Interview with Mychal Hunt

Last night Kevin and I had the privilege to sit down with one of our partners in the Gospel to talk about his recent mixtape release. Mychal Hunt opens the first song with these words, “Welcome to the CD and I pray they see Jesus when they look at me.”

The mixtape, “LIFESTYLE,” is Mychal’s first solo project. It was released January 13, 2013 and produced by John Williams of Dynamics Music.

Is Christian rap an oxymoron?

Yeah, some people think you can’t be a Christian and rap but if Saul never got converted to Paul, a lot of people would think that you could never kill people then turn around and write 13 books that inspire Christians.

Who’s your main audience?

Everybody. I want to reach everybody. The Gospel is for everybody.

Why rap?

I used to rap before I was saved. I can’t sing. If I could sing, I’d be singing.

What are the highlights of your testimony.

My father is a Muslim who always told me that Jesus wasn’t the Messiah. Until I was 17 years old I really didn’t believe in the Christ and I lived for myself. I used to rap before I was saved and I used to degrade the name of Jesus in my music. Then a lady ended up sharing Jesus Christ with me in the studio one day. She invited me to a church and I heard a pastor preach. They ended up inviting me to a Nicky Cruz event and I gave my life to Christ.

What do your parents think about you doing Christian rap?

The first three years I was saved, my dad and I had a lot of disagreements. He would always tell me that the Bible contradicts itself, no man can be 100% God and 100% man, and that Christianity was false. No one else in my family lives the life of Christ. So a lot of my family like my cousins, brothers, and sisters want the old me back. They say they miss the cool me. So sometimes it’s hard to relate but rap can be a bridge. So if they like rap and if they like the beats of secular rap, it’s good for them to listen to my music because they like the beat and they hear the message.

What role does quality play in the production of your music that can help you share the Gospel?

It plays a big part. First thing that comes to my mind: If I was watching a movie about Christ and the picture really wasn’t that good and the picture was faded and it was really hard to figure out what it was about, I would probably change the channel. Just like if my production was horrible, people probably wouldn’t even tune in to listen to it. And since it’s the message of Christ, I want it to be as excellent as it can be because if it’s not, then I’ve killed the whole purpose. I want people to hear what I have to say. I want people to hear the message that’s in that music. And if the production’s not good then they aren’t going to listen.

How long have you been working on this project?

It took probably about a week to write. And the whole month of December to record.

So why did you make this free?

This is something I wanted to give away for free because the message is so real for people who live on the side of town I grew up on. And it’s so encouraging for the people who are already in Christ and are walking with Christ. I just couldn’t sell that. The first day we had over 500 downloads and the first thing my producer told me was that we could have made $5,000 that day if we sold them at $10 a piece. And that didn’t even phase me. I wasn’t upset or like “Aw man we could have made $5,000.” If it was up to me, I’d make everything free. But they invest so much in me that I have to charge for the next one. It’s got such a great message. Jesus Christ is someone that is so amazing – He changes lives. I have to get that message out for free. Investing time in the studio, it’s all worth it. Me writing songs and staying up late, reading the Bible, praying, trying to get a Word from God is all worth it.

Who are some of your inspirations?

Lecrae. Some of the other guys I rap with – Quan, DP. The guys I rap with. I know their lifestyles; I know the things they really do. They inspire me.

In writing this album, you cover a lot of topics. For you, what is one of the hardest things to rap about?

Probably struggles that Christians have. I don’t know if I write about struggles then people will say, “He was too harsh about this. Or too open. Maybe he was too real on this song.”

What do the lyrics “these beautiful nightmares” refer to in opening song?

Coming from the background I come from you would think, “Wow, this is bad, this guy isn’t going to be nothing.” But when you put Christ in your life, He makes that beautiful. He makes beautiful what society says is going to be nothing.

What was your favorite track on this album?

They probably aren’t my favorite sounding tracks or my favorite lyrically but the songs that have to do with missions. There are three of them. “Cold World”  which talks about going into neighborhoods and talking about Jesus. It’s about two people who had church buildings in their neighborhoods but they still ended up dying and nobody shared the Gospel with them. Another one is  “Mission Trip.” That’s about travelling the earth and sharing the Gospel about Jesus Christ. The other one is called “The Hood.” That’s about going to the hood and telling people about Christ. It’s about not being afraid to do it. Walking confidently because you know who God is and you’re going to spread His message no matter what.

I heard you were on the radio. How did you get one of your songs on a major local radio station?

I’m on 95.7; that’s 96 Kix’ major hiphop and R&B. I’m the only Christian artist on there. It was really weird. Usually you would have to pay money, a lot of money, to get on there. But we were at the skating rink one night and one of my guys convinced me to ask the DJ to play my song “Hold Back”. He did and he was like “Wow, I’m going to play this on the radio.” We thought he was just playing. We thought maybe he was just talking in the moment but he supported it and he supported it a lot. And he plays it.

What role does music play in the black culture?

Music is a huge influence. In the black culture, if you listen to a song that has to do with fights, you’re probably going to fight. If you’re listening to music about having a good time where people only want to drink, then you will, too. Basically the music is like an instruction. You’re going to do what it says. If it says dance, then you’re going to dance. So hopefully when they listen to my music say Jesus Christ is the greatest thing, then they pursue Jesus Christ.

Listen to his album: https://soundcloud.com/dynamicsmusictn/sets/the-lifestlye-mixtape

Follow him on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/PastorMych?fref=ts