Phoenix Of The Kingdom

At the age of 17, I began composing my first song lyrics.  I didn't believe I could ever become a rapper, so I aspired to sing.  I wrote a few rap songs anyway.  I had no rhythm what-so-ever, but I was inspired by rappers Missy Elliot, Timbaland, and Sean Paul to be a hip hop star.  There were people I got connected with that are music insiders and also some friends from school as well that embraced me.  I work 150% at whatever I do, so from the advice that I was given, I put it to work and became dirtEbird!

In pop culture there's the east coast, west coast, midwest, and then dirty south, so I live in the dirty south and I felt that the animal that symbolized me was a bird and my name is Eric so I took dirty and replaced the "y" with "E" and connected it to bird.  I was goin to go by E but was encouraged that dirtEbird was better, so I settled on that.  So I began hip hop and was all about dance/party music!   

I did not have any rhythm as a dancer either, so I watched and recorded a show called the Wade Robinson Project and all kinds of dance videos, Usher and others, and from imitating them all, I became a dancer!

I put all of that together and got great response and support from listeners!  Then, I was frequently told that my rap was clean and that I was like a new version of Will Smith!  A lot of people began to ask if I ever thought about doin Gospel Hip Hop.  I was very hesitant at first, but once I did, I was drawn to the Lord and then I felt called to do music for Him.

I entered into a relationship with Jesus Christ at the age of 7 because I wanted to sing in the choir!  My family was that typical southern baptist, go to church on every Sunday type.  Read the Bible when you can and pray and just try your best to be good.  Before the Gospel hip hop, I didn't truly have God as the center of my life, just as a part and I respected Him.  Shouts out to my mom and dad for raising me in an environment that introduced Christ and allowed me to know of Him!  

Well, dirtEbird carried over into the new genre, but the meaning became:  you're dirty before the capital E, the Everlasting One, then after that you're as free as a bird!  Bein free as a bird and turning to God, He took what I did and tranformed it and showed me that I can praise and worship Him with dance and hip hop! 

December 2007, I was on the verge of completely giving my everything to God and as I had more listeners and parents of the listeners getting involved.  With that, there were concerns about the title dirtEbird as a Christian artist that young kids were listening to, so I knew that name had to be changed.  After previous attempts of me to change it on my own:  like G4 and Sion.  They all failed eventhough I successfully got an album completed when I tried to go by Sion, so I finally brought it to God!  Immediately, He showed me a very deep and strong passion, like a fire!  How consumed by Him I wanted to be and am now, so I began to think of a bird on fire, then I said firebird, but that sound cheesy, then that's when Phoenix came!  I rise from my past sins and failures and struggles that have been consumed by the fire of God in Jesus!

It don't end there!  There was just a little more that needed to be in the name because there's already a Phoenix, so being Phoenix of God (ok, but not really appealing and churchy a bit), I thought HisPhoenix (better and pretty cool, but just not feelin it), Da Phoenix (great, but sounds a bit stuffed and prideful), and then Phoenix Of The Kingdom (P.O.K., yehman, dat's it!)!  I am living for the kingdom, so that's how I got the name Phoenix Of The Kingdom, or P.O.K.

This is my story and my ministry and my life!  

To God be the glory forever and ever AMEN!

 Christ Up!