Urban contemporary gospel

Due to strong racial divisions in 20th century American culture, urban/contemporary gospel developed specifically out of the African-American musical traditions.

[1] During the 1960s and 1970s and 1980s, hit songs like The Clark Sisters' "You Brought the Sunshine" Edwin Hawkins' "Oh Happy Day" and Andrae Crouch's "Take Me Back" were significant milestones in the development of urban/contemporary gospel music.

[4] New artists like Yolanda Adams, the Clark Sisters, Donnie McClurkin, and Kirk Franklin's New Nation gained popularity in the secular world with their musical style.

[5] Other groups and individual artists such as Hezekiah Walker took gospel congregational songs from the 1950s and 1960s and adapted them to a more upbeat feel similar to '80s and '90s pop.

Many artists who began in the 1960s and 1970s (like the aforementioned Andrae Crouch and The Clark Sisters) also continued to release influential songs and albums in this period.

and Myron Butler & Levi released songs with more complicated instrumental riffs and melodies that hint at a contemporary jazz influence (though some say it goes the other way around).

Kirk Franklin is widely known for this, working with Kanye West on his gospel album, Jesus Is King, and with Lil Baby on the song "We Win" for the movie Space Jam: A New Legacy.

[7] Artists in this genre are expected to convey a committed Christian religious viewpoint and to treat their musical performances as a sacred service to God.

[3] In comparison with traditional hymns, which are generally of a statelier measure, gospel songs are expected to have a refrain and a pronounced beat with a syncopated rhythm.

The radio stations that program UC Gospel, primarily in the Southern and Southeastern US serve a fiercely loyal core of listeners from all age groups and income demographics in the African-American communities.