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It's rare when you find someone that has a true love for hip-hop AND a true love for Jesus. But that's what you get from Urban Disciple. His latest album is "The Missin' Element" and it's on Seventh Street Records. I recently got the chance to interview him (via email), and here's what he had to say.  Briefly let us know how ya met Jesus. Why would you tell someone to do the same? I was raised up in Philly, and fortunate enough to be raised in a Christian home, but as I became a teen, the urban environment sucked me in, and I walked away from Christ for several years. As a senior in high school God really began to stir inside of me and I had a wake up call. I saw madd friends ending up nowhere quick: jail, dealing, dropping out of school, etc. etc. I made a real committment to follow Christ that summer, and decided to go to Christian College the first year, and that is where God put a call in my life to go back to the city and work with youth, and use whatever it takes to reach them (for me it was basketball and hip-hop). A relationship with Christ (not religion) has totally changed my life. It's not always easy, I still go through madd drama, but God has blessed me with endurance (peep the cut on the album). I've been faithful and he's rewarded that. I started an inner-city youth ministry with 4 youth in Tampa 3 years ago, we now have over 150 youth, and most are serving Christ. I've put 2 full CD's out myself, and now God has blessed me with this 3rd project to go national with a video that's getting play on the Christian networks....and soon to be on BET. Christ has a specific plan for each person out there reading this right now, but you will never fulfill that plan unless you turn your life to him 100%! Word. When did you first start rappin'? What made you get inta it? I started rhyming back when I was about 13 (1987), but I was into hiphop since the early 80's, back when I was breakin' with everybody else on my block. I was also heavily into Graffiti as a teen (not the legal stuff either)....but God has used me to do several murals for churches now. Why did you decide to come with the HOLY Hip-Hop instead of just comin' like the rest? I committed my life to Christ back in 91' and started rhyming for Christ in 92', and started a rap ministry outreach team at my college back in 93'. I saw how effective the tool of hip-hop was as we ministered in Prisons, JDC's, street outreaches and churches. What MC's have influenced you the most? Some emcees that influenced me over the years were Rakim, KRS, Run Dmc, Public Enemy, etc. How do you feel about the state of Hip-Hop in general right now? My general feeling about hip-hop is that it has made some progress over the past few years. People are getting more back to the roots of it, and it seems there's becoming more and more of an appreciation for the true culture of it. It's become more postive and spiritual (especially since 2pac and Biggie's death). A lot more peeps are open to God. But with that comes the danger of what God.....many false religions are welling up in the hip-hop culture and they are thriving. With that also comes the danger of the double standard, many secular emcess are rocking a couple positive joints on their albums talking about God and whatnot, but then the next song is full of profanity and degrading women again....so it sends out a message to the youth, yo I can believe in God and still do this and this just like so and so..... If we are truly going to make an impact in the culture we have to get on the move, because the general thought pattern is totally opposite of Christ. | |||||||||||