Summary: In this episode of Testimony: A Musician’s Story I interview God Over Money rapper, Jered Sanders. Sanders was born in St. Petersburg, FL, and raised in the Arlington, VA area where his step-dad was stationed. Sanders had a late introduction to the church. While he was in high school his mom went to a revival and gave her life to the Lord. She felt her family had to make up for the lost time, so they were heavily involved. One would think teenage Jered wouldn’t be into commuting 45 minutes to church for service, Bible study, and choir, but he enjoyed it! Well, what he really enjoyed was the attention he got from the girls from singing in the choir. It was his love for the ladies that led him to a youth retreat in high school. “I had an idea of what I was going for, but at the same time, God had other plans. He was like, ‘I’mma plant these seeds. I know what you think you are here for. But you are also here for this too,’” said Sanders. While at the retreat Jered had his first serious encounter with the Lord. In the midst of running around with his disposable camera trying to take pictures with cute girls and get their numbers, he noticed something. His peers were actually worshiping the Lord and they had seemed to enjoy it! Suddenly he realized that he was in a safe space, and he began to worship. It liberated him, and after that moment he felt the need to get closer to God. “It wasn’t just an emotional moment. It was transformative. I need to know more about this dude,” Jered said. Following high school, Sanders attended Florida A&M University, a time he calls his “wilderness experience”. “College was going to either make me better understand the provision and grace and mercy of God, or I was going to be real close to Satan,” said Sanders. That high reverence Sanders felt for the Lord kind of fizzled out once he left the retreat. Sanders became lukewarm. But God’s presence never left him. College is where he saw the hand of the Lord over his life. He felt the nudge of the spirit warning him to avoid certain situations. “If I pressed into those places I wasn’t supposed to be in, consequences came. But the warning signs were always there,” Sanders shared. Post-college Jered begrudgingly moved back home after not being able to make it on his own. He was set up on a blind date, that didn’t go so well. The two didn’t like each other, and it turns out the woman was already in a relationship. Six months later she asked Jered out for ice cream, and although he was dating other women he agreed to go. What made this woman stand out from the others was her love for the Lord. “Due to her persistence in the Lord, I grew. I wanted to know more about Him, so that I could know more about her,” revealed Sanders. The two are now married with kids and are working on launching a podcast together. “I see God every day I wake up because I have a wife that holds me accountable. I have children that keep me on my toes. You learn a lot about God, more intimately through marriage and parenthood,” said Sanders. In 2010 Jered was still profiting off of that choir singing voice, and was signed to a label and tasked with singing hooks. One day he was asked to sing a hook on a track that had an open verse. Jered decided to not only sing the hook but rap over that open verse. The CEO wasn’t impressed with his skills as a rapper. This motivated Sanders to study the techniques of rapping and to not have a weakness. Two months later he sent the CEO a couple more tracks, and this time dude was impressed. His project Sorry for the Delay was released exclusively on DJ Booth. His name was bubbling in the streets along with Whiz Kalifa, Big Sean, Big Krit, and more. But there was one problem, Sanders’ wife didn’t support the music he was making. So he stopped. After throwing a temper tantrum he refocused and wrote “Real”. “Real” was a testimony piece about the reality of where he was in his faith walk. Sway in the Morning and other high-profile hip-hop outlets spun his record. All Hip Hop put him on an emerging artist list with Nipsey Hussle, Logic, and Dee-1. That’s when Sanders transitioned and became a Christian hip hop artist. Now signed to Bizzle’s God Over Money Records, Sanders says “I just want to bring something distinct to the space that we are in… [CHH] doesn’t allow us to get older. No matter how young I look, I still have a wife and children. What’s wrong with making content for people in that transitional stage with a wife and kids? Regular hip hop allow artists to age”. Sanders is set to release another rap album. He believes it is an incredible work of art, that will be his best project to date. But he is most excited about getting back to his roots, singing. He plans to retire from rap and make R&B music.
