“Fedel is an artist who loves God, who loves people, and is here to bring hope.”
On August 22nd, Fedel released an EP called Church Trap. The Dallas, Texas artist considers it to be the best representation of his story, growing up both in the church and the trap.
Though his father was a minister, Fedel explained that the dangerous neighborhood he grew up in made more sense than his home. “My home was so toxic.” His parents were constantly arguing and eventually split. Living in Memphis, Tennessee, known for having one of the highest murder rates in the nation, he was often facing the fear of violence.
“It was scary at home and scary in the streets. It wore on me a lot over time.”
He describes his upbringing as confusing and depressing, “but on the flip side, it was a lot of lessons I couldn’t learn any other way.” Fedel says that by God’s grace, he was able to make it out and do so with hope. “My heart for people came out of the turmoil and tension of growing up between those two worlds.”
With the EP, he explains the trap to not only be a part of town but any dark place a person may find themselves in. He wants to counter that with the hope of Jesus Christ and the Church. Church Trap was produced in conjunction with D-Hood, except for one song that was produced by JuiceBangers.
Six of Church Trap’s nine songs have been released as singles since December 2018. Fedel decided that due to the songs’ common theme, he wanted to put them together and created three more to go with them. “I felt [like] all of the songs represented a similar hope that I wanted in my music.”
Church Trap’s introductory song, “Church Zoo,” was inspired by Fedel’s high energy concerts. The artist loved listening to energetic trap music growing up and considers it the greatest influence on his own style. He described the song as saying,
“I’mma turn the church into a zoo. It just means that everybody is gonna get crazy, mosh pit in the church. We’re going to go out of this church and be brave.”
When people come to his shows, he not only wants them to have fun but also to receive hope and seek to later share that with others.
“In My Bag” comes from the term which Fedel explains expresses the thought that when a person is having a great day, “you say I’m in my bag today.” He wants the song to make listeners feel good and be confident in themselves.
Fedel’s song “Fear” is largely experienced by his youth. As a child, he suffered from nightmares and also was a victim of bullying throughout his years in school. “In life, you come across things that are scary, and that never ends.” Understanding that fear can be related to countless causes in individuals’ lives, he wants to use this song to uplift listeners. “My hope is that this can be a source of relief when anybody is in that space.”
Church Trap’s fifth song is “God Drip” and is meant to provide listeners with confidence, “knowing that God is in us, and God is for us.” Fedel’s confidence is inspired by his suffering. “For me, going through a really deep depression, things that were hard. I think that in the middle of your darkest times is when you’re the
“I believe we should place our value in what God has done for us on the cross. I know for a fact that when you’re numb [and] callous, anxiety has you frozen, those are the times when you’re not thinking straight, and you need something to grab.”
The following song, “What Now,” is inspired by a dance known as the Woah. “Before the Woah got big, I knew about the dance.” After the dance went viral on social media, Fedel heard a popular song using it, which had a slow beat. After receiving a more energetic beat from a producer, Fedel said he got a vibe and started writing. “Whatever lyrics are on there, it was just a vibe that I caught, and I just went from beginning to end.” He described it as one of his favorite songs due to its flow. “It’s a slower song, but it’s strong at the same time.”
“I Will Not Lose” was the second song from Church Trap released as a single. He describes the song’s message, explained by the title, as a simple message to encourage listeners who may feel like they are losing. Fedel seeks to live by the slogan, “I will be everything they said I could not be.”
The second-to-last song on the EP, “God Mode,” shared Fedel’s sentiments with fighting for justice. He explains that he wants to stand up for what’s right, but “remember to stay in God mode and to keep the principles that God has told you to keep in the middle of it.” He wants to keep his cool and not begin to harbor anger or hatred towards others “in this time that is so tense.”
Church Trap’s final song, “Lord I Love You,” was Fedel’s first attempt at a worship song. He received the beat from JuiceBangers in 2017 and released the song in December of 2018. “I just wanted to write a song that was telling the Lord I love Him.” He hopes the song can appeal to listeners who may not enjoy his typical trap music style.
Outside of music, Fedel enjoys spending time with his family, often playing video games with his son and soccer with his daughter. He also enjoys hanging out with friends and watching rap battles.
“In my most confusing moments of life, depressive moments, the most complicated moments, the Gospel was always the thing that stood as a pillar.”
Follow Fedel on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Get or stream Church Trap here.
