From Tennessee to “The Kingdom” with Guest Justmic

On this episode of talking with purpose Pastor Les interviews Christian rapper Justmic. Joined them as they dive in to childhood and now ministry.

Make sure to follow Justmic. Hold on.
Stream his Album “Spirit Bread” on ALL STREAMING PLATFORMS.

‪@Justmic216‬ 
On YouTube, instagram and “Justmic Tabbs”  on Facebook 

#fyp #podcast #viral #kingdom #justmic

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Have you ever wondered what it's like to go from the trenches to the kingdom? Well, today we're about to find out. Because today on Talking with Purpose, we have our special guest, Justin Mike. Let's get started. What's going on, everybody? It's your boy, Pastor Lesson from Inspired Church. Amen? Here in Oluri, Ohio. And we got a special guest, like I said earlier. Now, to me personally, this dude don't need no introduction. But I know a lot of people don't know about him, don't know his struggle, and don't know things that he's been doing. And hopefully we can touch a little bit on that today. But I want to introduce to you a dear friend of mine, a man of God, an anointed man of God, and an amazing gospel rapper. Ladies and gentlemen, help me give it up for my man just Mike.

SPEAKER_01 1:18

What's up, dog? I love you, dog. God bless you, man.

SPEAKER_00 1:22

Thank you so much for doing this with us, man. And thank you, bro. I'm just gracious, bro. I'm really gracious. Um quick story about how this happened. My wife hits me up and she's like, babe, why don't you have Mike on the pod? And it was like a bomb went off in my head, like boom. First of all, I just I was disappointed in myself because I'm like, why I ain't think of this earlier? This makes no sense. I talked to this dude almost all the time. Why didn't I even think about setting this up?

SPEAKER_03 1:57

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:57

But then he goes and tells me that on that same day where I messaged him and set this up, he said, man, I want to be on that pod.

SPEAKER_01 2:07

Yeah, yeah. I was like, yeah, the day before with that clip, I was like, man, I want to be on that pod. Yeah, like it was uh, you want Pastor Luce. I can't remember what y'all was talking about now, but um it was a good clip. Y'all was I think I was talking about the ministry and everything and just how God moved. But yeah, man, I definitely was like, man, I want to be on that pod. And it was so cool too, because look, okay, so me and Pastor, our relationship is voice memos, right?

SPEAKER_00 2:41

Yo, that's crazy. You say that, yes.

SPEAKER_01 2:43

Yes, that's our relationship, yeah. That's crazy. But it's like, but it's cool though, because when I get them, I'm like, I'm excited, because we usually talk in the morning, and so like I'm excited, you know? And so, like, um, when I got the voice memo and I turned it on, I thought it was like gonna be one of those, yo, Mike, what's up? You know, because you always got energy, you Mike, what's up, brother? I was just thinking about you, uh, you know, something like that. And you was like real chill and humble. You about it was like, yo, so um very different. Yeah, very different. And you was like, so I was thinking, if you want to, you know, maybe we should do a pod together. And I'm I'm over here giddy, and I'm just listening to the voice message. I'm like, yo, why he excited? So that's why when I sent Mars back, I was like, yes, yo, yes.

SPEAKER_00 3:35

I'm sure he was hyped about it, but yo, the reason why I was like that, Mike, because I was like, I seen that you got a few things coming up, and I didn't know when your availability was. Man, so I was like, you know, I kind of want to sound like scared. You know, I wanna do it on purpose, but I was like, I don't know how to approach this. He might be too busy. I would really like for him to get on.

SPEAKER_01 4:01

But man, I definitely want to do this for real. No, you're my bro, bruh. You could have you could have hit me up and be like, yo, it's Pastor. I'm free on this day. We're doing this pod. I would have been like, yo, I can't eat whatever is playing, yo. I gotta I gotta be there for my bro, bruh. Real talk, man. See, I appreciate that. Yeah, that's how much you mean to me. That's how much y'all mean to me. Exactly.

SPEAKER_00 4:24

Yo, um, me and Mike, man, uh the way we met.

SPEAKER_01 4:29

Oh, man.

SPEAKER_00 4:30

Uh, it was it was um it was crazy.

SPEAKER_01 4:33

Super crazy.

SPEAKER_00 4:34

He went, I'm gonna I'm gonna say it real quick. He went to this like men's Bible study that they had in Elyria.

SPEAKER_01 4:43

Yeah, it was a men's luncheon.

SPEAKER_00 4:44

A men's luncheon. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 4:46

Thank you.

SPEAKER_00 4:46

And uh, bro, my man was there, bro.

SPEAKER_01 4:50

Uh Mario, Mario.

SPEAKER_00 4:52

Yeah, Pastor Mario. Shout out to Pastor Mario.

SPEAKER_01 4:54

Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's who invited me.

SPEAKER_00 4:56

Yeah, he he invited you. Um, and I was speaking that day because me and him used to lead those. That and around that time, it was me and him who lead those.

SPEAKER_01 5:05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 5:05

So, you know, a few men showed up, but I saw him, and immediately I was like, boop. And the reason why I did that, I was like, oh snap, in this room, aside from Pastor Mario, he kind of looked like me.

SPEAKER_01 5:20

Yeah, right, right.

SPEAKER_00 5:21

It's kind of like, you know, you had to fit it on. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And it was like, okay, he this dude, he's relatable. Yeah. That's the first thing I thought. He's a bit related.

SPEAKER_01 5:32

Both have the same type of swag about each other. Yeah, really.

SPEAKER_00 5:35

I think that got to do with our age, bro.

SPEAKER_01 5:37

I think so too. I think so. I think it's our age, our background, you know, my background's a little, a little more, you know, in the trenches, as you said. You know what I'm saying? But uh, you know, than yours, but we still have that hip-hop, you know, DNA tours. So yeah. DNA. Yeah, and uh so when I saw, but when I saw you, when I walked in and I saw you, I was like, yo, who was this? Because I had been to that church before. Interesting. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So when I saw you, and like, you know, where we live at, you kind of see everybody. And so I had been here for a few a few years then. So when I saw you, I had the same thing, like, yo, who was this cat? You were sitting at the front, yeah. You were sitting at the front. So I'm like, yo, who is this cat right here? You know? It's like, but you instantly went. You instantly went into like the moment I asked that first question, I know that's what you get to. And the moment I started asking those questions, you instantly went into like straight, pastoral, encouraging, inspiring, like moment, you know. And I just had more. I was just rattling them off. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 6:53

But yo, one thing he did say, because everybody started like, everybody started helping him, you know, with his question. One thing I never forget he said, he better, he was like, all right, y'all, I don't need y'all to make this about me now.

SPEAKER_04 7:08

Like, y'all don't gotta make this about me.

SPEAKER_00 7:11

And we like, no, no, no, hold up, bro. No, no. You know, it was just, I think that was a divine appointment. That was for you. Um now knowing you after that day, um, how you spoke openly about your struggles at that moment, yeah. And knowing you and seeing your growth, which is what we're gonna get into today. I just want to say I'm proud of you, bro.

SPEAKER_01 7:33

Oh, thank you.

SPEAKER_00 7:34

Because you are not, let me tell you, praise God. You are not that dude that walked into that luncheon. You're not him anymore. Yeah, I have. You've upgraded and you've leveled up, as they say, bro. You really have. And of course, we give God all the glory for that.

SPEAKER_01 7:49

Yeah, it's only by the grace of God that, you know, I can sit here and a man that really I look at and you know, feel like, man, I I hope to be as as good as that man, even though none of us are good, but you know, you know, can say that I leveled up. It does, it means a lot, bro. You know that. You know, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 8:11

So let's get into some questions, bro. I got some questions for Just Mike, right? So I got this first question, bro.

SPEAKER_03 8:18

Oh man. Oh, shut up. Nah, it ain't that bad. It ain't that bad.

SPEAKER_00 8:22

For those who have never heard of Just Mike, who is Just Mike? How would you describe Just Mike to somebody who don't know who Just Mike is?

SPEAKER_01 8:33

Honestly, the way I always describe myself, I'm just a fat trucker from Tennessee trying to hold on to Guy's him.

SPEAKER_04 8:41

That's all I know.

SPEAKER_01 8:44

But I love that. Real Tigney. I love that.

SPEAKER_00 8:47

Real Tiggy. And that's that's real. That's being real. Yeah. That's being realistic. That's who he is. That's who Just Mike is. Who is Just Mike?

SPEAKER_01 8:56

The rapper. The rapper?

SPEAKER_00 8:58

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 8:59

I'm still trying to find that out.

SPEAKER_00 9:01

Wow, that's a good answer.

SPEAKER_01 9:02

That's the guy's honest truth. I'm still trying to find that out.

SPEAKER_00 9:06

You took it deep here. This is good. I mean, I'm no, that's good that you're honest. Like you're trying to find that out.

SPEAKER_01 9:12

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 9:13

I feel that it takes a lot of reps in anything when you're trying to find out what it is. Like this this whole rapping for the Lord thing, it ain't as easy as it looks. You know, no, it's not. By the way, your presentation for this album has been top notch. Your videos are top notch. You've leveled up completely in everything when it comes to your music side. So I want to give you a shout-out for that, which is amazing.

SPEAKER_01 9:47

One thing I gotta ask you, because you said You're starting to make me feel weird, bruh.

SPEAKER_00 9:51

Oh, nah, nah.

SPEAKER_01 9:52

You know how I get, man. You're making it all about me, man. No, you probably were listening all the time.

SPEAKER_00 10:01

Don't listen to him, don't listen to him. Yo, one thing I gotta ask you. Where in Tennessee are you from? Oh, I don't think you ever well, you probably did, I don't remember.

SPEAKER_01 10:11

Yeah, yeah. Uh no, that's all good. Because a lot of people don't know me, but I'm from Murphysboro. That's MBT Baby 615.

