Brooklyn Rapper Fivio Foreign Trades Gritty Anthems for Spiritual Sound
Brooklyn rapper Fivio Foreign is stepping into new territory, pivoting his signature sound toward Christian rap following a viral clip of unreleased music that surfaced earlier this week. Speaking candidly in an interview with The Shade Room, the rapper explained that ignoring an internal spiritual tug was no longer an option.
An Internal Voice and a Call to Action
The pivot began making waves online after a snippet of Fivio’s upcoming spiritual tracks made the rounds across social media platforms.
As he put it during his sit-down with The Shade Room, “I feel like everybody is spiritual, everybody know who God is, right? And they pray a couple times, but you gotta actually do something for God. I mean, you’ve got to actually put in a little pain for God.” He noted that he prefers to heed the internal voice guiding him rather than waiting to learn hard life lessons the difficult way.
Fiercely Rejecting Traditional Industry Labels
Despite the unmistakable thematic change in his lyrics, Fivio is resistant to being boxed into traditional industry categories. When asked whether he now considers himself a gospel artist, he drew a sharp comparison to his early days in drill music, noting that pigeonholing his sound has always been an uphill battle. He admitted to The Shade Room that he does not feel like he is a gospel artist and does not feel like he is doing gospel music, but uses the term because he understands what it means.
“I don’t want to put it in a category,” Fivio stated during the interview. He explained that his upcoming album features a diverse array of beats and musical styles, unified solely by his intention to praise God, push a positive image, and actively avoid worshiping the devil through his music.
From Donda to Legends Like Kirk Franklin
This faith-based artistic turn is not entirely unprecedented for the Brooklyn native. Fivio flirted with Christian rap back in 2021 when he delivered one of the standout verses on Ye’s (formerly Kanye West) 2021 Donda album on the track “Off the Grid.”
Looking ahead, Fivio has his sights set on collaborating with other artists. During his conversation with The Shade Room, he revealed he would like to eventually collaborate with gospel acts Mary Mary and Kirk Franklin in the future.
Creative Autonomy in Modern Urban Music
Fivio Foreign’s transition involves exploring spiritual themes.
