Stefan the Scientist

Moss was recently honored at the 2005 Dove Awards for Christian music for his collaboration with the hip-hop group Gritsand co-writing their hit single “Hittin Curves” which won the awardfor Rap/Hip-Hop Song of the Year. Moss, who was a chemistry major at Lee, also goes by the stagename The Scientist. In his short career he has collaborated with anumber of artists and been a member of numerous musical groups.He founded his first reggae and hip-hop group in 1994 called“Ekklesia” with Jeron Reckley and Dana Knowles.The group gained fame in 1996 as winners of the Gospel Music Marlin Award for Outstanding Rap/Hip-Hop of the Year. A year later, as a member of the group“Supernatural,” Moss was again awardedthe Marlin Award for the song “The Rapture.” In 2000, as a member of the group“CrossCulture,” he released “Disciple.” In 2000, Stefan also established “Solomon’s Minds,” an art andscience organization dedicated to education and cultural develop-ment. In 2002 he began calling himself “The Scientist” as a reflection of his passion for knowledge and truth. “Stefan actually used his Lee degree to push the idea of educa-tion with the people for whom he performs,” stated Dr. Mike Hayes, director of student developmentat Lee. “He was involved in campus life fairly heavily and performedat The House several times. He even did some Reggae for the campus at Wednesday night chapel.” Moss, originally from the Bahamas, has a web site at www.myspace.com/stefanthescientist
- Lee University Torch Magazine

On the wings of a dove


"All creation is a manifestation of the delight of God - God seeing himself in form, experiencing Himself in His own actions, and knowing Himself in us as us." Ernest Holmes

From the time he was a little boy, Stefan Moss always seemed a bit precocious.

He was a skinny little "funny looking" boy who could not stop talking or clowning around to save his life. Who knew back then that all that talking would one day lead to him to make history for The Bahamas as an award-winning chat/rap artist?

With a stroke of genius, he turned it all into positive vibes, positive lyrics, positive messages for the youth of this nation as he promoted Jesus Christ as the positive choice.

It's been over 10 years since the 28-year-old plunged himself into the Bahamian gospel music arena as a member of the Marlin Award winning group reggae/rap group Ekklesia, along with long-time friends Dana Knowles and Jeron Reckley.

And 10 years later, he is the first Bahamian gospel artist ever to win a Dove Award from the internationally acclaimed Gospel Music Association (GMA).

"Well, it is an honour to be recognised for the many years of hard work and dedication to the music industry and to be the one to pave the way for others to follow," said Stefan in an interview with the Guardian from his home in Nashville, Tennessee.

He started out in the industry very naive and unaware of the vultures that lurked to take advantage of his gifts. "Many people take advantage of gospel artists. I realise that you have to be careful not to neglect the business side of things. There are crooks in the gospel music industry that take advantage of artists for financial gain. To them, it's just a business, and in business there will be crooks. Well, my experiences in the music industry have taught me not to trust anyone too much. Simply because in business you have to look out for your own best interest."

In April, Stefan's appearance on the rap hit "Hittin' Curves" by the Gotee recording artist Grits, yielded him and group members a Dove award at the 36th Annual GMA Music Awards in the category of Rap/Hip Hop Song of the Year. This is the group's third Dove Award.

Even though he is a Bahamian, and is surrounded by many international gospel music moguls, he told The Guardian that he never thought himself an outsider because of his strong faith in God.

" You have to remember that your talent was given to you by another source. You have to trust God and believe in yourself. Be prepared to work and cultivate your talent. As a Bahamian, it's difficult to move into the U.S. market because the U.S. market is driven by different forces. It's important as a foreigner to bring something different and unique to the table. As a young artist, I was unaware of the business of gospel music. I just wanted to do my part in spreading the gospel."

With the support of his parents, Keith and Sylvia Greenwade, he has been able to make an indelible mark on the gospel music scene.

As a teen, he would borrow his parents' car and travel around Nassau singing at local venues. He explained that many churches were just opening up to the idea of gospel reggae. He feels that the Bahamian church has warmed up to this style of music that seemed worldly and taboo. He stood firm in his belief that the word of God in any form will retain its indomitable power.

"When I moved to the U.S. in 2003, I had just finished recording an album. It was a reflection of where I was as an artist. I was deep into hip-hop and spoken word. I put my reggae vibes on the side to explore some other forms of creative expression. When I moved here, I started rekindling my love for reggae, dancehall, dub et cetera, and began writing. It worked because there are so many hiphop artists here. It was a good feeling to be appreciated by the U.S. market."

Hittin' Curves has done well in the U.S. market, he said, and he had no doubt the song would win.

On a more personal note, Stefan is off the market, ladies. He married Tesia Pennicott almost two years ago and calls her the real musician in his new family, as she has a degree in music - she sings, plays the piano and violin.

And to all the musicians out there who are still holding on to their dreams of walking in even greater shoes than Stefan's, he said they should not only follow them, but also have backup plans.

"To all my Bahamian people, thanks for believing in me and supporting me over the years, for playing my music in your CD players, and requesting it on the radio. For all the young artists out there trying to make it in this industry. Read. Get educated. Don't put all your eggs in one basket. Go to school. Get a degree. Learn a trade. Always have a backup plan. Know yourself. Know your history. Bahamians have made contributions to almost every field of endeavour that there is. To all the people that don't like what I do. Thanks. You give me the motivation to keep on. To my father, the late William Moss, your seed is mighty in the land. To my mother, Sylvia Greenwade, this one's for you."
- The Nassau Guardian