SPEAKER_02 10:19

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 10:22

Yeah, it's 30 minutes away from Nashville. Um it was, it used to be a small college town. That's where MTSU was at. Okay. Guaranteed there's gonna be somebody here that's like, oh, I know MTSU. Right. It was like growing up there, it was like a small college town, but now it's then grew, it's then grew so much. Nashville, middle Tennessee is then grew so much, it's like a suburb of Nashville. So wow, that's crazy. Yeah, it's done grow a whole lot.

SPEAKER_00 10:50

And what what was it like growing up there, Mike? Who was it? In that same area. How was it growing up? How just Mike became just Mike in that area, bro?

SPEAKER_01 11:01

Alright, so pretty much I grew up in Murphy's Boro, Case and Lane, which was a suburb in the country, and I'm talking about I literally grew up looking at uh the master's house. Right down the street from my house was literally it was the master's house. It was when we moved there, it was big open field. I mean, it was a horse I fed, I fed apples to. Like that's cool. Yeah, like that's how country it was. But here's the thing though. Like I said, we in the suburb in the country, I'm surrounded by, you know, it was, I mean, at that time in the 90s, it was like, you know, it was uh of course full of white folks, but it was, you know, mixture of black folks. We had a bunch of Laotians that stayed uh in one section of the uh uh uh of the suburb and everything. And bro, it was like we just had our hands on every type of drug.

SPEAKER_00 12:01

Would you say it was diverse?

SPEAKER_01 12:03

Yeah, it was yeah, we was diverse. Yeah, yeah, yeah. We all kicked it together, you know what I'm saying? Like, we all spent the night at each other's house. We all like, you know, would go walk in the Stones River, you know, have a couple joints, a six-pack, and you know, go to the river. And I'm talking about this is when we were literally 11, 12 years old. That's what we did. We'll have two joints and a six-pack, go to the river, go swimming in the river, you know, drink a couple beers. Wow. Yeah, man. At a young age. Yeah, yeah, yeah. At a young age. It's incredible.

SPEAKER_00 12:38

See, me, you know a little bit of my story. I've never drank. You've never drank nothing? Oh, uh, yeah, maybe I didn't tell you that. No, not a sip of anything. I never smoked, not a puff of anything. Um, yeah. For real? Yeah, never, never. I never did. Not just a little bit. Not just a little bit. Not just like one hit of the chronic. You know what's crazy though? This does not mean that I wasn't tempted.

SPEAKER_01 13:03

Yeah. No, congratulations, man. For real. That's a horror feat. For real. That's a horror feat. Especially where we grew up. Exactly.

SPEAKER_00 13:12

It doesn't mean that I wasn't tempted, but it's crazy because within myself, I was like, yo, I got a I when I noticed that all my boys was doing it, but not me, I was like, Yeah, yo, I got a record going on. I got a few years on these cats. You know what? I'm gonna keep this up. Yeah, and plus seeing my father uh be an alcoholic and struggle with alcoholism together. Yeah, I that really turned me off to it. Yeah, uh, he wasn't a mean guy at all. Just the problem that he had with that, yeah, and what it caused, it really turned me off. So I stood away from all of that stuff. I got a question for you. This is a two-part question.

SPEAKER_01 13:49

I bet.

SPEAKER_00 13:52

Who had the biggest influence in your life musically? Okay, and in your life as Mike.

SPEAKER_01 14:00

Um musically, musically, man, that's a horror one. I mean, of course, it's some dirty South cats. Right. I mean, I would say musically, the first now, actually, the first person that really made me want to uh be a rapper or try to rap was Snoop Dogg.

SPEAKER_00 14:23

Oh, wow. Yeah, and the dog from Tennessee, Snoop Dogg, that's that's crazy.

SPEAKER_01 14:27

Yeah, that doggy style album.

SPEAKER_00 14:30

Okay, okay.

SPEAKER_01 14:30

Yeah, my mama had bought me that album. My mama used to buy me uh CDs and tapes all the time. Yeah, so you know, when that doggy style came out, uh she had bought me that CD. And um, man, I I I played that CD like crazy. So, you know, I had got a walk, I had got, you know, a walkman. You know what I'm saying? Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 14:53

Y'all know what we're talking about.

SPEAKER_01 14:54

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Some of y'all don't don't know. Yeah, so you know, I had my walkman, got on the bus, and um, and I'm back there rapping, you know, Lottie Dottie, we likes the party. Yeah, I'm saying. Oh my gosh. And so saying the cuss words, somebody tells the bus driver, and they take my C D. So my mom, they call my mama, and so I think I'm like, I don't know, I'm probably like eight at the time. Wow. Yeah, and so they call my mama, and um, my mama came to school and cussed them out and got my C D back.

SPEAKER_00 15:29

Gangster mama.

SPEAKER_01 15:31

Well, my mom like a dog. My mama was not playing about that boy. She, but that was like like that that doggy style, that's when I remember like that. Um, that CD is what made me want to start like writing some raps and stuff.

SPEAKER_00 15:47

Wow, that that's that's an amazing CD. Being that you're from Tennessee and someone from the West Coast influenced you, yeah. It just goes to show how broad music really is. You know what I'm saying? And like it shouldn't sit stay in sectors or sections.

SPEAKER_01 16:04

Let me tell you the the the the song, the specific song, and I of course the rapper that inspired me that I wanted to write was Nasis I Gave You Power. That one where you know he just going, he's the gun, and he just explaining like the whole that whole story, that whole breakdown. Wow, that made you want to yes, because that was like that was like a that was like a play. That was like a play. Like listening to that, he pinned it so well, it was like, man, I want to do something like that. So, and I'm still trying to do something like that.

SPEAKER_00 16:40

I only heard one other person, no, two other people describe it exactly like you did.

SPEAKER_01 16:45

Uh-huh. Two other people.

SPEAKER_00 16:47

Yo, bro, for and um, so that because the level that it takes to write something like that, it's insane, bro. Yeah, dog. Now, who was your influence in the world?

SPEAKER_01 17:00

Man, that's hard. I've been really good at taking little pieces of people. Oh, I like that. Instead of just having one influence. That's good. Yeah, so it's just like, you know, it's been like my mom and her work ethnic, you know what I'm saying? And just like um her her honesty, her genuineness, her forwardness about her. But then, you know, different men that's came, like mainly my sister's boyfriends. Right, right. You know what I'm saying, over the years. That's another reason why I had all those drugs and alcohol so young, because they would give it to me. But you know, different things about them, I just I just picked up, you know what I mean? So just like, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 17:47

So you have a guy here from Tennessee who had a it so it sounds to me, Mike tell me, correct me if I'm wrong. It sounds to me like the enemy came at you real, real young.

SPEAKER_03 18:03

Oh yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 18:04

You know, he came at you really, really young. I you know, it's kind of something that people be sleeping on. The enemy does not waste time. He has to attack the future in order to stop the growth of the people. Because the moment he gets you, when you're young, then he got you. I mean, when you're young, right?

SPEAKER_01 18:23

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 18:24

You found all of that appealing when you were young.

SPEAKER_01 18:26

Oh, you were.

SPEAKER_00 18:26

Okay, so see, that's that's that's how the enemy works, right? So all of that was appealing to you. You you you struggled with all of those things. And after struggling with all those things, hit a quick little fast forward.

SPEAKER_03 18:38

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 18:43

I want to know when was it that Jesus Christ became real to you? Not the day you met him, not the day you accepted him. Because there's a difference, y'all.

SPEAKER_01 18:55

It is. It's a big difference.

SPEAKER_00 18:57

Y'all give us a minute here. This is a big difference. Not those two, because those two days are amazing and those two days mark our lives. But I want to know when Jesus Christ became real to you personally. Man, it don't gotta be a specific day, but do you remember where you were, what you felt, what was it inside of you that was like, okay, wait a minute. This right here is real.

SPEAKER_01 19:23

I'm gonna tell you, man. It was actually what we what me and Nicole, my wife Nicole, told you about what her legal situation.

SPEAKER_00 19:35

Oh, yes, okay.

SPEAKER_01 19:38

My wife's faith at that time and to see what God pulled her from to give her a new start. And I mean, you know, we were walking with the Lord, we was going to church, I was reading the Bible, I but I believed, but to see what the Lord did for her to give her a whole new start in life, that's when it was like, this is real. And I told you, like, at that time, so I gotta explain the story. Yeah, yeah. Okay, so my wife was, you know, when we met, she was on the run, you know, we was living in the streets, we was just, you know, getting, I was working, but we was getting high and selling sacks, selling sacks of weed, selling pills, you know, she had a pill problem herself, you know, and uh she'll tell you all of this. And so pretty much fast forward, we straighten our life out, we're not doing drugs anymore. We get a knock on the door, it's the police, and they trying to and they took and they take her to jail. And so um, they take her to jail, and then she has to go back to Tennessee. Mind you, we gotta come up with all this money. Somehow the Lord gave us the money. You know, I don't know how we came up with all the money.

SPEAKER_00 20:57

When you first told me this, I was floored.

SPEAKER_01 21:00

Yeah, man. But I mean, I'm but let me so stick to the story. Yes. So we down there in Tennessee, and we thinking that we're gonna go to this lawyer, and the lawyer is gonna say, okay, um, first pay me. It's $5,000. Um, and we like and we by the grace of God, we had the $5,000. And we had all the money for our bills, too. We had over $5,000. We had we had more than what we needed somehow. But okay, so the lawyer tells us, um, you need to turn yourself in today. We're thinking, oh, we it's gonna be a whole nother week. We're gonna be in Tennessee waiting on the court for at least a week, and then we'll find out if she's going to jail. The lawyer says, No, you need to go turn yourself in today. Then the lawyer tells her, Oh, um, best. Case scenario is you do six months in jail and um you get put on probation for eight years. That's the best case scenario. Worst case scenario is you you do the full eight years in prison that you were supposed to do, and you'll have no probation. That's the worst case scenario. So we're looking at like no matter how much we're crazy. Either way. Either way. And she's in either way, she's got to turn herself in. So she's going to jail that afternoon. Yeah. Wow. So I'm thinking, in my head, we've been running. We've been, you know, we did, we turned our life over to the Lord, but my faith wasn't where her faith was at. I wasn't even thinking like I wasn't even thinking like what God had did. I was strictly thinking on what Michael can do. Right.

