Anike: Following Jesus, Marriage, Identity & Christian Hip Hip | The Rooted in Christ Podcast Ep. 209

[2 Speakers Detected] [Total Utterances: 104]

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[0:00 -> 0:24] Speaker 1: And so I didn't realize how much the Lord has taught me from my experience to now. And so I feel like being the first woman signed to Reach, I think it was just a beautiful privilege because God allowed me to open the doors and to gain knowledge that I can pass on to other people so that way they can do their purpose and do their calling. And so honestly, I'm just so grateful. Like, you know, it's always a thing, like you say, like if you're a fan, like, oh man, one day I'm going to be rapping with Lecrae, one day I'm going to—

[0:24 -> 0:24] Speaker 2: Yeah.

[0:24 -> 0:35] Speaker 1: And so for me, I think it's beautiful that not only God fulfilled his purpose, but then he added a little sauce to it. You know, I love the extra sauce. of like, okay, bet, like you're gonna get to be signed to Reach, but we're gonna be doing more.

[0:35 -> 0:59] Speaker 2: Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to the Rooted in Christ podcast, and I cannot tell you how excited I am for this episode. Look, she don't know this, but this is what I say about her behind her back, so I'm gonna introduce her just like this. This is the versatile trendsetter, Anike. Welcome to the Rooted in Christ podcast. What's going on? I'm glad to be here.

[1:00 -> 1:01] Speaker 1: I'm glad to be here. Thanks for having me.

[1:02 -> 1:24] Speaker 2: Look, thank you for taking time out. I really, really appreciate you being on here today. Um, I met you and your husband actually, um, in Boston. You know, it feels like a few weeks ago, but it was not a few weeks ago. Um, I just— I wanted to really, you know, get the opportunity to sit down and talk to you and just really share more about, about your story. So again, I know I said it already, I'm excited, but thank you for being here today.

[1:24 -> 1:25] Speaker 1: Yeah, thanks for having me.

[1:25 -> 1:48] Speaker 2: So before we dive into, you know, the the music now, some of the stuff that you've been doing. I want to go all the way back. I want to take it all the way back. So, um, just in case no one's had an opportunity to hear your testimony, so before we talk about your career and everything and some of the stuff God took you through, let's go back to the beginning. So how did you come to know Jesus Christ, and what was that season look like when you realized and say, yo, I really— I'm gonna follow him and put myself aside?

[1:48 -> 4:40] Speaker 1: Yeah, so, um, God actually used some creative measures to get me to Christ, and I'm grateful though. Um, so Growing up, a lot of my family is actually Muslim, but my mom, praise the Lord, she was able to encounter Jesus due to boarding school. So she was a Christian, but she didn't have a lot of family members who were influencing her, you know, the right way. So because of that, she ended up getting married to someone who was Muslim. And so growing up, we were allowed to go to church, but like my dad didn't want it to be anything beyond a Sunday. He just wanted it to be like, oh, you're a good person, but like not actual transformation. And so because of that, um, there was a summer camp that, uh, the youth used to always go to, and then they would always come back and be like, oh, I gave my life to Jesus, and like, I'm on fire. And like, I just didn't know what that meant. And I was like, man, y'all make this sound like such a lit camp. I want to go to this camp. Um, but I was never allowed to go to things like that. And so my mom was like, hey, if you can convince your dad, that's on you. So, you know, I'll let you go, but you know, you gotta talk to your dad yourself. And so I was able to convince him. I told him like, hey, there's an internship program This camp has, if you— once you turn 13, you know, that'd be great for college, all that stuff. Like, you should let me go to this camp. And he was like, yeah, yeah, sure, whatever. So he signs a permission slip for me to go, um, and then I end up going with my friend. And what's ironic is, um, the teen camp that had the internship, that specific camp, uh, was actually a camp that also had Lecrae and Trip Lee, basically the whole 116 clique. They were all performing on the very last day of the camp. And so it was super ironic because that also influenced me to want to go to the camp. Because, um, around the same time too that like the kids are talking about like transformation, uh, I'm also getting convicted from the Sunday school lessons. And, um, from there I'm like, man, Lord, okay, I want to make a change. Like, let me start my music. Let me stop listening to like, you know, all this ratchet music. And so I look up Christian remixes on YouTube and I'm able to find, you know, Lecrae and all of them. Well, I find Christian remixes. And then from there, I actually find actual Christian rappers like Lecrae and all them. And so it was like a collision of all those worlds combining for this camp. And so I ended up going to that camp. Like day 3, I think I end up giving my life to Jesus. Changed my life forever. I have so much joy and everything during that camp. It was like, it was so beautiful. I saw miracles, saw people getting healed. It was crazy. And then on the last day of the camp, Lecrae and them actually all come And what's funny is I told Lecrae and Tripp and all that about this camp, and they actually remember going, and they're like, oh, I actually remember that specific camp. And you know, once you're a Christian rapper, you probably do hundreds of summer camps. So the fact that they even remember too, they're like, no, I literally remember that specific situation. And so it was a beautiful testimony of like, that's how I came to the faith. From that point on, I literally came back to school. I wanted to tell everybody about Jesus. I wanted to tell my dad. Unfortunately, my dad was not trying to hear it.

[4:40 -> 4:40] Speaker 2: Yeah.

