Jam The Hype: You dropped Ignition in 2013 and now you have Ain’t Supposed To Be Here releasing this month. How have you grown from Ignition to Ain’t Supposed To Be Here.
5ive: What’s crazy is Ignition dropped July 19 of last year. We’re not even in July yet, and I’m dropping another album. It’s not even a year. I think on this album, God took me into a direction of straight ministry. Many people think rap music can’t be a style of worship, but I think on this album, it really shows that I have a heart of worship. My heart is more worship than Hip Hop. I’m a worshipper at heart. I love to worship God. That’s where I think I have grown spiritually. I speak on things like growing up without a father, starting to smoke weed at 10 years old, being addicted to cocaine by the time I graduated high school, elevating to crack and meth, and just spending the majority of my life as a slave to Satan and his addictions. I really went in, ministry wise. I think this album is an album that people can take and hand out at crack houses. I think it’s really good music, but I truly believe God has anointed it to where chains can break right where people are, bro. That’s my mission in music. I want to make good music but more importantly, I want to see people healed, delivered, and set free.
Jam The Hype: I saw that Je’kob of Save The City Records did a dope job on your album cover. Talk to us about it.
5ive: Je’kob asked me what I see. I heard this story, about somewhere overseas where they don’t have water, and so when they want to be baptized and proclaim their faith in Jesus, what they do is tell the whole family that the person is dead and they literally bury him. When the family comes to the funeral, the guy claws his way out of the ground, and that’s how they proclaim their faith. They don’t have water there, but they love the Lord so much they literally bury the dude. The guy literally digs his way out of the ground, and that signifies to them that he has died and now it’s Christ who lives. I saw that picture of him digging and I told Je’kob, “Something from like death to life. Something like a hand coming out of the ground.” He was like, “Can you take a picture of your hand?” and I was like, “I don’t have a camera ha-ha.” He then said, “We are kind of the same color.” So, he took the picture. That’s actually Je’kob’s hand on the cover. The whole thing is coming from death to life in Christ. I’m not supposed to be here. People are coming to my funeral and expecting me to be dead but BOOM, the Lord just brings me back. I just want to signify that only through Jesus am I still here. I’ve been buried and resurrected with Christ.
Jam The Hype: On the project, you got many cool features. Which one is your favorite?
5ive: I would say all of them, bro. I really can’t choose. The reason there is so many features is because I wanted to put a team of people together who I believe will help tell my story and expand the kingdom of God. These are the people God placed in my spirit to contact, and they came through.
Jam The Hype: On Instagram you put a picture about a video that’s coming out soon.
5ive: We are going to be dropping a video for “Freedom” featuring Cam. It’s produced by Halo Beats, a very dope producer. He just produced on Tedashii’s Below Paradise album. Just a good brother. Love that dude to death and he has a heart for the Lord so definitely want to work with him. We wanted to have a visual for it, so last minute we recorded it. You guys will def be getting it to put up.
RELATED: 5ive – Ain’t Supposed To Be Here [Now Available]
This is such a great testament to how awesome God is! The more I hear Craig’s music, I more respect I have for him as an artist and craftsman. Now that I have read this interview, I have respect for him as a disciple. I’m extremely excited to hear his new album next week!