ON AIR: The Big Redd Radio Show shares God and the Gospel, with a side of hip-hop

Hip-hop and Christian music may be a combination some think blend as badly as orange juice and toothpaste.

Those folks would be wrong.

Kevin Felder, a Columbia native known as radio host and Billboard-chart Christian hip-hop recording artist Big Redd, has proven that Christian hip-hop music reaches many people who may not otherwise embrace Christianity.

Big Redd, a 2013 alumnus of The State’s 20 Under 40, launched a weekly, one-hour syndicated radio program “The Big Redd Radio Show” to bring “the Good News to today’s generation through Christian hip-hop, Christian pop, and rhythm and praise music.

“With everything that our world is going through, people need hope. They need inspiration,” said Big Redd. “My prayer is that this show reaches people in an approachable, relatable, and refreshing way.”

Big Redd, 41, graduated from Dreher High School in 1996, and Wake Forest University in 2000. He lives in Northeast Columbia “with my college sweetheart and bride of nearly 12 years,” Dr. Tisha Felder and their children Benjamin, Hannah, and Mia.

He’s been in radio for 15 years. As a recording artist, he has performed with Grammy and Stellar Award-winning artists such as Lecrae, Fred Hammond, and Kierra Sheard.

Big Redd agreed to answer some questions to give insight on his new show and Christian hip-hop music in general.

Q: Do you think Christian hip-hop reaches a population that may not otherwise be reached?

A: Recent studies by Pew Research Center show that there is a growing disbelief in the existence of God. Of those who do not believe in God, nearly 40% are between the ages of 18-29. I believe that Christian hip-hop reaches a population that is not only curious about the existence of God, but also how His existence has anything to do with their everyday lives. Christian hip-hop answers questions like, “Does God care about my relationship?” “How do I get over my heartbreak?” “How do I overcome the trauma from the sexual abuse I endured?” “How do I deal with the pain of losing my loved one?” The messages shared in Christian hip-hop can authentically begin these conversations, inviting people to have a personal relationship with God, not just religion.

Q: Who are you trying to reach with the radio show?

A: Through The Big Redd Radio Show, I am trying to inspire both young adults and their parents. Anyone who loves the catchy rhythms of mainstream hip-hop, pop, and R&B will be pleasantly surprised that inspirational music can not only sound this good, but leave a positive impact on your soul.

Q: How prevalent or popular is Christian hip-hop music?

A: Christian hip-hop music has been growing in popularity for the last 20-plus years. From artists like The Cross Movement, Da’ T.R.U.T.H., and Lecrae, to Wande, Evan and Eris, and Bizzle, Christian hip-hop is viable, respected, and a source of inspiration for millions across the globe.

Q: Can you take us on a quick trip from how you started with your singing career to how you ended up with your radio show?

A: I released my first song in 2011, and in May 2012, I released my debut EP “All Around The World.” My music is now played on radio stations across the world, and my music career has taken me across the country to perform, from events with 10 people in the room to 10,000. Along with being an artist, I have worked in the Gospel radio industry for 15 years. This provided me a behind-the-scenes vantage point of both the challenges and opportunities that exist for music like mine to be presented. For the last three years, I served as station manager of a 24-hour FM Christian hip-hop radio station, which galvanized my desire to take this sound across the country in a greater way. I resigned from the radio station in January 2020 to pursue full-time launching The Big Redd Radio Show.

Q: What led you to perform Christian hip-hop?

A: As a youngster at Crayton Middle School, my friends introduced me to the art of rap, which made me want to become a better songwriter and rapper. As a freshman at Wake Forest University, I surrendered my life to Christ, and my hobby of writing and rapping turned into using my lyrics to promote God and His way of doing things. A few years later, I joined a Christian hip-hop group called “Wise Men,” and in 2011, I released “Different Now,” my first professionally recorded song as artist Big Redd.

Q: What compelled you to start this radio show?

A: As an independent artist, I’ve seen firsthand how difficult it can be to get a song played on the radio. There are some phenomenal artists and songs that the world may never know, because the artists just simply didn’t have a large enough platform. This radio show is an extension of my desire to provide a wide platform for phenomenal music. Secondarily, everyone — everyone — needs hope and inspiration. This show is my attempt to provide inspiration to our world, one song at a time.

Q: What is your radio show about?