SPEAKER_00 22:56

You know what I'm saying? Like that's the position of a husband. Like the first thing you're thinking doesn't mean you're doubting God. It just means what can I do to help my wife in this situation?

SPEAKER_01 23:06

Yeah, to help both of us. I mean, we just got married. We just got you know, we just, we just, all this literally, all of this is we just got married. A few months, like three, four months before, all of this stuff, yeah. And so I'm like, yo, we can dip, we can run. I'm thinking like we can go to Texas, you know, honestly. I'm I've been a truck driver, you know, you've been running, we've been dodging the law. And uh Nicole, all she kept saying was, like, no, no, God wants me to settle this. God wants me to settle this. I'm gonna trust it, I'm gonna trust it. That's all she kept saying.

SPEAKER_00 23:44

Is so then whatever happens, happens. And then when the Lord shows off, because he has an amazing way of always showing off in our lives. When the Lord shows off, and she receives the blessing that she was waiting for in that moment, you said that her faith is what made Jesus real to you.

SPEAKER_01 24:11

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 24:12

You know what's interesting about that? Yeah, that's why testimonies are so important.

SPEAKER_01 24:16

Yeah, yeah, yeah, for sure.

SPEAKER_00 24:18

Because you just never know what the story that somebody went through is gonna do for someone that's going through it.

SPEAKER_01 24:26

Yeah, because Nicole had to go through that so that she could have a new start, a new, a new life, a new start on life, and you know, all of that in her past could go away. And I needed that so that I could see, like, man, Jesus is here for us, with us, and wants us to really do this the right way with him. But yeah, so long story short, they dropped all of her charges. She she uh no fines, we had to pay. All she had to do was just 24 hours in jail. That's it. And they and this is what the lawyer said. This is what the so I go to the court, then you know, we uh turn we turn her in, I go to the courthouse the next day, and then I'm in the court, so everybody like Big Mike, Big Mike, we thought you moved, bro. I'm seeing everybody from back in the day. And so, you know, uh, but yeah, man. So I finally see the lawyer. The lawyer comes out the the courtroom and he just has this look on his face, like, and I'm scared. Oh God, I can't even agree. Yeah, and I'm like, man, what's up? He like, man, I don't know who you got praying for you, but they some strong people. That's all that was the first thing he said to me. And so then he told me they're dropping all their charges, she has no fines, they're gonna expunge her record completely, everything in her past, they're completely wiping it away. And I said, How? And I mean, there's more to the story where the Lord showed up. Oh, absolutely. And so they he was like, they just they just want to do uh 24 hours in jail, uh a full 24 hours in jail, and y'all can go home and start y'all's life.

SPEAKER_00 26:10

Incredible. So through what the Lord did in your wife, you said, okay, her faith to Jesus.

SPEAKER_03 26:18

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 26:19

Because you've been you've been serving, you've been trying, you've been walking, right? Yeah, yeah. But her faith is what led you to be like, okay, wait a minute. This Jesus character, just saying, paraphrasing, this Jesus character really is real. This is real, he really does show up, he really does help. He really, he really is real.

SPEAKER_01 26:41

Yeah, man.

SPEAKER_00 26:42

So you said something though when you were saying this, and it made me think of my next question.

SPEAKER_01 26:46

What up?

SPEAKER_00 26:46

You said when you was in the courthouse the next day, everybody's like, yo, big Mike, what up, man? What up, man? So my question to you is this because they know who they were looking at then.

SPEAKER_01 26:57

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 26:58

What do you think they think about Mike in 2026? When they make a mental comparison, like the dude that walked up in that courthouse, yeah, they thought you moved, but they seen you in the courthouse of your old town.

SPEAKER_03 27:12

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Right?

SPEAKER_00 27:13

And then they, you know, in their mind, they're like, man, what he got into now? Mike back over here, man. We know Mike. Why Mac? Why Mike back over here?

SPEAKER_01 27:22

Yeah, my dude, my dude Dre was actually like, every time I'm in court, he was like, every time I'm in court, I see you. I was like, nah. I was like, nah, bruh, you understand. I was like, dude, I'm here for my wife. See, those are different time, though.

SPEAKER_00 27:38

But what do you think they would say right now with the 2026 version of Mike?

SPEAKER_01 27:42

Man, actually, it seems like um, it seems like they're really proud of me. Like, folks, it I'm getting one or two responses. Either I'm getting no response whatsoever, you feel me? Um, or it's, you know, just just you know, it's just like just love, you know. They still not getting close. I've never been a popular guy, really. You know, I really never had like a big friend group or nothing like that. Right. But, you know, just uh, you know, people from back in Tennessee, they just see on social media. And so, you know, um, at first, you know, it was like it was no, it was no response. But I'm starting to see like I'm being surprised. I'm like, oh dang, I didn't even know we was, I didn't even know we was Facebook friends or we was following each other on TikTok. And so they it's a it's a like here or it's a comment here. It's like, yo, I see you, bro. Keep doing your thing, praise God, and stuff like that.

SPEAKER_00 28:45

Yeah, that's cool.

SPEAKER_01 28:46

Yeah, it's real cool.

SPEAKER_00 28:47

The beautiful thing is the reason why I asked that is because people on the outside can see the inward change that the Holy Spirit did in you.

SPEAKER_01 28:57

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 28:57

It's coming out, yeah. And a lot of people get this messed up too, because I feel like a lot of people, just because we say the name of Jesus doesn't mean that I believe in that. Anybody could say the name of Jesus, anybody say could say that they're a Christian. But do your fruits match what you just said, right? So with you, I really feel that I didn't know you from Tennessee. Yeah, yeah. I've always known the saved Mike, yeah, but I know the struggling Mike and the Mike that sits before me today. Yeah, and like I told you, there's a big difference. So I can't even imagine what those Tennessee cats, when they see you post up there and talk about Jesus, they know who Mike was and they see where Mike is. And I guarantee you, because of the power behind what you say in your music, which we'll get to we'll get into later. Yeah, um, I know that they say, nah, he really about God. He really walking this. So so we might want to get, yo, man, this really helped me, blah, blah, blah. But when it comes to hood dudes, bro, y'all gotta understand this. That yo, I see what you're doing. That's what's up. That's enough. You know what I mean? That's enough. That's big.

SPEAKER_01 30:15

It's cats that they started like them or still. I'm surprised they even got a Facebook. And I'm seeing their name, and I'm like, what? I'm like, he got a Facebook, you know? Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 30:29

Well, speaking about your music, my next question is when was it the first time that you realized you was called for Christian hip hop? Oh man. Because me and you had long audio conversations about this. Yeah. Right? In the beginning of our when we were really building that friendship audio back and forth. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Me and you had a lot of conversations about this particular thing. So I wanted to add this question because I really want to know where your head is when somebody asks you, yo, when was it that you felt that you got called to do this? Because anyone could, just because you rap, yeah, and you throw the name of Jesus, yeah, doesn't mean you're a Christian rap. And yet you're not called, right? So I could honestly say, Mike, you are called. And I've told you this. Did I tell you this, though? Yeah. I've told him this years ago. Yeah when I first came to this.

SPEAKER_01 31:32

If it wasn't for him and some other people, I would not be doing this.

SPEAKER_00 31:38

Yes, man.

SPEAKER_01 31:39

I would not be crazy. A gospel rapper.

SPEAKER_00 31:42

Right, right. You gotta do this, right?

SPEAKER_01 31:46

I would not.

SPEAKER_00 31:47

And it's because I saw it, the Holy Spirit revealed it to me. No, no, that's him.

SPEAKER_03 31:52

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 31:53

So I didn't let it go. So when was it that you felt like I here we go? I I can confidently say I'm called to do this.

SPEAKER_01 32:03

Man, that's just now.

SPEAKER_00 32:05

Wow, yes.

unknown 32:06

Out of feeling, out of feeling.

SPEAKER_01 32:07

That's just now that I'm just now feeling like the Lord really wants me to do this. It's always those little moments when things are going good. That's like, dang, okay, I guess this is my purpose.

SPEAKER_00 32:22

But you know here we go, here we go.

SPEAKER_01 32:25

Yeah, I got a whole nother thought process on that.

SPEAKER_00 32:28

But yes, it's those down times where you're not sure. Yeah, you know, because it ain't it's not, and I say this from experience too, because I'm also a Christian rapper. But it ain't about me today. Um you you you look not that you thirst for validation, but you look for somebody to at least acknowledge that you made something. And when when when it doesn't when you don't see that outcome, you get discouraged. And then, am I really called for this? And the way I could relate to that is in my ministry.

SPEAKER_01 33:04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 33:05

When I started this ministry, my wife and I, shout out to my beautiful baby. When we started loss, when we started this ministry, I was like, I was preaching to her and my daughters.

SPEAKER_01 33:16

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 33:17

And Jocelyn. Shout out to Evangelist Jocelyn and Vince. We love you.

SPEAKER_01 33:20

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 33:21

Um, I was preaching to them.

SPEAKER_01 33:23

Yeah, I remember I was I couldn't.

SPEAKER_00 33:24

And then you would come from time to time. Shout out to Mike.

SPEAKER_01 33:27

I came to some of them services.

SPEAKER_00 33:29

He's another one of them OGs, bro. I forget that, bro. It's crazy.

SPEAKER_01 33:33

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 33:33

He would show up and I would preach to my family and him. Right? But it's discouraging.

SPEAKER_01 33:39

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 33:39

You go back home and you're like, Really, Lord?

SPEAKER_01 33:41

Yeah, yeah, for sure.

SPEAKER_00 33:43

Really, Lord? Like, I know, I know you called me, and I've accepted the calling, but why the calling gotta look like this?

