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- John Cook - "Heaven's Pen"
John Cook - "Heaven's Pen"
- By CCCMG
- Published 04/13/2007
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Gospel rap artist John Cook to release Heaven's Pen
When John Cook was 4 years old, he witnessed his father commit suicide. This tragedy and trauma could have scarred him for life. At 7, his mother became sick with Sarcoidosis, a potentially fatal sickness that could have been the final nail in a little boy’s hope for a life of happiness and possibility. God had a better plan. One Sunday, John and his mother went to church. When the Altar Call was offered, John watched his mother move to the front of the church to be prayed, for and he bore witness to an event that would shape his life and that of his mother forever. He watched his mother receive healing.
But there were so many distractions in the streets of Flatbush in Brooklyn, NY. One of those distractions was rap music, a distraction that would soon be John’s focus. “I grew up around members of ABC (a young rap group that had great success in the early ‘90s with such songs as ‘Playground’ and ‘Aeisha’) and rapper Special Ed lived in my hood. I really felt that if I could be a part of the music, then all of the things that I had been through would be memories to build on for God with a message from His heart. So, I was reading the Bible and listening to rap music. I knew that they could co-exist. I wanted to give God the opportunity to live IN me!”
John felt that music could do what preaching couldn’t do for some people - penetrate their hearts and move the limits that some placed on God. “Sometimes, people hear the word and it can go in one ear and out of the other. Music sticks with you!” John felt that music could get through the hardest walls, including the members of the church.
“Gospel rappers have to be JUST RIGHT—not too hard, not too soft, not too secular, not too sexy—so I had to get into production so that I could make sure that the music was RIGHT, for God and for the church environment. Producers weren’t understanding my vision or my sound, so God led me to do it myself.” Then after a chance meeting with Gary Anglin, who pushed him to enter a contest, John Cook and his brand of hip-hop were introduced to Dr. Bernard, his powerful ministry and that meeting led to John and his family joining the church and eventually led to John being signed to the Christian Cultural Center Music Group (CCCMG) label.
“HEAVEN’S PEN” is John’s debut cd, but his voice and face have been featured on “GOD CONSCIOUS,” the first release from the label, on which John has two (2) singles—“I Got The Victory (The Devil is a Liar)” and “Dreaming,” the song and video featuring Diana Gordan, which is being showed on BET is solid rotation.
“Musically, I focus on the rapping with my six (6) singers, doing their thing. I feel like I am David, showing love for God from my heart. David was a man who wasn’t ashamed or afraid to exalt God. I feel that in my bones!”
WHAT IF I?:
“I wrote that song because I considered ‘WHAT IF WE WERE ONE OF THE SINNERS ON THE CROSS?’ Is God that big? Do you have space for me in your heart? I feel it.
Picture a place of beauty where you booty didn’t count
Love is real love like the music out my mouth
A place of equal rights ignites love and peace
No war or genocide, we’re just praying in the streets
PREACHER, YOU BETTA PREACH:
“Sometimes we are afraid to speak on certain issues because we don’t want to lose parts of the congregation, worried about business and tithes and stepping on toes. God knew that Jesus was going to go through adversities, but you’ve got to do it for him because He did it for us. So preacher, it’s what you were called to do, so YOU BETTA PREACH!!! This is my FAVORITE song to perform! It’s got tambourines, organs and it just jumps! PREACHER, YOU BETTER PREACH LIKE IT’S YOUR LAST TIME!!!”
NOTHING LIKE A RAINBOW:
“After the rain, came the rainbow. If we just hold on, its gonna be beautiful after the storm. This song just speaks to my heart and it gets me through.”
LIKE CHRIST (IF I COULD BE LIKE CHRIST):
“This song is for the kids and the kid in all of us. This song was taken from the same idea as that commercial that featured Michael Jordan and even inspired a movie starring rapper Bow Wow. So many people want to be like celebrities, but I think that they all really want to be like Christ—thugs, artists, celebrities—and they are struggling and crying and suffering, but if they could hold out and have a heart for God, they WILL be closer to their dreams!”
When asked about being successful in a realm that doesn’t generally speak about God until they get onstage at awards shows, John offers this. “What happens is that Kirk Franklin tapped into a vertical plane of the Holy Spirit. It’s all about Heaven, but there are a lot of people, right here, on Earth. We have to speak to people’s situations and circumstances because music speaks the truth. Not just Jesus and Up Yonder, but right here and now. I think we can be on the same level as other stuff, musically, and still be saved and be available for God!”
