Stephen Wiley (born 1958) is recognized as the first artist to have recorded a full-length Christian rap album with his 1985 release on the Brentwood Records label, Bible Break, a fact which was acknowledged by T-Bone (rapper) in his song "Our History" on his own album entitled GospelAlphaMegaFunkyBoogieDiscoMusic in 2002. At the time of this recording, Wiley was a member of the crusade team at Kenneth Hagin’s Rhema Bible Church in Broken Arrow, OK.[1]
Wiley was born in 1956 and grew up in Muskogee, 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).[2] By 1982, Wiley was performing rap music with Christian lyrics at a time when 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.[2]
In 1985, Wiley released Bible Break and saw its title track reach the #14 spot in 1986 on Christian radio.[2] " That slap from the CCM world was balanced by a 1988 article in Spin magazine nicknaming the young chaplain the "Grand Master of Rap".[2]
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.[1] 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 group Witness on the song "Real".[2]
Wiley is the Founder and Pastor of Praise Center Family Church in Muskogee, Oklahoma and Tulsa, Oklahoma.[3] He is also the Assistant Director of Christian Ministries at Bacone College in Muskogee, Oklahoma where he teaches full time.[4]