[4:40 -> 5:47] Speaker 1: And so That's kind of like what started my journey. But because, uh, my father wasn't trying to hear it, I really had to seek Christ for my own. And so I think that made it even more real to me, to where it was like, hey, if you want to do this, Jesus, then you don't have to do it yourself. Um, and so I just read my Bible, uh, anytime I could go to church. So whenever my mom wasn't working, I'd go to church with her. Um, she was able to advocate for me too, because like, you know, you, you can't— you kind of need some consistency when you first give your life to Jesus. So Um, she was able to have my uncle pick me up from her job so that way I could go to church consistently on Sundays and like get to know more about the word and more about Jesus. And so that's kind of like the inception of how I gave my life to Jesus. And yeah, he's just changed my life, man. Gave me joy. Uh, as a, as a young youth where everything's about living for acceptance of other people and being popular and fitting in, um, the Lord was able to shift my story to be like, man, I don't care about any of that. I just want to be who God says I am. I want to live out his purpose for me. And yeah, just give me authenticity in, uh, in a time frame and in an age group whenever, you know, that's not what most people are looking after. So yeah.

[5:47 -> 6:00] Speaker 2: I love the— what you said early too, like your father was like, this— we didn't want to live this out. This was just— I'm gonna hear about it, but I don't want to live it out. You know what I mean? That's a message to all of us, you know. This can't just be a Sunday morning thing. Like, we have to walk this out day in and day out.

[6:00 -> 6:00] Speaker 1: Yeah.

[6:00 -> 6:05] Speaker 2: So when did— when did you actually like start making— making music? Like, where— where did that come in after—

[6:05 -> 6:05] Speaker 1: after all of this?

[6:05 -> 6:12] Speaker 2: Because I mean, you meet Tripp, you meet Lecrae, like, I'm getting— I'm, I'm guessing that it had to spark something, right?

[6:12 -> 8:15] Speaker 1: Yeah, so I had no idea I was gonna be a rapper at that point. I was a fan. I just loved the music. Um, and I think that's even so more beautiful about my testimony because it shows, like, that gives, like, even a precursor of this music is impacting people's lives. And, like, you don't know who's on the other side of the music that's like, oh, your bars are encouraging me to live for Jesus. Your bars are encouraging me to look up what you're talking about so I can learn more about it in the Bible. Um, and so Fast forward, uh, maybe like 2 or 3 years later, I'm in school and I have a biology project. And, um, there's even a testimony in that because I was telling actually my niece yesterday. So I actually used to want to be on the dance team, and, uh, I had a tryout. And on the tryout for the dance team, I fell on the floor. I slipped. It was so bad. And so because of that, I didn't make the team, and I had to stay in this science class while everybody else's schedule got changed. And so while I'm in the science class disappointed with what I thought was like the end of my dream, little did I know God was starting the beginning of his dream. And so, um, in that class, my teacher, she's like, hey, for our last project of the semester, uh, if you want to do a rap, you can do a rap instead of doing an essay. And so I choose the rapping option, and I, I do it. I show my friends, and then they're like, oh snap, like, you're really good at rapping. Like, you can be a rapper. And, um, it brought me a lot of joy. I thought it was really cool. It was outside of my comfort zone. And so, um, yeah, it was like really fun. But it started getting me a lot of attention to where like people like crowd around me and be like, you need to rap, you need to rap for us. And I was passionate about Jesus because I just gave my life to Jesus a couple years earlier. So I was like, oh, perfect, I'm getting attention from this. Y'all about to learn about Jesus today. So what I would do is, um, uh, people would crowd around me and be like, oh, freestyle, freestyle. And what I would do is I just rap about Jesus. I'd have raps prepared. And so I'm like, these 30 seconds for this little circle, you're gonna hear about Jesus today. And even at lunch too. So people might not be like, um, because we used to sit by people who sat by themselves or whatever, or even on the bus sit by different people to talk to them about God. So they may not be open to that sometimes, like as a cold opener. Hey, you want to learn about Jesus?

[8:15 -> 8:16] Speaker 2: Yeah, right.

[8:16 -> 8:58] Speaker 1: Like, hey, you want to see this rap real quick or whatever? They'd be like, okay, cool. Or hey, you want to see this YouTube video? And it's like, okay, sure, whatever. Uh, I literally headphones like this, I would carry them around and my phone. And so then I show people a YouTube video, they put the headphones on, and then they'd be like, oh snap, she rapping about Jesus. And literally that's how I would start telling them about my faith and stuff. So that was the inception of high school, a biology project, a biology project that I was in the right location due to me not doing the whole dance team thing. But God even just showing me like, hey, don't worry about that situation, I'm gonna redeem it. Because he even redeemed that now because I dance like in my music videos and all that stuff. And so it's cool, like the Lord literally orchestrated like my life, the timing of everything to place me where I'm in today. And that's how I started rapping.

[8:58 -> 9:15] Speaker 2: That is so dope. Yeah, I wanna, I wanna dive into this too because you weren't always going by Anike, for anyone who may not know. So at what point did you decide to really like change the name, go with Anike? Like walk us through that story and that transition period too.

[9:15 -> 9:31] Speaker 1: Yeah, so I changed my name about maybe a year and a half ago, 2 years ago, uh, I changed it to, yeah, Anike. And it's because I just felt like the Lord told me to do it. So, um, it's something that always like was a little nugget in my brain, but I would just forget because, you know, you're just living life.

[9:31 -> 9:31] Speaker 2: Yeah.

[9:31 -> 11:01] Speaker 1: So I know when I was younger, so Nigerian people, they always have like God-honoring names or they have totally not God-honoring names. And so whenever I was in church with like my, my friends and my cousins and stuff like that, I'll be like, oh man, I want a name that like God loves me, or a name that says like, oh, the goodness of God, you know. But my name meant, uh, the mother has come, and it was like a representation of like reincarnation. And so yeah, just like as you go through life, you're just used to your name, so you don't think too much about it all the time. But then, um, there was a season 2 years ago where I was actually fasting for my album. So I was actually dropping the album Monique, and so, um, throughout that whole process of making it, I felt led to fast. So it was a long fast, but we got through it. Um, but throughout that fast, I felt like the Lord said, hey, I need you to change your name. And so, and he was like real serious about it. So at first it started with me having my husband, uh, call me a different name. And, uh, also, uh, I felt led to ask my mom to pray and fast with me to like, for my mom to tell me the names that the Lord gave to her. So that was how it went. Uh, my mom, she was able to get some names from Jesus and, um, then she was able to tell me the name. So then I changed, like legally changed my name like all the way. Uh, and then, yeah, I just went by the name that I felt like God was saying to go by that. So I changed my name to Anike. Um, Anike by itself means, um, you have something to honor and to cherish, like to care for. We have like a child to care for. Um, and then I hyphened it with Ireoluwa, so it's Ireoluwa Anike, which means the goodness of God.

