691. Revolutionizing Faith and Music with Legin

[00:00:00] It's time to spark a revolution This time is for Christ with no pollution Yeah, we see the world got no solutions Trying to dim our lights but we chance losing

[00:00:30] Plus we be flowing with the round flow giving go MCs and DJs here we go

[00:00:35] Produces on the beat that's about to blow it's the Christ revolution music radio show

[00:00:42] You are locked in now with a special artist to artist interview with paradox

[00:00:46] Don't sit down. It's about to get good

[00:00:49] You're everyone man welcome to another episode of the Christ revolution music radio show today or tonight

[00:00:56] Depending on when you capturing this or seeing this we got my bro legend in the house

[00:01:02] So legend welcome to the show man was going on brother. Thank you for having me met him on it. Appreciate that big dog

[00:01:08] Man's honor to have you here

[00:01:10] Legend is a artist and so much more so as we get into conversations

[00:01:15] We're gonna see how much God has been moving in his life man

[00:01:19] So if you really start the conversation

[00:01:23] What's the first thing you would like people to know about yourself?

[00:01:28] Legend is my name Nigel backwards just says the Christ term our life around. That's the home point that's the brand

[00:01:34] Yeah, we just just trust the guy with what he's going man. So family man

[00:01:39] And that's the biggest piece of me because that's my minister council broken family to what God is healed and I want to see that for others

[00:01:46] And that just permeates my music and my message man just forgiveness and moving in the gospel. So yeah, that's what's up

[00:01:56] The gospel in and of itself is

[00:01:59] Transformational in which you're explaining it something that's transformational so that's the good part about it

[00:02:05] How was your walk with Christ in the early days or when you first got saved?

[00:02:10] What was those

[00:02:12] events of time that you gave your life over to the Lord where were you?

[00:02:17] How did it come about

[00:02:19] Yeah, man

[00:02:20] I was raised in church bro like my been if ever so my mother left my father due to like drugs and alcohol and all that right and

[00:02:28] Moving in with my grandparents who by the time I met them, you know

[00:02:32] They'd met Christ in their 40s. So when I met them they were just they were seasoned saints

[00:02:36] You know and we moving in with them and my mother was trying to figure out trying to piece her life back together

[00:02:41] Figuring out the God thing so she was bounced around the different churches taking with her

[00:02:44] So the physical hellian press material and baptists like all this stuff right wow

[00:02:48] And

[00:02:49] And then we ended up at their church, which is more pinnacosta and that's where she joined and and that's where you know

[00:02:55] She really grew in her faith and I grew in church and I believe I had a God consciousness

[00:03:00] Like don't still don't kill check if I die. I want to go to heaven Jesus is my God of choice because it's what I've seen

[00:03:06] But I don't think I was actually saved

[00:03:09] Until fast forward to 21. So what happened is at 20 my dad came back and

[00:03:16] He wanted to ask for forgiveness

[00:03:18] And we had dinner and he asked for the five forgiven me and I told him I never forgive you, bro

[00:03:23] Like never, you know

[00:03:25] And fast forward six months after that

[00:03:27] A lady walks into my insurance office and says once I've dropped out of college on some of the shirts and she says

[00:03:33] Hey, I don't know what's going on

[00:03:34] But God told me to come tell you if you don't get that bitterness out of your life

[00:03:38] You'll never make it into the kingdom map

[00:03:40] You know I mean yeah, so

[00:03:44] But I still wasn't walking with God. I was on what I wanted to do but three months later

[00:03:47] I did call my dad. I did forgive him and we had a good conversation and and right after that phone call

[00:03:54] He passed away never spoke yet

[00:03:56] And so that whole thing brought me to my knees like yo

[00:04:00] Either God isn't real because this doesn't make sense. Yeah, either God is real

[00:04:06] And he's mean because why would he play this game?

[00:04:08] Hey, man or God is real and he really cares about forgiveness and reconciliation

[00:04:15] And that's that's why I landed and I came to Christ for real at that point

[00:04:19] And that's when everything changed like there was a if this is who you are

[00:04:23] I need you and I ran after God and left everything behind

[00:04:26] And that was the transformation of moment for me was like if he's about forgiveness and restoring this stuff and healing this deep wound

[00:04:33] I have yeah, I

[00:04:36] Give him everything and I've been following God ever since that

[00:04:38] Hey, man

[00:04:39] So now as a older individual when you look back over that time period of that forgiveness moment

[00:04:46] And that setup that the Holy Spirit allowed you to experience

[00:04:50] What comes to your mind now with the wisdom in the years that you have in this standpoint

[00:04:55] To see how much God really cared about you that you could experience that

[00:05:01] Yeah, man

[00:05:01] I just felt like all the pieces were so orchestrated. The God's looking the God's whole vantage point of

[00:05:08] I'm I don't know what exactly was going on with them

[00:05:11] But I'm gonna I'm gonna give him a chance to

[00:05:14] To ask for forgiveness which gives me a little hint that God was trying to draw him to himself

[00:05:19] And it's my hoping prayer and then that he would care enough about me

[00:05:24] With all the mess I was involved in to draw me to himself by getting the unforgiveness out of my life

[00:05:31] Yeah, it just seems like he had all these pieces if for me

[00:05:35] I know he's sovereign guy. He's all powerful on that

[00:05:38] I get it like not the other straight on that

[00:05:39] But it's just the fact that he would care so much to orchestrate so many things

[00:05:43] For little me the Bible says we're like compared to him with like grasshoppers, right?

[00:05:48] I'm like this why would he go through all this for me?

[00:05:51] He's got a busy schedule right?

[00:05:53] So that part is is the piece that I always reflect on. I'm always I'm still wild by yeah

[00:05:58] God cares that much about me

[00:06:00] And they just draws me to Romans 5 8 that you know he showed his love for us and it's the why we get some

[00:06:05] That's right so

[00:06:08] That's that's probably what comes of my first

[00:06:10] Yeah, and that's the part about growing up and maturing in God and

[00:06:15] thinking back over moments of

[00:06:18] You know earlier revelations and the amount of revelation you have

[00:06:22] You would think that was the ceiling until you continue to serve God and he just opens up more

[00:06:28] Like all people always say you know

[00:06:30] You can read the same passage of scripture you read for years and you go back and read it again

[00:06:35] You're like aha mom, and you're like well, where did this come from? How did how did this be here?

[00:06:40] And I didn't catch it the first time where I didn't see it the first time right gods intentional

[00:06:45] You know how he reveals as he wants according to his time period and

[00:06:50] According to what we can digest you know, I mean and live out so that's the blessing

[00:06:55] So that's it. It's all the space you go back to that passage bro like saying words, but like it's hitting you different

[00:07:02] Yeah, yeah, that's some good stuff

[00:07:04] So that's the spiritual part when when we see the early stages

[00:07:10] Music where where was your love and passion for music? Where did that come from when did that show up? How did it manifest

[00:07:19] Man always had a love for the arts man. I wrote my first rap in like fourth grade

[00:07:23] And it was like the nerdyest rapper ever because I went to like a private elementary school

[00:07:27] We had to write a rap about the stock market

[00:07:30] Okay, the nerdyest rapper of all time

[00:07:33] Hey

[00:07:35] And and you know, so I just always love music

[00:07:38] But my mother wouldn't really let me around it like that especially hip hop because it's just at that time was

[00:07:43] You know a bunch of mess was coming in like morality wise. So

[00:07:47] I had to sneak and listen to it. I had the tricker in the bind Wu Tang talking about it was like conscious stuff

[00:07:52] But like

[00:07:54] You know, yes, it could have been so many other groups about that one right? Yeah

[00:07:58] I talked her into a bro and

[00:08:00] And I was like no he's saying the end work

[00:08:02] He doesn't want us to use it mom. You gotta understand I was in line my butto

[00:08:06] But like

[00:08:07] Wu Tang forever Wacliffe John the carnival those are two albums that

[00:08:12] Really shake me artistically bro like to this day

[00:08:16] I could just ride through a list of them straight like I cringe is some of the content

[00:08:19] But like the art in it. It's just like what got me where I am yeah

[00:08:23] So I mean, I started really taking music series like in high school

[00:08:26] I'm so I was like y'all really want to produce

[00:08:29] So I cut grass save money bought a keyboard

[00:08:33] Started writing. I was like y'all actually good at this and stuff put together some groups started rapping with cats

[00:08:38] Sounded that I was really good at what I do and

[00:08:41] But when I graduated I put it on the shelf because I figured there was no future for me in it

[00:08:45] And then after all that stuff when my dad happened and then I came to Christ

[00:08:49] My girlfriend at the time now my wife tier

[00:08:52] She dragged me to like this thing called a Christian hip-hop show and I don't like

[00:08:56] Now we're gonna Christian you say what is this? What is this crap?

