For more info on the Masterpiece Arts Camp and to register, please click HERE.

I’m excited to announce that my video “Dreamers” won Best Music Video at the Christian Worldview Film Festival! You may have already heard the good news, but you may not know why this is so special. I know that a lot of you who are following me on this music journey are true supporters…which may mean that you might be excited just because I am! Lol! (Thank you for that, by the way.) I want to share as much of the details of this journey as I can because, well, we’re basically traveling this road together. If you’ve ever supported me, then you’re invested to some degree. And I don’t take that lightly. So please check out our “award-winning video” and then I’ll share with you why winning was so cool…

I don’t know if you recall, but last year I actually performed at the film festival. It’s one of the largest Christian film festivals in the country! That performance was actually a big deal because, up until that point, they had never experienced rap at the festival. I was the first, and it was an honor to add a different flavor to the festival. Unfortunately, not everyone was as excited as I was about the inclusion of hip hop. First, I heard that there were a few complaints after my performance. Others came up to me personally and told me that they didn’t like the style of music but appreciated the message. That was kind of funny to me because I toned my performance waaaay down for that occasion. Like…I transitioned from rap into an all out worship set and everything. I started to realize what a bold move it was for the founder of the festival to invite me to perform.

During last year’s festival, I also couldn’t help but make a few observations while there. One observation was that I stuck out like a sore thumb lol! There wasn’t a lot of racial or cultural diversity represented at the festival. I don’t think that this was an intentional move. I just think that it was something that naturally happened over time. We all have a natural bend to gravitate towards what is most familiar and comfortable. The funny thing is that they shared more in common with this rapper than they thought. After talking with some of the people there, I found out that many of the young people grew up with a similar experience to mine – homeschooled and living in the bubble of Christian culture. (I distinctly remember being young and thinking that rap music was bad…until I saw it on TBN.) Needless to say, I walked away from last year’s film festival thinking, “Wow, that was fun! It’ll probably never happen again, but it was fun.”

Well as God would have it, some of the young people reached out to me after last year’s festival and asked if they could shoot a video for me. Among them was Patience Pennington. We ended up collaborating on the “Dreamers” video with another guy named Bear Hanrahan. The video turned out incredibly well! Sometime later, they asked me if they could submit it to the film festival. Me and my optimistic/pessimistic self agreed to it with excitement but didn’t think it would get very far based on the reception of my last performance there. There were too many similarities. “Dreamers” would have been the first rap video submitted to the festival. I attended a breakfast during this year’s film festival and it appeared that the demographic hadn’t changed much since last year. The people were super friendly but for some reason I didn’t think that this crowd was ready for the cultural leap. I was wrong.

The “Dreamers” lyric video ended up winning Best Music Video in the festival making it the first rap video to win an award there! Since the win, I’ve been able to connect to other great movie producers and actors who’s films have hit the “silver screen”. And while winning the award is great, I’m more excited about the prospect of the Christian film industry beginning to recognize God-glorifying art coming from the hip hop culture. I’m no activist for hip hop, but I am an activist for kingdom expression here on the earth which includes worship from every tribe, language and people group.

We all come from different backgrounds and cultures. That’s awesome because it means that the kingdom of God can effectively reach many cultures from a place of authenticity. I’d love to hear from you. What are some things that you are currently doing to add your distinct flavor in today’s culture?  Let me know in the comments.

I can’t put into words just how excited I am about this upcoming concert series. After some recent prayer, I’ve felt that a drive to invest into the artists and the music scene of San Antonio. I think I’ve always wanted to invest into the city somehow. From backpack giveaways to food and toy drives, I’ve always made it my mission to help those in our city who can’t help themselves. But for some reason, I’ve never thought to invest into the one area of the city where I know that I’m gifted – music. I’ve included music in other outreaches, but it has always been a side to what I thought “traditional” help from the church would look like in a community. I couldn’t quite merge the two in my mind. As my music ministry began to grow, my involvement in the community began to slow down. This conflicted with a personal conviction that I had long ago that was rooted in Acts 1:8. I felt that “Jerusalem” (my home town) needed to be reached first. My heart was never to be just another traveling artist. I want to help steward a move of God. It took the miracle of touring for almost a year and a half to finally realize that music is not just a hobby but a calling. God is in it. And now it’s time to pick up the original mission. It’s time to invest into San Antonio by investing into artists and helping the music scene to prosper. This scripture has been in my heart and mind:

“But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.” – Jeremiah 29:7

Having a love for the city happens when we’re connected to the heart of God. God loves the city more than we ever will. When we love the city, we invest into the city because our treasure follows our heart. Prospering with the city is just a byproduct of loving and serving the city.

The “Love the City” Concert Series is born out of a heart to serve the city with high quality music and ministry. This concert series will be exclusive to San Antonio. We realize that everyone won’t be able to afford the normal honorarium amount. Because we don’t want money to be a reason for people not experiencing this concert series, we are working with all budgets for the month February. Limited dates are available. To inquire about dates or to book the “Love the City” Concert Series, please click HERE.

Hope to see you around in San Antonio soon!

Jarrell

No mic. No stage. No concert. Just publicly standing for what we believe in. I’m calling it the #SoapboxChallenge.

The funny thing is that this was my original idea for my Soapbox video (minus the challenge part). I wanted to go to a public place and just rap. But since challenges are going around on social media, I decided to add a challenge to it. Check out my original Soapbox video HERE!

Since the challenge, a few other artists have done the same thing. It’s been so encouraging to see!

Check out the my #SoapboxChallenge video that I did at Northstar Mall in San Antonio. (Spoken word starts at 1:34)

We at Freedom Music Group are excited to host our 5th annual Freedom Fest, a high impact celebration of faith and urban culture! And we’re gearing up for our best event yet!