[11:01 -> 11:01] Speaker 2: Yes.

[11:01 -> 12:25] Speaker 1: We have something to care for and cherish. And so it was definitely really fitting for my season because I had overcame like a season of like people being disrespectful and different things like that. And so like the Lord even himself was reminding me like, hey, I don't care what humans are doing, but like, I view you as someone who's cared for as my child. And then even just giving the glory back to him on top of that, of being like, you know, with God's goodness in my life and the things that he's given me, I want something— I want to care for those things and I want to cherish them and not take them for granted as well. So that's, uh, how my name change happened. And then, um, just as the ultimate thing too, just kind of casting down, um, the old like Yoruba religions as well, because that's where my name was rooted from, the original one, Yewande. Um, because like they believe like, oh, this child is it's a reincarnation of the grandmother and she's back to, uh, with us. And so a lot of Yoruba people, they're really deep on like other religions, but I just truly believe that that's not Christ's way and that's not what he wants us to be doing. And so some people get offended. They're like, oh man, like, you, you don't— you're not proud of your roots. And I'm like, no, those are my roots. And sometimes your ancestors messed up and that's okay. I can be like, y'all went the wrong way and now we gonna give it back to Jesus. And so yeah, I think I love being Nigerian. I love my culture, but I think you can love your culture while also realizing, hey, there's maybe there's some missteps, and now let's make sure all those things honor the Lord. And you can see that in the Bible too, with like the Israelites and all those things like that.

[12:25 -> 13:09] Speaker 2: I love how you came about this because one of the things I tell the guys I'm discipling, like, if you really want to hear from God clearly, we need to have intentional time to die. We need to have intentional time to deny our flesh, you know. I think— I don't think fasting is talked about enough. I don't think it's, it's done enough in, in our walk, you know. Like, if I You know, if I need, if I really need to make a decision, that's what me and my wife do. It's like, all right, we're about to go into this fast for however, however long. Or I pray it's only 2 or 3 days cuz it's kind of— but, but however long it needs to take to, to say who's really in charge. Like, I gave my life to Christ, so I'm— this is no longer my own, you know? So I need your will to be done in my life. But like, you, we're always surrounded by these, the TVs or the microphones or, or text mess— whatever.

[13:09 -> 13:09] Speaker 1: Yeah.

[13:10 -> 13:27] Speaker 2: But you, you fill in the blank or working XYZ. You know, we always have those distractions, but sometimes we really need to put ourself aside, put our flesh aside and say, I'm going to give this up. And I'm not just gonna go hungry in those moments of being hungry. I'm gonna spend time praying, worshiping, and seeking you so I can get on your page.

[13:27 -> 13:29] Speaker 1: Yeah, for sure.

[13:29 -> 13:48] Speaker 2: So I wanna, I wanna ask you this, cuz nobody else can answer this except you, you know, cuz you made history as the first female artist to be signed to Reach Records. So what did that opportunity mean to you? And what did you learn from, from that situation? And then obviously being a woman and being able to break new ground in Christian hip-hop.

[13:48 -> 14:36] Speaker 1: Yeah, honestly, it's real beautiful. It's funny because I know, like, low-key, a little emotional because I feel like the Holy Spirit's like talking to me. But, um, I feel like, um, it was honestly just a beautiful privilege. Um, so one recent thing as well that's happened is I had a show with Queen Lee about like 2 days ago. Um, And one thing that was so beautiful watching it, um, was just seeing how much she's grown, um, in her artistry and stuff like that. And it's so funny because at the end she told me, she said, I just took all the advice you told me. And so, um, she was telling me that like, oh yeah, like remember when we used to sit down? Because I used to have like mentorship sessions with her. And she was like, yeah, you told me here's how you do like your music, here's how you work with producers, here's how you, uh, you know, work on the outfits to make them cute but modest, like here's how you—

[14:36 -> 14:36] Speaker 2: Yeah.

[14:36 -> 15:02] Speaker 1: —the merch and everything. And so I didn't realize how much the Lord has taught me from my experience to now. And so I feel like being the first, uh, woman signed to Reach, um, I think it was just a beautiful privilege because God allowed me to open the doors and to gain knowledge that I can pass on to other people so that way they can do their purpose and do their calling. And so, uh, honestly, I'm just so grateful. Like, you know, it's always a thing, like you say, like if you're a fan, like, oh man, one day I'm gonna be rapping with Lecrae, one day I'm good.

[15:02 -> 15:02] Speaker 2: Yeah.

[15:02 -> 15:52] Speaker 1: And so for me, I think it's beautiful that not only God fulfilled his purpose, but then he added a little sauce to it, you know. Uh, I love the extra sauce of like, okay, bet, like, you're gonna get to be signed to Reach, but we're gonna be doing more. But on top of that, I think it was one, just a sweet gift to be able to be like, oh wow, like, little dreams come true, do come true, like, and being able to be an artist. Um, but then I think on top of that, um, it was a beautiful privilege to— I see that it's greater than just me. Like, I see the women I can impact by just my representation of being there. Uh, I see the women artists I could impact by all the things I've learned and all the things I can share with them to be like, okay, here's everything I learned. Maybe here's some bullets I took, all the different things, so that way y'all don't have to go through that. Um, here you go. And I'm always reaching out to artists and saying like, hey, if you need anything, let me know. I'm being real serious. And, um, I think some artists might be skeptical at first because sometimes you don't meet authentic people.

