One-on-One with Antone “Choir Boy” Bell

Hip-hop is big…REAL big. Rappers don’t stop wanting; they achieve and want more. Being a rapper isn’t just about the music; it’s about the business. More often, you see hip-hop stars with clothing lines, in movies, as CEOs, and in advertisements for everything from automobiles to soft drinks. But as in every endeavor, an individual’s focus will define who they are. For most, the objective is riches and glory. For Antone “Choir Boy” Bell, it’s all about, as he puts it, “doing it B-I-G for G-O-D.”

The son of Darlene Bell, one half of Detroit gospel duo Darlene & Sarah, Choir Boy has been blessed with a good share of Kingdom business. He’s a husband, father, businessman, rapper, broadcast personality, and writer, and he’s worked hard, earning himself a solid place in Detroit Holy Hip-Hop. Choir Boy knows what it means to step out on faith, and he’s been faithful serving a limitless God who has given him a limitless vision in both music and business.

Choir Boy and his wife, Yolanda, are co-CEOs of MotownGospelRadio.com, where you can view his program “Afternoon Praise Party” Monday through Friday from 3-6pm. Choir Boy can also be seen on “Can I Get A Witness” every Sunday at 4:30pm on Comcast Cable channel 190 in Detroit and heard on WRDT AM 560’s “Detour Radio” every third Saturday from 9pm to midnight. In addition to his work in broadcasting, look out for Choir Boy’s new EP, Fight the Good Fight of Faith, in the Fall of 2008. Soon he’ll be coming to a church near you on his Fight the Good Fight of Faith Church Tour. You can get more information and connect with Choir Boy on MySpace at www.myspace.com/choirboybell. With so many hats, Antone “Choir Boy” Bell is definitely doing it BIG.

I grew up in church. I grew up in a good family and I knew everything about the Bible at a young age. My parents sheltered me, but when I got a taste of the world, I fell victim. When I was 18, I was on the club scene strong making a name for myself. I started selling drugs, and I was drinking everyday, smoking weed everyday, and experimenting with drugs. I dreamt of getting into the NBA before I hit the streets. I played high school and college basketball, but I got injured and my basketball career was over. I moved to Atlanta with Ron O., who’s my producer now, to become a rap star. I almost got a deal five or six times, but it always fell through, and Ron and I ended up homeless. I left Detroit with nothing and came back with less, but then I had an opportunity to sell clothes and was successful. The devil got me again and I got back into selling drugs. I’d be spending money faster than I was making it.

My mom started a gospel TV show, and she had me on [as a featured artist]. People kept calling me, but I was fighting it. God and the devil were talking to me at the same time; God was telling me to make positive music and the devil was telling me to sell drugs. One night, God saved me from getting killed in a setup at a drug deal. I heard a pastor speak, and he prophesied and said, “Somebody in here, regardless of how you are in the streets, God is about to use you”, and it hit me, and I chose God. I started to cry out to Him every day for a month straight. I was out of my mind from thirteen years of everything I was involved in, so God had to cleanse me for a whole month; I was going through a transformation period.

During your transformation period, is this when you realized that rap was your ministry?

Yeah. I was doing secular rap for years, but when I turned my life over to God, I didn’t think I could make gospel rap. Then I investigated it and thought it was hot. During that transformation, God was speaking to me, and he said I was going to make music and that I was going to bless the world. I wrote a song called “Can I Get A Witness,, and it blessed me, and if I can affect myself with music, I know I can affect somebody else.

You do so much work in ministry while at the same time being a family man. How do you balance it all?

It’s a blessing foremost because my wife and I are business partners, so we’re always together, and my daughter sings; she’s in my mother’s children’s choir, so we all like the same things. This is our lifestyle and our ministry. My wife and I got married on faith and walked away from our jobs to do what we do. A lot of people don’t do that, but God prepared me for that.

You have some new material you’re about to release as well as a tour in the works. Tell me about that.

I’m getting ready to release a series of EPs that will be released quarterly. After all of the EPs are released, I’ll combine them into a double album called My Testimony. The first EP will be called Fight the Good Fight of Faith. It’ll be released in the Fall. Then I have the “Fight the Good Fight of Faith Church Tour.” I’m going to get some [other rappers] and we’ll go rockin’ church to church. I want to do it for the youth and for those that embraced me, and I want to promote this throughout the city, in big churches and little churches. I want to bring everybody that I’ve had the opportunity to work with to minister with me. I have a kingdom mentality, and I want to make a difference in people’s lives. I want my music to impact people so that they want to get closer to God.

Your ministry extends to so many different areas: music, TV, radio, Internet, etc. Considering that, where do you see yourself in five years?

I still want to be an entrepreneur. My ministry will be global, touching people all over the world from all walks of life. Everything I do, I want it to blow up. When I handle my Kingdom business, I got my eyes on the prize. I want to help the whole nation. I’ve watched and studied people, so I know what to do and what not to do. I let the Spirit guide me so I can take this to the highest heights possible. I know that what God has for me, it is for me.