SPEAKER_01 33:50

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 33:51

Why doesn't it look the way it looks for others? And I think it's because there's just so much space for growth internally that we have to, you know, I feel like the Lord allows us to go through these things just so we could then realize, oh, wait, it ain't me. Yeah, it's him through me.

SPEAKER_01 34:07

Yeah. Well, see, this is the revelation I'm just coming to. And he's uh That's my next question.

SPEAKER_00 34:13

Go ahead.

SPEAKER_01 34:14

What's the next question? That right there.

SPEAKER_00 34:15

What you're about to say.

SPEAKER_01 34:16

What am I about to say?

SPEAKER_00 34:17

You said that what you're realizing now.

SPEAKER_01 34:20

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 34:20

Like what when did you realize? That was my next question.

SPEAKER_01 34:23

Okay, so here recently, no, but to go along to what what you were saying here recently, I'm really realizing that I was searching for the credit that only supposed to go to God. The Holy Spirit really so like you know, I'm I'm looking at numbers and likes and comments and stuff, and I'm getting down, and like, you know, um sometimes I I still have moments where it's like, man, nobody from my church liked it or something. But it could be it, it could literally have it could be like 35 likes on there. I mean, to me 35 likes. To me, 35 likes is yeah, I know some people get hundreds of them.

SPEAKER_00 35:12

Right, right.

SPEAKER_01 35:13

Yo, anything over five, I'm like, oh, okay. That's right, right, right, yeah. But you know, but it's those, it's those times where it's like you thought you were you would, you know, whatever you was doing for the Lord, you thought, oh, this is gonna be my audience, but then the Lord shows you, no, that's my audience, you know. You feel me? That's so good. Or for like pastors, like, this is his congregation. Right. You know what I'm saying? Yeah, true enough. He he trusts you to lead, to lead, and to, you know, he trusts you to uh be the um, what is it, the not the uh the shepherd, yes, you know, but it's his right and so you know here recently I'm just you know it was just like the Holy Spirit really showed me why I was feeling that way, and it's because I was looking for the credit that only supposed to go to God.

SPEAKER_00 36:08

Mike, that's so good, Mike.

SPEAKER_01 36:09

So, yeah, so it's just like I'm just now so back to the calling. Here I'm realizing these things, and it's just like the Lord keeps opening doors for me, you know, like and not just with the shows, just like, you know, some I'm got some features supposed to be coming out soon. Yeah, and everything. So, yeah, so it's just like, you know, um those things right there happening, and it's just like and financially, I don't see any, I don't see any money, right? But you know, I we're still not hurting for nothing. Come on, that's you get you.

SPEAKER_00 36:52

So, you know, and that I think that's just the sustaining power of the Holy Spirit. You know, just like not I got you.

SPEAKER_01 36:59

Yeah, and the Lord is like still like calling me to have intimate time with him. It's not just a thing where it's just like, okay, I need to do this, do that, do this, do that, do this. The Lord is like, no, you need to stop and spend time with me. You know, so it's just it I feel like all it I feel like coming to the realization of all of that, and plus all of y'all in my life that's constantly, because like I said, who am I? I'm just a fat trucker from Tennessee, and I'm happy being a fat trucker from Tennessee. Like I'm happy with that. But you know, brothers like you, my big brother Daryl. Shout out to Daryl, man. Yeah, St. Jones.

SPEAKER_00 37:42

You always talk, he always talks to me about you guys highly.

SPEAKER_01 37:46

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 37:47

This dude really loves y'all, man, just so y'all know.

SPEAKER_01 37:49

Yeah, man. They always, you know, keep me uplifted, and whenever I feel like, man, I'm cool, really. They be like, You ain't cool because you're not doing what the Lord wants you to do. Yes.

SPEAKER_00 38:03

I feel like me and you had combos like that too. Yes, you have had Mike, stop playing. Mike, nah.

SPEAKER_01 38:09

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 38:15

It's for real. Nah. And you know what? People that don't have people like us over us because they love us and care. Yeah, people that don't understand that hiding and avoiding, like, you know, you sucks.

SPEAKER_01 38:30

You know what I'm saying? But it sucks because when I don't want to talk to you or do y'all are the first people. Oh my gosh, this sucks so bad. I'll go days. We'll go days without talking, and all of a sudden, and Mike, hey brother, the Lord has you on my heart. I just need to check on you. I'm like, mm-hmm. And I'm and then have you noticed? It'll be after lunchtime until I hit you back or something.

SPEAKER_00 38:59

Yeah, I know.

SPEAKER_01 39:01

Because I'm in the truck and I'm just like, man, I don't want to lie to him. I don't want to lie to him.

SPEAKER_00 39:08

I don't even want them, I don't want to talk about it right now. I don't want to yo, what's crazy is on the other side. Yeah. I send you that and I'm waiting. But I know what you're doing. I'm like it's crazy. I don't know you that long. I know, I know you know what you're up to. I'm like, ah, he hasn't messaged me, bro. This dude really trying not to hear me today. But I'm telling you, the moment this dude be like, hold up, I'm letting it loose. That's all I've been waiting for. The moment I'm letting it loose. Bro, next question.

SPEAKER_03 39:44

All right.

SPEAKER_00 39:46

Let's talk about your music now.

SPEAKER_03 39:47

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 39:48

How would you describe your sound?

SPEAKER_03 39:51

Southern.

SPEAKER_01 39:52

Yes, absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 39:54

Southern baby. Let me let me ask that. 100% Southern.

SPEAKER_01 39:58

Southern, baby.

SPEAKER_00 39:59

A hundred percent southern. You gotta, you, you guys really gotta check that out. And this is why um I was under the influence that more, not under the influence, I was under the idea, the impression that more southern rappers would be part of your influence. So I like that. I like that Snoop was the first introduction to like, whoa, hip-hop is amazing. Yeah, because that's really one amazing, um, amazing artist. That G-Funk era was that G-Funk era was something else. It was something else. So I I like that. I like that you said it's southern because that that is true. So, what separates just Mike from every other artist in Christian hip hop?

SPEAKER_01 40:47

I don't know, you tell me. I don't know. I have no idea. You don't have no idea. I have no idea.

SPEAKER_00 40:54

I like what I what I think sets you apart is that, and I'm saying this with all the respect, because I know a few of them cats, and they're not even the ones I'm talking about right now. Yeah, but there's other artists. Um when it comes to you, the main thing that I always see, even when I hear your voice on a track, it's genuine.

SPEAKER_01 41:19

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 41:20

There's not a character.

SPEAKER_01 41:21

That's what I wanted to say, but I didn't it's genuine, Mike.

SPEAKER_00 41:28

I hear the same mic that I'm talking to today.

SPEAKER_01 41:32

For sure.

SPEAKER_00 41:32

Except, you know, with the because you gotta have a swag when you're raping.

SPEAKER_01 41:37

You gotta have a little bravado.

SPEAKER_00 41:38

Yeah, bravado. Exactly. But it's it's the same mic, and to me, I gravitate more towards artists that are like that, that are them. This is why my rap name is not something weird. It's LQ seven. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I always wanted to just be me no matter what I did.

SPEAKER_01 41:59

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 42:00

L Lester Kinonez, Q, number seven, my baseball number when I was young. That's all.

SPEAKER_03 42:05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 42:06

You know, so I just tried to be me my whole life. I didn't, I I had names that I thought of. Did you have did you have any um other rap names in mind?

SPEAKER_01 42:15

Nah, it's always been Big Mike, really. Big Mike. Wow. See, that's what that makes me. I could, I know, but I couldn't bring that over to my new life, you know what I'm saying? So that's why I just mine's just Mike, you know.

SPEAKER_00 42:29

Yo, speaking of music though, yeah, how is there any advice you can give somebody on other other Christian artists that find themselves struggling to make quality time at home, quality time with the Lord, and quality time to input into the music. So my question is, how does just Mike manage all three of those very important areas? Because all three of them have to have God.

SPEAKER_01 42:57

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 42:58

Which is crazy. See, he wants us to be intimate with him and have that intimate personal time with him.

SPEAKER_03 43:04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 43:04

But in our household, we need God in our household. That's right. And then when you're a Christian rapper or a Christian artist in any type of genre, you still need God in that too. So, what does Just Mike do to navigate all three areas and keep everything as balanced as he can?

SPEAKER_01 43:20

Um, I'm still learning it, but the thing that I'm learning right now is all of that stuff is in seasons. You know what I'm saying? It's a season where the Lord is like, you need to spend time with me. You know what I'm saying? I mean, that's you're we're gonna be there all the time, but it's it's times when the Lord is sending sending you out to to reap the harvest, right? You know, but and then it's times when you know you you have that season where you do need to be at home for me because you know it's just me and my wife, right? Right. Where it's just like you know, we need our quality time, she needs to know, but right now. This season that the Lord has me in with all this stuff is like it's pretty clear to me that He This is my assignment for right now. You know? I love that. And so, you know, um, you know, whenever like it's it's really cool because I can see what or I I think I feel like I can really see what the Lord is doing. I see like what's what's you know what's coming. You feel me? And so um that just shows you're in his will. Oh wow. Well, praise God.

SPEAKER_00 44:37

Think about this. When we're not in his will, we get desperate. And we're like, I don't know what you want me to do. Right, that's what I'm saying. Yeah, yeah. I don't know what you want me to do. Yeah, uh, God, I just want to please you, I want to do your will. Yeah, but we never ask, okay, what's your will and take me there?

SPEAKER_01 44:52

Yeah, and see, and and you want to hear something crazy? Yeah. So, you know, before, I don't know if you noticed, but like, I was posting like a madman trying to just get the the album out there.

SPEAKER_02 45:06

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 45:07

And so once I took a step back, and Daryl, my big bro Daryl, Daryl. Yep, had talked to me and was like, you know, you really need to be praying before you just make these moves. And he he didn't say it to me like that, but that's what he meant.

SPEAKER_00 45:20

Yeah, that's what he meant, right.

