Jackie Hill-Perry (née Jackie Hill, born June 21, 1989) is an American poet, writer, and hip-hop artist from St. Louis. Hill-Perry initially garnered popularity for her performances of spoken word pieces such as “My Life as a Stud”, “A Poem About Weed”, and “Jig-a-Boo” at the Passion 4 Christ Movement (P4CM). She has written for various Christian ministry organizations, such as The Resurgence and John Piper’s Desiring God, on the topic of Christianity and homosexuality. She signed to the Portland, Oregon-based Christian hip-hop label Humble Beast in January 2014, and released her debut album on November 4, 2014, available both commercially and for free. Hill married fellow spoken word artist Preston Perry in March 2014, and now has a baby girl.

An encounter with sexual abuse as a child contributed to the confusion over her gender identity she faced while growing up, and Hill-Perry at age seventeen discovered that she was a lesbian. She lived a life of sexual promiscuity and struggled with drug and pornography addiction, until her conversion to Christianity in 2008. Her self-proclaimed status as a former lesbian has sparked controversy, with many gay rights activists stating that sexual orientation cannot be changed and that Hill-Perry’s experience lends credence to the idea of conversion therapy. Hill-Perry, however, maintains her belief that God can transform lives and that He empowers believers to resist temptation.

Early life (birth to 2008)

Jackie Hill-Perry was born Jackie Hill on June 21, 1989, in St. Louis. She grew up in the fatherless household and experienced sexual abuse at the age of five. Hill’s upbringing instilled her with a knowledge of God, and she attended church until she was ten. However, her encounter with sexual abuse, combined with school bullying and a lack of attention from boys contributed to her struggle with gender dysphoria. Since the age of four, Hill felt as though she should have been born a boy, and at age six she started imitating male tendencies, such as standing up to use the toilet. At age 17, she discovered that she was a lesbian, and started pursuing multiple serial relationships with other women. Hill’s second girlfriend suggested that she be a stud, a woman who takes the masculine role in a lesbian relationship. Hill explains that

I was never the ‘cute chick’ but when I became a stud, it seemed like every girl wanted me. I would be in straight clubs and have girls throwing themselves at me. For a girl that’s insecure and craves to feel loved, that was like a drug for me.

Frequenting gay clubs and gay pride parades, Hill became caught up in a life of drug and pornography addiction, rebellion, and homosexual promiscuity. However, in October 2008, she converted to Christianity and turned away from her previous lifestyle.

Conversion and current activities (2008–present)

As recounted in her poem “My Life as a Stud”, Hill states that “one day, the Lord spoke to me. He said, ‘She will be the death of you.’ In that moment, the scripture for the wages of sin equal death finally clicked.” Hill left her girlfriend, returned to church, and started writing poetry. She performed her first spoken word piece at a P4CM poetry conference in 2010 and met Preston Perry, the man who would eventually become her husband. Over time, Hill gradually lost interest in women, and Preston proposed to her in August 2013 through the spoken word poem “The Covenant”. The couple married in March 2014, and Hill-Perry now has a one-year-old baby girl. Hill-Perry attributes that change in her sexuality to God’s transformation of her life. Record label Humble Beast announced on January 7, 2014, that it had signed Hill-Perry as an artist.  She has appeared as a guest musician on several Christian hip-hop recordings, including Because You Asked by Swoope and Instruments of Mercy by Beautiful Eulogy. Her debut album, The Art of Joy, was produced by Beautiful Eulogy and released on November 4, 2014, Hill-Perry is also a staff member of the Legacy Movement ministry.

In 2016, she, alongside JGivens and John Givez, was featured on Lecrae’s “Misconceptions 3” from the album Church Clothes 3.

Stance on homosexuality

Jackie Hill-Perry maintains that she is an ex-lesbian and that her transition to heterosexuality is among the changes God worked in her life. On July 31, 2013, Christian hip hop radio show Wade-O Radio published an interview with Hill-Perry where she spoke out against the Macklemore song “Same Love”. Citing 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, she stated that

The word of God itself, apart from Jackie Hill, testifies that people can change. So if the word of God is the word of God, then we need to deal with that and believe that it’s true. I think we’ve made God very little if we believe that he cannot change people. If he can make a moon, stars and a galaxy that we have yet to fully comprehend, how can he not simply change my desires?

