JP Interview w/ Blacktruth.net

Mount Vernon NY emcee JP is on a different path when it comes to presenting his music. Although he has a jamming single “No” that is currently playing at Blacktruth.net; JP has dedicated his time to other endeavors. One is his Christian Podcast series titled “In the Word,” and another one is his role as youth minister at First Presbyterian Church in Stamford, CT. The bottom line; he has a mission that he is trying to accomplish beyond music. “I’m defiant towards systems that oppress instead of liberating,” he says. He gave us more information regarding his goals, music, and future, during his conversation with Blacktruth.net. Check out his interview below.

BTN STAFFJP PIC

Do you think there is a possibility for a profoundly Christian rapper to succeed in hip-hop’s mainstream? Why or why not?

I definitely think so. I think we’ve started to see it already. Lecrae was nominated for a Grammy in the Best Rap Performance category this past year. But it depends on what you mean by “profoundly.” I think as an artist I’ve grown to have my spirituality more embedded than pronounced. That is, I’ve worked to allow my faith to come through in my lyrical content without forcing it. I aim to radically follow Jesus. But that may not look like what most people think it would. And that may lead to my making music people wouldn’t expect to hear from me. Maybe that makes me profoundly Christian. Maybe it doesn’t. I don’t know. But yo, I do believe there is a critical necessity for followers of Jesus to be speaking towards the times in which we live. And as Nina Simone would say, “how can you be an artist and not reflect the times?” Especially right now. The humanity of multiple communities is being violently undermined. The government-sanctioned killing of black bodies at the hands of law enforcement. Black children being traumatized at summer pool parties. Deportation in the Dominican Republic. Church shootings in South Carolina. Just to name a few examples. I believe we have something to say that can inspire peace, justice, love, and life in our present society. I think art can heal. And art with spiritual depth definitely has the potential to heal. So I think there’s something unique to the Christian perspective that folks are ready for. And when it comes to music I think that if it bumps, it bumps. If people rock with the sound, then they’ll listen. But ultimately, to keep it a buck, any rapper coming with depth, spiritual or otherwise, has to be about seven times as good as his shallow counterpart to be successful in hip-hop’s mainstream. That sounds like something my daddy used to say about being a black man.  

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *