Jay Mayberry better known as Jay-May is a rap artist that creates inspirational Christian themed music. He aims to inspire, provoke and move listeners towards a better understanding of God and how He speaks to everyday people. With rap music being the vehicle for this expression, Jay-May hopes to capture the heart and minds of people with catchy, easy music for all to enjoy. From living a reckless life saturated with drugs, crime and violence, to dedicating his life to Christ, raising a family, earning a college degree and committing 20 years to his country by serving in the United States Army; he reflects on the ups and downs of life while giving advice, encouragement and ideas on how to navigate through it successfully. His upcoming project “Life, Love and Relationships” will facilitate this and serve as a guide and inspirational tool to accomplish this. His previous work includes “For His Glory”, “The Winter Classics EP”, “We Live Praise” and “Double Edge Sword” which are available online at all digital outlets.
Background
Jay-May was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan in a blue collar family. From an early age, he learned the value of hard work and education in a structured environment. He was brought up to attend church, pray and serve the Lord; but the allure of the streets, money, girls and fame captivated his youth. JayMay’s involvement with crime, drugs and alcohol dominated his time, wasting much of his younger years. He attended Cass Technical High School for three years but unfocused attention led to his dismissal. He eventually graduated from Henry Ford High School before joining the United States Army.
Always one to write, Jay-May began creating rhymes at the age of 16. He rapped with several groups at clubs and bars with a message that appealed to the traditional hip hop culture. In 2001, all of that changed dramatically once God’s word entered his life. After becoming born again, Jay-May served the Lord enthusiastically; operating within various ministries throughout the church. Jay-May knew his true purpose in life was found in Christ. Soon after, a friend introduced him to rap that glorified God. He had never heard of this style of music, but was quickly engulfed in its positive, life-changing message and the way it appealed to his new lifestyle. This and hearing the word of God on a continual basis led him to destroy all of his secular music and meditate on God’s word.
Knowing that rap music could be used for the purposes of God, Jay-May began to write after a friend asked him to come up with a verse for a song entitled “Do You Believe”. This experience sparked a passion and desire in Jay-May to carry out the call God placed on his life to create God glorifying music. Jay-May has been pursuing that passion ever since. In 2004, Jay-May launched Double Edge Sword Records and through that venture released two albums, “Double Edge Sword” and “We Live Praise”, as well as “The Winter Classics EP”. The label also released albums by artists S.O.C.O.M., Da Clay, UnknowN, Ghostwriters and Ferb. His groundbreaking song “Throw Em Off” has earned spots on the nationally released compilation album Holy Hip Hop Volume 5 and the Holy & Crunk Volume 1.
Jay-May has shared the stage with many nationally known recording artists such as Mary Mary, Skillet, Canton Jones, Lecrae, TobyMac, Jeremy Camp, Tedashii, Group 1 Crew, Da T.R.U.T.H, K-Drama, Flame and many more. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in Information Systems Management at Colorado Christian University and a concentration in Biblical studies which has helped to further develop his ministry. He is married with two children and served in the US Army.
Background
Jay-May was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan in a blue collar family. From an early age, he learned the value of hard work and education in a structured environment. He was brought up to attend church, pray and serve the Lord; but the allure of the streets, money, girls and fame captivated his youth. JayMay’s involvement with crime, drugs and alcohol dominated his time, wasting much of his younger years. He attended Cass Technical High School for three years but unfocused attention led to his dismissal. He eventually graduated from Henry Ford High School before joining the United States Army.
Always one to write, Jay-May began creating rhymes at the age of 16. He rapped with several groups at clubs and bars with a message that appealed to the traditional hip hop culture. In 2001, all of that changed dramatically once God’s word entered his life. After becoming born again, Jay-May served the Lord enthusiastically; operating within various ministries throughout the church. Jay-May knew his true purpose in life was found in Christ. Soon after, a friend introduced him to rap that glorified God. He had never heard of this style of music, but was quickly engulfed in its positive, life-changing message and the way it appealed to his new lifestyle. This and hearing the word of God on a continual basis led him to destroy all of his secular music and meditate on God’s word.
Knowing that rap music could be used for the purposes of God, Jay-May began to write after a friend asked him to come up with a verse for a song entitled “Do You Believe”. This experience sparked a passion and desire in Jay-May to carry out the call God placed on his life to create God glorifying music. Jay-May has been pursuing that passion ever since. In 2004, Jay-May launched Double Edge Sword Records and through that venture released two albums, “Double Edge Sword” and “We Live Praise”, as well as “The Winter Classics EP”. The label also released albums by artists S.O.C.O.M., Da Clay, UnknowN, Ghostwriters and Ferb. His groundbreaking song “Throw Em Off” has earned spots on the nationally released compilation album Holy Hip Hop Volume 5 and the Holy & Crunk Volume 1.
Jay-May has shared the stage with many nationally known recording artists such as Mary Mary, Skillet, Canton Jones, Lecrae, TobyMac, Jeremy Camp, Tedashii, Group 1 Crew, Da T.R.U.T.H, K-Drama, Flame and many more. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in Information Systems Management at Colorado Christian University and a concentration in Biblical studies which has helped to further develop his ministry. He is married with two children and served in the US Army.