I: I’ve seen you perform at Claflin when you came to Homecoming. I actually like your style of gospel and I feel like I feel like it relates to young adults like myself. But how have other young adults been responding to the music? Do they like it?
P: It has been totally amazing what God has been doing this season. He’s been raising up a culture, like when we first started this thing, we were kind of in a lane of our own if you would, but I had a strong pastor who told that I didn’t have to change my message or my method. Just keep it consistent and God will raise up a generation. And the truth of the matter is, God has been showing up tremendously, on itunes we sit at number 8 behind Drake, Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, and even Jeezy, so the numbers are really showing up music wise. It’s a blessing when people support Young, Fly and Saved and God over Money Team, so yeah, God’s doing it. We really appreciate it.
I: How have older people been responding to it? You know older people can be kind of stuck in their ways about the new type of gospel, or have they been responding positively?
P: Well what I’m really getting is positive. The truth of the matter is, people understand that music is strongly the bait. What I've been getting from a lot of people is, they don’t really care what we talk about, they just want to make sure that their kids are listening to something positive, and it’s just an added incentive when you lead them to the cross, you have this particular state where America is and actually abroad across the world. People are looking for something that’s postitive, something that’s gonna be a change agent. and the thing that we’re doing as change agents is directing people to the cross. And of course you’re gonna have those people, but I’m not going to encounter them because I ask God not to let me encounter those people, but I’m just not there yet I’m still from the neighborhood man *laughs*just protect me from the things that you feel like I can’t handle at this point, and HE’s been doing that, but this year I’ve been really doing some strong declarations, that I’m not easily offended and I’m quick to forgive. So you knows what will happen in the future, but in this point and time I haven’t encountered any negativity from anyone.
I: Well, I was reading your autobiography, and I seen that you’re from St. Louis but then you moved to L.A. but then you moved back to St. Louis to pursue Gospel. How did your family and your peers react when you were like “You were done living in L.A. and you wanna go back home and pursue Gospel at home”. How did they react to that?
P: Well, the truth is, I’m really not pursing Gospel. I always wrote what I was going through, I wrote the truth. When Pretty Willie was doing “Lay Your Body Down”, and “4 Walls”, that’s EXACTLY what I was doing I wasn’t faking, every girl I talked about in songs those are real people. Even in my old songs when we were talking about hustling, making money, that’s what we were doing, that was real life. Music has always been an outlet for me to tell my different stories, so I could understand what was going on. As a kid, I was adopted. And being adopted I dealt with a lot of different emotions. Writing was a way for me to see my emotions so I could deal with my emotions a whole lot better. So when I started going to church, and I started studying the Bible, and I really started to get serious about Christ, my music started to reflect that because that’s what I was living. But I would go right back in the club and sing those same songs like “My Walk”, I would actually go to the club and sing those records too, and people would pull me to the side and be like “Hey man, you know that’s kind of like a Christian record,” *laughs* that’s what I’m doing, that’s what I’m into. That’s just the truth of the matter, the more I got into the Kingdom of God the more and more transparent I became about My Walk. And sometimes, you know, they want to put in Gospel or Christian music or whatever, but it’s just Kingdom Music, I’m just representing Jesus Christ the way he’s dealing with me and in the midst of it all it just comes out in a song, hopefully it changes somebody’s life.
I: You brought up how you used to sing “Lay Your Body Down”, and “4 Walls” and things like that, does it annoy you when people bring that back up?
P: Not at all man, I actually love it, it’s a tool that I have because they know I’m not lying. It’s kind of like a guy who just got 25 to life for murder, and he comes out and tells you about murder, you’re gonna be like “ Oh yea, he definitely knows about murder,” *laughs* you know, but when I come in and talk about the industry , and all of the success that God has blessed me with, even then when I talk about the industry, I’m not lying about it; they know I’m telling the truth, because I was able to live that particular life. But right now we’re developing a method where I’m actually able to go back into the clubs and those other arenas, the the stage with Trey Songz and the rest of them, and actually use those songs to tell my story, and then bringing them in to the Kingdom Music. And I also have like an Altar Call, in those bigger stages, bigger arenas, you know God gives us tools. God gives us all these different tools, and He’s saying “Hey, go look back in your toolbox,”. Some people were raped and they were scared to talk about it, but it’s time to come out the closet and say “Hey, I was raped as a kid.” And there are millions of people who do that. Some people have endured so much through the Power of the Holy Ghost, but they just get so caught up in where they are, but they never look and say “Hey, I got a testimony now.” You know, it’s hard so, I can still hit up those stages with Trey Songz and influence the influential, by saying “Yeah, I’m the dude that sang ‘4 Walls’, I’m the dude that sang ‘Lay Your Body Down’, but even though I slept with all those women, even though I did all these things God still sent me a wife, God still saw fit to save my life, He still saw fit for me to be a great dad, and now He sees fit for me to lead one of the strongest Youth Ministries in the World. So look at where I came from, you too can get the same results. You just connect to God through Jesus Christ, so.
I: What advice do you have for other young adults who are saved and want to be saved but are peer pressured into things such as Drinking, Smoking, all that kind of stuff?
