BJ Ministries

In a musical landscape where singers among Christian rappers are few and far in between emerges BJ Ministries, a Richmond, VA resident, poised to drive back the darkness across the globe with a new sound. This 29 year old singer/songwriter, producer, and CEO is taking the world by storm with the clear message of Christ layered in the midst of in your face hip hop beats and stacked vocal harmonies. Born and bred in central Virginia, BJ Ministries discovered at a young age that both his musical gifts and the Lord's hand upon him, weren't the same as everyone else's. "From like 7 or 8 my mom and I knew that what God had given me, and what He wanted me to do, was special," says BJ. Hearing songs on the radio became the best teacher for BJ to learn to develop his sound. BJ says, "I remember hearing Tevin Campbell's I'm Ready and feeling like that I had to be able to do that with my voice, so I studied the tape until I could match it." Growing up in church all his life and writing full songs since 8, BJ says all he ever wanted to be was a R&B superstar. He recalls going into beast mode in talent shows and local groups after Bad Boy Records burst on the scene in the mid 90's with R&B acts 112, Total, Mary J. Blige, and Faith Evans. "Back then, I had never heard music that sounded so hard, yet touched my emotions so deep; I was in love with it. I must have written a letter to every artist in Bad Boy," BJ laughs, "trying to get them to put me on. Of course, it didn't happen in my teens, but it was all part of Christ plan to get me truly saved." BJ went to college after high school and got born again his freshman year and never looked back. He removed secular music from his audio diet, got involved in a local church, and immersed himself in the music of Da Truth, Canton Jones, and The Clark Sisters.
Fast forward to 2013, and we now find Christian Rap Soul's poster boy on deck to release his highly anticipated EP Never Give Up; a five song project that BJ describes as the perfect mash up of 112 and Canton Jones. "I basically have taken every influence, secular and Christian, and blended them to make my sound." Never Give Up is led by the EP title domestic single "Never Give Up." The domestic single is a declaration to every person to realize, that because of Christ, none of us have a reason to throw in the towel. "This song is my anthem to get out of bed every morning," says BJ, "It ministers to me every time I hear it, almost like I didn't write or sing it. It helped me a lot to trust God because during the making of this, my wife and I experienced the miscarriage of our first child. There were mornings we didn't want to get out of bed. It was the hardest thing we have ever endured, but God is getting us through it and we are determined to never give up." The international single "England Praise" is narrative of BJ Ministries trip to London, England only to discover that being a continent away doesn't hinder God's Spirit from moving.The entire project's beats were produced by Ohio's Pardon The Movement producer Fred Council, while the songs were written and produced by BJ himself. Other stand out songs on the project include "Still Reigns," a declarative statement that despite what happens in the world system, knees still bow to the name Jesus Christ, "Used 2 Be," a reminder that every saint has a past, and every sinner has a future because of Christ Jesus, and "Look At Me," a easily relatable tune about not allowing pride and flesh to ruin our lives. Never Give Up is slated to be released on December 17, 2013 on BJ's own imprint N.A.T.D. Media LLC and will be available wherever online music is sold. BJ will be embarking on an international unplugged tour in early 2014 to support the project. His life changing ministry is sure to impact the nations with the gospel.