[15:52 -> 15:53] Speaker 2: Yeah.

[15:53 -> 16:22] Speaker 1: You're like, I don't know, she's trying to play me. Or— and but then, uh, most artists, they do see because I'm consistent. Like, so it might be 2 years later, but you're like, oh, she's still— she's still hitting me up and saying, if you need anything. Um, and so then they usually see like, oh, she's real serious. And so I've just been grateful to be able to even just pour into other women and see them flourish and do their thing. Um, and so it's just been a— it's been a great time. I've loved it, getting to experience tours, getting to experience, um, getting to go to Christian, uh, events for free that I would, would have went to anyway.

[16:22 -> 16:22] Speaker 2: Yeah.

[16:22 -> 16:32] Speaker 1: And so, yeah, it's just a beautiful experience that I wouldn't trade for the world. And like, you know, it's like being a missionary with some sauce, you know, missionary but music edition. So it's a lot of fun.

[16:32 -> 16:52] Speaker 2: That consistency in this space is so key. When I call people and follow up, I think they're surprised. Like, hey, remember when I hit you up about doing that show? I was serious. If you don't wanna come out, let me know. You know? So I think that consistency is really key. Um, I think it's important, especially as soon as we slap Jesus' name on something, like we have to move the way he would move. You know?

[16:52 -> 16:52] Speaker 1: Yeah.

[16:52 -> 17:15] Speaker 2: We gotta keep our word. We have to return that phone call. We gotta return that message, whatever it is. Show up for that show, you know, pay that person on time, whatever it looks like, you know? So, You know, so you've, you've experienced obviously a lot of growth and change as a, as an artist and obviously as a Christian as a whole. So how important is it to keep your identity rooted in Christ rather than allowing your identity to come from gifts, platforms, titles, or other opportunities God gives you?

[17:15 -> 17:39] Speaker 1: Oh, I think it's definitely 100% important to keep your identity rooted in Christ rather than, you know, your gifts, rather than attention, all of that, because you ain't gonna make it if you're rooted in attention. I think if you, if you're rooted in attention and stuff like that, it's so fickle. Like, people can like you today and not like you tomorrow. Even the algorithm, you can be getting a million likes today and tomorrow get 10 likes.

[17:39 -> 17:40] Speaker 2: That's real.

[17:40 -> 19:26] Speaker 1: What you gonna do? And so I think if you're rooted in, uh, applause or, uh, numbers, um, you literally will be hurt and you'll feel as if you did something wrong when you could have been totally obedient to what the Lord told you to do. Uh, actually, you had asked me an earlier question about like my name change, and so that's one thing I felt like the Holy Spirit was telling me in that moment because he reminded me I fasted for that album. And I'm like, oh snap, because I remember when I dropped Anike, it wasn't necessarily the numbers that I wanted, uh, like performance-wise for it. But then it's crazy because the Lord just reminded me of like, oh, you don't even realize when you were fasting for that album, like the impact it had on people spiritually. And so just because it didn't do like a commercial target number that you were looking for, that doesn't mean that it didn't help that one person who needed to get saved, or help that one person who needed a breakthrough, or even myself. He's like, it could have just been for you to get free from that name situation, you know. Um, and so I think that's one thing that the Lord is also just even reminding me, even in this moment, of like, it's so important to be rooted in him because your definition of success, um, is determined by what you find your validation in. So if your validation is in Christ, your definition of success is, did I do what the Lord told me to do, yes or no? And if it's not, then your definition of success is, did we hit these metrics? Did we, you know, did we look a certain way? Are certain people calling us? And stuff like that. And so, um, I think it's definitely important because it keeps you um, steadfast. It keeps you having a strong foundation. So no matter how it talks about the storms come, the rain came, the wind blew, all that stuff, you'll be able to stand firm no matter what comes your way because you're rooted in Christ. And so your validation won't come from all these other things. No matter what's going on, your message is going to cut through. No matter what's going on, you're gonna do exactly what he told you to do, and you can have confidence and you can have no regrets, um, as you move.

[19:26 -> 19:45] Speaker 2: Have you ever felt like, with that being said, like ever felt the urge or pressure, even negative peer pressure, to water down your message, change your creativity, compromise your convictions in order to get us to have a certain audience, be in certain spaces? Have you ever felt that temptation or pressure as an artist?

[19:45 -> 20:45] Speaker 1: Yeah, I think so. I think a lot of artists definitely feel a temptation to change their message. And I think sometimes it can be good intentions, but it's just like based on who's where you're, where you're getting influenced by. So I think sometimes as Christians too, you might feel, uh, have a good intention to be like, oh, I want to water down my message per se so that way it can reach more people. Um, but I think sometimes we always have to go back and be like, okay, what is our thought process behind this? Is it to get more likes and more views, or is it to actually penetrate their soul? Uh, and so I think, um, yeah, I think a lot of times the temptation comes to be like, oh, maybe I shouldn't make the hook on the video super Jesus-y. Uh, so that way you can reach people, or maybe I shouldn't, um, say certain buzzwords. I know some people have told me before, like, hey, can you like make more— less Jesus in your music? Which is crazy, but yeah, I've said that before and they're like, oh, well, we just feel like it'll help, uh, and be in culture more if there's like— if it— if you make it— if you don't explicitly say Jesus and you say something like that or whatever. But then sometimes I'm like, hey, that's the whole point though.

[20:45 -> 20:47] Speaker 2: Right, right.