A: The Big Redd Radio show is a weekly, one-hour Christian hip-hop, Christian pop, and Rhythm and praise show. Key themes each week are mental, spiritual, and emotional health; family; and entrepreneurship. We keep our listeners up to date on entertainment news during a segment called “What’s Happening.” We break down lyrics to Christian hip-hop songs during “Say What?” And we offer entrepreneurial tips during a feature called “B.O.S.S. Basics” (Building Only Successful Startups). All in all, The Big Redd Radio Show bridges the gap between the future and the past of inspirational music in a refreshing, relatable, approachable, and authentic way.

Q: What are some misconceptions you think folks have about Christian hip-hop?

A: Let me let my audience tell you; I just posed this question to my Facebook followers. Here are some of their replies: “Because it’s hip-hop, it’s the devil’s music/inappropriate for Church.” “It’s square. Corny. Carnal.” “It’s mixing the world with the Church.” “It’s boring.” “The beats are not good.” “It’s too closely intertwined with urban hip-hop.” “It’s irrelevant, not Scriptural, and doesn’t focus on God.” “The artists are soft, and couldn’t make it in secular rap, so they settled.” “Rap and Jesus don’t go together.”

As with other genres of music, Christian hip-hop has evolved a lot. I believe that sonically, it could now fit on any hip-hop station in the country. It’s impacting lives. It’s making a difference. It’s inspiring a generation that may not normally be inspired through traditional means of evangelism. That’s why I forge ahead, investing in the genre, and making more platforms for it. I believe in it.

Q: Do you have any stories about people who have listened to your music, liked it and then was surprised it was hip-hop?

A: I often receive inboxes and DMs from parents who play my music in the car and their young person responds, “What is this?” The parent replies, “It’s Christian hip-hop.” The kid replies, “No, it’s not. It can’t be.” The parent encourages their child to continue listening, and to their surprise, their parent is correct. Most young adults who haven’t been exposed to Christian hip-hop or “rhythm and praise” music are shocked that a song can sound that good and be about living a life for God.

My recent Billboard-charting song “Running Back to You” features Grammy Award-winning artist Fred Hammond. Many people who heard his legendary voice singing at the beginning of the song were shocked to hear my rap lyrics come in on the song. It’s a beautiful example of what can happen at the intersection of hip-hop and the Gospel.

Q: What is your biggest challenge for the radio show?

A: My biggest challenge for the radio show right now mirrors the challenge that Christian hip-hop has always had-- being embraced by terrestrial (AM/FM) radio. Many programmers are facing the challenge of, “How do I program my station to appeal to my core listeners, while also inviting new listeners in through something new?” That’s a delicate, difficult decision for program directors and station owners to make. My job is to educate them, and provide them with nothing less than a high-quality, professional, forward-thinking radio show, that allows them to embrace new listeners without alienating their core. My show does that.

Q: What is your biggest hope from the radio show?

A: My biggest hope is that the show provides hope and inspiration for the young and the young-at-heart in major, medium, and small markets across America. I hope that the songs we play on the show become the soundtrack to our listeners’ lives, encouraging them in their relationship with God.

Q: How did you get the name “Big Redd?”

A: (Laughs heartily) The term “redbone” is everyday slang for an African-American person who is light-skinned or has red undertones. If I were playing a pickup game of basketball, a total stranger might see me from across the court and say, “Hey Red! You got next!” Because I’m very light skinned, my close friends have called me Big Redd ever since high school.

Q: How can Columbia support you?

A: The biggest way Columbia can support is simply by tuning into the show every week. Gather your friends or family around, fire up your smart TVs, apps, and speakers, and allow The Big Redd Radio Show to be a part of your weekend schedule. Dance together. Laugh together. Clean up the house together. Fire up the grill together. It’s that kind of show. Tune in, have fun, be inspired, then tell a friend.

Q: How can folks in Columbia hear you?

A: Currently, the show airs on eight radio stations every Friday through Sunday. People in Columbia can find their most convenient station and time to listen to at BigReddRadioShow.com. Each show can be conveniently streamed via phone or computer from the stations’ websites and apps. Hopefully, a radio station in Columbia will carry the show very soon.

Editor’s note: “The Big Redd Radio Show” was recently picked up by a ninth station, Rejoice 96.9 FM in Greenville. Listerns can tune in at 3 p.m. on Sundays. According to Redd, this is the first station in South Carolina to carry the show and “it’s an exciting landmark,” he said.

This story was originally published July 6, 2020 at 9:05 PM with the headline "ON AIR: The Big Redd Radio Show shares God and the Gospel, with a side of hip-hop."