This stance has been criticized by many, particularly gay rights activists. According to The Washington Times, Hill-Perry’s experience “runs counter to pronouncements by gay rights groups that exclaim sexuality as an inherent, immutable characteristic”, and, even further, comes amid “wide-ranging reports about the psychological dangers of so-called ‘reparative therapy,’ which aims to change the orientation of homosexuals.” Hill-Perry estimates that about 40 percent of the messages she has received over social media has been negative. When Hill married Preston Perry in March 2014, one critic accused a couple of both being gay and marrying to “play God to a bunch of ignorant people.” However, Hill-Perry, in her 2013 interview with Wade-O Radio, clarified that she does not believe that every Christian with a homosexual disposition will lose those desires.

If God chooses not to change my desires, he has promised to give me his Holy Spirit that will help me flee from them. There are people who were alcoholics for 20 years, went through rehab and they don’t drink anymore, but sometimes they may be tested. If they see a bottle of whiskey, they’re going to want that whiskey, but they have a choice.

Influences

In an interview with The Gospel Coalition, Hill-Perry cited Mali Music, Propaganda, and Ebony Moore as “a few people who inspire me to be great at my craft.” Theologically, she names pastor John Piper as a major influence and even based Art of Joy on Piper’s book Desiring God, where Piper explains his concept of Christian hedonism. Hill-Perry states that

Aside from the doctrines of grace, it’s one concept that has really renewed my mind when it comes to faith and sin. Now, when I look at certain sins, it’s not, ‘Oh, I’m just doing this because I want to.’ No, what in this sin do you think will satisfy me that God can’t? It makes my processing of my issues a lot deeper, and it’s also expanded my view of God.

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Kevin Elijah Burgess (born July 21, 1988), better known by his stage name KB, is an American Christian hip hop artist and music executive from St. Petersburg, Florida. He is the leader of the hip-hop group HGA and was signed as a solo artist to Reach Records in 2010. He is also a member of the Reach Records-based hip-hop collective 116 Clique. After releasing a mixtape in 2011 entitled Who Is KB?, his debut album, Weight & Glory, was released on July 17, 2012, to critical acclaim. On March 4, 2014, he released his first EP, 100. On April 21, 2015, he released his second album, Tomorrow We Live.

Kevin Elijah Burgess was born in St. Petersburg, Florida on July 21, 1988, into a military family. Shortly after his birth, his parents moved to Southern Illinois where he was raised for eight years. When he was 8 years old, his parents divorced and he moved back with his mother to the south-side of St. Petersburg, which according to Burgess is “probably one of the worst areas in the state.” He did well in school and at age 15 was offered an opportunity to pursue college through a program called St. Petersburg Collegiate High School. But despite this opportunity, he struggled with extreme depression and experimented with various drugs to try to relieve it. He began struggling at school due to his problems with his personal life and even contemplated suicide. Jeremy offered him a CD, and Burgess says he was saved after hearing the Gospel presentation on the recording.

Personal life

Burgess is currently married with two children.

Formation of HGA

After high school, Burgess enrolled in Bible college and befriended a group of Christian rappers and together they formed a hip-hop group called HGA, short for His Glory Alone. HGA eventually caught the interest of Lecrae, Ben Washer, and DJ Official, and was featured with Tedashii on the track “Go” from DJ Official’s album Intermission. Burgess was invited onto the “Acquire the Fire” tour by Lecrae and was asked to join the Reach Records team just a few months later.

Signing To Reach Records

Burgess signed with Reach Records in 2010 and appeared that year on the album Rehab by Lecrae. His mixtape Who is KB? followed a year later, as did appearances with PRo and Tedashii. Who is KB? garnered 30,000 downloads by the following year. His first single, “Hello”, featured Suzy Rock and was released in October 2011. In January 2012, a second single, “Zone Out” featuring Chris Lee Cobbins, was released. Burgess then made an appearance with Andy Mineo on the Trip Lee album The Good Life. The third single by Burgess, “Go Off”, featured Tedashii and Andy Mineo, and was released. The following month, his debut album Weight & Glory was released.