[20:47 -> 21:39] Speaker 1: And so, uh, glory be to God though, he's been able to encourage me, um, by Like, whenever I've been on syncs, which syncs are like whenever your music is on commercials and stuff like that, they've chosen the songs that are like explicitly about Jesus. And so I think even God has encouraged me that way of like, hey, like, I'ma make whatever needs to move move. And so, um, yeah, I think the temptation always comes because we try to use human logic to be like, oh, based on human understanding, if I do this, then it'll be better. But then we even see with things like 28:19, like thousands of people are coming just because they want Jesus. And so, uh, I think if we use God understanding and God logic, you'll see like, no, like, people want Jesus. Jesus, when he was on earth, had crowds flocking. He was trying to leave and retreat sometimes to be like, hey Lord, I need to be with my Father. Um, but people want the Lord, and whenever they see real power, real transformation, they'll come, they'll, they'll pull up. So yeah.

[21:39 -> 21:54] Speaker 2: How— I'm gonna— how are you balancing all of this? You know what I mean? Because like that, like what you just said was so real. Like, how, how are you balancing the music, the ministry, the business, culture, marriage, social media, and not allowing this to like take over your life and keep you focused on what God called you to do?

[21:54 -> 22:19] Speaker 1: Uh, it's a fight every day. It's a fight every day. But I think it's, uh, honestly like literally walking day by day. I always see when God tells you to do something, there's a reason. Um, and each season kind of builds upon each other sometimes. And so like, I have an amazing husband, and so I think that's why I'm able to balance a lot, because he's super amazing. He loves our daughter, cares for our daughter, uh, just different things like that. And, um, And also cares for me.

[22:19 -> 22:19] Speaker 2: Yeah.

[22:19 -> 23:06] Speaker 1: But then I think back at previous seasons, you know, when the Lord was trying to tell me like who to date and all that stuff. And so if I wasn't obedient to the Lord in terms of who you should date, who you should marry, I probably would be married to the wrong person. And then now when it's time for this season for me to do this, I wouldn't have the support I need, or even I might have a discouraging ear being like, oh, why would you want to do that, you know? Um, and so the Lord has definitely shown me like it's super important to be obedient to what he told you to do because all those little things that you think are insignificant, like later on in life you're going to see why they were so significant. And so I think the reason I'm able to do what I'm able to do is because I have childlike faith. I'm like, okay God, I want to follow your instructions and your advice that's in the Bible, and then I'm gonna be obedient to what you're telling me to do in the now. So yeah.

[23:06 -> 23:40] Speaker 2: I'm gonna keep this 100% real. When I met y'all backstage in Boston at the at the show, um, I saw how y'all operated as a team and I loved that, you know what I mean? Like, uh, I really, I appreciated seeing the way y'all even taking care of y'all's, y'all's family, you know, backstage, you know what I mean? Like, I love the way y'all, y'all operated. And like the fact that the way you and your husband do ministry together was just encouraging to me and, and my wife, you know? So, um, because she helps me run the nonprofit, she helps run the LLC, you know, she's the one who does run a show at Beyond the Walls, making sure the artists are on top.

[23:40 -> 23:40] Speaker 1: Oh yeah.

[23:41 -> 24:05] Speaker 2: making sure I don't book every artist in Christian hip-hop because I have a habit of doing that. So, you know, let's just hit up everybody. Yeah, let's call everybody. Everybody just come. Everybody get one song. She's like, we can't do this. So, so it was encouraging for us to see that. So what has God taught you about marriage, working together, doing ministry as a couple? And what have you learned about keeping your marriage stronger and stronger and keeping that as the, as the main thing and the priority?

[24:05 -> 25:36] Speaker 1: Yeah, I think the Lord has taught me so much. I think service is really important, uh, service and submission. I think if y'all are both trying to serve each other it's going to keep y'all in a good position. I think when one person is selfish and only thinking about themselves, that's when things start getting skewed. But I think whenever you just come back to the mind of Christ, uh, that's when things are always good. Because like, if you're thinking of the mind of Christ, you're never afraid to apologize to somebody. If you're thinking about the mind of Christ, you're not— you'll start thinking of— you'll start thinking in their shoes and being like, oh snap, how can I help them? Like, are they overwhelmed? They have a lot of work going on. How can I help them out to make their life easier? And so if you're doing that for them, but then they thinking about that for you, Then you're both gonna be like, oh, thank you so much. That was so nice. Oh, thank you so much. That was so nice too. And yeah, we're all human. So I think also like trying not to be offended. So I think with knowing that we're all human and nobody's perfect, you could know, okay, somebody might naturally have a certain reaction if they're irritated or if they have a lot of stress. So then being like, okay, if this person is in a stressful environment, how can I, one, I guess not be super offended and blow up at that moment, but at the same time, now let's address it later on and be like, hey, what was going on? You know, how can we work on what's going on? Or how can we grow from like where that is so that way we can both develop our character, but then also make sure that's not like a regular occurrence like in our relationship and in our marriage. And so I think that's, um, some of the best things I've learned, like just teamwork, working together, having the mind of Christ. I think it's super important to marry a Christian who's really a Christian.

[25:36 -> 25:36] Speaker 2: Yeah.

[25:36 -> 26:09] Speaker 1: Um, I think whenever you have that, it makes everything easier. Because if you really have someone who, like, they're trying to be like Christ every day, um, then it won't matter, like, if they mess up per se, because you know that deep down inside they're always striving to be more Christlike. So even whenever they do mess up, they're like, oh my bad, I'm so sorry. But they're even going to reflect and go back to God and be like, man, God, like, help develop me, help shape me so I can be more like you and, like, not fall into my fleshly ways. Um, but yeah, man, it's not easy. I think once you get the Jesus part down and, like, they really love Jesus, then it's just really a personality thing.

[26:09 -> 26:09] Speaker 2: Yeah.

[26:10 -> 26:28] Speaker 1: You know, do you like waking up early? Do they like, uh, do they like exercising and stuff a lot? Are you an outdoor type of person or whatever? Like, what are their spending habits? Um, but other than that, like, you know, the personality stuff is like more chill. But I think if they really love God at the core, the foundational, you're gonna make it through. And so, yeah.