SPEAKER_01 45:22

And so um, you know, I'm not posting as much. And I'm like, you know, more intentional about what I post when I post and stuff because of the Lord. Right. And so I was talking to this uh this Christian rapper, and the and one of the first things out of his mouth was we this first time we ever talked, he was like, Um, yeah, bro, you real active, bro. You active. I see you, I see your stuff all the time. He never likes any of it, but but it's all good. It's all good. I didn't even know this, but he was like, you know, he he was like, uh, you know, I uh I want to be I I want to get to a point where I'm consistent like you. And to me and to me, yeah, and to me, it's like I'm not even being consistent. I'm just trying to be in the Lord's will.

SPEAKER_00 46:11

That's it, right. So when you're in the Lord's will, it even makes people see you different.

SPEAKER_01 46:17

Yeah, I didn't even know like people was looking at me like that. I thought I had calmed down.

SPEAKER_00 46:23

But right, and that was intentional because you, you know, you got advice from one of your mentors. Daryl was like, yo, yeah, spend time with the Lord before you go post something. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Which is great advice. Yeah. Because sometimes when we, you know, of course, we look for that type of attention, um, and sometimes we we we look for it in the wrong way without even knowing. Yeah. It's kind of like I want people to say I'm nasty, I want people to say I got bars, I want people to say that my that my music touched them, I want people to say that they felt something. I want people to bring up one of my lines and say it was dope. Yeah, yeah. You always want that type of validation, but when you get a validation like that, like, yo, I want to be as active as you, that means you're being watched, and what you're doing is enough to inspire somebody else.

SPEAKER_01 47:12

Yeah, yeah, yeah. That was that is something I took away from me. Like, dang, like, I'm inspiring. Inspiring.

SPEAKER_00 47:22

Inspiring, yeah. So now let's talk about the album Spirit Bread, which is out on all streaming platforms. Now, Mike, yeah, I want to share this with you, bro. I think I know what you're about to say. I remember I don't know if we're about to say the same thing. Okay, okay, okay. I remember um you sent me the link. Okay, so let me just say so. I don't know how long, it was a few months, right?

SPEAKER_01 47:57

It was a week.

SPEAKER_00 47:59

Before he dropped Spirit Bread, which you gotta go check out on streaming platforms.

SPEAKER_01 48:03

Yes, yes.

SPEAKER_00 48:04

Before he dropped it, he had sent me the link. He said, Yo, Pastor, I need you to check this out.

SPEAKER_01 48:10

Oh no, this ain't what I was thinking.

SPEAKER_00 48:12

Oh, okay. My bad. Hold on. I need you to check this out. So I listened to it. No, I I couldn't listen to it then, and then I said, bro, I got you. As soon as I I will, I think the next day I was able to listen to it. I listened to the whole thing, and my mind was blown. Because, you know, God already put in my heart that this is his calling, and then to hear a full project, I was like, Oh my goodness.

SPEAKER_01 48:37

But I was real quiet before, like I made our friendship because he's a rapper and I'm a rapper. Right. And at that time, like I said, I'm just now realizing this is my calling, so I'm trying to just build a real genuine relationship and not just like, oh, we're both rappers, let's rap together. Yeah. I wanted, I wanted a I wanted a friend, I wanted a brother, you know? Wow, that's good.

SPEAKER_00 49:03

That's good. Yeah, so that's why there was a divide there. But when you said when you sent it to me, I was I went nuts, y'all. I went nuts. I was like, dang, the album has a little bit of everything, in my opinion.

SPEAKER_01 49:18

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 49:19

It got the feel goods, it got the um the attack the enemy with your authority type of feel. It got the the club type of feel, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 49:31

Tracks.

SPEAKER_00 49:32

Then you got the um the Hispanic, you you threw some Spanish up in the album, which I thought was so cool, man. I I thought that was so cool. And just what what I'm trying to say is the album is so diverse, but if you listen to it from front to back, which I recommend, don't just pick tracks because you saw that this was the single. I want you to listen to it from the beginning to the end so you could get the full meaning of Spirit Bread.

SPEAKER_01 49:59

Yeah. It's worth it.

SPEAKER_00 50:01

It's worth it. It's worth it. It's definitely 100% worth the listening. Yeah. So tell us about the title, Spirit Bread.

SPEAKER_01 50:08

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 50:09

How did that title come about? When did you feel that was the title for the album? And just a little backstory on the title, Spirit Bread for the album.

SPEAKER_01 50:17

Man, the Lord gave me that um years ago. Um it was probably like 2022, 2023. I had I had just started really, maybe even before that, I I was getting into Christian rap more, and I was making uh playlist of different Christian raps. You know? And so, and so I'm thinking, I'm trying to think of a cool name to name a playlist, and I just named this uh Spirit Bread.

SPEAKER_00 50:49

Oh, wow.

SPEAKER_01 50:50

So somewhere, so somewhere out there on YouTube, it's a playlist of all just banging Christian hip hop the name Spirit Bread.

SPEAKER_00 51:01

Wow, so it's amazing. You did that because it's it, but to me, the the the But let me tell you the meat of it.

SPEAKER_01 51:07

Okay, then we'll tell you the meat of it.

SPEAKER_00 51:09

Yeah, that's that's what we want, Mike. That's what we want.

SPEAKER_01 51:12

Okay, so the meat, the meat of spirit bread, the Lord took me on a journey about bread. The the name Bethlehem, you know? Oh, you went deep here. A lot of people don't know this stuff, man. Right. The name Bethlehem in Hebrew. Can I look it up? Yeah, Bethlehem. Okay, okay, okay. Um what is the Hebrew meaning of the name Bethlehem? House of bread.

unknown 51:48

I'm in Hebrew.

SPEAKER_01 51:48

That's what house of bread. Yes, it comes from house of bread. And so it I learned that. I learned I just went on this journey about bread and how important it was and how Jesus was the bread of life, and and how we had, and um, and it was I I can't remember everything, but I remember that Bethlehem was the house of bread. Or it was just something, and it was it's more to that area and bread. It's like the fields was is because the field, the fields of Bethlehem was full of wheat to where it's golden. And that's and that was like the importance of Jesus being born there, that being David's uh that being uh David's uh like um um homeland, you know, pretty much where his bloodline started from. And it was just like I was learning all this stuff about bread. And so it was just like everything that I was, everything that I'm living now is is for the spirit. God is spirit. And so I just, you know, I just felt like that title, Spirit Bread, embodies everything that God the Father and Jesus says, and it fills you up. And I felt like the album, you listen to it, it fills you up.

SPEAKER_00 53:07

It's gonna go. You know, that's exactly what I was gonna say. Yeah, um, and it's not just because he's my boy and I love him. Like literally, the album does fill you up, it makes you feel complete. I listened to it today, I listened to it yesterday, I listened to it the day before, and I'm not exaggerating. Yeah, um, although I've I've already listened to it, but leading up to this interview, I wanted to listen to it because I wanted to get that fresh feel. You know how when you don't listen to something for a while, then you listen back and it's like oh I know. I felt the whole journey of the album. The album is literally a journey that you take us on. You take us on a nice journey just about you. And I love all the aspects of the album. I already said that, but I just gotta repeat that because for me, like I said, when I listened to it today, I was like, you know, the first time I listened, when you dropped it, uh when it came out on all streaming platforms, I remember listening to it, and you you uh I I was like, wait a minute, I heard this album.

SPEAKER_01 54:22

Right?

SPEAKER_00 54:22

Because you didn't tell me it was the same link that you sent me months before. You didn't tell me that. I was like, I heard this album. So then I think by track four, I was like, I heard this album, I stopped. I get I always do this. I don't know if any other anybody else does this. I stopped. I cleared my mind from it. I was like, I'm gonna go back in three hours. Literally, I did that. I'm gonna go back in three hours because I wanted to be fresh. Three hours I can't, three hours went, I went, bam, listen to it. I'm laying in bed at this time, I'm starting to listen to it. And it became, that's when it was birthed to me, the spirit bread.

SPEAKER_01 55:03

Yeah, man.

SPEAKER_00 55:03

Because it was an album I heard already, yeah. And then I was like, nah, bro, I need to, he just dropped this, I need this fresh. So guess what? I'm one of your boys who got the exclusive before everybody else.

SPEAKER_01 55:15

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Right? Yeah, yeah. Before everybody else. It was literally, it was literally you, of course, Daryl. I keep talking about Daryl. Like, nah, that's true. But it was you, Daryl, Saint. I sent it to Saint, and I think I sent it to two more people, and I don't remember even who they were, but yeah, when the album was complete, complete, um, oh, Ramon. Ramon was one of them.

SPEAKER_00 55:42

Shout out to Ramon.

SPEAKER_01 55:43

Shout out to my my dude Ramon. But yeah, um, when the album was complete, complete, I sent I sent it to you five first, and I just wanted to see what y'all was gonna say. Oh man, I watched it. Well, praise God.

SPEAKER_00 56:00

My question for you is this though.

SPEAKER_01 56:01

Praise God.

SPEAKER_00 56:03

Because we all as artists create an album.

SPEAKER_01 56:06

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 56:07

You you you gotta you got a track list, yeah. Or or you make a bunch of tracks and you're like, this feels like it fits the feel of the album, however, it is that you do it. But there's always a question that people try not to answer, and I want us to get your answer from here to there. My answer is this Is there one song on the album that stands out? And that that one is better than every song on the album. Like, this is your go-to, even though it's you. Even though it's you, right? Even though you know it's you, you made it, you were there when you made it, you know the feeling you had, everything about it. There has to be one song on that album that you like, yeah. I'll go back to this and jam this all the time. Which track is that and why?

SPEAKER_03 56:57

Uh me, Michael?

SPEAKER_01 56:59

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 57:02

Michael.

SPEAKER_01 57:03

Not just Michael Michael. Um, can I give you two? Can I give you two answers though? Like not, but one gotta be over the other though. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay. No, no, no. It's it's it's it's oh, two different answers. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay, so like just me, Michael, the song that I can go back and listen to at any time, all the time. You think you know, you think you know. I'm trying to see where you're going. Go ahead. Oh, thanks to him. Thanks to him.

