you. Yes, a part of the reason for this song is to provoke discomfort. A hard lesson that I've learned, be it personally, artistically or spiritually , is that if you never allow yourself to feel uncomfortable, you will absolutely never grow. Complacency kills. 

You’re openly calling out hypocrisy inside Christendom. How do you navigate the line between critique and respect when your audience includes the same community you’re challenging?

I know I may sound rather blunt, but it is what it is on that. First of all, notice that all the questions say "we", not "y'all". In other words, despite my best efforts, I am just as worthy of criticism as anyone else. So if I'm saying these things and I'm dissing myself, clearly I'm coming from a place of love and concern, not moral superiority. Matter of fact, the reason that I know the Holy Spirit moved me to write this song is that when I listen to it, I myself feel convicted, because there are behaviors described that I need to do better about. Secondly, the Bible states in multiple places (PROVERBS 10:17, 12:1, PSALM 141:5, ECCLESIASTES 7:5) that correction or rebuke from a wise person is a blessing, that it puts you on the path to life, and that it should be received with gladness. It also repeatedly states that rejecting sound counsel will plunge you headfirst into failure, hardship and calamity. And despite the idolatrous modern tendency to water down Jesus and what He stood for, it is a fact that He always told the truth, no matter who got mad. Heck, John 6:66 describes many of His followers deserting Him because they didn't like what He said about needing to metaphorically consume His body and blood in order to inherit eternal life. But just as it's written, "wisdom is justified by her children". The fact is, Christianity is a religion of very hard truths. It's a faith centered around accountability and humility. That's why everyone wants to claim the name, but very few want to actually walk the walk.

If anyone hears this song and becomes angry, it cannot be me that they are truly angry with. They are angry with themselves because they know there are changes they need to make, and it's much easier to kill the messenger than it is to apply his message. I should know; I once had this mentality. My true brothers and sisters in the Lord know that what I'm doing is out of love, therefore my conscience is justified before God and before men. I have delivered the message; now the rest is up to the listener.

As a rapper, producer, and filmmaker, how much of your visual brain influences the way you write songs? Do you hear tracks like “Why?” as scenes or narratives before they’re even music?

Surprisingly, this usually isn't a factor unless I'm specifically creating narrative songs. I might hear small snatches or snippets, but I don't see them physically. Now, I have a mostly instrumental album called "Mind Your Business!!" that's coming out later this year, which is a sequel to 2021's "Do You Mind?!". The joints on these two albums are called "Thoughts" or "Dreams", and they are somewhere between instrumental and vocal. It's hard to explain. But while some Thoughts are about random/absurdist topics (ex. "The Hardest Autist", "Warlord Roach Attacks!!"), some depict narrative events. For example, there is a track on "Mind Your Business!!" called "BOMBS AWAY (The Ill Plot)". The track makes little sense on its own, but taken within the context of the optional subplot of the album, it can be interpreted as the owner of Jones BBQ & Foot Massage setting up a plot to bomb Tracy Bickle's Chicken Shack, due to jealousy over how much money Grady (the manager of the chicken shack) was making. Now, when I was making that particular Thought, I saw vivid scenes in my head. I saw a shadowy figure in a hat and trenchcoat making the threats over a payphone. I saw Jones' henchmen planting the explosives, tossing in a lit match and sprinting away. And the funny thing is, the track ain't but a minute long!

Similarly, on "Critical Times," there is an instrumental called "Akeldama". That word means "Field of Blood", and per the Bible, that is the name of the field where Judas Iscariot hanged himself after feeling remorse over betraying Jesus. Now, I saw VERY strong visuals in my head as I was making that joint. I saw Judas attempting to return the pieces of silver to the chief priests, and them laughing in his face. I saw him tearfully running away from the theme and throwing the money into the Temple. I saw the rain and the flashes of lightning as I saw him running and running, until he reached a field. I saw him collapse onto his knees and cover his face with his hands, his entire body wracked with sobs. All of this as I was making a minute-long beat. So yes, on occasion my visual brain kicks in, but it's typically when a story or narrative is involved.

If Bit-Hop keeps growing, what do you want the genre to stand for beyond sound? Is this just a style, or are you trying to build a philosophy around how faith and art can coexist?

I don't really know, to be honest. It's just my style, it's just who I am. I never really gave it that much thought. But if it has a deeper meaning, let it stand for not being afraid to be your own person and carve out your own lane. Let it stand for doing what's right, regardless of who doesn't like it. Let it stand for humor and satire. Let it stand for the memories of a better time, the colorful analog world that we loved which no longer exists.