[26:28 -> 26:40] Speaker 2: You just— it's like you in our kitchen. That's every discussion we just had lately, mostly about my spending habits because I'm the spender and she's the saver. So I'm like, we need this outfit for the show. She was like, we have outfits. I'm like, yeah, but we need that one.

[26:40 -> 26:44] Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, for sure, you know.

[26:44 -> 27:01] Speaker 2: So no, I, I think, I think success in ministry can be heavily weighed on who you marry, you know what I mean? So like, oh yeah, once you come together, like, it's important y'all be evenly yoked and y'all be, be on the same page. Because I am not the, the early riser. My perfect day starts at noon. You see what time this interview started?

[27:01 -> 27:05] Speaker 1: You know, he's like, oh, I can work with that.

[27:05 -> 27:32] Speaker 2: Yeah, I can get down with this. I ain't got to get up cracking dawn. Good, you know. Um, but I think, I think those things are, are important. And also knowing, like, you know what, that's God's son, that's God's daughter. This person is not my enemy. That has been a major thing that we've been saying ourselves, like, in, in marriage. Like, that's not my foe, that's my best friend, you know what I mean? We may not agree on this topic, but whoever needs to apologize apologizes. And then we have to, so, to move forward according to how Jesus says we need to move forward in whatever that situation might be.

[27:32 -> 27:33] Speaker 1: Yeah, for sure.

[27:35 -> 27:53] Speaker 2: So what have you learned about yourself as, as an artist in, in the past few years? Because you've put out, like you said, you put out a couple albums. You also put out the, the, the, um, you know, obviously the project with Portia as well. Like, you've had a number of projects come out. So what have you learned about yourself as, as an artist in, in recent time?

[27:53 -> 28:23] Speaker 1: Yeah, I think I've learned how much my voice is necessary, like my particular personality. I think a temptation as an artist a lot is to look at what other people are doing and being like, oh, that's working, maybe I should do that. Oh, that's working. Maybe I should do that. But I think God has been showing me, like, he gave me a particular taste in beats, a particular taste in vocal delivery, all of that for a reason. So I should do it. I think he also told me not to be lazy because I think sometimes you can fall into a temptation of like, oh, like, which is also why you shouldn't agree to too many things.

[28:23 -> 28:23] Speaker 2: Yeah.

[28:23 -> 28:37] Speaker 1: So you might be like treating it like a checklist, like, oh, I got to get the song done. And then you just write and turn it in versus being like sitting with it and being like, did I make every bar that I'm capable of making? Because sometimes you can be like, oh, I could have went harder, you know, whatever. But then it's like, okay, then why didn't you go harder?

[28:37 -> 28:37] Speaker 2: Yeah.

[28:37 -> 29:26] Speaker 1: And so I think, uh, the Lord has also been teaching me like, if you can go harder, go harder. Um, he's been teaching me just be yourself, uh, love your personality because you're for a specific person. Um, and yeah, just to embrace the story that he's given me. Um, and yeah, I think also once again, like, not doing things for numbers but doing things based on impact. So if he wants me to work with somebody They could have zero monthly listeners, and it's— if that's who God said to work with, then to work with them. And don't stress about like, oh well, this person's working with all these other people who have a million, you know. And so, um, I think that's some of the things he's been teaching me about my artistry, and he's just been showing like, you're here for a reason, you're here for a purpose, and so live out that purpose. And so it's been a lot of fun though. I've been enjoying it, and he's just— yeah, just been showing me to walk in the authority that he's given me as a child of God.

[29:26 -> 29:51] Speaker 2: You've talked, you've mentioned like numbers like a few times now, and obviously being in the public eye, like how do you handle, I mean, we obviously the positive comments, but how do you handle the negative comments, the criticism? And I don't even mean like the positive critique. I mean the stuff that's just absolutely just like getting under your skin. You're like, I wanna respond, but maybe I shouldn't, you know? Like how do you deal with the negative comments and criticism and people who don't understand your message or your creative choices?

[29:51 -> 29:54] Speaker 1: Oh yeah. I mean, sometimes you just gotta delete comments.

[29:55 -> 29:56] Speaker 2: Sometimes.

[29:56 -> 31:29] Speaker 1: Now, like, because I had a post one time, uh, it was like Holy Girl, something like that, and I got like a grant that could like push it out. And like, it made it to the wrong side of the internet though. It was people who don't want to hear about Jesus, and they're like, oh, these people are so sober, like, why is this sober? And then people are like, that's the point, like, they're not trying to be drunk. Like, and so, uh, like, yeah, it was so funny. But like, uh, people were just like going in so bad, and some people were like, I'm just so confused. Like, they're like, I like the song, so I don't know why people are going in so bad. And so I think one thing that I just have to remember is like, you're not for everybody. But then also, if something's just like utterly disrespectful, just delete it. Also, I have to take my own advice. I be saying in my songs, like I said, be online, see that hate, we don't type back. So I did not type back. I think also Proverbs. I've been doing this new thing where I read a Proverbs based on the day of the month or whatever. And I actually kind of want to do that for like the rest of my life, or at least— the rest of the season. Um, because yeah, there's so much wisdom that just reminds you every day where it says don't argue with fools because you look like a fool, don't do this because you look like a fool. And so I think just also when you keep reading the word, it also helps you. Um, so whenever you're not reading the word, it's easy to fall back into the flesh and be like, oh man, who do you think you are? But I think the more you read the word, you're like, oh wait, didn't it just say that I look stupid whenever I'm trying to argue with somebody? So Uh, I try to surround myself with the word of God. I try to surround myself with good friends. I delete stuff that's too triggering, all of that. And that's how I, you know, continue on with the past negative comments and stuff like that.

