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Rapping the Good Word

Author: Denise Watson
Issue: 2008 August

Joe Clay Jr. knows a thing or two about rhyming. Working under the pseudonym “New Child,” he shares the message of hope and salvation through a little bit of creativity and a lot of rap music.

“My message is about living a new life in Christ and the things I go through,” the Oklahoma City-born and Shawnee-raised Clay said of his lyrical style.

Clay earned his “New Child” nickname during college. He explained that it actually originated with 2 Corinthians 5:17, which states, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” (King James Version)

During his college days at Wayland Baptist University in Texas, Clay worked as a disc jockey for the school’s radio station. Realizing he needed a radio handle, one of his frequent callers phoned into the station and dubbed him “New Child” and the name has stuck.

Clay’s history in music, however, goes back much further. He said he originally wanted to pursue work as a DJ after high school and finally got that chance in college.

“I used to have instrumental hip hop tracks, so one day I just thought I would write a song,” he said.

Clay said he was not really trying to rap at the time, and after that first attempt he did not write anything until going to college where he met a friend who was a member of a hip hop group from Albuquerque.

“They asked him to perform at our freshman chapel and he asked if I wanted to rap too, so we wrote a song and rapped it in chapel,” Clay said. “From then, I began writing and just doing it for a hobby; it was nothing serious.”

After that initial experience on the stage and under the spotlights, Clay met another fellow student who was interested in rap. The two performed at local churches and various school activities.

“It wasn’t until my last semester of college that I even thought seriously about actually pursuing this,” he said of his now-serious career plans.

Right before graduating from college in the spring of 2005, Clay made a demo CD at a friend’s house and sent a copy to his pastor in Shawnee. The two had been friends for some time and Clay knew he enjoyed listening to Christian rap.
That’s when Clay knew he had something; the pastor liked the music and the message and wanted to help Clay achieve his goals in the musical ministry industry.

“So it’s been two years since we started this and I’ve been mostly to Native American Baptist churches,” he said, adding that he has rapped at churches across the state and at several Christian youth camps.

Recently, Clay performed at the Native American Baptist Youth & Young Adult Conference in Oklahoma City and, more recently, at Indian Falls Creek.

“I’ve come a long, long way since two years ago,” he said.

Clay said the Falls Creek experience may be a first for him. He explained that about 2,000 people attended the performance, which took place during the evening service. What made the show unique, he said, was that he did not hear any negative feedback—not even one critical comment.

“I think that’s the first that’s ever been done,” Clay said. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone rap before during the night services.”

During his stay, Clay was invited to rap at two different youth groups’ cabins, where he also received positive responses.

A member of the Ho-Chunk, Tewa, Seneca and Chickasaw people, Clay has been “street rhymin’” for a total of seven years. As his Myspace music site explains, “With a slick musical approach, New Child uses tight beats and serious rhymes to convey the message of Jesus on the Cross; because he believes this is a message that all the world needs to hear.”

Clay and his manager are putting together a 10-song CD. Pictures have already been taken for the album and everything seems to be on track as far as production goes, but no due date has yet been announced.

“Everything is coming along good,” he said in a message to his fans.

Samples of Clay’s music can be found on his Myspace music page at www.myspace.com/newchild517 and fans can purchase copies of his demo CD at his shows. For more information, to book a show or to learn more about New Child, visit www.newchild517.com, or contact at newchild517@hotmail.com.