XBanga

Pastor Rob Woodson a.k.a XBanga is a holy hip-hop artist from Durham, North Carolina and a man-of-God with a passion for street ministry.
He's the founder of a small church within the Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship, and C.E.O of XBanga Ministries Inc. He is an urban missionary with an insight on Gang Life and a focus on Youth Gang Intervention.

Holy Hip Hop is just one of the ministry tools Xbanga uses to confront the culture with the gospel of Jesus Christ. His poetry speaks of political oppression, false religion and social injustices. His style and delivery incorporates a lil’bit of various musical sounds from across the nation, primarily due to the years spent as a member in a national high profile mafia family. His music has universal appeal and his swagger and charisma is hard not to notice.

Xbanga’z ministry gifts include: song writing and authorship, music production and public speaking. He is an accomplished social entrepreneur who is very anointed in the area of preachology.

XBanga was born Rob Woodson III, on October 9th 1976 and is a native of Long Island, New York. At the age of 10 months he was sent to live with his grandmother in Durham, North Carolina due to family hardship. Hip Hop music became his passion at the age of 9 years old. Aspiring to be like his role models Chuck D, Rah Kim and Easy E, His mother was able to scrape up the money for him to record his first demo on his 13th birthday.

By the time he turned 13 ½ Rob was introduced to the idea of becoming apart of the Blood gang by friends at his middle school in an effort to protect themselves from rival sets and larger families who bullied everyone else. His mother never knew that her son was being initiated into a gang, which would have explained the root cause for the change in personality and string of crimes including; shoplifting, grand theft auto and vandalism.

Facing a 20-year prison sentence at the age of 17 for another Grand Theft Auto Rob’s grandmother and mother pleaded with the judge not to try him as an adult for his crime and ask the state for alternative solutions for a troubled teen. Between the ages of 13 and 17, Rob had been expelled from school having been accused of organizing a gang there, had an estimated 7 shootouts with rival gangs, physically brutal beefs with others living the street life and introduced to the drug game by members of his own family whom other family members didn’t know struggled with drug addiction.
In-laws of the family who were also bloods, and had been reppin much longer than Rob; taught him the O.G. rules of being blood and the unsung history of the Blood Nation even though they were of a separate set.

While completing a lengthy probation period given to Rob by the judge suspending his trip to prison; Rob was approached by Larry Adamson, a close friend of the family and a prominent gospel radio show host in the Triangle of North Carolina.
At first Rob was reluctant because that genre was pretty much unheard of however it sounded like a great alternative to his current situation. Larry Adamson was a mentor and manager who helped to pry the door open for review by gospel music industry insiders and churches that would give him a platform but were very skeptical of holy hip hop at that time.
Rob started to rise to prominence in his local market and made his first national appearance on B.E.T.’s “Teen Summit” in 1995, followed up by a special performance at the “Bobby Jones Signature Awards” of the same year. There were a few Pre-show openings for successful gospel artist such as Vickie Winans and Shirley Caesar; along with top venue gigs ranging from state High School basketball championships to the once prominent McDonalds Gospel Festival; but it wasn’t enough to keep him out the reach of gang activity. In 1997 while asleep in his bed, rival gang members kicked in the door of his basement apartment in which he escaped unharmed only days later to hear the news that his long time friend (Booger) had been fatally shot and killed at a wheels roller skating ring in Durham, North Carolina. It was gang related.

Immediately after the funeral, Rob left it all and joined the U.S. Army and was stationed in Fort Polk, Louisiana. Having doubts about God who he blamed for the death of his friend, Rob never told anyone of his ability to rhyme or experience with holy hip hop. In fact, he continued his gang activities while serving in the armed forces under the umbrella of a nationally known gang called, “***”. Eventually his lifestyle would cause him to be kicked out of the service after 2 ½ years.
After being invited to the superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana to hear the Bishop Paul S. Morton Sr. preach, Rob was reminded of the church he sometimes attended back home. After coming to the end of his rope in running the street he wanted to change for the best but didn’t know how.
From the Harris County Jail in Houston, Texas Rob would make a phone call to his grandmother