[31:29 -> 31:47] Speaker 2: Do you, do you still think we're living like in a time where people try to tell Christians how they're supposed to use their creativity? You know what I mean? They're supposed to use their God-given talent. Like, where should we draw the line when it comes like biblical accountability? Right. Versus controlling someone's God-given creativity.

[31:47 -> 31:54] Speaker 1: Yeah. Honestly, I like the rule of thumb of like you should criticize people who you can actually talk to.

[31:54 -> 31:55] Speaker 2: That's real.

[31:55 -> 32:24] Speaker 1: People who you can actually text or like actually communicate with. Those are the people who you should probably be talking to because then you actually have a concept. And even a good example is someone asked me to do a feature for a song called Going Going Gone that I just recently did. And at first, my even natural reaction was like, what is going going gone? Like my mind going on. I was like, what does that mean? And so I was kind of like, I don't know about that. Uh, so, but then I was like, let me ask her the definition of that. And then so she talked about how it's actually like a baseball reference, like a bar, and how—

[32:24 -> 32:24] Speaker 2: Oh yeah.

[32:24 -> 33:35] Speaker 1: Like hit something out the park, they're like, oh, gone, gone, gone, and stuff like that. And so he was— she was like describing how it's actually like a saying, like, oh, the Lord has me going like up high, like the Most High, and like he has me just going to farther and farther places and going farther beyond than I thought I could go now that I'm with him. And so my first natural reaction without asking her would have been like, oh, what's going on? Like, you trying to say hi or something like that? I don't know. But then whenever I actually asked her, she actually had a reasoning that was like pretty cool. And so I feel like that same thing can be applied to— you can assume a Christian person is doing something for a certain reason. I'm like, oh man, you just posting this for attention, or oh, you're just— and it's like, actually, when you ask them, you would be surprised, like their reasoning of like, oh no, this person actually really loves Jesus, and you know, or whatever. And so that same thing can be applied to hand signs. Like, I could be like, oh hey, peace sign, And they'll be like, oh, look at the devil side. It's like, I was smiling, I was having a great time. Now my default is this. I just go like this. Yeah. And so, yeah, it's really funny. But yeah, I think just talking to people who you actually know, because those are the people who you can actually correct. You actually know their character, you actually know if they're a little wildin' or not and stuff. Yeah.

[33:35 -> 34:00] Speaker 2: Like I said when we kicked this off, you know, you've been a trailblazer in, in CHH. You know, and you're very versatile, whether it's— I mean, you got R&B, you got Christian hip-hop, like you rap, you do it all. Like, so do you think— and I guess I should ask, what, if any, do you still believe women— like any barriers that women face in Christian hip-hop or Christian music today? Do you see any barriers, and what do you see that needs to change?

[34:00 -> 34:57] Speaker 1: Uh, I think the latest barrier that we're trying to break down in Christian hip-hop for women is touring. So I know even me and all my friends, we're having a strategic challenge to ourselves to put on our own shows so that way we can break that down. So I know I'm hosting my own live show October 11th this year. Super excited about that in Austin, Texas. I know my girl Portia just hosted her own like baptism event that went really well last month in Detroit. And so yeah, like I think all of us are also challenging ourselves to do our own live shows because just due to not doing it. it's like, that's a hurdle because like you have to do it to build up touring and ticketing history. It's like a resume. Like you have to do an internship to like start building up different things. Um, so I think that's one barrier that we're facing currently and that we're trying to build up like our own personal tours and stuff like that. And so the Lord will give us the faith. He'll get the people, the right people to show up. And, you know, he'll give us the strength to get through in Jesus' name.

[34:57 -> 35:23] Speaker 2: Amen. Amen. I'm gonna— I'm— let me know. I will gladly be sharing that show for sure. Yeah, definitely. We'll definitely put that out. So when it comes to CHH in general and Christian, um, R&B, so like, what is your perspective right now on Christian hip-hop and R&B? Where do you think the culture is strong? Do you see any areas of growth? I know you just mentioned obviously the touring side for, for women trying to break that barrier. Do you see any areas of growth for CHH in general?

[35:23 -> 36:15] Speaker 1: Oh, honestly, I think the creativity is at an all-time high. So I feel like there's so many artists now, like I'm refreshing my playlist at this point because there's so much fire. I'm like, wait, I want to hear all the new songs I've been hearing. So I think the creativity is at an all-time high. Artists are amazing. So I think as long as people just pull up to in-person events, you get to meet people. There was Stellar's Weekend that just happened. So I met a lot of people who I've seen online at an event that they had. And so I think, yeah, creativity is at an all-time high. So I feel like that's not a lacking department. YouTube videos are great if you need to learn how to record. Um, I even have a book that I put out called Song Release 101 that just teaches you the basics about the music industry and how to upload your music, how to do splits, all that stuff. Um, and so yeah, I think education's available, you know, I think music is available. I think now it's just following what the Lord told you to do. So I think we're in a good place though, honestly.

[36:15 -> 36:32] Speaker 2: I just got back from Philadelphia. I got blessed to be able to do an interview on, on Holy Culture Radio. And my whole way out there, I just left the playlist on, on random. You know how Spotify, once your playlist ends, it just plays like something that hits your algorithm? I heard like—

[36:32 -> 36:33] Speaker 1: That's my favorite part, yeah.

[36:33 -> 36:38] Speaker 2: Yeah, I heard like 50, 60 songs that I hadn't heard before. I'm like, because I had 6 hours in the car, so.

[36:38 -> 36:39] Speaker 1: Yeah. Oh wow.