[00:09:02] How does this go together oh knock off rap show man church boys in here yeah, and when I went in there man

[00:09:09] And these dudes was wrapping a face off

[00:09:12] And uh and they were reaching people to my church never touch and never would touch

[00:09:17] I was like, oh my god like you can really do this and be where I already am like I didn't know that yeah

[00:09:24] We went to iHop that night and wrote out a business plan on the yellow legal pad

[00:09:29] And never stop making music ever since and um

[00:09:32] So that's that's when it came I'm gonna wrap

[00:09:35] I'm gonna wrap my face off but I'm gonna do it for christian. I'm gonna talk about what he's done for me

[00:09:39] And that's what I've been doing ever since then

[00:09:41] And that's interesting when you said y'all wrote out the business plan

[00:09:44] You haven't written your first rap at that time in four christ

[00:09:49] Nine after jesus

[00:09:50] I just went like how did you get led to do a business plan like that was

[00:09:55] I just well, I mean let me say it wasn't the it wasn't like a

[00:09:58] But it just came to me

[00:10:01] This is what we're gonna do. I'm gonna make this music. We're gonna call it at the time

[00:10:05] We're gonna call it Renaissance movement. We're gonna get a bunch of artists

[00:10:08] We're gonna make albums. We're gonna tour. We're gonna. I'm we wrote it up. We wrote we wrote division basically

[00:10:12] Hey man. Yeah, but I hadn't I hadn't written a rap again yet. I just knew I still had it

[00:10:17] You know the me so

[00:10:19] And after that just I just went in the lab and started writing again pulled pulled the keyboard back outside and making beats again

[00:10:24] And I made my first album called lifelines at that point at the time

[00:10:27] But I just I just went to work, you know never stop

[00:10:30] It's still

[00:10:31] Did you ever come back across those artists who were at that event who a minister and you saw them and you heard them and you like

[00:10:39] Yeah, this is different. This is the guy. Yeah

[00:10:42] Well, yeah two of them have passed away actually

[00:10:45] Unfortunately, you know, but we were one of them I stayed close with until his his passing and he he actually

[00:10:53] He he showed me

[00:10:56] His name was rapper possible black, you know, I mean and he showed me

[00:11:00] Bros more than music like look at what I'm doing. I'm taking my money. I'm going on mission trips

[00:11:05] I'm over here serving the rush. I'm doing that and I was like bro

[00:11:08] You like traveling overseas like what is that like I had no no concept for my church my church and that type stuff

[00:11:13] So like um, he showed me that and then and then eventually as I was growing and doing my stuff

[00:11:19] And I got a little crew around me and we started doing shows started getting booked and he was slowing down

[00:11:24] He was like I just I love you move me. He's like I want to be a part of what you doing

[00:11:27] I just want to hang around and I'm like bro. I mean it cuz of you. Yeah, I mean so he kind of gave me an honor

[00:11:33] In the way he looked

[00:11:35] Up to what I was doing

[00:11:37] Before he passed and I never forgot that in another game

[00:11:42] There was another brother that was at that nightmare who I love I love to this day

[00:11:45] He passed where the grand fortune to circumstances and the other brother

[00:11:49] It's still

[00:11:51] Around now doing a lot of good work and doing a lot of promotion and stuff. We're still friends

[00:11:55] And every time I see him I tell him you with it at night, bro

[00:11:59] And he's just like

[00:12:02] Is it a little bit more?

[00:12:04] Yeah, so that's the other part about impact sometimes folks don't fully understand

[00:12:10] Like you are telling a great story of confirmation when someone comes back and confirm

[00:12:16] They saw you they heard you and they responded to God through your obedience to do what you were called to do

[00:12:22] But then there's a whole another crowd who never say anything to you

[00:12:28] Until some strange day where they finally get to meet you or talk to you face-to-face and they'd be like

[00:12:33] Yeah, listen to your music. You're like what like

[00:12:36] What are you talking about?

[00:12:38] Yeah, like I didn't know but some of those moments that really materialized and manifest and we're like

[00:12:45] All right, Lord

[00:12:46] You know you giving me incentive to keep going to keep pushing

[00:12:50] Yeah, I just got one of those messages like 30 minutes ago dead on this man like

[00:12:54] Uh brother. I don't talk to them much. He's like bro. I'm in the background like we'll talk like that

[00:12:59] He's like but I've been watching you for years, bro

[00:13:01] And he said you gave me an example of man who a family who

[00:13:04] A music of ministry of gospel like you just live in this thing bro

[00:13:07] And like I just got to tell you it's just you know, it made me why on the day and I said man

[00:13:12] It's the best text message. I got a long time

[00:13:14] That's right. It's just really I just I literally got that before we got on this car bro

[00:13:18] Yeah, man the God is moving

[00:13:21] So when you think about content and your upbringing of music and hip hop and what was introduced to you and what the content was

[00:13:29] And you started to pick up the pen and pad to write the first song or the first group sets of songs

[00:13:36] What jumped out to you that you needed to start crafting

[00:13:42] You know, I don't really I don't know how to answer that man

[00:13:44] I um

[00:13:46] The first album I did was called Lifeline's and I just wanted a lot of it was a response to

[00:13:52] A lot of it is my it's testimony and then it's a response to the cultural narrative and okay

[00:13:56] Testimony stuff I just I did a song up there called um a letter from zan

[00:14:02] I made two big songs about my dad. That was one of them. There's an eye out anymore

[00:14:06] And then another one called wish I knew you this out now

[00:14:09] But a letter from zan was

[00:14:11] What if my dad had the ability to write me a letter from the afterlife and apologize what would he say

[00:14:16] And so the whole that the whole song was me reading his letter that I got mysteriously got you know

[00:14:22] So it's testimony like that and then and then the other piece was like the cultural net like responding to

[00:14:28] So much junk that we were getting through music like

[00:14:31] The stuff I grew up on that I love artistically, but now I can't endorse content wise yeah

[00:14:37] And I was just you know a lot of that so that it was really I was always like

[00:14:42] When I understood

[00:14:44] The the nonsense that we received the music message and media

[00:14:49] Um, I got I just getting furiated with

[00:14:53] Other kids looking for heroes like me

[00:14:56] And all they're getting is heroes that don't have their good in mind

[00:14:59] That are telling them to go out here and sleep with everybody and take this and wrist allows to go to jail

[00:15:04] And I'm just like and then they get and then the heroes get that money and they do good deeds with the money

[00:15:10] But it's blood money because how many kids in in jail are dead because of your message

[00:15:15] Uh or because the message are labeled pushed whoever you want to blame

[00:15:19] So a lot of my music is always responding to that narrative, but I don't

[00:15:22] I don't call out artists. I call out content

[00:15:25] You know because if I end up in the room with an artist

[00:15:29] I don't want to call out the to break away the possibility of us building a relationship

[00:15:34] Yeah, we can build something

[00:15:35] So um, that's what that's what came that's the first thing to came to mind when I think back on that album

[00:15:41] That's what came out first and that's what's still coming out today

[00:15:43] Yeah

[00:15:44] so when you think about um

[00:15:47] crafting rhymes or writing songs

[00:15:51] What do you think your strips were initially was it really the verse writing which is like

[00:15:57] I was in a conversation with one of the other um artists and he was like, you know, battling in the early days

[00:16:03] Was big in the culture

[00:16:05] Everyone didn't grow up as the battle emcee

[00:16:09] But still those elements of

[00:16:12] Word play and I got to be the best and so on and so forth

[00:16:16] Is it was always there

[00:16:18] But when you were saying when you wrote your first rap

[00:16:20] It was from more of an intellectual standpoint, you know talking about stock market

[00:16:25] So you're not like a average rapper

[00:16:27] You come into something that's different

[00:16:30] So even when you pick up a pad and you started crafting songs

[00:16:34] You started crafting them a little bit more different than what everyone else would may have been doing

[00:16:40] You know, how did you feel that you started flourishing in that and perfecting that gif when it was coming to you?

[00:16:47] Yeah, I think man. It was it was uh definitely like the the lyrical intellectual wraps like

[00:16:52] Like for me out of Wu-Tang

[00:16:54] I'm always a minority and this marisa was my favorite

[00:16:57] You know i can't understand because the words you got the words you're like well what does that mean?