“Every single day, when we receive a new day, I hear new music. I automatically think about THE GOODNESS OF GOD! I have learned to create everything that I think of FOR GOD. A tear comes to my eyes because I think about people and if I do it right, say it right, I CAN CHANGE THE HEARTS OF MEN AND WOMEN!”
That’s why John Cook picks up Heaven’s Pen every day.
But there were so many distractions in the streets of Flatbush in Brooklyn, NY. One of those distractions was rap music, a distraction that would soon be John’s focus. “I grew up around members of ABC (a young rap group that had great success in the early ‘90s with such songs as ‘Playground’ and ‘Aeisha’) and rapper Special Ed lived in my hood. I really felt that if I could be a part of the music, then all of the things that I had been through would be memories to build on for God with a message from His heart. So, I was reading the Bible and listening to rap music. I knew that they could co-exist. I wanted to give God the opportunity to live IN me!”
John felt that music could do what preaching couldn’t do for some people - penetrate their hearts and move the limits that some placed on God. “Sometimes, people hear the word and it can go in one ear and out of the other. Music sticks with you!” John felt that music could get through the hardest walls, including the members of the church.
“Gospel rappers have to be JUST RIGHT—not too hard, not too soft, not too secular, not too sexy—so I had to get into production so that I could make sure that the music was RIGHT, for God and for the church environment. Producers weren’t understanding my vision or my sound, so God led me to do it myself.” Then after a chance meeting with Gary Anglin, who pushed him to enter a contest, John Cook and his brand of hip-hop were introduced to Dr. Bernard, his powerful ministry and that meeting led to John and his family joining the church and eventually led to John being signed to the Christian Cultural Center Music Group (CCCMG) label.
“HEAVEN’S PEN” is John’s debut cd, but his voice and face have been featured on “GOD CONSCIOUS,” the first release from the label, on which John has two (2) singles—“I Got The Victory (The Devil is a Liar)” and “Dreaming,” the song and video featuring Diana Gordan, which is being showed on BET is solid rotation.
“Musically, I focus on the rapping with my six (6) singers, doing their thing. I feel like I am David, showing love for God from my heart. David was a man who wasn’t ashamed or afraid to exalt God. I feel that in my bones!”
WHAT IF I?:
“I wrote that song because I considered ‘WHAT IF WE WERE ONE OF THE SINNERS ON THE CROSS?’ Is God that big? Do you have space for me in your heart? I feel it.
Picture a place of beauty where you booty didn’t count
Love is real love like the music out my mouth
A place of equal rights ignites love and peace
No war or genocide, we’re just praying in the streets
PREACHER, YOU BETTA PREACH:
“Sometimes we are afraid to speak on certain issues because we don’t want to lose parts of the congregation, worried about business and tithes and stepping on toes. God knew that Jesus was going to go through adversities, but you’ve got to do it for him because He did it for us. So preacher, it’s what you were called to do, so YOU BETTA PREACH!!! This is my FAVORITE song to perform! It’s got tambourines, organs and it just jumps! PREACHER, YOU BETTER PREACH LIKE IT’S YOUR LAST TIME!!!”
NOTHING LIKE A RAINBOW:
“After the rain, came the rainbow. If we just hold on, its gonna be beautiful after the storm. This song just speaks to my heart and it gets me through.”
LIKE CHRIST (IF I COULD BE LIKE CHRIST):
“This song is for the kids and the kid in all of us. This song was taken from the same idea as that commercial that featured Michael Jordan and even inspired a movie starring rapper Bow Wow. So many people want to be like celebrities, but I think that they all really want to be like Christ—thugs, artists, celebrities—and they are struggling and crying and suffering, but if they could hold out and have a heart for God, they WILL be closer to their dreams!”
When asked about being successful in a realm that doesn’t generally speak about God until they get onstage at awards shows, John offers this. “What happens is that Kirk Franklin tapped into a vertical plane of the Holy Spirit. It’s all about Heaven, but there are a lot of people, right here, on Earth. We have to speak to people’s situations and circumstances because music speaks the truth. Not just Jesus and Up Yonder, but right here and now. I think we can be on the same level as other stuff, musically, and still be saved and be available for God!”
“Every single day, when we receive a new day, I hear new music. I automatically think about THE GOODNESS OF GOD! I have learned to create everything that I think of FOR GOD. A tear comes to my eyes because I think about people and if I do it right, say it right, I CAN CHANGE THE HEARTS OF MEN AND WOMEN!”
That’s why John Cook picks up Heaven’s Pen every day.