SPEAKER_00 57:38

That to you that has replay value for Michael.

SPEAKER_01 57:41

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 57:42

Thanks to him, yeah. If that was created by somebody else, exactly the way you made it, yeah, that'll be on one of your playlists on repeat.

SPEAKER_01 57:50

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I will bump that all day, every day. That's on. Thanks to him. I'm mad. Thanks to him. Low stone, thanks to him. Yeah, man. Yeah, thanks to him. Uh the other, the other uh part of the answer is it depends on who I'm talking to. If I'm, you know what I'm saying? Like, that's the hardest thing when like somebody wants you to come do a show. It's like, what's the audience? You know what I'm saying? Because if it's like if it's like uh all if it's like for kids, then I definitely want to do um, I definitely want to do uh fear no evil. That's fun, you know, it's fun, dance vibe and everything, you know. If I'm in a if I'm like in the prisons, then I want to do like I want to do uh spirit bread, blah blah blah. Um yeah, man.

SPEAKER_00 58:44

I like that. And it that goes a lot with preaching too, Mike. When I'm invited to pre, which you came to that outing, my first outing, I appreciate you doing that. Oh, that was your first one? No, the first one out here. Oh, okay. Uh you you came and that was cool, bro. Yeah, heck yeah. So but you you you have to read the room. You know what I mean? Like when you get invited for somewhere, it's rare that you get to know who's going to be there. Yeah. Or what's the crowd. Yeah. So you gotta be prepared. Right? I'm imagining you gotta be prepared with different playlists. Like, ah, if it's mad kids, I got the little jumpy tracks over here. Yeah, yeah. You know, you you read the room and then you say, I this is what I'm gonna do today.

SPEAKER_01 59:32

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 59:32

Hand it over to the person playing the music or the instrumentals or whatever, yeah, and then you already locked in.

SPEAKER_01 59:37

Right. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 59:38

Because what that does is when you read the room, you're able to connect with the audience that's there.

SPEAKER_01 59:44

Yeah, and that's what I'm trying to, and that's ultimately what I want to do is I want to connect in some type of way so that you can, so that you will receive what I'm saying. And that's why earlier when you was like it's diverse, you know, I I really I you know what? I'm gonna take, I think the Lord was really intentional with that. Right because you remember I told you I like I had been working on that, on that album for three years.

SPEAKER_00 1:00:09

Yeah, it's been a while.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:11

And so, um, and so you know, as I'm making songs, you know, it's a little, it was a little bit of everything, but I'm noticing, but as I'm making the songs, I'm like, yo, this really has a church vibe. This really just has a street vibe. This really has like, you know, this this one right here really stands out as something that, you know, like, you know, like uh We All Chosen. Like that song is something that I a message I really wanted to scream at people.

SPEAKER_00 1:00:41

You have to hear that.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:43

You have to hear that. Yeah, I got a video I'm about to put out for that.

SPEAKER_00 1:00:46

Oh, this guy been on fire. That's what I'm saying.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:50

Yeah, I got a video I'm about to put out for that. It's a dope video too. It's a dope, it's just a it's just a clip, not a not the full song. Yo, August 8th. You need to clear your calendar for August 8th. Okay. Okay, we talk about it off camera. August 8th. Okay, cool. Yeah, August 8th. But I want to lock you, uh I want to on camera, August 8th, 10 a.m. 10 a.m. 10 a.m. to give me, give me to at least 12:30.

SPEAKER_00 1:01:25

You see what Mike be doing to me, man?

SPEAKER_01 1:01:28

Bro, this dude be throwing me out there.

SPEAKER_00 1:01:31

Bro, didn't you do that? Uh dang, I forgot for what it was. You said, I need your schedule clear, Pastor. I'm like, what day? No, I think it was the album drop day or something. I forgot what it was.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:45

No, no, no, no.

SPEAKER_00 1:01:46

Somewhere around that time.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:47

No, it was when uh it was when I did that that uh that that show at the kids' place or at the church.

SPEAKER_00 1:01:54

And I went.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:55

Yeah, yeah, yeah. My wife and I went.

SPEAKER_00 1:01:57

It was so cool, man. That was the first time um I experienced something like that. I never went to a uh Christian like show. A Christian rap show. That was the first time. And I was like, I told my wife, I said, we going. Yo, what better person for me to be my first than my man Mike, bro? I gotta go check this out. You did amazing there. You again, when I was talking about Red the Room, that's what was on my mind.

SPEAKER_01 1:02:22

Yeah, that day.

SPEAKER_00 1:02:24

That day, you perfect. You read the room perfect, but I'm guessing you knew what room you were walking into at this time.

SPEAKER_01 1:02:31

I knew it was for kids. Right, right. I knew it was for kids. I knew it was for all ages of kids, you know.

SPEAKER_00 1:02:38

Let's have a real talk section. Oh man. And I'm gonna do only two questions from here because we're running out of time.

SPEAKER_03 1:02:45

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 1:02:46

So check this out, Michael. Right? I want to talk to Mike. What is your biggest struggle as a Christian right now?

SPEAKER_01 1:02:59

Oh, you already know what that is. It's porn.

SPEAKER_00 1:03:03

Right.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:04

That is my biggest struggle.

SPEAKER_00 1:03:06

And it's the struggle of myself as well. Um and it's the struggle of a lot of men. I mean you talk about this, right?

SPEAKER_01 1:03:14

Yeah, man.

SPEAKER_00 1:03:15

The reality of this and how it's frowned upon, which it should be. I'm not saying it should be glorified. Right. That's not, that's not, that's not what we're saying.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:23

Right.

SPEAKER_00 1:03:24

It's frowned upon to be vocal about it because it's an internal struggle that you can't see externally.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:30

Yeah, I'm tired of being I'm tired of keeping it in the garden.

SPEAKER_00 1:03:32

Come on, that's it.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:34

Bringing it out in the light.

SPEAKER_00 1:03:35

And yeah, because I learned that when I speak about what I'm struggling with, the devil loses his power over my life.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:42

Exactly. Exactly. So I said, you know what now?

SPEAKER_00 1:03:45

I'm gonna be vocal about what I'm struggling with.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:48

Yeah, yeah. And that's something that And plus everybody is always talking about, I'm gonna pray for you, I'm gonna pray for me. You wanna pray for me? Pray for me in that area. Right, come on, like that's you know, we need to know what we what we need to be praying for people. So, you know, and I'm not saying like it's you know, when we say this, when we say like, oh, you know, I struggle with porn, it's not like oh my gosh, every day type thing, but it's just those, it's those times that we fall, right? They're heavy. It's so heavy because you you you you do well and you're walking with the Lord and you have this time and you have this stint where it's like you know, you you I don't count the days, but it's like man, it's been a minute.

SPEAKER_00 1:04:34

Right, right, right, right.

SPEAKER_01 1:04:35

And then all of a sudden you have that one slip up, and it's like, oh my gosh, man, and then you don't want to call less and be like, bro, please pray for me, you know. You don't want to call the people close to you and ask for that prayer. So, you know, um, yeah, bring it out in the light.

SPEAKER_00 1:04:55

That's it, bring it out in the light. Whatever your struggle is, bring it out in the light, man. Don't be afraid to expose what you've been hiding.

SPEAKER_01 1:05:04

Yeah, man.

SPEAKER_00 1:05:05

Because what you've been hiding is what's keeping you bound. But if you expose it, you're revealing it to the world. Now it loses its power over your life. So understand what we're saying, man, because we know what we're talking about.

SPEAKER_01 1:05:16

James 5.16. Come on. Confess your sins to one another. The prayers of a righteous man availeth much. I'm confessing to a righteous man. Amen.

SPEAKER_00 1:05:30

And I do the same thing with Mike.

SPEAKER_01 1:05:32

And his prayers are gonna avail it much. Come on. I'm in conviction, right? And I'm feeling down and I'm feeling bound. His prayers are bust through that roof.

SPEAKER_00 1:05:42

Come on, that's it, man. That's good.

SPEAKER_01 1:05:44

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:05:45

Thank you for being open about that. Because a lot of people don't, you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_01 1:05:48

Oh, you know me.

SPEAKER_00 1:05:50

Yeah, I know you. That's why questions here. I know you. Now, one one one other question, man. What's one lesson that you can share that you learned? The hard way after becoming a believer?

SPEAKER_01 1:06:04

Um, that it's a marathon. You know, every you know, some people, some people can make the quick turn and just like, I'm a Christian. Man, some some some of the with me and some a lot of cats that the Lord places in front of me, we gotta be ranged out, you know. That's good. Yeah, you know, we gotta be ranged out of all that dirty water to be cleaned back up, you know. And like the scripture says, we gotta be pruned, you know. Yes, we do. Yes, we do. I think um that was the hardest thing to realize is that it's a marathon, and uh, you know, be thankful for God's grace and mercy that you know you he's give he's given us the time to get it right. Yes, he has to be. You know, don't thank you, Father God. Thank you, every thank you.

SPEAKER_00 1:06:58

And and and and you won't be able to relate to that if you ain't live something like what we're describing here, where it's like, man, this is a man stop trying to get it all together today.

SPEAKER_01 1:07:11

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:07:14

That's hard. You're applying too much pressure on yourself, and then when you fall short, you're gonna fall all the way down on the ground because you're not seeing yourself where you imagine you would be. Calm down, take it easy. Let's take this step by step and allow the Holy Spirit to seal it to walk you through, man. Yeah, it's what I've learned. Yeah, I've learned this. I'm like, if I'm sealed with him, he's gonna guide me in his perfect will for my life. So, what my what what do I do? Whenever I feel like I'm going my way, get out of my way.

SPEAKER_01 1:07:45

Right, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:07:46

Get out of my own way and allow him to continue to go.

SPEAKER_01 1:07:49

And I got another one, too. I got another one.

