“The perfect sacrifice for a fallen creation, bearing the weight of our sin, closing the separation. By His stripes we are healed from our sin. He was killed and was buried in a tomb that was sealed. But on the third day, He rose and revealed the only thing that's defeated is death, my Savior lives.”
During a visit to the Garden Tomb in Jerusalem last year, Christian hip-hop artist Steven Malcolm felt himself overcome with emotion, quickly inspired to deliver a spoken-word reflection on the Passion of Christ.
STEVEN MALCOLM
Christian hip-hop artist
“I remember being in Israel and just getting this feeling, this urge of the Gospel needing to really be spread. A lot of people in this genre shy away from truth and Jesus. Me, I just have a push in my heart.”
The sensation Malcolm felt in the Holy City is the same one he's been feeling for nearly a decade since becoming a believer in his hometown of Grand Rapids, Michigan. However, the church he frequented might not be considered conventional by most people.
His regular attendance at a non-denominational “hip-hop church” eventually developed into a call to lead worship. It was there on that stage that Malcolm began to see the unique way the Scriptures affected people when translated into music.
STEVEN MALCOLM
Christian hip-hop artist
“I think the music really is a tool to impact, inspire and motivate people. Motivating Christians to not just sit in the pews, but to get up and actually go make disciples.”
While he continues to lead worship at the church, Malcolm heard a call to share his words on a wider scale. It culminated in the release of his debut, self-titled album in early 2017.
Just one year later, he's gearing up for his sophomore project. In the artist's words – and what's clear in his music – is that, unlike his hip-hop contemporaries, Steven Malcolm “sold out for Jesus.”
