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He put all his professional gravediggers out of work when his first Xist Music release, Stop the
Funeral debuted at #6 on Billboard’s Top Gospel Albums Chart and at #14 on the Top Christian
Albums Chart. Within hours of the July 12th release, Stop the Funeral debuted in the Top 10
Albums Christian/Gospel Chart at iTunes, peaking at #2.
The Ambassador, among Christian raps most venerable leaders, was written off by many in the
Christian community after a 2009 moral indiscretion led to the seemingly permanent demise of
the urban ministry the rapper and church planter built through prayer, hard work, and years of
service. EEW Magazine compares the treatment of the Ambassador to being buried alive, in
that, before his conciliation, he was pronounced "dead" and his career was considered to be
over.
But it was far from over.
It was just the beginning for the Christian Hip Hop pioneer, who holds a Master's in Theology.
The down-to-earth leader and great thinker, who finds himself on EEW Magazine's 10 Men
Leading the Way list this year, shares exactly how the fruitful relationship with his new label
home, Xist Music began. "God providentially led me to some brothers at Xist who had been
grinding for a minute. They had pressed reset on their own efforts and were looking for
something. I had to press reset as well. God brought us together, just [from] the
recommendation of some [people from mutual] relationships, and before you know it, we were
the right thing for each other at the right time," Ambassador shares. "Xist basically brought me
in to work on a song. And we said we’ll use this time to work on a song and collaborate just to see
if there’s any natural God-given chemistry with us in terms of our personality. We had a blast.
We ate. We worked on a song and then basically, that started it. And then we went on a cruise
together where we co-labored. They had a cruise and me, my label mate, T.R.U.T.H., our wives,
we basically saw that the chemistry continued and I agreed that this was a good place and there
was a mutual need for one another. I brought something, my tenure as a Christian Hip Hop
artist. They had something with their history with the gospel scene and musical excellence. We
came together and voilà here’s where we are today."
Today, The Ambassador is enjoying a season of favor and restoration, a resurrection of sorts,
after being buried prematurely. "If you think about someone who’s really buried alive, they
panic because they’re like, it’s not what you think. That’s how I was. I was frantic. I was
confused because I thought the signs of my aliveness, though they were microscopic at one
time, I thought I was around people who knew what it looks like for somebody to be weak but
not dead. It felt like I could hear the dirt coming on the [metaphorical] casket [and I was] like,
come on, y’all know this is not [over]! "
Yet, his cries went unheard by nearly everyone but God. So The Ambassador found himself
immersed in God's word and speaking the promises of God over His life. "[When] I did, God
began to resurrect everything: my joy, my strength, my creativity, my desire to move on and be
a trophy of grace. And before you know it, He began to bless and prosper me."
It is no surprise that The Ambassador, real name William, is influential within the context of the
urban Christian movement. From a young age, the Lord was molding him. "The Lord used my
teenage years as I was coming into adulthood and began to ignite my heart to serve him with my
gift. So then I had to learn how to keep my urban swag and at the same time submit it to my
Christian conviction. And that was a process and a season, you know, getting the best of both
worlds—the flavor of your social and the treasure of your theological. And that just makes for
an interesting mix. So when I look at the influence of urban music, it now has a global influence.
So we have to be stewards. Jesus said be wise as a serpent and harmless as doves. But He said,
sons of this age are more shrewd or better in their taking advantage of the things of this world
than the sons of light. So I hear that and I say, let me be a good steward of the potential of the
urban influence that can be had for the Kingdom. So I jumped in and I just think the sky's the
limit as to where it’s gonna go. But again, there’s a gift and a curse of these things. May God
continue to give us grace to use them well."
Knowing how to use the undeniable influence of Hip Hop for the glory of God, is a focal point for
The Ambassaador. "The Lord Jesus Christ has been teaching people to be fishers of men when
he was on earth and basically what that was is appropriately extending the right kind of net, the
right kind of bait, in the right kind of waters, at the right kind of time to bring in a catch that’s so
much that the boats can’t handle. In other words, the harvest is plentiful Jesus said, but the
laborers are few." And this leader is set on being one of the laborers reaping a harvest of souls.
