- Stephen Wiley
Stephen Wiley is recognized as the first artist to have recorded a full-length
Christian rap album with his 1985 release on theBrentwood Records label, "Bible Break". (At the time, Wiley was a member of the crusade team at Kenneth Hagin’s Rhema Bible Church in Broken Arrow, OK.) [http://www.josefsorett.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/07/beatsrhymesbiblestaap-websiteexcerpt.pdf Page 3]Wiley was born in 1958 and grew up in
Tulsa, Oklahoma . A University of Oklahoma graduate, Wiley began a career as a jazz drummer in 1979 and wrote a song called "Basketball". This tune would later go on to be recorded by mainstream rapper Kurtis Blow and become a #71 hit (in 1985). [Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music, P. 1037)] . By 1982, Wiley was performing rap music with Christian lyrics at a time whenRun DMC}Run DMC's breakthrough to the mainstream was still a year away. In 1984, Wiley took a job as chaplain at a juvenile detention center. [Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music, P. 1037)]In 1985, Wiley released "Bible Break" and saw its title track reach the #14 spot in 1986 on Christian radio. [Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music, P. 1037)] This success would prove fleeting, though, as CCM rap reviewer Jamie Lee Rake referred to later Wiley efforts as "a string of embarrassments". [Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music, P. 1037)] That slap from the CCM world was balanced by a 1988 article in "'Spin" magazine nicknaming the young chaplain the "Grand Master of Rap". [Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music, P. 1037)]
Wiley would later serve as assistant pastor/youth minister at the predominantly-black Crenshaw Christian Center in Los Angeles CA under
televangelist Frederick K.C. Price. [http://www.josefsorett.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/07/beatsrhymesbiblestaap-websiteexcerpt.pdf Page 3] He then released two more albums for the Star Song label which were better received garnering a #13 hit with "Peace", a duet with Renee Garcia from the 1990 album "Rhythm and Poetry" and #14 "Attitude" from 1991's "Rhapsody". The latter album sought to bring in fans of more traditional gospel by including harmonies from gospel groupWitness on the song "Real". [Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music, P. 1037)]Today Wiley and his wife Pamela serve as pastors of [http://www.praisecenterfc.org/cgi-bin/gx.cgi/AppLogic+FTContentServer?GXHC_gx_session_id_FutureTenseContentServer=b7e21876b44c4a56&pagename=FaithHighway/10000/3000/498PR/pastor Praise Center Family Church] in
Tulsa, Oklahoma .Discography
1. 1985 "Bible Break" Brentwood Music
2. Year? "Rappin' for Jesus"
3. Year? "Rap it Up"
4. 1989 "Get Real" Brentwood Music
5. 1990 "Rhythm and Poetry", StarSong Records
6. 1991 "Rhapsody"Citations
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