SPEAKER_00 1:07:51

Go ahead, go ahead.

SPEAKER_01 1:07:52

Accept the community that the Lord has placed you in.

SPEAKER_00 1:07:56

Oh, wow, that's so good.

SPEAKER_01 1:07:58

I would love to be in community with brothers like me, but the Lord has placed a bunch of other people that I normally would not rock with. But they're struck. You know what I'm saying? Think about a lot of the people that's around me. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You know what I'm saying? Like as much as I would love to be this. You know what I'm saying? You don't make a feeling. But it is it's a it's an we're we can we're the odd buttons. But that's who the Lord has placed around me, and you know, even for them, it's it's like, you know, okay, Lord, you want me to, you know, even for them.

SPEAKER_00 1:08:50

Oh, that's good. But think about it the other way around.

SPEAKER_01 1:08:53

It's true. It's true. Yeah, but you know, um, yeah, man, we gotta be accepting of that. I would love for, you know, Pastor Lesson, which we are in community, right, right, but it's it's it's a friendship of, you know, it's a it's a friendship, you know what I'm saying? But for whatever reason, the Lord has me around people that I normally wouldn't be around. They're opening my mind up, they're opening my mind up to different situations, and I'm opening their minds up to different situations.

SPEAKER_00 1:09:25

I think that goes. Oh my god, so good. Thank you for sharing that.

SPEAKER_01 1:09:28

Because you know, we're alike, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:09:30

You know what I'm saying? That's good. So there's really nothing, I yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:09:36

There's not that tension there. Right around. Because we see, because we we're alike, yeah, yeah, yeah. But you know, the Lord will place you in a community where it might be tension, and you gotta learn how to forgive and still love.

SPEAKER_00 1:09:48

That's good.

SPEAKER_01 1:09:48

You know what I mean?

SPEAKER_00 1:09:49

And I think that goes with the scripture, iron sharpened iron, right? And the pastor left's coming iron sharpened iron. Right. I could sharpen Mike all day. It ain't gonna get dull, but he's gonna be too sharp. I'm gonna be too sharp.

SPEAKER_01 1:10:10

He sharpens me.

SPEAKER_00 1:10:11

Yeah, so God is always gonna place you.

SPEAKER_01 1:10:13

I gotta look for it ain't gonna be no sparks.

SPEAKER_00 1:10:15

No, you're it ain't gonna be no sparks.

SPEAKER_01 1:10:18

Slipping. Yeah, right, right. Sharp. Slipping, no spoon, yeah, no need for no other finding around. It ain't gonna be no grip. Right, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:10:30

But the Lord does place us with people in places. Oh man, that's so good. That, you know, at first you're like, why am I here? Why am I here? What does this mean? And you're asking the right questions, but not with the right motive.

SPEAKER_01 1:10:46

Right.

SPEAKER_00 1:10:46

So it's kind of like, I'll do it, whatever, until you accept it. And when you accept it, the next time you're around these people, you're like, nah, bro, this is where I'm supposed to, this is where you got me, this is where I'm gonna stay.

SPEAKER_01 1:11:00

Right. This is where I'm gonna rock, this is where I'm gonna move. You see how the you see how the Holy Spirit is moving things around and how the Holy Spirit is working through all of us. And and you know, as a as a black man, and I really never put race on uh I really try not to put race on top of things, but as a black man, you know, you you look for the other black people to be in community with a lot of times, especially when you have the background like like what we have, you know, from that culture, from that vibe, from that swag. And you never know what being that black man in an uncomfortable, you know, setting, how you can still stand and show them, hey, the Lord is really with me, and present and we present ourselves in a way that that maybe they're not used to, but they can still see like this is a strong brother right here. You never know how that can can can start turning things.

SPEAKER_00 1:12:00

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 1:12:00

You know, absolutely when I don't think I don't think we're supposed to be just in the com in the same area that the Lord is like took us from.

SPEAKER_00 1:12:10

Yeah, yeah, yeah. You know, Jesus wasn't.

SPEAKER_01 1:12:13

Oh, come on now.

SPEAKER_00 1:12:15

Come on now, he tried to do his works in this town and they ain't even accept it. He had to leave.

SPEAKER_01 1:12:21

He couldn't. There you go. So you know what I'm saying? Mike drive.

SPEAKER_00 1:12:26

So, all right. To close out this interview, I'm gonna have a little fun, Mike.

SPEAKER_01 1:12:31

Alright, what up?

SPEAKER_00 1:12:32

All right, let's have a little fun. This was fun. Yeah, man, this was great. Thank you so much, man. I really appreciate you. I love you, dog. I love you too. This is let's end the interview with this. Alright. So, I'm gonna ask you a variety of questions. It's a lot of questions, but we're gonna go fast. Okay. And what I mean by fast, I need you to tell me the first thing that comes in your head, and that's it.

SPEAKER_03 1:12:55

Okay, okay.

SPEAKER_00 1:12:56

I don't want you to elaborate. I don't want you to tell me why you chose that.

SPEAKER_03 1:12:59

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 1:12:59

I just want you to straight up say what it comes, what the first thing that comes to your mind.

SPEAKER_03 1:13:05

Okay. All right. All right.

SPEAKER_00 1:13:06

Ready? Coffee or energy drink?

SPEAKER_03 1:13:10

Coffee.

SPEAKER_00 1:13:11

Me too. Morning person or night owl.

SPEAKER_01 1:13:16

Morning person.

SPEAKER_00 1:13:18

Me too. Oh, well, oh. It depends. Okay. Favorite Bible verse.

SPEAKER_01 1:13:26

Um Colossians 2.16.

SPEAKER_00 1:13:33

Oh my god. Go read that. Go read that. It's gonna edify you. Yes, yes. Now, favorite Bible character in the Bible, besides Jesus.

SPEAKER_01 1:13:45

I stole this one from my wife. Okay. I stole this one, she pointed this out to me. But um, the woman who bled for 12 months. Because that's all we know about her.

SPEAKER_00 1:13:58

Bro, that's a sermon. Stop. See what I'm saying? I told him to answer freaking stop. And now you're trying to preach, bro. That's why I said that. Favorite worship artists, worship artists. Worship artists? Yeah, worship artists.

SPEAKER_01 1:14:17

When you say worship artist, I mean, can it still be a rapper?

SPEAKER_00 1:14:20

No, because that's next. Oh, okay, okay. Um you don't have one, it's fine. I struggle with listening to worship. Yeah. And not that it's not that it's bad, yeah. But that ain't me. That ain't my pocket. Yeah, it's not my pocket. Yeah. I do got some favorite um worship. Worship songs. Right, yes. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay, so let's skip that one and go to favorite Christian rapper.

SPEAKER_01 1:14:45

Favorite Christian rapper uh Isha. Ishawn Burgundy.

SPEAKER_00 1:14:50

Oh, yeah, you did share that with me. Uh favorite secular artist growing up.

SPEAKER_01 1:14:56

I mean, it's A ball and MJG.

SPEAKER_00 1:15:01

A ball and MJ. I knew it.

SPEAKER_01 1:15:02

See, and that's what I thought you were gonna say about your first.

SPEAKER_00 1:15:07

So that's why I love that it was so diverse. Yeah. You went to the West Coast G Funk.

SPEAKER_01 1:15:12

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:15:13

And that took me, that took me by surprise. Yeah. Favorite meal? What's just Mike's favorite meal, bro? Meal. Meal, like the whole thing.

SPEAKER_01 1:15:23

The whole thing? Yeah, bro. Man, this is gonna be such a stereotypical black ass. But some fried chicken. Come on. Some mac and cheese. Um, that really is stereotypic. Yeah, all right. I mean, you gotta you gotta have a green in there. So, you know, throw some, actually, not greens, zucchini. Wow. Yeah, I love zucchini, bro.

SPEAKER_00 1:15:51

And we getting, we getting, we getting excellent out here with this meal. Zucchini. I never had it. Oh no, I think I did one time. I I don't remember.

SPEAKER_01 1:16:01

Man, we gotta we gotta do another uh dinner and have Nicole bring some of that zucchini.

SPEAKER_00 1:16:07

Bro, yeah, we do gotta hang out again. Favorite city you've performed in so far.

SPEAKER_01 1:16:12

I mean, this it's it's it's gotta be, I mean, really, it's Cleveland. Cleveland, yeah. I mean, that's something about Cleveland. The only one, but that's the only one really. Oh, okay. Go ahead. Go ahead, go ahead.

SPEAKER_00 1:16:27

Okay. Save that for the animal. Okay, okay. Sneakers or boots.

SPEAKER_01 1:16:33

Sneakers.

SPEAKER_00 1:16:34

Studio or stage. What do you mean? Which one you prefer? Do you prefer to be in a studio or do you prefer the stage?

SPEAKER_01 1:16:47

First first thing that comes to mind.

SPEAKER_00 1:16:49

First thing, yeah, first thing. It don't matter if later on you change and you call me like, hey, Pastor, can I change my mind? I think I like the studio.

SPEAKER_01 1:16:58

Oh, that's funny you said that, because the first thing on my mind is stage.

SPEAKER_00 1:17:02

Okay, stage.

SPEAKER_01 1:17:03

Stage.

SPEAKER_00 1:17:04

So I'll let y'all know if he called me and told me that he changed. Book or movie.

SPEAKER_01 1:17:09

Movie. Movie. Prayer or worship?

SPEAKER_03 1:17:15

Prayer.

SPEAKER_00 1:17:17

Exactly. I think, and I think that that would be the ideal answer for every believer, because you can't, for me, right?

SPEAKER_03 1:17:25

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:17:26

And people are different, but this is me. I can't break into worship if I don't pray first.

SPEAKER_03 1:17:31

Yeah. You know what I mean?

SPEAKER_00 1:17:33

A lot of people say I worship and then I'm able to pray. But for me, it works backwards. If I pray, I'm able to get in that worship. You know what I'm saying?

