BIO of MICHAEL F. RAY "MIPEACE"
Michael F. Ray aka
Mipeace was born in the small,
but significant town of Fort Valley,
Georgia. While growing up,
he experienced very good times
as well as some bad/sinful times.
As a little boy, Mipeace occasionally
attended Sunday School/church
and read his bible, but, he didn’t
become a disciple of Christ until
later in his life.
While being raised
by his loving mother in a single
parent home (with his loving father
not too far away), he and his
brother listened to the music
of the hip hop culture as it developed
into what can now be heard on
the radio and in the underground.
But, Mipeace’s love for
music did not start or stop with
hip-hop. He learned at an
early age to appreciate rock,
R&B, classical, and many other
genres of music. His admiration
for music grew after he started
playing the trumpet and joined
his middle school and high school
marching, jazz and concert bands.
He eventually went on to become
his high school’s drum major
and field commander. At
the age of 13, during a dare contest
with one of his friends, Mipeace
wrote his first rap. For
the next few years, he did occasional
writings that were based on his
many sinful and rebellious activities
as a teenager. Some of his
friends/classmates could often
observe him “freestyling”.
He didn’t consider recording
albums until he began his last
semester as a senior in high school.
After graduating
from high school he entered Florida
A&M University to study electrical
engineering. In the midst
of pursuing a higher education,
Mipeace continued rapping and
also indulging in an iniquitous
way of life. Mipeace observed
some friends and acquaintances
die and suffer badly because of
this sinful lifestyle that included
drugs, crime, sexual immorality,
etc. During his third year
at FAMU, he and one of his college
buddies, formed a hip hop group
called DeMusic. But, after
several years of dealing with
the rugged trials of life, Mipeace
found himself searching for the
type of love, direction, and peace
that he could not find in the
way he was living. Then, in one
moment, his life took an eternal
twist…. on Thanksgiving
Day 2000, during a "God-centered"
conversation with his cousin,
Mipeace answered the call of God,
which included believing in/confessing/following
Jesus Christ as his personal Lord
and Savior and turning away from
sin and back to God!
In light of his
salvation and the society’s opinions on
rap music, Mipeace became confused about
whether or not he should discard the
skill of emceeing that was given to him.
So, he consulted God and finally
accepted his commission into the
ministry which would involve (but not be
limited to) preaching Christ through hip
hop and other forms of music.
Shortly following the acceptance of the
commission that God had given him,
Mipeace and one his friends (an anointed
man of God; the late Dion "Paradigm"
Wilson; R.I.C. Rest in Christ) formed a
hip hop duo by the name of First Born.
For the next few years, while producing
and recording songs, he began to
minister with the group and also as a
solo artist. He went on to
graduate from FAMU with his B.S. degree
in industrial engineering. The
venues in which he has appeared include:
local churches, Florida A&M University,
Florida State University, Fort Valley
Middle School, Tallahassee Civic Center,
the first annual Gospel Apollo (held at
Florida A&M's Lee Hall Auditorium),
House of Judah Ministries, United
Christian Artists, and many more (for
a list of past (since 2006) and upcoming
appearances see the 'Schedule' page).
He has also written, and produced, two
songs that he ministered while acting in
a play.
Mipeace understands
that God desires that His people do good
to please Him and not ourselves.
Also, Michael has come to know that God
has saved him to give him eternal life
(to know Jesus and our heavenly Father
who sent Him), but also so that he can
help others to come to Christ and to
give all the glory to God.
Therefore, he prays that God’s will is
done through his albums/projects and his
life as a whole. When God’s will is
done, people are saved, healed,
delivered, loved, etc. So, as the
Lord uses Mipeace as His
instrument/vessel, we invite you to
listen and be blessed by God!!! Feel
free to check back with us often (join
our newsletter list on the homepage) and
if you don’t know Jesus as your Lord and
Savior, please do the following:
Seriously ask Him to forgive you of your
sins and turn away from them, confess
Jesus as your Lord and Savior, believe
in your heart that God raised Him from
the dead (Romans 10:9), and receive the
Holy Spirit....who is our Helper, the
Spirit of God living in us, and He is
the guarantee of our inheritance and our
inheritance includes (but is not limited
to): everlasting life in heaven
(the new earth and new Jerusalem -
Revelation 21); being joint-heirs with
Christ to God; the Kingdom of God
(Matthew 25:31-46) as well as all things
created (Acts 8:14-17, Romans 8:12-17,
Ephesians 1:13-14, Revelation 21:7).
From that point, continue to follow Him,
learn from Him, get into a community of
disciples of Christ, and spread His love
to all! Just like you, Michael
still has struggles and weaknesses, but
through Jesus, all of God's people will
have peace (John 14:27), love, joy,
strength, victory, etc. that no thing,
no one or no situation can take away!
My peace (our peace) is given to us from
our heavenly Father in the name of His
only begotten Son, Jesus! To God
be the glory!!! 1 love in
Christ...
|