Marcus Jamal Hopson, also known as Hopsin, a secular rapper, turned to social media this week to confront occult images and an image of an upside-down cross that was projected behind him during a recent concert in Colorado.
The independent rapper, whose popular song “Ill Mind 7” questions the Bible and the presence of Jesus, has been open about his personal struggles with faith over the years. Despite his “human experience” of uncertainty, Hopson was shocked to learn that after seeing “anti-Christ” imagery projected behind him at the event, people assumed he had totally accepted the occult.
During his Aug. 26 performance in Colorado of “Ill Mind 7,” an upside-down cross appeared on the screen behind him. There was also a triangle, possibly a reference to the Illuminati, and occult-type imagery flashing on and off while he was on stage.
While some of his fans thought he, like many others in Hollywood, might have embraced the demonic occult, the emcee took to Instagram in a profanity-laced rant to set the record straight. Hopson said he was made aware of the images after he received a text message from one of his friends who asked, ‘Why was an anti-Christ image on the back projector? during his performance.
“I had no [expletive] idea that this was going on behind me…. I trusted that everybody was going to know the [expletive] vibe and what Hopsin represents. And I trusted that they would know what I don’t represent,” the LA native declared in his video.
“To know that this was projected behind me while I’m rapping and I’m performing songs like ‘Ill Mind 7, and it has an anti-Christ logo behind me—that’s not the [expletive] vibe, man. That’s not what the [expletive] I’m on,” Hopson continued. “That’s some satanic s— that I don’t f— with.
“That controls my perception. That handles my perception and controls it and makes everybody think that I’m this. And it’s no longer about what I’m talking about because they’re seeing these images pop up behind me, and they’re going to think that I did it.”
Hopson was furious with his team on the road and directed a lot of his anger toward them for allowing the images to be projected behind him. Hopson further revealed that he missed rehearsal before the show, so he was not aware of what the show would be like until he was actually performing.
“To everyone who saw it, I take full accountability because that’s my fault for dealing with [expletives] who don’t know what… Hopson is, he added.
“But I genuinely apologize if any of that made you uncomfortable because it would have made me uncomfortable. It really would have! It makes me uncomfortable just knowing that it existed and nobody [expletive] told me.”
The emcee, who once collaborated with former Christian rapper NF, was upset that he now looks like an industry puppet.
“Now I look like one of those industry plants that do some satanic ritual s—. I don’t know if that is true or not, but I look like one of them right now,” Hopson noted.
He assured his fans that he was not just trying to sweep this under the rug. Hopson proceeded to slam satanic rituals and sacrifices.
“When I speak about God or me being conflicted, I’m just reflecting the human experience. I’m talking about my human experience, and sometimes my faith is a little shaky, as all of ours is at times. And that’s OK because that is the human experience,” the 38-year-old maintained. “But I don’t ever represent any [expletive] satanic s—. No anti-Christ s— because I know what it means in people’s hearts.”
Hopson revealed he doesn’t know if “God, Jesus, or [the Islamic] prophet Muhammad are real” because of external influences, but claims he is a seeker of truth and respects Jesus.
“I’m a seeker of truth, and I know what certain things mean in people’s hearts, so I know what Christ means in people’s hearts. So you would never hear me say, F Christ, or blatantly show something that disrespects the idea of Christ by having an anti-Christ image at my [expletive] concert,” Hopson concluded.
According to the Christian apologetics website Got Questions, an upside-down cross is commonly linked to the symbolism of atheism, humanism, and the occult in modern, secular contexts. Black metal bands often display an inverted cross as a representation of their devotion to Satan.