This year, it’s all about focusing on the artists and sounds that are coming out of San Antonio! We ‘re excited to host our first ever artist social. This will be a time of hanging out, networking, and sharing ideas about how we can add kingdom value to the art spaces in our city! The artist social will be held from 5:00pm-6:00pm. ALL artists are welcomed.

We will continue the night with a free concert at our Freedom Fest stage. Artists will include some of San Antonio’s best up and coming talent.

(Note: If you are planning to attend the artist social AND the concert, then please reserve a ticket for both.)

We can’t wait to see you here!

– The Freedom Fest Team

1. We’ve raised $13,128 of our $14K goal!!!
2. We’ve recorded, mixed, mastered, and packaged my new EP called Between Dreams and Reality.
3. We’ve done a national tour called The Dreams to Reality Tour. Like, it was literally across the nation. We ministered to thousands of people.
4. We’ve opened for and shared stages with some well known acts in the Christian music industry (Jeremy Camp, Blanca, Sanctus Real, Manafest, Royce Lovett, Trinity 5:7, and more).
5. We’ve signed to JAM Booking. I signed as an artist and my wife as a representative. (I love this!)
6. We’ve recorded my first national TBN interview.
7. We’ve got our first radio airplay in the UK (London).
8. We’ve partnered with a great organization and finished a 2 week arts camp where the finale was held in a public mall. We also passed out 100 backpacks to prepare kids for the upcoming school year.
9. We’re promoting our single GO! to 150+ radio stations around the country.
10. We’ve got music videos in production.

iTunes: http://tinyurl.com/BDAR-iTunes

Google Play: http://tinyurl.com/BDAR-GooglePlay

Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/BDAR-Amazon

After you buy, don’t forget to leave a comment and rating!!

Thank you so much!

LYRICS:

Chorus:
Ready Set Go!
I see the gun in the sky I’m ready
Ready Set Go!
This moment is do or die I’m ready
Ready Set Go!
I’m in the fight of my life I’m ready
Ready Set Go!
We were made for this moment and we ain’t got time to blow, don’t blow it, ready set go!

Verse 1
Let me take it there, can I get a witness
If you’re grind time is on overtime & you about your Father’s business (oh yeah)
That ain’t no difficulty, that’s fitness
While you’re steady fighting that good fight ’cause you faith more & you fear-less
You might be falling down, pick it up where you left off
You better tell Goliath it’s bets off ’cause you know you’re taking his head off
No more living at the rest stops no days off & no more disguise
I lost control & I’m horrified
God I never felt more alive

Pre-chorus:
You see the fear in my eyes
I know it’s all on the line
It’s coming down to the wire
I’ve got a fire inside, you’ll never kill my desire
I’m alive

Verse 2
You know everything that worth something’s gonna cost something
Welcome to the family everyone of us has lost something (oh yeah)
You know real fire’s gonna spark something
Don’t look for reasons you can’t do it no hesitation just start something
I know you feel the weight, the weight that one decision makes
Can’t pull the trigger you’d rather wait ’cause there’s life at stake when your risk-taking
You know it’s God, take the shot & move out the way it’s on His plate
You serve a sovereign God who’s grace is big enough for your mistakes

Bridge:
Ready Set! Let’s Go!
No more holding back
We ain’t promised tomorrow
Right now, that’s all we’ve got
Every second is borrowed
Every second is borrowed (2x)

Written by: Jarrell, Joseph Carranza and Michelle Carranza
Produced by: Joseph Carranza (8twenty Productions)
Additional production by: O’Brian “OB” Martinez (OnBeat Music)
Mixed by: Adrian Lopez (8twenty Productions) and Levester White (Pure Media)

CONNECT:
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JARRELL:
http://instagram.com/JarrellFMG
http://facebook.com/JarrellFMG
http://twitter.com/JarrellFMG

Keeper of systems.
Artist.
Conflicted interests.

I knew it was God who wanted me to be on staff at my church when I first signed on. There was no doubt about that. But what I never figured out was how my music was going to play into my church roles. It has always been a struggle for me. Church or music. Do I really have to choose? Because I want to do everything with excellence, I want to be all in – with everything! The God and the people that I serve deserve nothing less.

When we were younger, we felt like we could be everything at the same time. We were Dreamers. We were free. For me, changing the world was totally possible because I was going to be an officer by day and vigilante by night. I would also play pro basketball just as a creative outlet. But dreams quickly begin to meet reality at the same rate that we begin to realize our own limitations. What a sad day. Discouragement sets in. The once wide-eyed kid who thought anything was possible now realizes the frailty of humanity. Time and money are like chains that prevent us from reaching our dreams which are conveniently placed in the distant galaxy. The sky is no longer beautiful. It’s just a depressing reminder of what could have been but will probably never be. We go from “thrive” to “survive”, dreams to nightmares, and some of us even wish that the story of our lives would just end already.

But there is hope. There is glory if you can endure the story. 

My hope lies in knowing that my steps really are ordered of the Lord. I serve a real God who really is Lord of all. And He loves me. He’s smarter than me. He directs my passions. He calls me to obedience for His glory and for my good. He has given me promises, and has placed desires in me that He will fulfill. He has spoken over my destiny and He is not a liar. All I have to do is trust Him and endure. And during those times when I feel weak, He gives me faith to believe again. He gives me hope to dream again. And He helps me make sense of this craziness called life when I feel like I’m living Between Dreams and Reality.

Listen to Jarrell’s two singles below…

CLICK HERE TO HELP THIS DREAM BECOME A REALITY!!