The story behind Kenny Valor music...

I grew up in South-East Portland, Oregon. I was very drawn to rap and hip-hop culture as a youth, even though I was raised in a Christian home that did not promote any of that culture.

Between what was played on the radio and the music I had access to through my friends, I listened to a wide variety of rap/hip-hop artists and eventually started to develop my own unique style of rhyming.

During that time, I also developed an appreciation for graffiti art, and eventually joined a graffiti crew composed of people who I'd met at my high school. It was then that I became completely immersed in hip-hop culture. I would regularly practice to improve my graffiti art, as well as learning how to breakdance and also honing in my rap skills. I was living a double life of sorts, because on the one hand I was involved in the youth group at my church, and I had a real love for Jesus. I enjoyed hanging out with my church friends and playing video games and basketball with them, but then I'd also hangout with people living a secular life and participate in criminal activities as well. By the time I was 17, I was no stranger to handcuffs and police cars.

As I moved into my early adult years, I still enjoyed rapping, but I lacked the confidence and follow through to do anything serious with it, so it fell to the wayside as I struggled to discover my purpose in life.

Eventually in my mid 20's, I stopped playing games with the Lord and gave myself fully to the Christian lifestyle. I got more involved in church activities and gatherings, and began to grow tremendously in my knowledge of the Bible and in my personal relationship with God. During that time, I had made a close friend who I'd met at a home church. He also had a similar story and hip-hop background as I did. He told me that I had a talent, and that I could make Christian rap music that would bless people. He eventually introduced me to a Christian friend of his who also had an appreciation for Christian rap/hip-hop music. I ended up doing some freestyle raps for them both over some beat instrumentals we had. Now I had two people telling me I had a real talent and they both encouraged me to make music. Eventually the new friend offered to do some amateur recording for me, and we ended up recording two songs that he uploaded to YouTube. I shared the music with friends and family, and received lots of encouraging feedback.

Around that same time I felt the Lord calling me into the ministry, and I ended up enrolling in a ministry school that was in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. I attended the school for two years, and graduated the second year with an ordination for ministry. While in Ministry school my major focus was to better understand the Bible and to unlock my spiritual giftings so that I could effectively minister the gospel of Jesus Christ to others. I still dabbled in rapping a little bit, but more as a hobby of sorts.

After leaving ministry school I took on leadership roles in my local church as well as traveling to preach and do some itinerate ministry. As everyone does, I experienced plenty of bumps in the road as I continued following the Lord on this journey we call life.

Fast-forward to December of 2022, and the Lord spoke to me regarding rap music, and that it was to become my major focus moving into the new year. He placed it on my heart to make it a priority, and to commit myself to writing music that I would have recorded at a professional studio. Mind you, I was not in a reasonable financial position to go through with this. But God! So I took it to heart, and was obedient to the prophetic word the Lord had spoken to me. I would pray and then start looking for different rap beats on YouTube that I could write to. With each song I worked on, I would pray and ask Holy Spirit to guide me creatively and to help me put together anointed lyrics that would speak life into the listener. God would give me little glimpses of how people would be blessed and impacted by the music, which really helped to encourage me along.

I started rapping 25 years ago, and it's wild to think that God would revive something that I always loved, and direct me to pick it back up now and pursue it for His glory. Everything starts with a dream, and this album is a result of God reviving a long lost dream, and bringing redemption to it.

That's why I titled this album "Redemption." We serve a God who can redeem and restore all things lost or broken in our lives, and it's never too late to walk into the promises of God.

So as you listen to this album, just know that it's God's doing that brought this to be. Know that this music wasn't random, and that it wasn't thrown together on a whim.

The Lord also showed me that I was going to perform this music for churches and youth groups, and that it would create opportunities to minister to the youth and young adults of this generation who are in need of encouragement and in need of a touch from Jesus. Kenny Valor is a name that I created with the Lord for the purpose of ministry through rap music.

Just as there were mighty men of valor in the Bible, I see myself as one of God's mighty men of valor here on the Earth today, and I desire to help raise up and disciple others to become mighty men of valor representing the Kingdom of God.

I pray this music blesses you greatly, and I look forward to performing this music as well as personally ministering to those who will be present at any performances.

Much love in Christ Jesus,

-Kenny Valor

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