SPEAKER_01 1:17:42

Exactly. I'm not some yeah, it starts with prayer. Everything starts with prayer for me.

SPEAKER_00 1:17:47

What's one word that describes your relationship with God? One word.

SPEAKER_01 1:17:52

One word? Um what am I? What's the what's the word? Continuous.

SPEAKER_00 1:18:04

My God.

SPEAKER_01 1:18:05

Continuous.

SPEAKER_00 1:18:07

Bro, that's a sermon, dude. That's so good. That's good. I wasn't expecting that. You say that so much. I wasn't expecting that. I wasn't expecting that. That's a real good answer. Favorite gospel rant. Favorite gospel album of all time.

SPEAKER_01 1:18:22

Oh, uh, for the love of money? Ishawn Burgundy.

SPEAKER_00 1:18:26

The album's good, man.

SPEAKER_01 1:18:27

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:18:28

Favorite sports team. Them Titans tightened up. I should have worn. I didn't know who was getting. I should have worn my hat, man. You already know. Let me just say this. Tennessee Titans. Of course I knew the answer to this. It's my man. I knew the answer. But I had to let him say, because I knew he was gonna say tighten up. Tighten up. I knew it. I knew it. Favorite vacation spot.

SPEAKER_01 1:18:55

Oh man, I really ain't been on vacation. Really. Where would you like to go? The road. 40 westbound. 40 west. The road. The road. Wow. That's so unique. That's a vacation right there to me.

SPEAKER_00 1:19:15

Wow.

SPEAKER_01 1:19:16

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:19:16

Are you an introvert or you an extrovert? Don't make me act. You want me to answer that for you? What I think? This guy's the extrovertest extrovert that I've ever met in extrovert history.

SPEAKER_01 1:19:33

Yo, I'm an ex I'll I'm an extrovert. I'll go ahead and admit it.

SPEAKER_00 1:19:38

Bro, hold up. This guy is so extrovert that people swarm around him like flies. It's crazy.

SPEAKER_01 1:19:48

He's exaggerated.

SPEAKER_00 1:19:52

And then everybody knows him.

SPEAKER_01 1:19:56

He is so exaggerated. Such exaggeration, yo.

SPEAKER_00 1:20:02

What is the most crazy thing like? Because I remember him coming to my church. And he'd be like, yeah, yo, I don't know if you remember, I'm gonna send somebody away, they're gonna come to your service. And I'm like, but he's just sending people. And they actually came.

SPEAKER_01 1:20:21

Yeah, man. They came to visit.

SPEAKER_00 1:20:23

But I from what I see, Mike is very likable. He's he's exactly what you're seeing now. This is not him playing. This is who he is off the camera. This is who he is off from being behind the mic.

SPEAKER_01 1:20:39

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:20:39

In normal wherever you see him. I don't know how to be anybody else. This is, and that's what I mean. Earlier I said genuine is what I respect about you the most. You're genuine.

SPEAKER_01 1:20:50

I appreciate it.

SPEAKER_00 1:20:52

What's one song you wish you had written? I think we talked about it already, that Nas joint.

SPEAKER_01 1:20:58

No, actually it's not. Oh, okay. No, no, no, no. Actually, uh Ishaan Burgundy's um What's the name of that song? I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I'm gonna give you the right name. But it's an Ishaan Burgundy song. I'm saying it in my head. Life is a blessing. Came by love. Oh. Yeah, came by love. Yo.

SPEAKER_00 1:21:31

Man, Eshan, yo. You ain't probably ever gonna see this, but you you the man, bro. You the man.

SPEAKER_01 1:21:38

Yeah, for sure, for sure.

SPEAKER_00 1:21:40

And this is random. You talking about your man, I'm gonna talk about my man. Shout out to Triple D, Dayton. Dayton, what up, bro? I love you, dog.

SPEAKER_01 1:21:51

Shout out to Dayton.

SPEAKER_00 1:21:52

Brig City, New York, New Jersey. Let's go. Come on. Listen to New York. That's my man. Yeah. So we're gonna end with this question, Mike. Alright, what up? What's one word God has been speaking over your life lately? It could be a sentence, but something a word that stands out in that sentence that God's been.

SPEAKER_03 1:22:20

Don't come to hell.

SPEAKER_01 1:22:23

Don't come to him. I told you the Lord is really, these past few weeks, the Lord is really like, you know, spend time, spend time with me. Spend time with me. It's even in dreams.

SPEAKER_00 1:22:36

It's something about I love that, right? Because it's like the God that created the universe.

SPEAKER_01 1:22:42

Yeah, he wants, I know. And he's like, and he he legit, like I can't, yo, no, I cannot make this up. The Lord is sit, and then here's the messed up thing about it. I'll sit there and do something for an hour and a half, pushing off that time, thinking like, oh, I ain't got time, I ain't got time, I ain't got time. And then I done read like two chapters and prayed and all this stuff, and then look at my clock, and it's only been like 45 minutes.

SPEAKER_02 1:23:14

Right.

SPEAKER_01 1:23:14

Meantime, I'm sitting up here doing this that's that's really less than spending time with the Lord for an hour and a half, right? And then like 45 minutes, and it's like I'm I'm filled up, like I'm ready to go to sleep, and I sleep good and everything.

SPEAKER_02 1:23:31

Yes, and then it's just like difference, bro.

SPEAKER_01 1:23:33

Yeah, and it's like, man, I should have just done that. I should have just spent the time with the Lord. Forget, you know, that making a uh clip or video or something. Sure.

SPEAKER_00 1:23:45

Bro, so Mike, man, as we close, I want to thank you. Thank you for this, bro. It means a lot to me.

SPEAKER_01 1:23:52

Man, anytime, okay? Anytime. I would love to be a regular guest. Bro, that'd be dope.

SPEAKER_00 1:23:59

My wife ain't gonna be.

SPEAKER_01 1:24:02

We gotta set that up. We gotta we gotta get Nicole on so she can tell her. I've been feeling like, and I've been talking to her, and I and I specifically said you should talk to Pastor Luce about maybe them doing something, and Nicole finally start getting her testimony out there.

SPEAKER_00 1:24:19

Right.

SPEAKER_01 1:24:20

Because her testimony is so, I mean, it's so I mean it's looks like a little bit you shared. Yeah, look what it's been did for me.

SPEAKER_00 1:24:27

Right, right. Yeah so I really want to take this time to thank you, man, for saying yes to coming to the podcast. Um blessing us. I want to remind everybody, make sure you guys go check out Spirit Bread. Please let everybody know where they can find you, Mike.

SPEAKER_01 1:24:44

Yeah, so anywhere. The album is on all streaming platforms, everywhere, from Spotify to Apple to YouTube to uh Pandora to Deezer, whoever listens to that stuff, it's on there. It's Spirit Bread, just Mike, J-U-S-T-M-I-C. It's how you find the album. Um, my social media is uh pretty much I G said Just Mike216, spell it the same way, altogether, just Mike 216 and uh TikTok and my YouTube. I've been I've been I've been a little bit more active on YouTube. That's good, that's good. Yeah, you need to be. Yeah, I've you know, okay, so I posted a uh a short of um the last uh outreach I did, and um, yeah, man, people really, really enjoy it. You know, it's like people I don't know, and they're just out there. So, yeah, man, you Christian rappers, stop, stop always looking at IG and Facebook, you know. Let the let the strangers find the word that that we spitting.

SPEAKER_00 1:25:55

So yeah, yeah, because my God, that's so good. Yeah, IG and Facebook, that's more my friends are here.

SPEAKER_01 1:26:03

Right. You know what I mean? That's our comfort place. That's the comfort place.

SPEAKER_00 1:26:07

I know I'm gonna get some likes here. Mm-hmm. You throw it on YouTube, you really gonna see if everything you got is okay.

SPEAKER_01 1:26:14

I tell you people gonna be feeling it. I'll tell you though, the the other one, Twitter. Twitter, really, Twitter, yeah. I don't get any love on there, but I'm just saying, just to spread the gospel, you know what I'm saying? You know, it might only reach, you know, 12 or 13 people, but you know, still you're still getting the gospel out there, you know.

SPEAKER_00 1:26:36

So, Mike, you got some shows coming up. Please let us know about these shows and let us know where they can find and look at you, bro.

SPEAKER_01 1:26:44

All right, so yeah, you can find whether at on my social media, uh, Instagram and stuff. But if you are in the Cleveland area, uh July the 11th, we're gonna be at 997 Lakeview Road in Cleveland. That's July the 11th. And then uh July 17th, right here in Elyria. I hope y'all can come out. I really do. But July 17th, right here in Elyria at Eli Square Park, and then July 18th in Lorraine at Veterans Square Park, and then here's the big one that I ain't shared with a lot of people. Uh August 14th and 15th, I'll be in North Carolina for the yeah, for the Stellar Awards. Not at the Stellar Awards, events centered at the Stellar Awards. Here's the one that I haven't told anybody except for Mama Pat at my church. Right. The same promoter for that one. He went I'm gonna finally get to perform back home in Nashville for an event for the Dove Awards.

SPEAKER_00 1:27:54

Oh my god.

SPEAKER_01 1:27:55

Yeah, dog. Yeah. Now let me tell. That's in October, and my wife is so just believes in what the Lord is doing so much. Wow, it's on her birthday. Oh, wow. She's pushing me. Like, no, go do that. That's what the Lord wants you to do. I have tons of birthdays. And you know, so yeah, and she's that is big, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:28:23

I gotta tell you off camera. Well, thank you so much, Mike, for sharing that with us, man. If you're anywhere in those areas, make sure you come out and support just Mike.

SPEAKER_03 1:28:33

Please.

SPEAKER_00 1:28:34

This is a very good man of God. I could attest to that. And his album is Fire, Spirit Bread. Go check it out. Follow him everywhere on all his social medias. We thank you so much. God bless everybody. Inspire Church. Check us out. Yes. God bless.

SPEAKER_01 1:28:51

Yes. God bless.