Music is a powerful tool that connects the human race. Through music, one is free to express every type of emotion, good or bad. Artists use their music as a platform to get a message across, but the downfall to that is that without a message being delivered through the lens of hope, it does nothing beneficial for the listener.

Words are compelling and when released into the atmosphere can change the course of your life. Don't believe me? Try being joyful while listening to words in a song that speak of hate and destruction. That's why it's so important to connect with artists that will keep it transparent yet, still offer a hope to cling to in the midst of a chaotic world. Below I have compiled a list of several artist that have impacted my life through their lyrics and their lifestyle.

I especially chose this genre to represent this list because it is so diverse in it's make up, and yet still so foreign to spitting out a positive message. Here are eight phenomenal artists that push the barrier to go beyond just the predictable lyrics of drunken nights and detrimental relationships and really give people something beautiful to believe in.

1. Lecrae

Lecrae Devaughn Moore, was raised by a single mother. He knew who Jesus was through his mom and grandmother, but he looked at religion as a crutch for weak people rather than a reality of a Savior. He looked up to rappers on TV like Tupac and gangsters like his uncle and those in the inner city that he was surrounded by.

By the age of sixteen, he was drinking, doing drugs, stealing and fighting all the time. He was arrested while still in high school and it looked like he was going to become just another statistic, either dead or in prison before he was 21.

When Lecrae was 19, a friend invited him to go to a youth conference with him. He agreed because "the big city" would be full of girls and parties. What he found was a much different kind of party than he expected. For the first time in his young life, Lecrae found other young, inner city kids like himself that were changed by Christ. He asked God to get him out of his current lifestyle and he started living his life for Jesus. He started going to college at University of North Texas and shared his printed testimony with other students on the campus.

Lecrae has now won several music awards over the space of his career, including two Grammy Awards and four Dove Awards. In 2013, he became the first hip hop artist to win the Grammy Award for Best Gospel Album, which was awarded to his sixth album, Gravity. With lyrics driven by honesty and faith, Lecrae's music is an inspiration to its listeners.

Find out more information on Lecrae and his music by visiting his website andFacebook account here.

2. Tedashii

Tedashii Lavoy Anderson, is passionate about God, his family and the music that he produces. In March 2013 Tedashii's one-year-old son died suddenly of natural causes.

An excerpt from his website reads that, "In late 2013, he was finally ready to begin recording. He recorded much of his spiritual struggle and based his fourth studio album, Below Paradise, off of his experiences. Below Paradise became a much more personal take on the sometimes-harsh realities of this world, both the joy and the sorrow. The songs read like a journal, with some entries so honest and transparent that the pain is palpable, but the album is not a somber, solemn experience. There is triumph and hope to be found here, too."

Find out more information on Tedashii and his music by visiting his website andFacebook account here.

3. Trip Lee

William Lee Barefield III,is an American rapper, singer, poet and author. As a young boy, Lee had dreams of being a professional athlete or a famous rapper, and he began to hone his lyrical skills at the age of 12. "I rapped about random stuff… how hot I was, how many girls I could pull," Lee says. But upon giving his life to Christ, at age 14, his focus changed from fortune, fame, and women to serving and ministering the Gospel.

Lee slowly recognized that all of his life should be centered around Christ. "One day, I just decided, I'm only doing Christian hip hop. Rappers like Ambassador and Da' T.R.U.T.H. helped provide a model for how I would begin to do that," he says. He also had an immense desire to learn and teach the Word of God, so he became a leader in his youth group where he preached his first sermon at age 17.

In 2004, Lee met Lecrae at a concert; months later, after talking and building with each other, Lecrae began to disciple him. While still in high school, Lee was given the opportunity to pen a few devotionals for the Reach Records website that dealt with theological matters and showcased his spiritual maturity.

Find out more information on Trip Lee and his music by visiting his website and Facebook account here.

4. KB

Dove award-winning rapper, Kevin Elijah Burgess, said stated that human suffering inspired his forthcoming album Tomorrow We Live. He also opened up about his troubled past, overcoming temptation and dealing with the perils of the music business.

In an interview withThe Christian Post, KB says, "I'm in folks' lives. I'm at the hospital with them, I'm at the nursing home, I'm at their house, I'm there when cancer strikes, adultery strikes, I'm there. So I very much have a front seat in the afflictions of people around me."

At one point in his youth, he found himself dabbling in drugs and battling depression but he was able to turn his life around after being introduced to faith through Christianity. He states, "I looked in the mirror and ... I was like, 'What are you doing? What is going on with you?'" he recalled. "It was in that I think that I was made ripe for the Gospel, because a few weeks later I was handed a CD and the dude on the CD made the music that I liked. And he talked about the God I needed and I believed, and I've been walking with Jesus ever since."

Find out more information on KB and his music by visiting his website and Facebook account here.

5. Andy Mineo

Andrew "Andy" Mineo, formerly known as C-Lite, was raised in a single-parent home. In the summer before entering the 8th grade, Mineo went to a Christian camp at which his sister worked as a counselor and was exposed to the gospel and converted.

However, after his conversion, Mineo went into high school with no Christian support, and he soon drifted away from his faith. While in high school, Mineo acquired recording equipment and started selling studio time out of his home.

In his freshman year of college, Mineo met the producer Alex Medina and through him discovered the urban evangelism project T.R.U.C.E. After hearing the song "Price Tag" by Da' T.R.U.T.H., Mineo decided to close his studio and rededicate his life to Christ.

Find out more information on Andy Mineo and his music by visiting his website and Facebook account here.

6. KJ-52

Jonah Sorrentino, was the son of two ex-hippie artists. When his parents divorced, he moved to the suburbs with his mother but found that he still didn't fit in. "I went from being the only white kid in an all black and Cuban neighborhood, to a suburban neighborhood where I was still just as poor,". As further stated in his bio, "Things got even worse and running away twice didn't help matters.

He gave his life to Christ at 15 and has pursued spreading the Gospel ever since. He also believes firmly in walking out what he speaks, "Because I'm in the spotlight now and a lot of kids are looking up to me, I have to make sure that I'm living a life "above reproach" and that I'm practicing what I'm preaching. Also because I'm on the road quite a bit and don't get to go to church as much as I'd like to.. I have to make sure that I stay prayed up and in the word and accountable to my pastor."

Find out more information on KJ-52 and his music by visiting his website and Facebook account here.

7. Sho Baraka

Amisho Baraka Lewis, Sho Baraka was introduced to hip hop at a young age. Living in Southern California during the height of gangsta rap presented its challenges to many youths, as well as Sho.

In high school Sho and some friends from his neighborhood formed a rap group that began touring with major recording artists. But his life took a different turn after the rap group fizzled out and close friends were killed or incarcerated due to the gang life they led. Sho then enlisted and served in the military. He decided to heed his father's advice and apply to college, pursuing education instead of the streets. There he came into contact with Lecrae and Tedashii and eventually the 116 Clique and Reach Records were formed.

Find out more information on Sho Baraka and his music by visiting hisFacebook account here.

8. Willie "PDub" Moore Jr.

Willie Moore Jr, is an Inspirational speaker, licensed minister, Grammy recognized recording artist, comedian, and actor who hosts the nationally syndicated and #1 weekend radio show on Atlanta's Praise 102.5/102.9 FM called The Praise Mix Down.

Find out more information on Willie Moore Jr. and his music by visiting hiswebsite and Facebook account here.