Name: Anthony “AE” Edwards

"I make songs that has meaning behind them. I don't just record music, I record my life onto these tracks. God Bless"

Where are you from? : Cincinnati, Ohio

How long have you been rapping? : I been Gospel rapping since 2007 after becoming saved for the third time. I been rapping period since I was in the fifth grade so I guess I was about 10 years old when I started.

When and why did you become saved? : I first became saved when I was about 9 years old while I was at a basketball camp called Athletes in Action. Athletes in Action was a Christian basketball camp. At the time I was young and didn’t fully understand what it meant to be saved. When I turned 16 years old I took a bible literacy class at school. That class motivated me to go to church. My friend that attended a church called Impact Worship Center invited me to come to one of their Sunday services so I went. After attending Impact Worship Center’s Sunday services several times I felt the Spirit of the Lord come over me and speak to me, telling me to become saved and join their church. At the time I understood what it meant to be saved but I still didn’t understand the responsibility that came along with it. I understood that Jesus died on the cross for our sins and if I accepted Him as my Lord and Savoir that by His blood I would be forgiven and saved from my sins. That was the meaning of being saved but the responsibility is something separate. On February 22, 2007 I decided to quit doing Secular Rap and to start doing Gospel Rap and give the Lord all of me. I came to the Lord hurt and broken. When I prayed to the Lord that day, I accepted Him into my heart and asked Him to guide my life in the direction that He wanted for me. Then on February 25, 2007, after being gone for a while, I went back to Impact Worship Center and became saved for the last time. The difference this time was that I understood the responsibility of being saved and it’s to fulfill the Great Commission that the Lord Jesus Christ left with us, which is to spread the Gospel and make Disciples of all nations.

What is your view on the music industry? : The Secular music industry as a whole is sick and only the Lord Jesus Christ is the medicine that can heal it. Everybody is out for themselves in the secular music game, there is no unity. It’s all about the money with these secular artists and labels. They put money before God. They completely miss the point of what music was made for and the responsibility that music carries. The influence that music has is greater then TV, movies, the internet, video games and books. Because music is all around us and it’s always being heard. It’s in our homes, your car, the retail store where you shop, schools, hospitals, and the place where you bank at. So we as artists and labels must have a greater since of responsibility for the music that we are putting out. We must think about the people that are hearing our music which is our message. Because it’s our message that’s shaping the hearts and minds of the people especially the youth of our nation, which are looking for someone to look up to. Do we really want our children, your children, the future of our nation to look up to people that are all about smacking girls, getting money, sex, murder, greed, drinking and doing drugs, those are all things that are not of God, I would say the answer is NO! See these are the things that these secular artists and labels are feeding our youth. See these secular artists and labels have no sense of accountability. They’re in a place where only Christ can save them from the life that they lead. I believe the world needs more Gospel/Christian music. If we start feeding our youth more Gospel music and less secular music then the world’s future will be a lot brighter and more peaceful then it is now. But as far as the Gospel rap industry goes, I think we still have some ground to cover. Everyday I meet people that didn’t know that Gospel rap exists. But I know in the next couple of years God will make the presence of Gospel Rap known to everybody. There is power in Gospel Rap it gives the youth someone positive to look up to. Because the only reason music was created in the first place was to bring uplifting to the Lord’s kingdom so that we may praise Him and give our testimonies to the world. So Lord willing we can minister to the people and direct them to the Savior Jesus Christ.

Why do you Gospel Rap or rap period/minister, what’s your motivation? : I Gospel Rap, because that’s what I was called to do. My goal is to minister to someone thru my music and Lord willing lead them to Christ Jesus. My motivation for rapping period is the Gospel of Christ.

What about the Lord Jesus Christ’s life inspires you the most? : The thing that inspires me the most about Jesus Christ’s life is that He gave His life so that we could be forgiven for our sins. We’ll not worthy of the sacrifice He made. But His sacrifice just goes to show us the love that He had for us. I believe we all can learn from Jesus. And everything that He has taught us thru the Gospels can be applied and used in our lives.

Message to the fans: Keep your eyes on Christ and never lose sight of Him. Because the moment you lose sight of Christ is the moment when the emery will strike. Only with Christ on your side can you win that fight. Another thing, never lose faith and hope in God. I know times get hard and money runs short, but never stop praying, because God listens and He answers your call. Sometimes it may seem like He doesn’t answer your call right away but He is always on time and never late, so never lose faith and hope in Him.

Book 1: The Preparation - I'm a family man, a Christian that believes in putting God first, and making Christ the centerpiece in my life. I was going down the wrong path making worldly music to satisfy my flesh, my own selfish greed. For a while I ignored God’s calling and I paid the price. During that time nothing seem to ever go right. Everything was going down hill, but one day the Spirit of the Lord called to me again and I couldn't deny him any longer, I answered God's calling by giving my life back to Christ. It was Destiny. I found peace in the Lord Jesus Christ. I realize now that all the things God put me through was nothing but preparation for the work that He had for me in the days to come, it was preparation for the ministry that God set in my spirit. It was preparation for my purpose in life. Now I make music for the Lord to bring uplifting to His Kingdom. God gave me the vision to create Beyond Life Music Ministries with my father Vernon Edwards. And the time has finally come, for me to let my light shine before the world for the Lord. My debut album is entitled "Book 1: The Preparation" In honor of the lessons that the Lord put me through that lead up to this point in my life. The Lord is my salvation. And the Lord has trained me, and I’ve been patience and waiting to testify to the world about how great our God is through my music and life style worship. 3-20-2010 is the release date of my first album the preparation. I pray that you buy it, not only because it’s my first album, but also because I know that my album can provide you healing, and uplifting to your spirit. It can give you advice, a feeling of belonging, it will help to uplift the believers to stand strong in the name of the Lord, and it can lead the non believer to a life of eternal salvation through Jesus Christ. I put all that I had into this album my heart, soul, spirit, money, time, and tears. Join me in a life-changing event. AE Da Mc Preacha: Book 1 " The Preparation" on 3-20-2010. Visit us at www.beyondlifemusicministries.com for news and updates. Be Blessed.