[00:17:02] You know double triple you like which one is it

[00:17:06] And then you break it down and sometimes you're like I don't I don't think you were saying anything here

[00:17:09] But like you probably not

[00:17:11] You know the name for like but then like when you go back and listen to like you might event so like

[00:17:16] Yeah, I grew up on that

[00:17:17] So like the lyrical miracle spiritual type rappers is the stuff I grew up on 90s and all that

[00:17:22] You know what I mean like that's right

[00:17:23] So being able to do that

[00:17:25] But then also like articulate something that matters and not just be flip a vocabulary around

[00:17:30] That was kind of like the flourish and I tried to find like how do I I like the rap

[00:17:35] I

[00:17:35] When I write I write from a perspective of I look forward to doing the lyric breakdown

[00:17:39] I look forward to somebody asking me what this means so I can break it down

[00:17:42] And then do something totally different than what they thought it did

[00:17:45] That's those fun for me come out my cousin said to me one time good art

[00:17:48] Is like a gift it's like the more you pull up you like oh is it this is it that's oh oh it's that you know means

[00:17:54] So like um

[00:17:56] I like I write from that perspective of if you ask me about what the song is this a couple layers deep

[00:18:01] Yeah, and I look forward to explaining it to you

[00:18:04] And also look forward to you open in the package

[00:18:06] So yeah, I think that's my gift is being able to write stuff that means multiple things

[00:18:11] Or or that can be you know interpreted multiple ways without losing its context

[00:18:16] So that's one for me to do that's dope so you was talking about producing and sometimes we don't get enough

[00:18:23] conversations about producing

[00:18:25] We get more conversations about MCing

[00:18:28] Um

[00:18:29] That's probably true, you know when you look at the elements of hip hop so in the producer perspective

[00:18:35] You started out with the keyboard like I'd started out with a $99 keyboard

[00:18:39] It was a little Yamaha Joanne and just had to figure it out and get the four track and do all those things

[00:18:45] So what was you using in the early stages and what do you if you still produce to a certain extent now?

[00:18:51] What do you use?

[00:18:53] Yeah, I the keyboard was a Roland JX 305

[00:18:56] Oh, right you said everything I needed you bought a Roland

[00:19:00] Listen, I when I say y'all's cutting grass, we're always cutting grass. You have to

[00:19:05] I went nuts man every neighbor I was like look, I know you don't need your grass cut if they meet anyway

[00:19:09] That's right

[00:19:10] So yeah, I went nuts but my mother met me halfway she was like you get happy not good good

[00:19:15] And then she was she was she said

[00:19:18] We're doing a documentary me and Wilton was about like my life and we interview my mom as she said uh

[00:19:23] She said I told y'all means you halfway because I thought that would give me time to figure out a way to get you out of this

[00:19:28] Hip-hop thing because all she's all she saw was like butts and drugs and money right yeah

[00:19:33] And she said I made the money so fast. She didn't have time to like backtrack at a figure out that you say now

[00:19:39] Yeah, so that's what I started with man

[00:19:40] And that's really you know that and then fruity loops and a couple of sample things and you know that

[00:19:45] You know all that stuff but but honestly man

[00:19:47] I don't think I've produced for probably a decade

[00:19:50] I work with a bunch of other producers now. It's understandable

[00:19:54] Yeah, man

[00:19:54] I mean, you know they but I do want I do want to get back into it like I actually bought some equipment

[00:19:59] I got some stuff laying in front of me

[00:20:01] Yeah, I'm about to get back into it because I miss being able to get the idea out my head right then versus trying to tell it

[00:20:07] And somebody so

[00:20:09] I'm about to get back to it

[00:20:10] So that's good now

[00:20:11] But the point is you never left producing because even the tracks you're picking you're picking in front of perspective of

[00:20:18] What can I do with this

[00:20:20] You know, I mean it's not like you just take any beat and you just write a song every beat is sent to you

[00:20:25] I just started writing it has to be something that the marries to it and

[00:20:30] Sound like they're going to go together and make a point

[00:20:34] You know some type of impact so it makes complete sense where you are

[00:20:38] Even we get the stems like I go my guy

[00:20:40] I love it like you ask the strings in here to set us up. Let me get an upright bass over there like we put the work in

[00:20:46] I'm more I'm more quarterbacker right now, but I'm bringing in musicians a higher caliber producers that can execute just offer

[00:20:52] AI here this you know what I mean? Yeah

[00:20:55] You talk about an interesting thing there because that element

[00:21:00] I don't really know to what extent our genre really explores

[00:21:05] The opportunity to connect with musicians because sometimes the musicianship

[00:21:09] Seems like it's more for the praise and worship is more for the gospel. It's more for the church

[00:21:15] Yeah, and trying to get those guys to come into the studio to lay stuff down because they're so free flowing

[00:21:22] Like you know a two-minute song can go ten minutes because it's nothing but musicians playing it

[00:21:27] So they'll never stop

[00:21:29] Before a track that we you know track and sink

[00:21:32] We have to have a limitation because no one's going to quote unquote listen to the ten minute James Brown record

[00:21:38] So we we taper it back in and try to control it. But even in that perspective

[00:21:45] I wonder if there is more

[00:21:48] musicianship starting versus more people wanting to produce electronically

[00:21:53] Because it's yeah, I know man. I see I see in the I see a lot of live stuff starting to emerge from catching our space

[00:22:00] Which is dope for me like I see yeah, I know I know mission got a joint

[00:22:03] He's doing like a live concert with a live band and I think next month

[00:22:08] Uh, I know a clesso did his joint man where he got a whole live record

[00:22:12] And I've been working with a live band since 2020

[00:22:15] Um, yeah, my yeah because my we couldn't tour um because of all the things going on COVID stuff

[00:22:21] My uh my

[00:22:23] My engineer was like you mine you know, I was like let's do a live

[00:22:26] A string concert, but I just don't want to put my phone up and do like Instagram. It's just

[00:22:31] She's not me. I don't want to do it do it or not do it at all sometimes sometimes that holds me back

[00:22:35] I don't want to do too much. Yeah, but um, I was like let's do it

[00:22:38] So we got a venue he's like you you might have put a band together

[00:22:40] I was like yeah do it and he was like you mind if I get a a horn section

[00:22:43] I was like oh you going nuts like let's go like but you talk about a point person though

[00:22:48] It was a boy person. It wasn't like we had to find all these guys

[00:22:53] I didn't have to do it, bro

[00:22:55] And like I know people but like that's not my coordinate net is in my gift and that's his passion

[00:23:00] So when we pulled up we had drummers saxophone trombones like we had everything

[00:23:05] And so the album that the funny thing is that was we called the

[00:23:10] The project goddess iconic. That's what the other concert goddess icon

[00:23:14] And this is 2020 and it was really just my test run like can I do a big

[00:23:19] high-level

[00:23:21] Live music concert and stream it and people watch it yeah, and the concept was you know

[00:23:27] You got you got 20 20. I'm talking about you got race. You got politics. You got everybody hating everybody

[00:23:31] everything any idea was

[00:23:34] Everybody's fighting for your attention, but only God is iconic

[00:23:38] So all the way we listen to that's what we did and we and I was like it's a free show

[00:23:43] So I made some hoodies and threw them up and them don't switch nice and I was like whoa

[00:23:47] That's much of you know, and then we did the show and

[00:23:50] I think like a thousand people to them within I was like bro like wait. Well, yeah, I'll be that way

[00:23:54] You know and um, and so the next year we did

[00:23:58] uh

[00:23:59] 2021 every quarter we did another one

[00:24:02] Called good enough and it was like

[00:24:04] Hey, uh while we were at sentence christ died because he thought you were good enough for that not morally

[00:24:08] But he thought you were worth on your worst day. So trust God

[00:24:13] And if you're struggling go get some counseling because you're worth it and it was a mental health push

[00:24:18] um

[00:24:18] But everyone we love with it up from like a editing standpoint a story time a standpoint

[00:24:24] I brought my therapist out on stage to show people this is what therapy looks like

[00:24:28] Yeah, I had men hitting me up like pro. I didn't know

[00:24:31] I didn't know that's what therapy was like cannot cannot go like and we can men really do this

[00:24:35] Yeah, we started paying people to go um, but it all but it was live music every time

[00:24:40] And we got a love

[00:24:42] recording from that season to drop like multiple live records. We just didn't do it um

[00:24:46] So but yeah, I mean, I'm but but that I say on all that to say

[00:24:50] That experience working with the band growing with the band and all that

[00:24:53] And they just making something more in the spotlight

[00:24:55] We would just sit down and say brawm here and some can you place something sound like this

[00:24:59] And they would just start doing something and I may ever record it

[00:25:02] I say you'll keep that keep that feel he just did over there

[00:25:05] And let's put that in the in the studio track

[00:25:07] So a couple of my tracks are started coming out with blends of studio joints

[00:25:12] And uh and live instrumentation and cuts of stuff that we took live

[00:25:17] So yeah, I'm learning the blended. It's really fun

[00:25:20] That's the great part and other element that

[00:25:24] Sometimes we don't have enough exploring into is the DJing because

[00:25:30] To have the band and have a DJ and have a MC it's like

[00:25:35] Tri-factor of different things that can really go on so

[00:25:39] I'm looking forward for those things to start manifesting more

[00:25:43] Because we

[00:25:44] The ROM pattern right and we mastered that

[00:25:47] It's like the other areas now we need to start incorporating so that it can be a full fledged

[00:25:54] impactful thing and people can experience it from multiple

[00:25:58] perspectives and then at the same time

[00:26:00] It's going to put a desire out there for others to

[00:26:03] either see if they're gifted in that area

[00:26:06] But if we don't manifest and show it, it's like people won't even see it exist and