[36:39 -> 37:06] Speaker 2: And I'm like, add this, like this, play this. I'm like, I didn't even know this artist was even out there. There's just so much out there. There's no reason for me to go back to what I used to listen to because there's just music in this space I haven't even tapped into yet. And I'm a show promoter. I'm like, how did I not know about this? this song. Like, so much, so much out there. So the— I, I think right now it's the, the bag is just deep. It's just so deep. The talent pool is just so deep. Like, you get sick of one song, there's probably like 6 others you ain't heard yet.

[37:06 -> 37:08] Speaker 1: Yeah, 700 other options.

[37:08 -> 37:28] Speaker 2: Like, just get deep in a distro and just like say, just, just put it— just press play and just let it go. Do you, do you see yourself doing any more collaborations with— I know you said like obviously you want to help break the the barrier when it comes to touring for, for women. Do you see any other collab projects with you? I know you and Porsha had the album come out, but do you see any other projects like that?

[37:28 -> 38:13] Speaker 1: Oh yeah, for sure. I think there's so many people— that's my problem, I like too many artists to where I'll do features for centuries. Um, but yeah, I think you'll definitely see me collab with more people. I know I love like a lot of Taylin Tid's new stuff that she has dropping. She's been hit after hit. Um, so there's so many people who are really fire, who I love, who are on my list. I got some features waiting. They're like, hey, just let me know when your availability wakes up. Uh, and so yeah, there's, there's so many people who I love who God has blessed. And so for me, I'm just like, God, show me what's right for this season, honestly. Um, because I want to do it all, but I have to be wise to steward things properly. Uh, but I think that there's so many people, so you'll definitely see me collaborating because I love God's people, I love Christian music. And so it's a lot of fun to me just to continue to do it.

[38:13 -> 38:29] Speaker 2: Come on. Anike, thank you so much for being on here today. We really appreciate it. This is the final segment of the podcast. This is the Let 'Em Know segment. This is where you can share anything you like with the audience. Also, please include, let them know where they can find you, where they can follow you. But sister, please let them know.

[38:29 -> 39:23] Speaker 1: Awesome. Well, what's up, y'all? It's your girl Anike. You can follow me online @anike, A-N-I-K-E. You can check out, um, the link in my bio for, you know, everything that you need to know, or just go to anike.net or anike.app. Uh, and also just check out some products if you ever want to learn about the music industry and how to get started, uh, you can check out my educational products. I have a book called Song Release 101 that's available on my site. Uh, also, if you just want to check out live concerts and live events, I have an event coming up October 11th in Austin, the All-Star Experience. It's gonna be a fire Christian hip-hop, uh, event in Austin, Texas. So I would love to have you. It's gonna be real fire down there, free parking, all of that, real lit. And Yeah, just stay tuned in with us, what we got going on. Uh, new merch dropping too, some Christian merch, real fire. Um, but thanks so much for having me. We love Jesus around here, and so keep it lit, keep it holy.

[39:23 -> 39:27] Speaker 2: Yeah, you already know, you already know. Could you close us out in prayer before we get out of here?

[39:27 -> 40:14] Speaker 1: Yeah, sure. Uh, dear God, thank you so much for bringing us here today. I pray for all the listeners, Lord. Anybody who wants to encounter you, Lord, I pray that they can begin a relationship with you today, Father. I pray that they won't have no fear and that they can just walk Um, in their new relationship with you, knowing that you are right there with them, Father, and they can let go of their old ways. Um, Father, I just pray for anybody who wants to be an artist, Lord. Give them the boldness, give them the confidence, give them the tools. Send them the right YouTube videos, send them the right community, right producers. And I just pray for anybody else who's out there listening, Lord, who just needs some encouragement and needs you. The Lord, show up for them. Give them a sign if they need a sign. Uh, show them where in the word to read. Um, give them a great church community, Lord. Send them friends, um, and let them be able to just walk out life with you. But we love you, Lord, and we give you praise. In Jesus' name I pray, amen.

[40:14 -> 41:21] Speaker 2: And Lord, I just thank you for my sister, Lord. I just thank you, um, for everything you're doing in her and through her. I pray you just continue to expand her territory. I thank you for, for her yes. I thank you for her amazing family, Father. Um, I thank you, you are even opening doors right now on, on their behalf, Lord. So I thank you for the testimony. Their lives are going to continue to be, Father. I thank you that you are just bringing unity where they need unity, healing where they need healing, and just— I thank you— wisdom where they need wisdom, Lord, to continue to do all the things you've called and asked them to do, Father. And Lord, for anyone at the sound of my voice who wants to know more about this Jesus that we're talking about, Lord, I pray that they are just turning away from their past ways right now, Lord, that they're accepting you as their Lord and Savior, they're asking you to come in their hearts, and that they are just— they are just giving themselves over to you right now, Father, not for rules and regulations, but, but for freedom. them for an eternity with the Father. So I thank you to everybody at the sound of my voice is more than conquerors. They can do all things through Christ who strengthens them. That he was in them is greater than he was in the world. Lord, I thank you for all the things you're doing, whether seen or unseen right now, Lord. And I thank you for those answers to those prayers that may not even have been spoken. We just thank you for all these things now, in Jesus' name. Amen.

[41:21 -> 41:22] Speaker 1: Amen.

[41:22 -> 41:51] Speaker 2: If you have been enjoying our content, please like, follow, share, and subscribe to the Rooted in Christ podcast. We are on all major podcast platforms. Listen, whether you are in the Midwest, anybody in the United States, November 7th at the House of Blues in Cleveland, Beyond the Walls 3. KB is our headliner this year. Mike Teezy's coming. Portia Love is going to be there. You never know, we might try to sneak an EK in here as long as, you know, I'd get run— get this running show past my wife. Sister, thank you so much for being on here. We appreciate it.

[41:51 -> 41:57] Speaker 1: Yeah, uh, it was a lot of fun being on here. And make sure y'all pull up to that event. You know, that's my dogs. That's my dogs. Hey.

[41:57 -> 41:59] Speaker 2: Pull up, please.