P: You know the Bible tells us that everything is lawful but not everything is expedient. That simply means that anything you want to do as long as you’re saved is actually lawful, but every experience, it may not be good for you. You gotta set your boundaries. I’m not the dude that says “Oh man, don’t listen to secular music,” “Aw man, don’t do this or don’t do that,” but you gotta understand that the enemies plot on your life, not to destroy you the first time you do something. It’s kind of like with music, I always use this example for the young ladies who are at our concerts. I’m not saying secular music is bad, but the Bible says, first you’re strayed away, then you sin, then you die. What music does is, I don’t recommend you hearing my message, and then go pop in “Lay Your Body Down,” right after a strong message. The “dude’s” gonna text you still and you still gonna be listenining to that, and you’re gonna be like, “Nah, I’m staying with God, I’m not gonna text him, I’ma do the right thing.” You keep listening to “4 walls” and you keep listening to that, you might just send a “K”, you’re not gonna have a conversation, but now you’re communicating. You keep listening to it, and listening to it, about the third or fourth time now you’re having a conversation. And now you’re being pulled away, you’re getting numbed. And once your numbed, Satan has his own way because now you’re numb to what you’re doing. Nobody goes to the dentist and gets their teeth pulled without some type of anesthesia. Once you’re drugged they can pull any tooth and that’s what music does to you, that’s what drinking does to you, it just lulls you away so once you sin it doesn’t hurt as bad, but you’re still being led to death. So, you just gotta be very, very cognizance of what you’re doing when you’re walking in the Body of Christ cuz you’re a walking testimony. Acknowledge God in all your ways, if you slip, get back up. I stand as an imperfect man, but my heart is so with Christ that he still uses imperfect goods. So for everybody out here, just understand that God has a plan for your life, he’s a forgiving God, but at the end of the day just set a standard for your life, and do what you gotta do. I know it’s tough, I don’t over spiritualize nothing, you just gotta understand the rewards for being in the Body of Christ, and just understand the death of just hanging out with the word and acting a fool. So it’s kind of a choice, but it’s a line in the sand so you just gotta be careful with what choice you choose. I: This is kind of off-topic but, Kel Mitchell from L.A. has the same type of thing going on. He’s trying to reach out to young adults who wanted to be saved and stuff so yall should definitely link up sometime.
P: That’s my bruh, he’s actually on my new album man.
I: Oh For Real? Speaking of your new album, could you tell us about it [Best of Both Worlds] and how it’s different from Turning Point?
P: It’s really just an awesome record and I’m not just saying that just because I’m on it, it’s just another tool for the Kingdom, it shows all the freedom, it shows my maturity in Christ, and it also just touches real situations, me being Christian, I’m an artist that has Christ in the message. Sometimes you have a message about relationships, it’s a record on that thang called “Get No Better” that we made for our wives, talking about a Godly relationship, we’re just telling people that with a ring on your finger, look, this thang don’t get no better than this *laughs*you know what I’m saying like, a lot of people try to say that marriage is one thing, well we’re Young, Fly, Saved, and Married, and we love it. Don’t get me wrong marriage has its ups and downs, but at the end of the day, THIS don’t get no better. Records like that are awesome. Then we have another record on there called “Give Him Praise” which features Canton Jones, it’s a real real easy catch on song, it’s one of those praise and worship records, with an up-tempo beat, that just gets stuck in your head all day. *laughs* you know, it’s a lot of me, it’s a record on there called “Long Day”, it simply speaks about a young lady, who has a guy but he don’t never pick up after himself, she’s doing everything for the child and really doing everything that he’s supposed to be doing as a husband, but I just really encourage her, you know, if he don’t see you God sees you, just continue to be obedient to what the Lord has put in your heart, and you know, he’ll take care of you. It’s a REALLY really really really really encouraging album. That sits right now , number 8 on the iTunes charts, hopefully God will take us to number 1 by the end of this week.
I: That’s really good, I’m really happy that young people are actually going out and spreading the Word in the different ways that they can, I know it’s hard to break into the music industry talking about it, but y’all actually do a really good job implementing that!
P: Amen. Please tell everybody that it is not in the Gospel & Christian Charts, it’s actually in the Hip-Hop and Rap Charts, in front of us right now is Drake, Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, Kanye West, Common. We are not putting God in a 5-Bar Box, we’re saying “Hey, you know what, we’re called to influence the influential”, and we just believe with the Power of the Holy Ghost”, and with the help of people man we can make it to Number One, and say hey, you know what, there is a market place for this music, all this foolishness on TV, put something out there from the Kingdom so kids can at least have an option.
I: Can we expect any tour dates from you soon? Or are you already on tour?
P: We are putting together some type of tour real real soon, based on the success of this album, we know that there going to be something in the marketplace, we’re just trusting God in that part of it, and asking God to give us the wisdom on how to do it, not for our pockets, not for fame, just how do You want us to help the Kingdom and make the best for the tour, I don’t just wanna do a concert, concerts don’t just change the culture, I want to come in, and be able to hang in that community for a while, we want to help the community, help some schools. It’s a lot we wanna do in this marketplace.
I: Okay, those are all the questions I had. Anything you want to add?
P: Just make sure you go get the Best of Both Worlds, on iTunes, Amazon, and Rhapsody. We actually want you to really go to iTunes, really for the charting off it all, we want people to continue to look at the industry and say “Look what God is doing,” we don’t have a label behind us, all we have is faithful friends, fans, and family, and the Power of the Holy Ghost, doing what He gotta do to push us up these charts, and show the world that the Kingdom rules man, and that’s what we are doing.
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