[00:26:11] Then you're looking to everything else and what they do

[00:26:15] You know what I mean? So it's good to see representation

[00:26:19] Yeah, I don't know

[00:26:20] I didn't get the DJ part rocking again

[00:26:22] I had that and I had that when I first started my mobile man DJ life in the bunch of cats

[00:26:27] Yeah, and then um now it's like

[00:26:30] My saxophone play actually is my DJ too

[00:26:32] So he'll be playing and then we can over here do some stuff

[00:26:35] Yeah, so we gotta we got to give him his own space though to emphasize the DJ part. So that's something I can't go in

[00:26:42] So thanks for saying that yeah, I mean it's just the perspective because like

[00:26:46] I've been MC in a producer

[00:26:48] But then as of the last since 2016 the lord started allowing me to do some DJ and I'm like whoa snap like

[00:26:56] Your brain start want you know going down that road and saying what if someone put together a real show like with

[00:27:04] DJ cuts and like it's some things we

[00:27:08] Imagine like you said, you know your imagination runs

[00:27:12] But until you put it into play you won't see the fullness of it

[00:27:16] And it won't have that full impact until it's done. So

[00:27:20] Yes, the lord does

[00:27:22] So along these lines here with you're walking and growing

[00:27:25] How is the ministry side coming because a lot of times people that

[00:27:29] Do CHH they think at first, you know all I'm gonna do is rap and God is like no that's probably about

[00:27:36] 25% of what you would do

[00:27:38] He's going to mature you and grow you in different areas. So where where did the ministry part start showing up and manifested for you

[00:27:46] Yeah, man so about um about ten years well

[00:27:50] When I was doing when I was just doing the music people were like, hey, this is dope

[00:27:53] Would you come speak over here and preach it this? So like really like all right

[00:27:56] So I always kind of spoke but I was like I never you know for my church thing is like nah, you know I did that

[00:28:02] um, well

[00:28:03] Let me go back when I when I first got saved

[00:28:07] I did get invited to help lead the youth ministry. So I got some experience there with ministry

[00:28:11] But then like you know music's coming along the way on the side and done it now

[00:28:16] You know so did that and then I went to I'm with the college went back to college

[00:28:20] Got my biblical studies degree while I was doing that

[00:28:23] I got a job at a crisis pregnancy center doing church develop you know church relations development work

[00:28:28] And so I was doing ministry background stuff the whole time

[00:28:32] And then when I left that job I actually took a youth ministry job at a big church here in the area press maternity church

[00:28:38] and

[00:28:39] And as soon as I took that job I put music up because I thought all right well again

[00:28:44] God is telling me transition over to

[00:28:47] Vocational ministry stuff and put some use from the shelf

[00:28:50] And soon as I put it on the shelf and you know, I had some artists with me at the time

[00:28:54] It was like bro what we doing. I was like I don't know. I got to just put it up

[00:28:58] As soon as I did that it was like God spoke to my wife and I was like all right

[00:29:02] I need you to pick it back up and go full time because I know you're willing to give it up now

[00:29:07] Wow, and I was like wow, you know

[00:29:10] And so we took another I call my guys back like hold on. I don't think I'm done. Just wait

[00:29:15] Don't go nowhere. Don't go nowhere. Don't don't leave me

[00:29:18] And um, I took like six months after that and we prayed and fast and done it out

[00:29:23] And just making a long story short we we were full-time on 2013. So

[00:29:28] Little 10 years ago. I left my job. She was pregnant with our second child

[00:29:32] horrible time to leave a salary behind

[00:29:34] Oh, but we just thought that's what God was saying and we really went in together

[00:29:38] That was in key part we went in together with agreement

[00:29:41] And I just thought of raising funds like myself and

[00:29:44] My church had my back and I had some friends who have my back and

[00:29:48] And then we know we formed the nonprofit and just that's still how we run things today like

[00:29:52] We raised funds people give and so it allows me to do what I talk about in the music

[00:29:57] I visit schools. I go to prisons

[00:29:59] I'm able to put out content that reaches people preach the gospel do camps

[00:30:03] So it's all about music message and merch to change the culture through what I'm talking about so

[00:30:08] Yes, that's still has been ministry from day one and I've been full-time out of attendance

[00:30:13] Congrats man praise God for his favor and his needs being supplied to you

[00:30:19] You know what I mean the needs that you have that's good um, that's that's

[00:30:23] Has everything man. That's everything. It is he's been really faithful

[00:30:27] So the funniest part is when I'm hearing you say is the intellectual part is still

[00:30:34] interwoven in the backgrounds of your ministry. It's just connected. It's just showing that

[00:30:40] You know, it's more than just a music

[00:30:43] You know what I mean? It's more than just I'm seeing because

[00:30:45] Sometimes you know in hip hop that's the ultimate thing is just to MC and wow those bars and it's like

[00:30:53] All right, so what's the substance behind it? You know, what's the foundation? What's going to be the longevity

[00:31:01] What's going to cause it to be impactful and influential is it just the person doing it

[00:31:07] In their own glory or is it really shifting the glory to God? So when you hear more

[00:31:13] Add it to the ministry. It makes sense

[00:31:17] You know because really we deal with a complicated ministry as most people would know

[00:31:22] We wrap

[00:31:23] So wrapping isn't always the church's first resource to use to reach people

[00:31:30] At first it was only for

[00:31:32] The kids and we're like all during me like I'm not wrapping just to the kids

[00:31:38] I'm wrapping to everybody in this place

[00:31:41] You know, I mean everybody got an opportunity to hear the gospel

[00:31:44] So how was that maturity in those respects because I'm sure when you first started it was more for

[00:31:51] You know who was ready to rock with it?

[00:31:53] But over time the growth of yourself spiritually and the content you probably started writing and sharing is like

[00:32:02] Can go leapsen above, you know just the youth. So how was that for you? Yeah no doubt

[00:32:08] I mean, you know, it's I've always had content that probably wasn't the best for youth groups

[00:32:13] But to like to like your point like the people did a higher in you they don't know what's going on anyway

[00:32:18] So they like they don't know that you got a song

[00:32:21] Dylan with you know stuff you're dealing with like sexual abuse and stuff like that

[00:32:24] I don't know you got a song is dealing with that but like

[00:32:27] Did that honest the middle school that needs to hear you know the mean like is they

[00:32:31] They I'm saying like they need to know that this isn't okay. If somebody's dealing with you, so like

[00:32:35] Yeah, so like it's I just it's funny because on release day for my EP. I just dropped on Friday

[00:32:40] Um, I was like it was like yo your EP just dropped what are you doing?

[00:32:44] It was eight a.m. I'm doing a school chapel for elementary school students

[00:32:47] You know what I mean but like but this because of some of the stuff I said on the record

[00:32:52] I didn't even mention that I had album, you know

[00:32:55] And I should have but I just didn't because I don't like yeah, I'm talking about some some grown-up stuff on this right

[00:33:00] Um, but um, you know and then you know my son is in fifth grade

[00:33:04] I remember like skipping over some songs

[00:33:05] I had like I want you to hear nobody

[00:33:08] So this but I mean I was doing anything inappropriate which is subject matter so yeah

[00:33:13] I think there's always been an element to where like

[00:33:15] I kind of covered stuff

[00:33:17] Yeah, but I wasn't

[00:33:18] You know it wasn't I was a mindful of it

[00:33:20] But if I got invited to a certain place or certain camp, I'm not doing that song. You try to say so yeah

[00:33:24] What's appropriate? We got this setting

[00:33:27] Yeah, you got a shift

[00:33:28] But I have a I have a creative coach that I hire man and he's a great dude and he helps me kind of pull thoughts out

[00:33:34] And he said uh, he said your what you said to me over these few weeks is that your target is

[00:33:39] The D church and the unchurched but not to be exclusion of V church

[00:33:43] And I say yes, bro. I know it's I mean it's really

[00:33:47] Really complicated way of saying everybody but like yeah, my heart is

[00:33:52] I want to make music for you to don't they're not that you're not in this space

[00:33:55] Mm-hmm, but I don't want to not talk to those in the space too. So um my concert right now is really focused on those who

[00:34:03] are

[00:34:05] Not really in this space and they just need to hear some real stuff said yeah

[00:34:08] But I'm also not tucking Jesus away at the same time. So it's better really it's very really cool

[00:34:13] Yeah, so one thing you just touched on you pointed out that maybe

[00:34:18] Sometimes we do too much of it's filtering

[00:34:22] Because like you said, you know

[00:34:24] We're looking at it from the perspective that

[00:34:27] This may not be age appropriate for the kids but

[00:34:30] Let's be honest. They're listening like I know you seen the video footage online with the girls at dance in the sexy red and the little kids

[00:34:38] You're saying to yourself like wait a minute. There's no filtering there

[00:34:44] No filtering bro. There's no filter in so in a certain respect is like

[00:34:48] So they can hear our content that's more mature and deal with it because

[00:34:55] If they're on the other end getting that and not getting something to balance you

[00:35:00] It's like

[00:35:02] Yeah, and that's all about it man. I'm like

[00:35:04] I'm like look if my introduction at this event the gatekeepers of this place