This fall, he will be hitting the road along with Da' T.R.U.T.H., Sean Simmonds, Mali Music,
Rhema Soul, Oraia Speaks, and Chris Durso, to take the good news of the gospel to hungry souls
around the country as a part of The Misfit Tour. "The Misfits was a theme that we all could
relate to with where we are right now. Whether it be Mali who loves to be different and eclectic
and just have his own flavor. He sort of has that misfit [vibe] because sometimes you don’t fit in
because you’re not just status quo. Same thing with me and T.R.U.T.H. with our issues,
sometimes we can feel out of place. And Durso, who has been running with this misfits theme for
a while now, when they were making t-shirts. [We're] just [going to] go to where the people are
who feel like something about them disqualifies them. We feel that way, so we can relate to those
we have to go to." As The Misfit Tour makes its rounds, Ambassador believes others will see
"We’re not perfect, but we will demonstrate that grace can do wonders."
And this is the message a lost generation needs to hear, which is being carried by Christian rap
artists like The Ambassador who are modern-day preachers.
His message empowers all the misfits who have been counted out to know that they can rise up
through the resurrection power of Jesus Christ. "There was a story where the Lord Jesus came
into a situation where a young girl had died and He said, why are you mourning? She’s asleep.
And they looked at Him and He basically moved them out because they didn’t understand that
as long as Jesus is on the scene, that even the dead are just asleep, because He can wake them up
just as simply as we can wake up somebody who’s taking a nap. That’s what the album, Stop the
Funeral, is about. [It helps] you find this confidence or this hope that you can live even if you
deserve to die. That’s what this good news of Jesus Christ is about, that deserving sinners are
saved by faith through grace, not of yourselves lest anyone can boast."
Visit The Ambassador online at www.TheAmbassadorOnline.com Twitter: @Ambassador215
Article & Interview by Dianna Hobbs, EEW Magazine Founder & Editor In Chief
Funeral debuted at #6 on Billboard’s Top Gospel Albums Chart and at #14 on the Top Christian
Albums Chart. Within hours of the July 12th release, Stop the Funeral debuted in the Top 10
Albums Christian/Gospel Chart at iTunes, peaking at #2.
The Ambassador, among Christian raps most venerable leaders, was written off by many in the
Christian community after a 2009 moral indiscretion led to the seemingly permanent demise of
the urban ministry the rapper and church planter built through prayer, hard work, and years of
service. EEW Magazine compares the treatment of the Ambassador to being buried alive, in
that, before his conciliation, he was pronounced "dead" and his career was considered to be
over.
But it was far from over.
It was just the beginning for the Christian Hip Hop pioneer, who holds a Master's in Theology.
The down-to-earth leader and great thinker, who finds himself on EEW Magazine's 10 Men
Leading the Way list this year, shares exactly how the fruitful relationship with his new label
home, Xist Music began. "God providentially led me to some brothers at Xist who had been
grinding for a minute. They had pressed reset on their own efforts and were looking for
something. I had to press reset as well. God brought us together, just [from] the
recommendation of some [people from mutual] relationships, and before you know it, we were
the right thing for each other at the right time," Ambassador shares. "Xist basically brought me
in to work on a song. And we said we’ll use this time to work on a song and collaborate just to see
if there’s any natural God-given chemistry with us in terms of our personality. We had a blast.
We ate. We worked on a song and then basically, that started it. And then we went on a cruise
together where we co-labored. They had a cruise and me, my label mate, T.R.U.T.H., our wives,
we basically saw that the chemistry continued and I agreed that this was a good place and there
was a mutual need for one another. I brought something, my tenure as a Christian Hip Hop
artist. They had something with their history with the gospel scene and musical excellence. We
came together and voilà here’s where we are today."
Today, The Ambassador is enjoying a season of favor and restoration, a resurrection of sorts,
after being buried prematurely. "If you think about someone who’s really buried alive, they
panic because they’re like, it’s not what you think. That’s how I was. I was frantic. I was
confused because I thought the signs of my aliveness, though they were microscopic at one
time, I thought I was around people who knew what it looks like for somebody to be weak but
not dead. It felt like I could hear the dirt coming on the [metaphorical] casket [and I was] like,
come on, y’all know this is not [over]! "
Yet, his cries went unheard by nearly everyone but God. So The Ambassador found himself
immersed in God's word and speaking the promises of God over His life. "[When] I did, God
began to resurrect everything: my joy, my strength, my creativity, my desire to move on and be
a trophy of grace. And before you know it, He began to bless and prosper me."
