Do you ever feel like it’s more important to “behave” at church rather than be yourself? With songs like “Church Gone Wild” and “Hammer Time,” Reach Records 1K Phew has dedicated his life to showing listeners that we don’t have to wear a mask when we sit in front of a pulpit. In this episode of VOICES’ Where Ya From? podcast, 1K Phew joins host Rasool Berry to discuss his music, upbringing, and reconciling who you are inside and outside of church.
Guest Bio: 1K Phew is among a new breed of Atlanta artists taking the trap sensibility and elevating it to great effect. At twenty-seven years old, Phew’s rise from a local rapper with swagger to a compelling artist equipped with a message, has been refreshing to watch. He’s fun and engaging, no doubt, but he’s so much more, as evidenced by his mixtapes Sunday Night (2015) and Life (2016). Phew’s got plenty of swag and wisdom to impart. Tracks like “TGIF” and “Church Gone Wild,” his biggest releases to date, show an artist who is vibrant and dynamic. His sing/rap flow has an infectious quality that is as catchy as it is alluring, and commercially viable as it is street-wise.
His new mixtape Never Too Late is sure to build on his recent momentum, with hits like “Back Then” and “Load of Me,” an anthem for those not afraid to embrace their individuality. It’s no surprise that his sound—which Phew has dubbed “New CHUUCH”—is equally at home in the club or the church, and rappers like 1K Phew are proving that faith expressed with authenticity can be a welcome treat for listeners.
Notes & Quotes:
(On his song “Church Gone Wild”) “I feel like we got to go to church and just be in the shell and kind of act fake . . . [but] God knows us for who we are. He’s going to see us regardless [of] whether we put on or not.”
(On church) “You got to go in and you go to be yourself because the more you be yourself, the stronger you get . . . the more you just all the way around become a better person and a better child of God.”
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