On May 30, 2013, Reach announced a four-part project entitled “1st & 16th”. This project would consist of Burgess releasing a new song every first and sixteenth of June and July. On June 1, Part 1, HCB Freestyle was released. The songs Ride and Be All Right were also part of the 1st and 16th project.

On February 10, 2014, KB announced his new project, an EP entitled 100, which was released on March 4, 2014. Burgess appeared in Family Force 5 music video for the song “BZRK”, released on May 23, 2014, on which Burgess is a featured artist.

On February 3, 2015, KB took to social media to reveal his second studio album, Tomorrow We Live, along with the cover and release date. It’s scheduled to be released on April 21, 2015. The first single off the album “Sideways” featuring Lecrae was released on February 23, 2015. The second single “Crowns & Thorns (Oceans)” was released on March 10, 2015

I understand now more than ever that my allegiance is to the kingdom, first and foremost. Everything falls second to that

K B – TODAY WE REBEL

Three studio releases in and KB is at his creative zenith. For years, the Tampa native has been something of an outlier in hip-hop, firmly placing a thumbprint on the game while invoking the power of spiritual conviction. His lyricism is impassioned and astute, and he won’t be bent against his will. Given his commanding presence and consistent output, it comes as no surprise that the world has taken notice. The track “100” from the EP of the same name, took home the Dove Award for Rap/Hip-Hop Song of the Year in 2014. And his last LP, 2015’s Tomorrow We Live, garnered both critical and commercial acclaim, earning a Stellar Award nomination for Rap/Hip-Hop Gospel CD of the Year and debuting on the Billboard charts as the No.1 Christian Album and the No. 4 Rap Album overall.

Now in 2017—with the world in a social and political frenzy—KB is redefining what rebellion truly means. Today We Rebel, his third full-length album with Reach Records, is an exercise in zeal and imagination. No-frills, no filler. Just raw, uncut transparency through and through. KB follows his artistic impulses to great effect, lending his take on terms that are dominating the cultural conversation.

“To me, resistance carries with it a certain posture,” KB says. “The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion.”

From start to finish, the 14-track album is chock-full of wordplay, intricate flows, and chest-pounding production. Sonically, it’s a mixture of emotion and aggression, which KB describes as “cinematic trap.” It comes across effortlessly, which is a testament to KB’s grind and respect for the craft. The hard-hitting lead single “Monster,” featuring Aha Gazelle and produced by Halo Hitz and Cardiac, showcases KB’s verbal dexterity: “This ain’t my first rodeo/check my portfolio,” he spits. On “Not Today Satan” KB and Andy Mineo both deliver the goods, trading verses about the need to shun evil in order to maximize your witness and calling. Produced by Cardec and Cobra, the track has an anthem-like feel, its bounce, and musicality begging to be performed live.

All throughout Today We Rebel, you can feel the urgency in KB’s tone. “It’s a lot more introspective,” he offers. “The older you get, the more aware you become of the human struggle, and the struggle in your own heart.” This kind of clarity is what makes KB such a necessary voice for today, a vessel to be poured out for this generation. “I’m just a man being honest about the world as he sees it.”

The Mykallife-produced “DNOU” has KB flexing his skill over an infectious piano loop. “Boy, don’t nobody own us” he roars, his smooth cadence riding the beat expertly. There’s no question that this is KB at his most self-actualized; a man who understands his mission and is compelled to motivate others to do the same. “I couldn’t stop if I tried,” he says. “And I want to rebel against anything that would ever threaten to slow me down or get in the way of my progress.”

When it’s said and done, Today We Rebel is KB drawing a line in the sand. It provides ammunition to help us confront the anxiety of the times. And KB lays it all out, serving as a reminder that we’re at our best when we are truly free, “I understand now more than ever that my allegiance is to the kingdom, first and foremost. Everything falls second to that.”