‘James the Mormon’ getting a good rap

REXBURG — When James Curran came home from his mission, he was ready for a new life and a fresh start.

He never imagined that new life would include becoming a Billboard No. 1 New Artist.

Like many members of The Church of Jesus Christ Latter-day Saints who return from a proselytizing mission, Curran wanted to find the light he had while serving. He wanted to help everyone understand he was LDS and not changing that about himself, he said.

Eventually, he started making music videos so he could help spread LDS teachings through a genre of music that is not traditionally clean — hip-hop. The genre is often seen as being used as a way to speak about topics in politics as well as a way to remind listeners about the huge amounts of money they earn through album sales.

Enter “James The Mormon,” whose first EP was titled “PMG,” where he went over the lessons LDS missionaries traditionally teach while sharing the gospel with investigators, something he did to continue his search for that spiritual light from his mission, he said.

James The Mormon

“I started putting out music as ‘James The Mormon’ because low key I felt called to do it,” said Curran. “What I didn’t want ever was for this to be a career.”

But it was too late.

With the release of his second EP titled “I’m Not a Rapper” his life continued to change, just in a direction he was not expecting. High demand from LDS community pressured Curran to start performing at events and local concerts.

“It turned into a career because I was making so much money performing,” said Curran, who attended Brigham Young University-Idaho. “It just overtook my life.”

Now that his post-mission-life is that of a rapper, fans have made him the very thing he voiced he didn’t want to be.

As Curran prepares to release a new album, he promises it will be different from his music in the past. It will be “more real” and at times darker than what his fans are used to hearing, he said.

You can listen to music by James The Mormon on Soundcloud, Spotify and iTunes. You can also watch music videos on the James The Mormon Facebook page as well as on YouTube.

This story first appeared on BYU-Idaho Radio. It is used here with permission.