[00:35:08] They have a certain paradigm or what they want to do

[00:35:11] Then I respect an honor that but my hope is that you come and follow me and then you get all this work

[00:35:16] You know what I mean you see if I you get the pure content or whatever and then sometimes

[00:35:21] Foriferum and sometimes I'll be somewhere and I feel like the Holy Spirit will leave me to do something that

[00:35:25] I think I need to filter for whatever reason and then I do it

[00:35:29] And then everything goes exponentially better than I did when I had my my fears of about it going poorly

[00:35:35] So it's really just being sensitive like every time I go somewhere I got to sit already mapped out with a couple of autoboots

[00:35:41] But I'll pull up like lord what are we doing is does something need to change

[00:35:46] And flip the whole thing if we got to it the last minute and I'm cool with that

[00:35:49] so

[00:35:51] It's really just like

[00:35:52] They're not getting filtered so we shouldn't filter and the people yeah

[00:35:56] People are that's one of the biggest things we get as far as like

[00:36:00] Christian ministry Sunday morning stuff is like

[00:36:03] Are you being real right now? Like are you being fake like

[00:36:06] Because you're speaking from the stage do we are we ever going to hear about your flaws do we know that you're a human being

[00:36:11] Um, and you know me like most of the time cats are just preaching and oritating it what to do and all that

[00:36:16] And I'm like I just need to hear if you

[00:36:19] Human like the rest of us like you can be you can be morally a couple steps up. I expect that double

[00:36:25] Oh, yeah, spiritual growth. Yeah, yeah you there cool, but like are you are you human bro?

[00:36:30] Like so when I when I have the chance to I preach in my church once a month and I preach

[00:36:35] Uh, you know every other Sunday so I'm typically you know somewhere doing a Sunday morning

[00:36:40] And like I'm just I'm very transparent like not without wisdom

[00:36:44] Yeah, you say I can't tell everything about yeah, you bring it. I can't tell everything but like I'll tell you where

[00:36:51] I struggled with belief and stuff where I made mistakes where yeah, I hurt somebody

[00:36:54] I shouldn't hurt why struggle with pouring back in the day like I'll tell you about all that stuff

[00:36:58] I'm like, you know, I'm gonna show up like this anyways. I'm not as well as you'd be real with you

[00:37:03] So um and but not not to not to the be real to connect for shot value

[00:37:07] I don't got time for it. No, but just this is but this is what it is

[00:37:11] Yeah, but God and um, and that's kind of that's kind of the approach I take in music and on stage

[00:37:17] And I think people need that transparency, you know what I mean?

[00:37:20] Yeah

[00:37:21] So with us now getting older hip hop is now 50 years old and

[00:37:26] I was saying in another interview. I talked to a couple guys

[00:37:29] I was saying you know back in the day we used to assume that we had to

[00:37:35] lay the pen and pad down at a certain age because it wouldn't look appropriate for you to still be rapping at a certain age

[00:37:42] Right, and now we're looking at it from a different perspective and we're like

[00:37:46] You know that was the dumbest stuff that people used to talk about

[00:37:50] It turned 30. You got to put the mic down

[00:37:52] You can't be a 40 year old rapper and it's like why not?

[00:37:56] Like because of the wisdom the kind of thing probably some of our immaturity is probably the reason we got so much immature stuff for

[00:38:03] Yeah, so much so so what do you think about that now how you saw the progression of it come about and now

[00:38:10] Everybody's embracing. Yo, you can be whatever age if you bring something valuable to the table

[00:38:16] Like no one's going to ridicule you outside of those who just love the ridicule

[00:38:21] You know the real people that's ready to receive whatever God brings through any because that's that's

[00:38:27] Yeah, I'm trying to keep it on the artist because I you know anybody brings something to the table that God laid on the heart

[00:38:34] Is valuable but that age we shouldn't despise

[00:38:37] The wisdom in the age and try to get them out of here

[00:38:42] I mean, I just feel like if you if you still good keep going

[00:38:46] Yeah, I mean like if you're if you're telling this struggling and you're not connecting and maybe that's a sign of time that you hang it up

[00:38:53] So if if if I'm connecting if I'm still good

[00:38:57] If cats is like you know

[00:38:59] Filling it the numbers are going up people are still listening. I'm like let's keep going like why not if my passion still there

[00:39:05] Don't let's do it like so like with anything if if the talent if if the numbers show that is being received things are working

[00:39:13] They keep doing it, but if it's not then don't like if it's if it's like

[00:39:18] um

[00:39:19] If the talent is lacking and it's not being received

[00:39:22] Then that's something to pay attention to you know me so yeah, I just feel like yeah, just just look for that stuff

[00:39:27] You know, hey man

[00:39:29] Is a lot of this conversation what we're in right now is

[00:39:33] The wisdom part that's showing up and I'll add to it

[00:39:37] The you said a word called gatekeepers and a lot of people like to have the conspiracies and all stuff about the gatekeeping mentality

[00:39:46] But it's a true thing

[00:39:48] But the differences now some of the gatekeepers are moving on

[00:39:53] You know they're passing away. They're no longer in those positions of power and a younger generation is raising up and

[00:40:01] CHH now has more of opportunity to

[00:40:06] Become more in the space of ministering

[00:40:10] Because traditional gospel has been around for years

[00:40:13] And CHH always seem like of us the little brother a little sister or something

[00:40:18] Come on through a couple songs and we'll get back to the program

[00:40:21] And it's like now

[00:40:22] The Lord has been working through a lot of us and we're getting older

[00:40:27] so our

[00:40:28] Platforms are forming

[00:40:30] Ministry seems to be stable you got wisdom you got God speaking through you to Holy Spirit giving you words of wisdom

[00:40:37] The messages so it's now

[00:40:40] Something that is being validated by God in the public. So the space is starting to change

[00:40:46] Do you see it from your perspective more opportunities opening up

[00:40:51] Because of the changing of the guard or because of God's

[00:40:56] ability to bless, you know the genre right now

[00:41:00] Yeah, I don't I don't have much vantage for the changing of the garpiece. I'm not sure about that

[00:41:05] But oh, I do think I do think that it's

[00:41:09] It's kind of like

[00:41:11] And this is pessimistic me. It's kind of like

[00:41:14] There has to be an acceptance of it at certain spaces and certain events to where it's like

[00:41:18] Oh, well you got to make sure you put some wrap up there so we're diverse

[00:41:22] Whether it's you know black gospel event and make sure you have somebody wrapping over or they do the little wrap thing at the eight bars here

[00:41:29] But then just get back to the real song or like

[00:41:32] If you got like a white Christian event and they're like we gotta make sure we have a wrap up here

[00:41:35] Just so you know me like it's always kind of that piece to me to where is it's just like a

[00:41:39] It's a checkbox thing and a lot of spaces unless this is a space meant for that

[00:41:43] Never mean if it's a space meant for that then it's all hands on deck

[00:41:47] And there are spaces meant for that now because so much ground has been made by

[00:41:53] You know people that have laid foundation and done the work and all that stuff

[00:41:56] And the people that they minister to are now in charge so there's spaces made just so all that's great and I thank god for that

[00:42:02] When I was talking gatekeepers I was talking about like

[00:42:05] People hiring for like churches and church events who don't get it and they're trying to reach people

[00:42:09] But they don't get and they're bringing you in in the middle and you got a please both sides of I wouldn't talk about the music per se

[00:42:14] But like I think um in our spaces

[00:42:17] Musically in in a church world church music

[00:42:21] We're always kind of

[00:42:23] Ah, you know both the most part behind culturally what we know it

[00:42:27] Um, and I think that a lot of those spaces are still checkboxy like yeah

[00:42:32] Actually you have a rapper so that we can put that on the flyer in an amazing kind of thing

[00:42:36] Um, that's that space to me. I'm

[00:42:38] It's such a slow change. Yeah. I'm so pessimistic of it getting anywhere

[00:42:43] remotely do it anytime soon

[00:42:46] I feel you so it's just kind of like

[00:42:48] It's happening, but that's the blessing. That's why I love this conversation because

[00:42:53] I was talking with dpb who is um formerly from disciples of Christ

[00:42:58] And I interview him and he brought something up that was something

[00:43:02] We kind of know, but we just don't think about he said the reason why churches used to be so skeptical

[00:43:08] About bringing a rapper up there because if they start rapping and they start doing a poor performance

[00:43:14] Some people used to throw the mic down to start cussing

[00:43:17] So they're like

[00:43:20] Gro spiritually yet so why the up there so that started putting a bad

[00:43:25] Representation and think about it when you got the other people coming with full, you know

[00:43:31] They're strong in the Lord and but that representation of the other part

[00:43:36] Start, you know, and I mean messing it up. So I was like I never look at it from that standpoint

[00:43:41] I've never been at the event when the brother threw down a mic a stark cussing

[00:43:45] I could yeah, I'd say like that's that's unique to me

[00:43:47] I'm like what I've been missing. I didn't know that was a thing

[00:43:50] But this was the early days when things were starting out so that might have been the late 80s

[00:43:56] Or the early 90s, so that was like you know what I mean because

[00:44:01] Really, you know what representation?

