Stephen Wiley Explained

Stephen Wiley (born 1958) is an American rapper and minister, who is often credited as the first artist to release a Christian rap album.[1]

Biography

Wiley was born in 1958 and grew up in Muskogee, Oklahoma. A University of Oklahoma graduate, Wiley began a career as a jazz drummer in 1979. By 1982, Wiley was performing rap music with Christian lyrics, and in 1984 he took a job as chaplain at a juvenile detention center.[2] In 1985, Wiley released the album Bible Break, the title track of which received airplay on Christian radio.[3] A 1988 article in Spin magazine nicknamed Wiley the "Grandmaster of God".[4] Bible Break was later acknowledged as the first Christian rap album by T-Bone in his 2002 song "Our History".

Wiley would later serve as assistant pastor/youth minister at the predominantly-black Crenshaw Christian Center in Los Angeles, CA under televangelist Frederick K.C. Price. He eventually released a total of six albums, with Rhapsody in 1991 including a guest appearance by the gospel group Witness. Wiley later founded the Praise Center Family Church in Muskogee and Tulsa, Oklahoma where he serves as pastor.[5] He is also the Assistant Vice President, Director of Christian Ministries, and Assistant Professor of Religion at Bacone College in Muskogee where he teaches full-time.[6]

Discography

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Archived copy . 2011-10-06 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20111004054918/http://www.josefsorett.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/07/beatsrhymesbiblestaap-websiteexcerpt.pdf . October 4, 2011 . mdy-all . Page 3
  2. Book: Powell, Mark Allan . Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music . Hendrickson Publishers . 2002 . 1-56563-679-1 . Peabody, Massachusetts . 1037.
  3. Book: Moody, David L. . Political Melodies in the Pews? The Voice of the Black Christian Rapper in the Twenty-first-century Church . . 2012 . 9780739172360 . 4-5.
  4. News: Francis . Bill . November 1988 . Rappin' for Jesus . 22 . Spin Magazine.
  5. Web site: Pastor's Corner. Praise Center Family Church. March 17, 2011.
  6. Web site: Center for Christian Ministry Staff. Bacone College. March 17, 2011.