Here to Impact: Christian Hip Hop Artist Shopé Speaks About His Testimony, Vision & Music

On August 26, 2014, Shopé released his self-titled EP via Role Model Records.  Preceding the EP's release is the debut of a new music video off his self-titled EP, "Don't Let Me Stop."  In recent years, Shopé (fka Spoken) has generated a lot of buzz performing at major festivals like SXSW and Alive Festival, alongside international acts like Trip Lee, Brit Nicole and Crowder. He has also worked and graced the stage with virtually all the major names in the Christian Hip Hop scene. As Spoken's credentials grew, he increasingly noticed some confusion in the blogosphere pertaining to fans of a similarly named iconic rock band. This immediately prompted the need for a name change. With a growing fan base, both artist and label (Toronto-based, Role Model Records) believe now is the best time to brandish the new identity. 

We are so honored to catch up with Shopé for this exclusive Hallels' interview. 

Hallels:  Thank you so much for your time.  In your bio, you have included a quote from Lecrae: "I'm not here to impress, I am here to impact."  What kind of impact do you hope to have with your life and music?

Really, I hope to show people that the God I serve, is a real God for real people. It's ok to be vulnerable, broken, and sometimes even confused. We don't have to beat our chest in, pretending we have it all figured out. God will meet us where we are, and take us to where He is.  Then He calls you to be a role model, not because you're perfect; quite the opposite. He calls you to be a role model because you're broken, but you've found an unbreakable love. You are to be a role model by pointing to the ultimate role model, Jesus Christ. Through my life and music, I want to impact culture by helping to raise up a generation of these role models, who can boldly and humbly say "Follow me as I follow Christ!"

Hallels:  Can you tell us a little about how you came to know Christ?

I grew up in a Christian home. My parents presented the gospel to me from an early age, however, I only saw evidence of it in one of their lives. One of my parents actually lived it out, while the other simply professed it. Also, my parents although together, were never on good terms. I actually don't really remember them being loving to one another the entire 18 years I lived with them. Additionally, I was physically and verbally abused. So because I didn't see how the gospel played out in my parent's relationship and in one of their lives, I really didn't give much thought to it. I wasn't particularly antagonistic towards it, I just didn't think it was important. Of course I believed in God, but I had no intention to orient my life around him. I just wanted to have fun, get a couple of girls, make money, etc. At the age of 14, I went to a church retreat because there was a girl I was interested in (laughs). I had been to church retreats in the past, so I just saw this one as a weekend vacation away from my parents with a chance to get closer to this girl. Unknown to me, the Lord had bigger plans. On Oct. 31, 2003, the gospel suddenly made sense. It was like a Paul scales-off-my-eyes moment. Literally, one second I'm just chilling, not paying attention to anything being said, next second, my heart skips a beat and it all comes rushing in. I fell on the floor and wept before the Lord because I finally understood why the faith of my parent had to become my faith. By God's grace, I've never looked back since.

Hallels:  How did you end up feeling the Lord's call into the music ministry?

Soon after I got saved, I discovered Christian Hip Hop and loved the fact that is spoke to my heart and in many ways. Guys like Da' T.R.U.T.H., Flame and Lecrae discipled me from a distance. I just loved how they esteemed living for God, and seemed to be great examples of people from my context doing just that. I loved it so much I randomly decided to try it out...turns out, God had giving me a gift for writing, that up until that time, I hadn't discovered. I spent the next 5 years, refining my gifts and seeking the Lord's will regarding whether I should pursue it as a career or not. In my sophomore year at university, in the middle of a biology class, while daydreaming, I had that lightbulb moment (laughs). After years of working on the gift, praying, and growing in my love for the music, in that moment, I suddenly knew the Lord was calling me. I quite literally had a sudden "YES! This is what I want to do. This is what I'm MEANT to do" moment. Since then, as I've matured both as a man and an artist, my passion to see people come to know Christ and be who He wants them to be has grown. The world isn't lacking in role models; it's lacking in good role models. I understand that God calls Christians to be that (I Corinth. 11:1). It's not a choice we have. God commands us to be role models! So for me, that involves using the talents he's given me. I want to be a role model as I point to the ultimate role model, Jesus Christ. That's what inspires me!

Hallels:  You have a brand new ep coming out.  What is the take home message you want your listeners to grasp after listening to this record?

In my journey as an artist, I have worked really hard to discover my lane, my voice, my message. At one point, I was told I sound like Da' T.R.U.T.H. and it was probably true, cuz he was my biggest influence...laughs. But over time, I have come to realize who God has called me to be. I've come to embrace making the kind of music I am wired to make; honest, vulnerable and bold. So the EP is a small window into my mind and how I navigate this life as a Christian. With my music, I want to show people what's it looks like for a Christian tryna figure out how to go through this thing called life. My hope is that people will be encouraged when the see that the gospel actually touches reality. It's not a distant truth. It actually has implications on how you handle hurt, abuse, pain, joy, success, failure, etc. The EP is very short, so I don't get to say all that I want to say. But on this project, I think I say enough to introduce people to the type of music they can expect to hear from me.

Hallels:  Also, you have worked with many talented producers and guest artists on this ep, can you tell us who you've worked with on this EP?

As much as I love working with major names in the industry, I also love breaking new talent. I like to expose the world to people who are still relatively unknown, but who definitely deserve a bigger platform. So on this EP, I teamed up with my Toronto production team (and good friends of mine), Adam Pondang and Jeremy Rodney-Hall (also known as Q). Together, they produced the bulk of the EP. I also reached out to Joel "Boogie" St. John, another Toronto-based producer I constantly work with. My labelmates, Julien and Dru Bex also make appearances on the EP.

Hallels:  Will you be following this up with a full length album soon?

I'll definitely be releasing more music soon. My next project will probably be another EP because I really want to take my time to craft an amazing full length album. I don't want to release an album just to release an album.

I want the project to really bring something fresh, exciting and impactful to the broader culture, so I'm really going to craft it from the ground up. That being said however, I'll definitely be releasing music between now and when the album is ready.

Hallels:  I believe you will be touring this fall, what can fans expect from seeing you live?

The passion that they hear on my projects is only a fraction of the passion I use to perform. That's not to say I hold back on my music (I don't). But live performances give me an opportunity to embody the music in a way a recording can't. My shows are very high energy, sweat-soaked, and God glorifying experiences (laughs). I would definitely encourage people to come and check it out.

 

 

Tags : Shopé shope new ep shope interview shope news shope don't let me stop shope 2014