[00:44:04] Because like I told him and he told me like a lot of people thought they were the first Christian rapper because they were like

[00:44:11] God you right causing me to write about you, you know, what is this?

[00:44:15] You turn on

[00:44:18] MTV, you know, you heard

[00:44:20] Brand newbie and they talk about a little bit but then they get back to the other stuff. So it's like

[00:44:27] We never saw a religion

[00:44:29] Represented or religious talk in rap that that was the part that you said throw us off

[00:44:36] like you know, is this

[00:44:38] This right and then the churches you should say the music was other devil

[00:44:41] So it was all that stuff going on all that controversy. So

[00:44:46] It made a challenge and but that's why I say

[00:44:48] Because we're all getting older

[00:44:50] Assuming different roles assuming different positions and with the whole internet boom of

[00:44:57] opportunity to influence

[00:45:00] It starts changing a lot of the conversation

[00:45:02] And that's why like you said it's moving from oh do we just have representation to what space

[00:45:10] Should they be invited into in incorporate so we can all grow together because we already know

[00:45:17] We already know when we grew up rap was our predominant language

[00:45:22] Versus praise and worship I sat in praise and worship all the time

[00:45:26] So when I started writing songs, I wrote it a little praise and worshipy

[00:45:30] So I can communicate and connect to the crowd when you minister to church

[00:45:34] But that's not your real rom flow pattern, you know, it's just a different perspective

[00:45:40] But it's it's you know, it's cold switching to in another way

[00:45:44] It's like trying to fit a box. So

[00:45:46] You could fit in with a certain church coach because like you know

[00:45:48] Is that the thing man? Like when you go to church you gotta

[00:45:51] You got to fit a certain culture of the church you're going to yeah

[00:45:55] And like this is church music. This is worship music. This is music. Please the god these songs work here

[00:46:00] Yeah, if you over here is black hospitals up the over here is CCM stuff

[00:46:03] Yeah, and so in order to fit those veins you got to do what you do to fit those veins to

[00:46:08] Have an artistic expression for your content

[00:46:11] But I just feel like there's too many extra hurdles that people shouldn't be forced to go through

[00:46:16] Yeah

[00:46:17] I'm grown up in them. You know, I get it. I can maneuver all these spaces

[00:46:20] But like yeah, it's just it's just kind of like once you leave these doors, that's not how you are

[00:46:26] sure

[00:46:27] That's not

[00:46:28] It's not the healthiest way to to make artists

[00:46:32] Conform to this culture content and message wise absolutely. Yeah, but expression wise

[00:46:38] It's just like hey come up here and do that thing but only do it like this

[00:46:42] That's kind of like you know me

[00:46:44] It's a bit tougher than you're no eating. It's like wait a minute god anointed me a certain way

[00:46:49] Yeah, God made me

[00:46:51] You know, I'm born when I'm born

[00:46:53] I'm a fool but when I'm a fool is by the gospel has my entire life

[00:46:57] Capricorn so let me do what I do for his glory and don't and don't you know me

[00:47:02] So and if you're not gonna let me I'm gonna do it over here, and I'm fine with that. I'm totally fine with that

[00:47:06] Oh, but yeah, that's yeah, so I asked another question because this is in the same mindset

[00:47:12] should we be as

[00:47:15] These type of individuals who are wired the way we are wired figure out ways to make more platforms for ourselves

[00:47:23] And representation because you were talking about the band which is great

[00:47:27] Um, I'm in Philly and Philly we used to always be busy

[00:47:32] minister and we used to minister have might have a show every weekend

[00:47:35] And now when I look back someone asked me a question. They said one was the last time you are minister

[00:47:41] I'm like it wasn't this year like nothing is going on

[00:47:45] And if it is as one event and it may only have like a little cluster of MCs or artists that have go to that event

[00:47:52] I don't see us really

[00:47:55] Taking the ball by the horns anymore and setting up events like I just don't know what happened

[00:48:02] You know did people move on in ministry do different things did

[00:48:08] um

[00:48:10] You know what I mean this is just questionable about certain accents like how come we don't have as many events

[00:48:16] Outside of like you said fitting us in

[00:48:20] The things that we need to have

[00:48:23] Have do you send that down to your area? Where is it just well?

[00:48:26] I mean, it was definitely probably in some of the season like when I got started

[00:48:30] You know three four events every weekend and

[00:48:33] Yeah, I mean like dudes from multiple camps is always coming through and you open to see them

[00:48:38] Yeah, open mics popping everywhere. So like it was a thankful wow man

[00:48:41] I think

[00:48:42] I think there was a culture I know in our area man seeking to just sniper rifle and just

[00:48:46] Hit a few key spots and like blew everything up

[00:48:49] Blue some people's faith up blue some people relationships up

[00:48:52] There was a couple of dudes who had their hands on the area who kind of like really messed it up

[00:48:57] Um, and they really were trying to control something that shouldn't have been controlled and they just

[00:49:01] They messed it they messed up a lot so and you know

[00:49:04] I was talking to some artists or whatever and they were saying similar stuff

[00:49:06] You're like yeah my area was popping and then they just died off and sounded similar to what you just said

[00:49:11] But I don't think I don't think artists aren't moving or taking a ball by the horns anymore

[00:49:16] I think I think the crop now is doing what works as far as putting together shows and making a profitable and doing all that

[00:49:23] Is a difficult thing to do in maintain

[00:49:25] Yeah, and getting the support to do it right so like yeah a lot of these dudes are just taking advantage of socials

[00:49:30] And like reaching a ton of people from you know, reels and shorts and all that and

[00:49:34] And reaching the masses that way and yeah

[00:49:37] And getting opportunities from the attention they get there and that's the way to do it now

[00:49:41] That's the way to

[00:49:42] That's the way to do the events now is to do that and then find yourself in the space where

[00:49:46] You know, you're able to put together events if people want to pull up because they've been following you on

[00:49:51] You know i'm saying tip-topper instrument

[00:49:53] So I think while I I do think there needs to be an emphasis to putting together live events and shows in the area

[00:49:59] Yeah, I don't think it's gonna happen the way it did you know saying generation

[00:50:03] I'll be back in the dweck yeah

[00:50:05] Right right because then one of those going on so everybody pulled up like I don't think that's happening anymore

[00:50:10] I do think that you can generate that energy around

[00:50:13] The attention you can get to where people actually are and that's online and then you can pull that to a lot of it

[00:50:19] Yeah, I think the challenge you touched on it you said 2020 when you were able to pull off the online event

[00:50:28] Once we started doing online events

[00:50:30] It kind of stop people from getting in their cars to drive to an event

[00:50:35] Because they look like I could just pour it up on my phone dog

[00:50:38] He popped corn and drink some Pepsi and I don't got to get out the house

[00:50:43] And I think that kind of slowed down because I noticed that if we was doing events in 1617 1819

[00:50:52] It was a little shotty, you know, it wasn't as busy as it used to be

[00:50:56] But we would pull them off and then when the pandemic slowed everything down

[00:51:02] Health concerns too many people in the building, you know to meet all of those different things and now we're trained

[00:51:09] To look into this little square box and watch so much. So

[00:51:15] Yeah, that's definitely a balance

[00:51:17] Yeah, it got to be able to somewhere

[00:51:20] So the other part of your ministry that's not only would you do minister preach and teach you said you have another ministry that you started

[00:51:27] Yeah

[00:51:28] 2016 with the South Africa and worked in the orphan care center out there and saw

[00:51:35] And really got face to face with the reality of sex trafficking

[00:51:39] And what children were going through the unprotected and

[00:51:43] And I've never been through sexual abuse of trafficking, but like my father wasn't there to protect so I kind of

[00:51:50] My heart goes to the vulnerable like you know who's fighting for you kind of thing

[00:51:53] Yeah, so I came back from that and I was like

[00:51:57] I don't know what but we got to get them the safe house that they need and so we went to work and made an album called safe house

[00:52:04] And just like look if you hear the record just send me a check please and people start sending money

[00:52:09] And um, yeah, we were getting close to the hundred grand. We needed to get the house built and

[00:52:14] And then my friend who was helping me Christie she was like, you know this is great

[00:52:18] Once we get that house up in South Africa and you know get it funded

[00:52:21] What do we do to replicate this here in America?

