| Underground Friday: C.O.G. – A ‘Child of God’ on a mission Posted: 04 Sep 2009 01:22 PM PDT
When Bilal came of age, he joined the Navy. During his stint in the armed forces, he served his country faithfully, but realized he wasn’t a “lifer,” so he got out. He was 23 years old, the world was in front of him, but he didn’t know whether to turn to the right or to the left. “After getting out of the Navy, I was really lost and confused as to what direction my life was to go in,” he said. Then a coworker became a minister and teacher to Bilal. “A friend at work began to minister to me about Christ, and I accepted Christ on the job in a restroom.” “The fact that Jesus Christ died for my sins…In Islam, I was taught to ‘atone’ for my wrong doings, yet, no matter how much I could atone, I would STILL fall short of God’s glory and be unworthy,” he said. “When I heard that JESUS died for all of that? WOW!” As Bilal grew in his Christianity, he realized that he wanted to give back; he wanted to affect change within his community. Blessed with musical ability, Bilal decided that the best medium to reach the most was hip-hop, so C.O.G. (Child of God), his rap alter ego was born. Recently, I spoke with the National Independent Gospel award-winning rapper to discuss his music, life and everything else. —- Tiff: Did you expect your life to radically change after accepting Christ? C.O.G.: I did expect a radical change in the beginning. I had always heard or seen part of what ‘traditional’ church would do. You know, the tongues, the dancing, the shouting. I never felt that, so I never felt I could have that unless I did those things. Tiff: A lot of Christians think people will reject the simplicity of the Gospel or think it’s foolish, but you heard it and it made sense. C.O.G.: When it was taught the actual simplicity of the Gospel, it really was and is easy. When a man or woman is down, with nowhere else to turn, the Gospel is very simplistic, necessary and welcomed. Tiff: So going back to your story post-Navy, and post-conversion…was it easy for you to find a church or Christian community in which you could learn about Christ or were you still put off from "church folk?" C.O.G.: It was very difficult. Having not been a part of the church community, the things that I had always heard, seen or read about in church were the first things that I witnessed. It wasn’t until I met Pastor Leroy Staley in Forest City, N.C. that I saw different. Tiff: How did Pastor Leroy change the way you viewed things? C.O.G.: He didn’t come across as pushy or arrogant. He was truly concerned for my salvation. He always taught me to keep the Gospel elementary. “Just love people,” he would say. That’s all I’ve ever known him to do. He didn’t come at me with too much theology. For a new convert, that can be too much too soon. Tiff: Is he still your pastor today? C.O.G.: He will always be “my pastor.” I’m in Raleigh now and Rodney Finch is my pastor; but there will always be a very special place in my heart for Pastor Staley and New Bethel. Just like Pastor Staley, Pastor Rodney doesn’t push. He teaches the Bible verse by verse, allowing us all to grow. That’s the most important key to becoming a better Christian: Growth. Tiff: It’s interesting that you say that. At what point did you grow enough in the faith that you decided to become a musician? C.O.G.: Well, that was a part of me before becoming a believer. I sang in night clubs, was in a couple of groups, etc. When I got saved, I took time to learn the Word and grow. There was no point of growth, when the Holy Spirit said to go back to music, I just did. At first, it was very difficult. I was not accustomed to the type of music the group I was with was singing at the time. We were a quartet group, and that was something a bit new and very different for me. Tiff: How did you come up with your rap persona? C.O.G.: By that time, I was a Sunday school teacher and a youth pastor. I was singing and teaching, but it didn’t feel right. It seemed like I was just going through the motions, not really making a difference. The very children in my youth ministry were still turning to the music of the street, hip hop. I wanted to do something to win them back. I believe that turning point came when I heard my daughter listening to some rap that I didn’t approve of. I told her that I didn’t want to hear that music in my house, and she said, “Daddy, make something I can listen to then.” I started that day. Tiff: You just started writing raps, just like that? C.O.G.: Just like that. Went in the studio and wrote my first CD in two weeks. That’s how I know it was God, not me! Tiff: When did you first step out as C.O.G.? C.O.G.: My daughter started sharing the music with her friends and the local paper heard about it and wanted to do a story on me. This little old lady asked me what my rapper name was, and I told her I didn’t have one, I’m just a child of God. She said, “That’s it! Your name should be Child of God.” And that’s how C.O.G. came about. Tiff: How did people receive you? C.O.G.: People at first did not like what I was doing. People would say, “God don’t need no hip hop music to save souls.” And I would agree and say, “He don’t need no quartet music, choirs, organs either!” I’ve been doing this now for almost six years. I’ve been extremely blessed that no matter where I’ve been, people have LOVED my music. I believe the music should remain fun, only the message should change. There’s a way to deliver the Word without it being boring, docile or too dark. So many young people think serving God is a drag, but that’s just because of the way tradition has caused it to be delivered. For way too many years, preachers have preached, hell, fire and brimstone and that’s not a very pretty picture. If you’re already in a bad situation, why would you want to join something that seems so grim? Being a Christian is fun! You have the freedom to just be you. No peer pressure, no pressure to do drugs, drink alcohol, curse, etc. Tiff: So what kind of message would you say you "preach" through your lyrics? C.O.G.: I keep it very simple. I truly believe why my music has been so well received. Little children to grandparents all seem to appreciate what I do. That’s a true blessing. I try to reach a broad range of subjects in my music, but the most consistent message I try to deliver is that Jesus Christ died for your sins; forgiveness of sins is yours if you’d just believe, repent and turn away from sin. Tiff: Okay, so tell me about your latest album. What’s the name of it? C.O.G.: The latest CD is entitled Ghetto Hymnbook. The CD is a very easy listen. The songs are fun, the hooks are catchy and the Word is evident. Oh, and the beats-oh my goodness! I have the very best producer in Gospel music on this project His name is Spec (www.spechousemedia.com), and he used to be a big producer in the secular realm. Tiff: So it’s music that young people won’t be ashamed to bump in front of their friends? C.O.G.: Actually, they will want to bump this in front of their friends. I know a lot of people say that type of thing, but listen for yourself and see.
Buy C.O.G.’s music here: · http://www.pdsoulwebsite.com (Digital download only) · Send $7 to Ghetto Hymnbook, 1225 Delham Road Knightdale, NC 27545 (Hardcopy)
Check out C.OG.’s music and get in touch with him at the following sites: · http://www.pdsoulwebsite.com · http://www.myspace.com/pdsoul |
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