Propaganda (musician)

Propaganda
Birth name Jason Emmanuel Petty
Born May 27, 1979
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Genres Christian hip hop, spoken word, underground hip hop
Occupation(s) Rapper, pastor, poet
Years active 2002–present
Labels UpRok, Tunnel Rat, End of Earth, Humble Beast
Associated acts Tunnel Rats, Footsoldiers, Odd Thomas, Beautiful Eulogy
Website humblebeast.com/artists/propaganda/

Jason Emmanuel Petty (born May 27, 1979), better known by his stage name Propaganda, is an American Christian hip hop and spoken word artist and poet from Los Angeles, California. He has released four albums as an independent artist and one collaborative album with the rapper Odd Thomas, and has performed and recorded as a member of the underground hip hop group Tunnel Rats and associated act Footsoldiers.

Biography and musical career

Petty was born Jason Emmanuel Petty on May 27, 1979 in Los Angeles, California.[1] In his very early childhood, his family moved into a violent, ethnically Mexican neighborhood.[2] As the only black child in the area, he was often teased due to his skin color. Later, his family moved again, this time to the suburbs, where his family was known as the "poor black family."[2] He learned to rap, and also took up dance, graffiti, and formal drawing and painting.[3] Discovered by underground hip hop collective Tunnel Rats, he made his debut in 2002 on Speak Life by Sev Statik.[4] In 2003, Petty joined the Tunnel Rats, and on April 8, 2003, released his solo debut album with UpRok Records, entitled Out of Knowhere.[5][6] In 2006 he released the I Am Not Them EP with Tunnel Rat Music and recorded Live This as part of Tunnel Rats-affiliated group Footsoldiers.[7] Footsoldiers also collaborated with KRS-One on his album Life, with Petty appearing on the song "I Ain't Leaving".[7] Petty released a second solo EP, The Sketchbook: A Small Collection of Unreleased Material, independently in 2008, and his second album, Listen Watch Focus, also came out in 2008 through End of Earth Records. Petty then released three albums through the Portland-based Humble Beast Records. The first, entitled Art Ambidextrous, was recorded as a dual-album with Odd Thomas, and came out on February 1, 2011. Petty's next album, Excellent, came out in 2012, and charted at No. 7 on the Billboard Top Gospel chart.[8] Petty's fourth solo album, Crimson Cord, came out on April 29, 2014, and also charted successfully.[9]

Other activities

In addition to his hip hop career, Jason Petty has worked as a youth pastor, led a poetry team called Selah, and helped his sister's dance ministry called "Live."[3] In 2013, he partnered with I Am Second in hosting a poetry contest, Spoken Word Challenge.[2][10]

Discography

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
2003 The Battle for L.A.: Footsoldiers, Vol. 1 Himself[11] Documentary film

References

  1. ↑ "Propaganda". The Holy Hip Hop DataBASE. Retrieved May 8, 2014.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Patrick, Kris (June 26, 2013). "Propaganda, Shares Short Film Testimony on "Identity" on IamSecond". Path Magazine. Parallel Path Entertainment. Retrieved May 13, 2014.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Propaganda" (PDF). Uprok Records. Retrieved May 13, 2014.
  4. ↑ Farias, Andree (June 1, 2003). "Out of Knowhere". Crosswalk.com. Salem Web Network. Retrieved May 16, 2014.
  5. ↑ Nibokun, Imade (October 24, 2013). "Tunnel Rats: Controversial Christian Rap Collective Turns 20". LA Weekly. Voice Media Group. Retrieved May 12, 2014.
  6. ↑ Mabee, Justin (September 16, 2005). "Propaganda, "Out of Nowhere" Review". Jesus Freak Hideout. John DiBiase. Retrieved May 13, 2014.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Cordor, Cyril. "Footsoldiers". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved May 13, 2013.
  8. ↑ Billboard. "Propaganda - Chart History: Gospel Albums". Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved May 8, 2014.
  9. ↑ Billboard. "Propaganda - Chart History: Billboard 200". Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved May 8, 2014.
  10. ↑ "Propaganda Hosts Spoken Word Challenge". Rapzilla. Philip Rood and Chad Horton. June 20, 2012. Retrieved May 13, 2014.
  11. ↑ LeVasseur, Andrea. "The Battle for L.A.: Footsoldiers, Vol. 1 on AllMovie The Battle for L.A.: Footsoldiers, Vol. 1". AllMusic. All Media Guide. Retrieved May 20, 2014.

External links