[00:52:24] And I was like, I don't know, you know

[00:52:26] And so we started the organization safe house project out of that

[00:52:29] And she took over a CEO because it was her passion. She'd actually was 16

[00:52:33] I was like, yeah run with it, you know

[00:52:35] And so we've we've added over 600 beds at the national landscape if my math is correct on that and we've

[00:52:41] Uh, you know

[00:52:42] Seen a lot of women could rescue and we've done a lot of rehabilitation work

[00:52:46] We've advocated for better stuff from you know capital Hill and policies that we trained

[00:52:52] Companies and governments and and and carry your ships and like all type stuff about this is what traffic is like stop it

[00:52:58] So safe house project is become a force

[00:53:02] Just to you know eradicate traffic and body at 2030 as our plan and our hope and our prayer

[00:53:09] And uh, and we just want to see people hill and set free so

[00:53:12] It's just crazy that it all happened from a wrap-out. It's crazy. Yeah

[00:53:17] Again, you have a ear open to God and God's

[00:53:21] Dropping in your spirit what to talk about thank you bro

[00:53:24] So you just follow his lead if somebody want to invest where did it go

[00:53:30] Safe house project dot org or at safe house project

[00:53:35] All right, you guys heard it here. How how do you fill now as a father and the husband?

[00:53:42] And the artist how do you juggle all of these things and multi-task because like you said you're doing it

[00:53:48] Full-time, so you got so many things you gotta have responsibilities to complete and to do

[00:53:55] And i'm sure like everyone else in the world, but they'll never admit it. You can feel overwhelmed

[00:54:00] But you find you know what i mean your ability to get your peace and keep working so how how is it for you

[00:54:07] Yeah, man, you know my kids don't know anything other than this like they watch me

[00:54:13] Travel and drive and hop on flights for you know since they've been alive

[00:54:17] So this is all the life they know for me and um

[00:54:21] It's been good man. God has provided for my family like just we're taking care of

[00:54:26] uh, you know i'm saying we're not rolling in it but the bills are paid

[00:54:29] And uh and they they see the ministry they see what's happening

[00:54:33] They see the videos see their songs they see the messages

[00:54:36] um

[00:54:37] So

[00:54:37] Balancing that is is intimate like my when we have an absolute dad

[00:54:42] um, I made a promise to my wife

[00:54:45] That if any of this ever gets in the way of us i quit that day

[00:54:50] Yes, a day i quit

[00:54:51] So if there's ever a challenge of family life or it's something's unhealthy, i'm done

[00:54:56] And that lets me hold everything very loosely and very strategically

[00:55:02] Um and and she works with me in the tube so she knows it's going on

[00:55:06] So my kids are my kids are good man um, I

[00:55:08] I pray that we're raising them in the fear and abolition of the Lord i pray they're seeing that this isn't just

[00:55:14] My thing but this is how we live um and i think that we're doing a good job of that

[00:55:19] And uh, you know, i don't know man. I feel really good man like not

[00:55:22] Not having my dad around formed me

[00:55:25] In a negative slash positive way

[00:55:27] Got um and i just i overstrive to be who i wish i had

[00:55:33] um, and you know, you can take that and lead poorly

[00:55:37] And and lead out of insecurity and fear too when i definitely do that sometimes

[00:55:42] Um, but i think i think for the most part man god has just made the crooked places straight in that regard and and

[00:55:49] And we're in a good space man my wife is healthy my my marriage is healthy my children are healthy

[00:55:54] Um, they're happy they're thriving they're flourishing we're finding ways supporting them and the things they're in

[00:55:59] My son starting to make beats now which i didn't i don't make them do it

[00:56:02] But he's he's naturally doing them like hey man. You know, you got a lot of them do what he do

[00:56:09] It's good stuff. So what advice would you share with uh young artists who

[00:56:15] wants to be um

[00:56:18] Yeah, there's a lot of ways to phrase it

[00:56:20] But wants to be that artist that god called them to be

[00:56:23] But at the same time they're newly married

[00:56:26] What would advise you have from your wisdom standpoint of now and being an administrator all these years

[00:56:32] You can just drop some nuggets on them

[00:56:36] No doubt man, i i think

[00:56:38] Um, your first ministry is is that that woman or that husband that you have like that's that's the first ministry

[00:56:45] And making sure that you guys are on the same page

[00:56:49] Regarding where your time and efforts are going to go um, you know, whatever god has told you to do

[00:56:56] Uh when you're in covenant with him and you're now in covenant with your spouse

[00:57:00] Those things got a line up for the healthiest piece. You know what i mean? So

[00:57:04] And and i think you just got to give

[00:57:07] Don't be so zealous for the call that you run ahead of god or your spouse at the timing of it happening

[00:57:14] You know what i mean like because i see people sometimes get so

[00:57:18] But god call me to do this and i gotta do it now today

[00:57:21] And it's got to look like it looks in my head right now

[00:57:23] And if you're not with me then it's because you don't you're not listening to god because god

[00:57:26] And and you can just run ahead without giving god the time

[00:57:30] Yeah, to massage the heart of your spouse and yours

[00:57:34] Yeah

[00:57:35] Because you know if a day with him is like a thousand years or whatever like we we

[00:57:39] What what for us has to be now?

[00:57:41] It could be three years from now

[00:57:43] Yes, and maybe god won i i remember thanking god

[00:57:47] For not answering my prayers i pray when i first got started

[00:57:52] Touch you know what i mean

[00:57:53] Touch on that well look man

[00:57:55] If god would it if god would have given me everything that i claim that i wanted

[00:57:59] A saw the attention to notoriety the music and give it it to me

[00:58:03] Before i had the capacity to even know the stuff i was asking for wasn't what was really important yeah

[00:58:11] I would have destroyed my family

[00:58:13] And i know i would have i would have i would have ran over my children

[00:58:16] I would have not paid attention to my wife and i'd have been i had jacked up someone

[00:58:20] Yeah, i know it bro

[00:58:22] So i thank god for caring enough about me to say no

[00:58:26] yeah, and i and i told him man

[00:58:29] My prayer change will give me this guy and give me that to god if i can't handle it don't get him

[00:58:34] Yes, i mean

[00:58:36] This is what i want

[00:58:37] But make me the type of person that can handle what i think i want

[00:58:41] And if i'm not there i don't want it

[00:58:44] And so that's what my prayer is now. So

[00:58:46] I just tell anybody then get started in ministry or in music about to make a big endeavor like with marriage or

[00:58:53] Entrepreneurship or whatever i tell everybody i can slow down bro

[00:58:58] Just slow down

[00:58:59] Walk with god

[00:59:01] You ain't got to run with him walk with that

[00:59:04] Just throw

[00:59:05] We'll see Jesus running nowhere. We never see Jesus in a hurry

[00:59:08] No, walk never was and take it's um never was bro. So

[00:59:13] Oh, yeah, man, i just i've seen people ruin their marriages

[00:59:16] For ministry and i don't think that's guys will

[00:59:19] Oh, and i'm not talking about healthy marriages and bad bad stuff like that i'm talking about

[00:59:24] Healthy good marriages where you said god they had your marriages

[00:59:27] Yeah godly or day marriages

[00:59:30] And you screwed it up running after a thing that you said god told me to do so nobody can correct me

[00:59:36] And um, i've seen that happen bro and i just don't want to see it happen anybody else you know

[00:59:40] Emma, what uh do you do to stay connected to god?

[00:59:45] What what resources you use what way do you practice that

[00:59:51] Yeah, I um my personal look for me early on

[00:59:57] I asked god i asked god to release i'd add two really simple prayers when i first came to them

[01:00:02] and it was um

[01:00:04] God, i don't like to pray i don't like the bible and i don't think i like you

[01:00:08] Because it's so i would have been here sooner

[01:00:10] Uh, please change my heart and give me a passion for you

[01:00:15] For your word and for prayer because i want i want to want you

[01:00:19] Yeah, that was my prayer. I want to want you

[01:00:22] Yeah, and as god began to just flip my passions around to like desire him and enjoy his word and to

[01:00:30] And to enjoy prayer i my second my second prayer was god

[01:00:34] I want to learn the difference between

[01:00:36] My voice your voice any other guy's voice

[01:00:39] Like help me to discern. I want to know what this means

[01:00:42] Yeah, and so i began to just talk to god all day

[01:00:45] I'm like if you do still come you know you got the

[01:00:48] This the superstitionist cast like god don't say nothing and then you got

[01:00:52] The carers mad at cast like god speaking all the time with a megaphone you say listen

[01:00:56] And somewhere in the middle i think is the truth this house this

[01:01:00] And i'm just like if you do if you are going to speak

[01:01:04] Uh, whether through your word or and bring yourself to mind by your holy spirit or speak in fresh work

[01:01:08] I want you to speak to me and not just do somebody else. I want to know who you are

[01:01:12] um, and so i uh

[01:01:14] I just treat that that that season the life form meets us

[01:01:18] To say and i'm just thinking being back on my grandmother's basement that formed me so much

[01:01:23] Of i treat prayer like a phone call with god that i never hang up and then any woman i could just pick up

[01:01:29] Hey man, i'm back. You know, I mean yeah

[01:01:31] Just talking to god all throughout the day and just having conversation

[01:01:34] It's been how do i'm going? Could you tell me which try to make a left one this street is that one

[01:01:38] I just talking with my father yeah, and um, so that's that's one piece of the question the other pieces i uh

