SO IAM’s journey began in a faith-centered home, where prophetic experiences laid the foundation for his life’s work. Taking the name SO IAM, reflecting his identity as a “son of I AM,” his music is anchored in a divine assignment: to bridge cultures with a global sound for God’s glory, creating energetic, joyful Christian rap aimed at every soul.

Yet, like the prodigal son, SO IAM eventually drifted. He started recording raps in his dorm room during his freshman year at ASU—at the height of its notorious party reputation. Fully immersed in a lifestyle of heavy drinking and drug use, he used rap as an outlet while becoming a fixture in Arizona’s underground scene. His journey as a producer began out of necessity; unable to afford beats, he taught himself by emulating the 2000s super-producer era, producing for local artists and Knoc-turn’al (Mathmadix), opening for hip-hop legends Camp Lo, and landing a 2007 feature on the Billboard-charting Punk Goes Crunk album.

In 2008, after years of reckless decisions, God brought SO IAM back to his faith. This pivotal turnaround gave his life a new, divine purpose. As a testament to this transformation, he deleted his entire musical catalog up to that point and started from scratch. He released two CHH projects (357, S.O.I.A.M.), was known for his freestyle skill & unique cadence, and his single “All Up On It” was named “Track of the Week” by DJ Cut Creator. But in 2010, he stepped away from rapping for stability, finishing his degree and working while continuing to produce for programs like MTV’s Buckwild and for artists such as Glass Malone, Murkemz, and Crip Mac, honing the skills for his eventual return.

Now, SO IAM returns with a focused, divinely-inspired artistic vision. His 2024 return to rap presented a new challenge: over the years, his voice had naturally deepened, giving him a more present, mature vocal tone. His first track back, “Last Friday,” served as an initial experiment in building a song around this new sound. The single quickly garnered over 30k total streams (15k on the re-mastered version) and features on outlets like Trackstarz and Rapzilla, but despite its success, SO IAM felt the somber redemption story was only one part of his testimony. To fully align with his calling to uplift, encourage, and bridge cultures, he knew his sound needed to pivot towards joy.

This realignment is powerfully introduced by his new single, “Shine.” The track was born when SO IAM deconstructed “Last Friday” to its bare drums and laid a classic Bollywood anthem (“Tu Cheez Badi Hai Mast Mast” from ‘Mohra’) on top—a sample he’d held onto for ten years. This creative choice to use global sounds is central to his mission. Fusing the hard-hitting bounce of his production influences with the song’s timeless melody, “Shine” serves as a declaration of joy and an anthem for trading fear for courage to shine with purpose for God’s glory.