Bruce James Coleman, Jr. was born in 1981 in New Orleans, Louisiana. His first love was poetry than poetry developed into rap. Rap is the son of Poetry and Poetry is the mother, a beautiful mother I might add. Christian Rap is what Coleman loves doing. He got his start with Christian Rap with just doing freestyles on YouTube in 2007 and from there he started taking Christian Rap more serious. Coleman evolution to Christian Rap first started when he was fourteen years old. Before Christian Rap he was a poet first. He was published in 1999 in a book entitled Teen Sexuality and Writing not Drowning. Coleman appeared on a television show entitled Teen Expression reciting one of his poems. Coleman even won a first place poetry contest with the NAACP with a reward of 500 dollars and a trip to New York.
Success was with Coleman at an early age but Coleman can say there is nothing satisfying to him more than Christian Rap,” All the poetry contest, being published in books, and being on television can’t compare to how much more I love performing and writing Christian Rap.”After all this success in high school Coleman joined the Navy and forgot about poetry and rapping. He got out of the Navy in 2003 and went back to New Orleans. When Hurricane Katrina hit in August of 2005 Coleman found his self living in Houston, Texas. During Coleman time in the Navy and from his teen years he spent a lot of them years in sin drinking alcohol, smoking marijuana, stealing, and lusting.
Even though Coleman won a lot of awards with his poetry in high school he had to soon face the demon that he was living out in the world. Coleman was raised on the foundation of the word of Jesus Christ and God Almighty so there was hope for Coleman, he just had to find the strength and power to find his way back to the truth he was giving since his youth. Coleman says “after living in the world for years I found my way back to Jesus and God Almighty, and my gift of rapping came back to me.” If anything being a sinner in the world made Coleman a stronger Christian Rapper. Christian Rap seemed like the most natural thing for Coleman to start pursuing. Born as a poet and grew into a rapper. “in my previous years I couldn’t find my true expression as a worldly rapper but when I started doing Christian rap or some call it Holy Rap life started to blossom beautifully.” when Coleman listens to his rap songs it give him a mark to how he should be living. “Listening to my own songs gives me the strength to be a stronger Christian and as people listen to my first album and all albums coming in the future may it bring you motivation, inspiration, and a righteous rejuvenation.”
Without poetry there would be no rap, poetry is who Coleman always was and rap is what Coleman became. “You should be doing Christian Rap because you love rapping making money should be a bonus but it shouldn’t be your main objective.” Especially in this worldly industry Christian Rap doesn’t get the support it should have from the Churches and people in general. If praising God Almighty though rap music is good in God Almighty eyes than why does the church have to condemn Christian Rappers, bad enough we get no love from the world but we don’t get any love from the church. “The Holy Spirit never told me or made me feel like Christian Rap is the wrong thing to do. If anything I feel spiritually rejuvenated and spiritually beautified for my lyrical testimony.”
Christian Rap in my opinion should have gain notoriety already. Christian Rap should have its own MTV and MTV Jams channel but in a Christian Rap way. Coleman remembers Christian Rap being in existence since he was a kid in elementary in the early 80's. “My first taste of Christian Rap was at Bradley Elementary in New Orleans, Louisiana but I didn’t pay attention to rap when I was a kid, it wasn’t until 1995 or 1996 when I really started paying attention to Rap in general.
A lot of Christian Rappers and Rappers in general are giving their music away for free on sites like YouTube. When it comes to promoting a song for free to gain more fans that’s understandable but to give your music away just because you love doing music is crazy. A lot of artist love doing music but you don’t see the professionals giving their music away for free. Coleman says, “In my opinion I think that’s why a lot of independent artist will never make it because they are not thinking entrepreneurs. We need a Master P of Christian Rap or we need a Tyler Perry of Christian Rap. Christian Rap needs to come to the forefront we been in rap too long to not have no power in the industry.”I never understood why people are paying all that money to go to college just to star working for someone else. If anything they should be going to college to work for their self, college should be an investment in your God Almighty given talents.”
I dream of being the Master P of Christian Rap or the Tyler Perry of Christian Rap. My label would be called Eternal Sunshine Life Records.” Eternal Sunshine Records would represent eternal life with God Almighty and Jesus Christ for being a true Christian.” A lot of people say they are Christians but are they what Coleman likes to call a True Christian. A true Christian is a person who don’t need to go to church, or depend on the church because that individual realizes Church is worldlier today than ever before. A True Christian knows he/she is the Church therefore sitting at home reading your Holy Bible can be your Church service or just helping people throughout the day can be your deeds. A True Christian also lives righteous, think righteous, and acts righteous. A true Christian prays, meditates, and studies the Holy Bible as his/her righteous duty. As a Christian rapper one must live up to his lyrics and use it as a motivation to stay on a righteous path. “If I can inspire people through my music and also make enough money where I can start a record label and fulfill my dreams of being the Mater P or the Tyler Perry of Christian Rap than more power be to Christian rapper. If that dream doesn’t happen I will still enjoy making Christian Rap music regardless.”
With the internet the power to be a rapper is at your finger tips. The power to start a business is at your fingertips. “I don’t think I would be rapping now if it wasn’t so easy to do with the advancement of technology. When i started doing Christian rap with freestyles on YouTube I thought I was unique, I thought I was the only Christian or maybe the few of my kind.” After Coleman searched the internet and sights like YouTube he was surprised to find quit a big handful of Christian rappers independently making music. Picture if those Christian rappers had a major label backing them Christian Rap would definitely would be on the map. There are so many diamonds of Christian Rappers out there and may you find Bruce James Coleman Jr. to be one of those diamonds of Christian Rappers waiting to shine in your stereo.
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