[01:01:44] I tried it when i have my way um, i get up very early in the morning

[01:01:49] Uh, and i have because i have to get up before it

[01:01:52] Anybody else in my house, but i brought this over like

[01:01:55] That's right now. That's a teaching last year and then of itself right there get up before the whole house

[01:02:00] Do if you really want to see god, you gotta beat everybody else

[01:02:05] Get a wildest art get a wildest old art and uh i get into the word i have some silence

[01:02:12] I journal a little bit and i read a little bit from a book of some sort and that's that's really my way

[01:02:18] My way of connecting is really reading i love to read

[01:02:20] Mm-hmm, so if i can have a little time and a word by myself

[01:02:25] A little time in silence a little time to journal something

[01:02:28] Yeah, and a little time to read out of another book of something that this this leading me to god

[01:02:32] Yeah, that's the way i that's the way i connect on a daily basis right now

[01:02:36] That's though. That's good stuff

[01:02:38] Let the people know what music you got out with recently dropped which you are

[01:02:43] Anticipating the push

[01:02:45] Yeah, man

[01:02:48] My ep god is iconic just dropped on three days ago

[01:02:52] And so i'm excited about that 23rd of February came out

[01:02:56] So god is iconic is the ep. I just went back to

[01:02:59] With four years later. I went back to that message from 2020 um and um and i just realized man

[01:03:06] Like got everybody's fighting for your attention

[01:03:09] But only god is iconic we're hearing an election year that everybody's fighting for your attention

[01:03:13] And only god is iconic and so that's the message man. We can talk about that too

[01:03:18] I put it

[01:03:19] Well, you know we care to explore that you want to go forever

[01:03:23] Listen bro. I have something to say about everybody left right up there

[01:03:28] And um, but that seemed complicated

[01:03:32] Yeah, it's irritating man is irritating man will our dollar tree i think is the downfall of our nation political i dollars

[01:03:39] Um

[01:03:40] So i uh, but yeah, I you know this that ep just came out man has got production from cardact drums there

[01:03:46] My underlaquan green been mechus dirty rice

[01:03:49] Um and it's just a really dope project. It goes all over the place

[01:03:53] It's got two songs it really have the live music at live music elements one of the songs me and my band

[01:03:59] Just freestyled actually they started making a beat and i'd sit down and wrote like our later we had a joint so uh

[01:04:05] I think that's the one reference in the beginning of the track saying

[01:04:08] I don't even know what we're doing to something like that right right

[01:04:12] Yeah, we just made it up. I was like i sound good. I'm a reader's y'all cut the caramel and let's see what happens

[01:04:16] And it's just where we did a one-tagging it came out dope so sound good. Oh

[01:04:21] Yeah, but that's uh that projects out um

[01:04:23] I'ma drop i'm working on another single now because four to six weeks from now

[01:04:26] I'ma drop something else and i'm gonna

[01:04:28] I'ma try to smack the algorithm with a single every four to six weeks and just keep it coming

[01:04:32] And see what happens man, you know

[01:04:34] Hey man

[01:04:35] Yeah, man, why don't you stuff coming?

[01:04:37] We're working on a movie like i said legendary the documentary is coming out soon

[01:04:41] We're hoping for major stream about the end of the year pray for that

[01:04:44] um

[01:04:45] And then working on you know getting some st. Placement and some other stuff like that so

[01:04:49] um

[01:04:50] You know just got a prison gig the other day that's coming up in the month and so it's still prisons in schools and churches

[01:04:55] And it's gonna get the gospel out man best we can and try to save some lives

[01:05:00] Hey man, it sounds good man

[01:05:01] I got an interesting question since you hit that before we close out. How do you fight the algorithms my brother?

[01:05:08] How do you fight the algorithms

[01:05:12] You know man, I think bro

[01:05:14] I think the only thing I can do is throw my contribution into the stream

[01:05:19] Yeah, and let and let yeah, let the sovereignty of God do it

[01:05:23] So

[01:05:25] Yeah, yeah, I'm stored in there man like um i know i know a little bit. I know enough to know

[01:05:31] um

[01:05:32] Just consistency hammering away. It just starts to take its own life and yeah as more people get attention more people see

[01:05:37] It's kind of is what it is

[01:05:39] Yeah, I still consider myself a bit of a smaller artist

[01:05:41] But that's because I have the sense of comparison in my life sometimes

[01:05:45] um

[01:05:46] But I just uh when i don't when i when i drop

[01:05:49] Three or four songs in the year it does all right

[01:05:52] Yeah, and i drop seven or eight it does great. Yeah, so uh you know

[01:05:56] I just got to keep dropping and keep pushing and

[01:05:58] And you know putting the money to the side to use the tools that they give you to direct it what you want to try to do it. Yes

[01:06:05] You spend the funds you gotta spend like is you gotta spend marketing money anyway

[01:06:08] You might as well spend it to reach people so um just keep i think i think it's just consistency, bro

[01:06:14] Yes, it's even if you don't know what you're doing

[01:06:17] If you consistently hammer away at it with the decision to grow

[01:06:21] You're going to get better at what you're doing

[01:06:23] Yeah, and it's just continuing to do it well

[01:06:26] So i'm getting better at it man. I'm growing every day. I'm learning every day and

[01:06:30] You know, which will keep touching people and reaching people

[01:06:33] So that's good stuff and tell the artists don't despise small beginnings

[01:06:37] Because big fat you know what i mean if you quit

[01:06:41] And you think you

[01:06:43] Not going to continue putting out content all the only point is going to hurt is yourself

[01:06:48] Because then when you finally think you have something that's credible and impactful

[01:06:53] You don't have that algorithm running for you you haven't posted in three months and you know

[01:06:58] You're so low in the algorithm. So it's amazing

[01:07:02] Put us in these perspectives and even allowed us to bring out music as such a time is this

[01:07:07] Because this is very interesting. This is not what we grew up off of

[01:07:11] What we grew up off with CDs and cassettes and

[01:07:15] How important that was to go to the record store and buy it and put it down and

[01:07:20] Take it home put in your walkman got to have the base boost you got all these different things different

[01:07:26] phones

[01:07:27] Yeah, man, it was it was exciting

[01:07:29] But then we switched to streaming

[01:07:32] Yes through everybody aloop because really like wait a minute

[01:07:35] And download it to my computer and now it's download to your phone

[01:07:39] I can listen to any album for the past 50 something years is like

[01:07:44] Is mine blowing but at the same time

[01:07:46] You broke

[01:07:47] Yeah, at the same time we'll say the market is flooded too

[01:07:50] But at the same time you got to go back to what the guy called you to do

[01:07:54] Are you doing what he told you to do or you releasing the song he told you to release did you shoot a video for what he

[01:07:59] Told you to shoot did you put it where it needs to be did you invest where you need to so

[01:08:04] All of those things man. We're still like we don't we don't know it all we're still growing in it too right

[01:08:10] It's good man. It's always something to learn sorry some to learn bro

[01:08:13] So I think the biggest thing to man is is

[01:08:17] One of the biggest mistakes artists make we make i make is

[01:08:22] thinking that

[01:08:24] You

[01:08:25] The people that guy gave you to reach

[01:08:28] No matter how small that group is

[01:08:31] Isn't enough because it's not this big or it's not compared to this guy

[01:08:35] Like am I faithful with the

[01:08:37] What feels like few to you but as many to somebody else and my faithful with what god has given me

[01:08:42] So these folks are paying attention to me. They're waiting for me to drop something there hanging on it everywhere

[01:08:47] But I'm not grateful in them because they're not this size or that you know what i mean

[01:08:52] And so i think that's a big and i get it from uh

[01:08:57] You got to make numbers and money perspective i get it from an impact perspective i totally get it

[01:09:01] Yeah, but then from a just bro like

[01:09:04] You know this dude you literally saved his dues life because of what you said yeah, and he's not enough

[01:09:09] Um, that's that's the when you look back that's the vantage point you can have when you're not grateful

[01:09:14] For the ears god is giving you so it's always really important to why you're growing achievement and being ambitious

[01:09:19] Which is go do that yeah to be grateful for the ears you have a serving well

[01:09:24] Uh, and this again something i'm still learning so

[01:09:27] All right man. You heard it from my man legend let them know where they can follow you online

[01:09:32] Absolutely bro legend tv on everything at legend tv

[01:09:36] ledg intv so mageo backwards all socials

[01:09:40] So my son joseye and the background stuff

[01:09:43] That was so

[01:09:46] uh at

[01:09:48] At ledg intv on all socials and the website is just legend dot tv

[01:09:52] Yes, though

[01:09:53] Well man was a pleasure having legend the building man make sure y'all go tap into his music if you never

[01:09:59] Spun his music you never added it to your playlist. What are you waiting for after this video

[01:10:05] It was all

[01:10:06] Get busy get with him following more online

[01:10:09] Legend we appreciate you man. Appreciate you being in the space with us

[01:10:13] Don't go nowhere. We can rate cut the video and i wrap with my boy. All right everyone peace out

[01:10:19] Appreciate it

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