[Music] my faith hasn't been easy my whole life uh it's really been a back and forth and a wrestle that times my name is Israel Obi I go by rail the artist that's my stage name the name Israel means he who wrestled with God ga of the wind and the waves did really fall in love or is it all just a face feel I'm buzzing off a drug how I've been singing your praise and been feeling I'm insane how I've been screaming your name and for the 25-year-old rapper his music tells a story of fighting doubt with love that's always been there music and faith I feel like they've both shaped my life so much in different ways I make music that's really a fusion of gospel and Hip-Hop you up my eyes all my sight in this world my like gospel and Hip Hop those are my two favorite genres uh I grew up on gospel I grew up listening the gospel music all the time my parents are pastors so that's all they used to play from the time Israel was a toddler maybe one years old one to three on the front Pew you know next to me he would just worship like before he could even before his language was fully developed he knew how to say hallelujah thank you Jesus when I went to college I kind of had a falling out in my faith and I had a long period of time where I wasn't sure if I really believed in God or not but like The Prodigal Son Israel would find his way back with a new fire around my junior year I really had what I believe was a a radical experience with God that kind of brought me back into my faith but in my heart of hearts I feel it's been a shift in my Fai feel like my life ain't been the same since you didn't show me your face it's like the light been brighter setting Ablaze a new ministry of his own through music I started seeing my job as kind of a barrier to doing the things that I wanted to do but that was really hard for me cuz it was a great job it paid well it was Secure have you droing off the sound like you p l dog As I Grew in my faith and just my desire to get the message of my faith out more and tell more people about who God was the more music grew on my heart got of the wind in the waves did I really fall in love or is it all just a face got of the wind in the waves wrapping the gospel of a faith restored there was a lot of struggles in trying to shift my life again to living a life of faith and there were times where I wanted to turn around there were times where I didn't know if I could believe there was times where my faith was really really hard for me and wind and waves was I was in a moment where I really was just feeling grateful for who God is in my life and just wanted to really write kind of a love letter to God um that was extremely real and extremely personal about uh the relationship with God that I felt like I had God going toal all people broken when I listen to his music it's a reflection really of um his growth but it's also a reflection of what a lot of 25 year olds 24 year olds what they experience in life we have a younger generation that connects with it and as Church from a church perspective as we continue to grow or reach the next Generation it's going to be very prominent or should be very prominent in terms of of reaching the Next Generation I really hope that my music touches people who may have given up on themselves or given up on God and a purpose renewed if anything I just really hope that my music can help people have a little bit more faith in God than they had before and have a little bit more faith that no matter where they are no matter who they are no matter what mistakes they've made that God's not finished with them yet and that he can transform their [Music] [Music] life