Mr. REAL’s hometown, Gary, Indiana, was once named the murder capital of the world. “A lot of people were killed here,” said Mr. REAL. “I lived it all; experienced it all.”

Many of Mr. REAL’s friends glamorized their violent experiences until one day Mr. REAL snapped. “I got heartless, and I didn’t care about people too much,” said Mr. REAL. “I jumped off the deep-end and started drinking and messing around with different women.”

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Mr. REAL grew up in the church, yet turned to gang-banging for attention because he didn’t feel he was loved at home. Mistakes during his teenage years placed him in dangerous situations. He was once mistaken for a murderer and almost became a murder victim himself several times. Now, he believes God ultimately kept him safe through all his close-calls.

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The birth of his first child finally helped Mr. REAL escape from gang banging. “I looked at people around me dying, and I decided I wanted to be there for my son,” said Mr. REAL. For a while, he said he still had to watch his back.

All the while, Mr. REAL rapped to LL Cool J and Heavy D using his older brother as an inspiration to start rapping. Mr. REAL was a seasoned performer. He enjoyed a crowd and would sing, dance, or act with brilliance. He performed in school and church. He stopped rapping for a time because his mother did not agree with his music. He was enlightened by God to rap strictly for Him. Even after his brother’s passion for rapping faded, Mr. REAL continued to make a name for himself globally. “I decided in 1993 that I would perform my first Christian rap in front of a live audience,” said Mr. REAL. “My little brother said ‘don’t do it’ because they weren’t ready for it. So I got leery and self-conscious, but I performed at a high school alumni function and did really well. Plus, now my little brother is a Gospel rapper.”

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After Mr. REAL heard the Gospel Gangstaz, he felt God calling him to join the Christian Rap Industry. Now, he finds inspiration in his family. He loves to touch people through his Christian rap ministry, and he does just that in his newest album, Humility, containing 11 hit songs.

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taken from grapetreerecords.com

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