It is no surprise that The Ambassador, real name William, is influential within the context of the
urban Christian movement. From a young age, the Lord was molding him. "The Lord used my
teenage years as I was coming into adulthood and began to ignite my heart to serve him with my
gift. So then I had to learn how to keep my urban swag and at the same time submit it to my
Christian conviction. And that was a process and a season, you know, getting the best of both
worlds—the flavor of your social and the treasure of your theological. And that just makes for
an interesting mix. So when I look at the influence of urban music, it now has a global influence.
So we have to be stewards. Jesus said be wise as a serpent and harmless as doves. But He said,
sons of this age are more shrewd or better in their taking advantage of the things of this world
than the sons of light. So I hear that and I say, let me be a good steward of the potential of the
urban influence that can be had for the Kingdom. So I jumped in and I just think the sky's the
limit as to where it’s gonna go. But again, there’s a gift and a curse of these things. May God
continue to give us grace to use them well."
Knowing how to use the undeniable influence of Hip Hop for the glory of God, is a focal point for
The Ambassaador. "The Lord Jesus Christ has been teaching people to be fishers of men when
he was on earth and basically what that was is appropriately extending the right kind of net, the
right kind of bait, in the right kind of waters, at the right kind of time to bring in a catch that’s so
much that the boats can’t handle. In other words, the harvest is plentiful Jesus said, but the
laborers are few." And this leader is set on being one of the laborers reaping a harvest of souls.
This fall, he will be hitting the road along with Da' T.R.U.T.H., Sean Simmonds, Mali Music,
Rhema Soul, Oraia Speaks, and Chris Durso, to take the good news of the gospel to hungry souls
around the country as a part of The Misfit Tour. "The Misfits was a theme that we all could
relate to with where we are right now. Whether it be Mali who loves to be different and eclectic
and just have his own flavor. He sort of has that misfit [vibe] because sometimes you don’t fit in
because you’re not just status quo. Same thing with me and T.R.U.T.H. with our issues,
sometimes we can feel out of place. And Durso, who has been running with this misfits theme for
a while now, when they were making t-shirts. [We're] just [going to] go to where the people are
who feel like something about them disqualifies them. We feel that way, so we can relate to those
we have to go to." As The Misfit Tour makes its rounds, Ambassador believes others will see
"We’re not perfect, but we will demonstrate that grace can do wonders."
And this is the message a lost generation needs to hear, which is being carried by Christian rap
artists like The Ambassador who are modern-day preachers.
His message empowers all the misfits who have been counted out to know that they can rise up
through the resurrection power of Jesus Christ. "There was a story where the Lord Jesus came
into a situation where a young girl had died and He said, why are you mourning? She’s asleep.
And they looked at Him and He basically moved them out because they didn’t understand that
as long as Jesus is on the scene, that even the dead are just asleep, because He can wake them up
just as simply as we can wake up somebody who’s taking a nap. That’s what the album, Stop the
Funeral, is about. [It helps] you find this confidence or this hope that you can live even if you
deserve to die. That’s what this good news of Jesus Christ is about, that deserving sinners are
saved by faith through grace, not of yourselves lest anyone can boast."
Visit The Ambassador online at www.TheAmbassadorOnline.com Twitter: @Ambassador215
Article & Interview by Dianna Hobbs, EEW Magazine Founder & Editor In Chief
SPECIAL VIDEO PRESENTATION
EEW Magazine's Founder & Editor In Chief, Dianna
Hobbs shares her thoughts on the Christian Hip Hop
movement and EEW's 2011 "10 Men Leading the
Way" list. Watch below.
EEW Magazine's Founder & Editor In Chief, Dianna
Hobbs shares her thoughts on the Christian Hip Hop
movement and EEW's 2011 "10 Men Leading the
Way" list. Watch below.
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