Sir the Baptist Biography|Sir The Baptist Wiki
Sir the Baptist is the pseudonym of William James Stokes, an American hip hop and R&B recording artist, producer, songwriter, activist and philanthropist hailing from Chicago, Illinois. He describes his talent as being a “hip hop holistic lyricist.” He premiered his debut Mixtape titled Saint or Sinner in 2017. He is currently signed to Atlantic Records.
Age| Birthday| How Old is Sir the Baptist?
The songwriter was born on July 2nd, 1991 in the Bronzeville neighborhood on Chicago’s South Side.
Sir the Baptist Family| Parents
Stokes was born and raised in the Bronzeville neighborhood on Chicago’s South Side. Their family was huge and so he was raised as one of 22 children by his father, a prominent Baptist preacher, and activist, and his mother, a missionary. He grew up in an extremely religious household with 21 brothers and sisters.
Sir the Baptist Young
Stokes had shown interest in music ever since he was young. He began playing piano at age six, and, by the age of 10, he could also play the drums. Since his father was a preacher, he was also involved in singing in the choir at his father’s church. He earned the nickname “Sir” while at church. As a teenager, Stokes wrote film scores and commercial jingles. After high school, Stokes attended Columbia College for one day before pursuing a career in advertising.
Sir The Baptist Advertising
Before he ventured into the musical scene, Stokes worked at the Chicago advertising agency, Leo Burnett. He worked at the advertising agency as the Director of Digital Marketing. He was able to work alongside Rodney Jerkinson campaigns for major brands such as McDonald’s. Stokes decided to quit his job at age 26 and focus on becoming a recording artist. In the meantime, he worked as a driver for Lyft and lived in his car for a short stint.
Sir The Baptist Music
In June 2015, He premiered his first singles with the pseudonym Sir the Baptist; titled “Raise Hell”. The single was received with much critical acclaim and was eventually nominated for “Impact Track of the Year” at the 2016 BET Hip Hop Awards. It was also featured on the soundtrack for the film, The Birth of a Nation; an American-Canadian drama Another early track, “(Creflo) Almighty Dollar,” was produced with help from Twista.
Sir The Baptist Television Appearances
Stokes would go on to appear on television shows such as The Late Night with Seth Meyers in May 2016, performing “Raise Hell”. He would later go on to perform at the Lollapalooza music festival. the following month, he performed at the Made in America Festival where he met rapper Jay Z who praised his music. In October 2016, he opened for Beyoncé at the Barclay’s Center in Brooklyn for the Tidal X 1015 event.
Saint or Sinner Album
He premiered his first album titled Saint or Sinner in May 2017. The album was received with a positive response. In 2018 Stokes released a song with Donald Lawrence called “He Heard My Cry.”
Concerts & Tours
Due to his prowess and lyricism, the artist acquired slots in a variety of concerts and tours. He performed at the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival, Sasquatch! Music Festival, Voodoo Fest, Life is Beautiful Festival, Free Press Summer Fest, and Shaky Beats Music Festival among others.
Endorsements
In December 2016, Stokes partnered with Lyft, providing the track “Movin” to their short film titled June.
Sir the Baptist Relationship| Dating| Married
The singer has been involved with singer and songwriter Brandy. The couple called it quits in 2017. He now leads a private life thus information regarding his current relationship is under review.
Sir The Baptist Charity
In regards to charity, Stokes has partnered with the Boys and Girls Clubs of America, a national organization of local chapters that provide after-school programs for young people. Additionally, he has also collaborated with VH1 Save the Music, Global Citizen, among other charitable organizations.
Sir The Baptist LGBTQ Activism
The singer has been very open to his stand against the demonization of the LGBTQ in church. Though he practically lived in the church growing up, he’s not afraid to call out some of the ideologies that he feels are hypocritical and drive would-be churchgoers away. “My brother is gay and growing up I know firsthand when those sermons come across the pulpit that rebukes him, he almost feels like the person don’t love him that made him,” Sir told CNN. “Jesus didn’t come to condemn the world.”
At the 2016 Lollapalooza music festival in Chicago where he performed a part of the set in a coffin to address the gun violence in Chicago city.
Sir The Baptist Heaven
Sir the Baptist is on a mission to heal hip-hop through his music. Like fellow Chicago native Chance the Rapper, Baptist’s soulful tracks are heavily influenced by his Christian upbringing, often taking listeners back to the church. On Tuesday (Sept. 5), the rapper-singer takes the church to new heights in the new video for “Heaven,” premiering exclusively below.
Directed and produced by Baptist along with Jay Cohen, the intergalactic-inspired clip takes viewers on a trippy journey to space, opening with a monologue from the rapper. “I found truth when I was looking for answers/ The problem is much deeper than the lyrics/ We’ve been in acoustic war for a century/ Music had previously been tuned to the healing frequency of 432Hz,” he says over cinematic sound effects playing in the background. On “Heaven,” the “Deliver Me” rapper’s flavored vocals are accompanied by a harmonious church choir and the song’s melody is suffused with radiofrequency effects and piercing drum strikes. Rather than taking the lead in the psychedelic visual, a shadow of the rapper is seen delivering his verses as the visual focuses on the “urban monks” — young and old — dancing on the streets with glee. At the breakdown of “Heaven,” the visual fades to black and transforms to a black and white clip as Baptist, joined by a bunch of little kids, throw confetti around.
“America is hurting. In times like these, we need music that cares and brings people a piece of ‘Heaven.’ Not just for those suffering in Houston and surrounding areas, but for the whole world,” he tells Billboard. “I directed and edited this video, not just to inspire, but to move us towards a higher mission. A mission to show that music cares.”
In light of the Hurricane Harvey disaster, “Heaven” is also a call to action. “In addition to the release of ‘Heaven,’ I’ve partnered with H&S Commercial & Industrial Supplies and Services to recruit 1,200 people to employ and become ‘Urban Monks’ and contribute their time and energy to towards recovery efforts in Texas,” says Sir the Baptist.
Sir The Baptist Showing Off
Showing Off, the latest from Chicago’s Sir the Baptist, features Kierra Sheard, NotKarltonBanks, Donald Lawrence & Krystal Lee, who all contribute their unique talents and achieve a synergy of rhapsodic glee while bringing a modern freshness to the evolving genre of gospel music. The energy is both happy and fun, and this song stands as a testament to the life that is available when God, music, and love intertwine.
This gleeful and complex new single from Sir the Baptist demonstrates an inclusive sense of community and pureness of expression that is both rich and inviting.
Sir William James the Baptist is a second-generation Chaplain of the modern believer’s culture. Sir is on a fast track to becoming one of the biggest voices to emerge from the Baptist/Christian scene. This song is featured on our Hip Hop playlist.
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