Gospel chops, a style of gospel drumming, started in the early 2000’s and is known for its use of flashy “chops” - a musician's technical skill. But the thing that is most interesting about it to me is the way gospel drummers apply rudiments around the set and emphasize playing in the pocket. Additionally, the philosophical underpinnings of gospel chops, and how the style has been divorced from its roots, are noteworthy.

Before we dive in, watch this. Note the emphasis on dynamics that he describes – while many gospel drummers use the same rudiments and licks as a typical rock drummer, a gospel “chop” has a distinct feel.

Now watch this. It is fairly typical worship music. The drummer keeps it tasteful – but still appears to be heavily influenced by gospel chops. Note the herta split between the tom and snare at 10:15 – this is a common meme.

There is also the idea of playing in “the pocket” – another thing emphasized by gospel drummers.
Here is a good example of playing in the pocket. Note that she plays both in front of and behind the beat at 1:26 – all the while maintaining a solid grasp of time.

Now that it is established what makes gospel chops so unique musically, we can focus on the philosophical aspects of it. The reason gospel chops is interesting is that it has been mostly talented POC creating a new paradigm – with what seems to be an intense desire to be taken seriously, and, in my opinion, it is impossible not to take early gospel chops seriously. Furthermore, gospel chops can also be thought of as pushback against elitism in drum discourse; as described in this article, the creator of the original Gospel Chops website received criticism for the conversational tone he used in his videos and lack of formal training from music professors. He responded to the criticism thusly:

“A lot of [Gospel Chops drummers] come from the hood. We don’t speak the same language as university professors. You’re eavesdropping on our conversations and feeling some kind of way about it when we’re talking amongst ourselves.”

Gospel chops has redefined drumming with its emphasis on both feel and technical prowess. Its roots are both black and spiritual, but now it has been decontextualized and integrated into the mainstream, which is an unfortunate thing. Vader (a drum company) has even come out with “gospel” sticks. Furthermore, there is a preponderance of drummers and drum teachers stuffing ridiculous fills into their playing, coopting the term "gospel chops".

The gospel chops phenomenon is of note to both drummers and the musically illiterate; it’s originality is difficult to deny, and its commercialization and divorcement from its roots unfortunate, but at least it put some dirt in the eyes of some snooty music professors.