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Editors’ note: 

The weekly TGCvocations column asks practitioners how they integrate their faith and work. Interviews are conducted and condensed by Bethany L. Jenkins.

Alex Medina, 28, is the art director at Reach Records and the owner of Stay on Post Productions. Although he and his wife were raised in New York City, they now make their home in Atlanta.

How did you get into the world of hip-hop?

I don’t have a musical bone in my body. In fact, no one in my family does. But when we were kids, my sister’s friend was a rapper. He once left his two-way pager in my crib, and I saw some of his lyrics. They sparked something in me, and I just started to write. Then my friend Rich Perez and I started making music together. We wrote songs to meet the needs of people in our local church—people who were thinking about suicide, drugs, or whatever. We eventually joined Nicky Cruz Outreach and released an album with their group Truce.

When did you turn from music to art direction?

I’ve always enjoyed the visual arts and, for a time, I even wanted to be a designer at Pixar. I love Genesis 2:9, which says that God made trees to be “good for food” and “pleasant to the sight.” Creation wasn’t just about practicality; it was about beauty, too. When our music was working out, though, I set aside graphic design. Now, however, I’m doing less music and more art directing. I’m spending more time in the office than in the studio—although I am excited for the great music I have been able to work on these last few months for Andy Mineo’s album Never Land and Lecrae’s forthcoming release.

What struggles do you face in your industry?

I wrestle with seeing the success of others and feeling like my values are keeping me from success in certain ways. I could, for example, be more self-promotional or work with popular artists even if I don’t think they’re creating helpful music. Asaph’s words in Psalm 73 resonate with me: “I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.” But his heart changes when he goes “into the sanctuary of God.” In God’s presence, he becomes consumed with the Lord, not himself. That’s what I want to do—be self-forgetful. Being in community helps.

Do you consider the music produced by Reach Records as “Christian hip-hop”?

I agree with Greg Thornbury, who recently said, “‘Christian’ is the greatest of all possible nouns and the lamest of all possible adjectives.” So I consider our music as “hip-hop made by Christians,” not “Christian hip-hop.” The traditional hip-hop culture is pretty misogynistic, prideful, and arrogant. We want to change that. We want to create music from the church, for the culture. Right now, one of our artists is working on an album that’s from a Christian worldview, but it’s not overtly Christian. We’re navigating that, trying to make it accessible to all kinds of people.

Your industry seems to measure success in terms of awards like the Grammys, which air on Sunday. How do you personally measure success?

I’m successful if I’m faithful—faithful to Jesus, my wife, my family, and my local church. I try to work with integrity and honesty, but I leave the results to God. Last year, one of our artists, Lecrae, won Best Gospel Album of the Year at the Grammys. Since 2011, my work has received a great amount of acknowledgement. When public or numerical success come, it’s easy for me to think that my efforts have gotten me where I am. But I have to remember that all good gifts come from the Lord and that my identity is found in Christ. Only a strong foundation of faithfulness can weather the storms of prosperity.

Is there enough evidence for us to believe the Gospels?

In an age of faith deconstruction and skepticism about the Bible’s authority, it’s common to hear claims that the Gospels are unreliable propaganda. And if the Gospels are shown to be historically unreliable, the whole foundation of Christianity begins to crumble.
But the Gospels are historically reliable. And the evidence for this is vast.
To learn about the evidence for the historical reliability of the four Gospels, click below to access a FREE eBook of Can We Trust the Gospels? written by New Testament scholar Peter J. Williams.

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