J Moss
I nterview with J Moss
by Jillian Blackwell and Marcus Glenn

Jillian: We are sitting here with J Moss at MIX 92.3 radio station. How are you doing this week hosting the morning show?

J Moss: Wow it's been a great time. What I like what MIX 92.3 is doing is that they went across America and got everybody. They got recording artist, R&B artist, Gospel artist, actors, I mean well versed, professional veterans in radio like Donnie Simpson. There have been so many people that have hosted the show and for us to be the close out week right before Steve Harvey comes in was just great.

We got to add a prospective that hasn't been added to that morning show. The gratifying fine part is that people are calling in and saying, “This is a breathe of fresh air. You are finally start to hit on some of the things that most of want to talk about in the morning. Maybe not at drive time, after work, we are into another vive. But when we get up, we just like to reflect on how great God is. With that spiritual twist that we can give Him some thanks and praise.” We just brought our flavor. I was glad that Clear Channel was brave enough and took a risk on a Christian crew, like my self, H.B and Small Fire to come in and really put it down from our perspective.

Jillian: On one of your records, Livin 4 you talked about having a desire to be right. I
talked about early on the show that we have a lot of young people that are hungry and thirsty for righteous. What do you have to say to these people that are desiring to be righteous with God? They don't have a mentor.

J Moss: That is a very good question. So many young people are reaching out and trying to find out how the can beat this stuff that is out there. But they need to know it in their terms and in their language. And it's not a lot out there that speaks in their language. They still feel like they don't have a voice and that we don't understand. They say, “you guys don't understand what we have to go through in schools.”

W hat I say to that is, over in Romans it says “For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. Which means, that if everything
you go about during your day is to satisfy your body, your own selfish desire, you are not going to live long in that. May not be physical death, but your vision and dreams are going to die.


Everything that you are trying to do is not going to prosper or flourish because everything
about you is self.

But if you want to be like a J Moss or a KiKi. The formula that I succumb to if you will is,
For God I live and for God I die. You know, God is my first thought of the day and He's
my last thought of the night. That's how I go about my life and I just make sure that in
all my ways I acknowledge Him, so that He can direct my path. That's how I got
everything that I have. No matter how corny it came off, or soft or meek. I was able to ride
the wave and He always kept me ahead of the game. I know the formula works because I
lived it.

Most of my performances this year has been at youth conference. So I've been telling them
how to beat it. God honors righteousness more than anything else. That is what I have
been trying to promote throughout the country.

Jillian: It seems as though gospel artist and pastors are trying to reach the youth more so now than in past times.. You mentioned in your CD cover that everything has a time and season and obviously this is your time and your season. And one of the platforms that we are seeing is that you have many opportunities to speak to young people. Do you know why God choice this time to put you on that platform?

J Moss: You know what, that part I don't question. I know that I wanted it 10 years ago, when my knees were not cracking and popping. You know what I'm saying? I was about 20 or 30 pounds lighter. But, God has His way of doing things. I look back at my life and where I was at 25 and I say, you know what, I wasn't responsible enough to hold this. My mentality was no where near where it is now. I had to go through some more struggles and trials. I had to lose some money, friends, status quo, if you will, before I got to this place where my season actually kicked in.

The reason for that was to build the story, was to make my conviction a little bit more penetrating. So now when I step on the stage, I can tell people that He will give you checks when you weren't expecting them. He will make you head and not the tail. He will take you out of the background and take you straight to number one and leave you there for 15 ? weeks. You know what I'm saying.

If I had done it on my own and if I had done it ten years ago, it would not have been the same. I just understand that this season is for me and I'm just trying to be the ultimate vessel for God to use. I know that all I am is a test tube and I just want Him to fill me up with whatever it is that is suppose to be in there and I will spill it out where He tells me to.

Jillian: My last question before I bring Marcus to talk to you is regarding the scripture, in Proverbs 22:6, that says “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” Obviously your parents played an important part in your success and where you are today. Especially little boys, I have two little boys and I understand how important it is for boys to have that positive male figure around them. I'm not taking away from little girls but young men need to have their fathers an uncle or someone around them to help them through this thing called life. What do you say to the population that doesn't have a positive male figure in their life, like a Bill Moss?

J Moss: You know, I'm glad you asked that because a lot of times, my dad wasn't there, because he was on the road, providing. All of my life that I have known my father, he has always been a gospel recording artist. That's all he's ever done. His years at the plant and that sort of thing, were way before I was born. When I finally came on the scene, I am the baby of the family, he was gone. My dad was gone, out on the road, constantly grinding. Mom was at home taking care of us.

What I saw from that and what that really instilled in me, was how a man was suppose to take care of a family, and I thought that was important. Though Dad was not there, I knew why he was gone. He was gone to take of us.

Then when he came back he took care of us as much as he possibly could. Every chance that he possibly had, he would take us on the road with him so we could see what was going on, so he could train us. He knew at some point that this would be our profession. God gave Him that vision first. I say that everywhere I go, I think that my father had the vision for me first. He saw it, so he began to train me at five years old and show me the ropes.

My father thing was more profession, more so than it was ministry. He loved the Lord, he was saved. But my mother was the real spiritual one. But dad was like, “It's a business, handle your business, get your publishing papers right, write songs. When you get on the floor, have a show - prepared, thought out, because if not you are going to go home with your tail between your legs.” I thank God for a Dad like that.

For those who don't have that, your leaders are the next best thing. Get yourself up under a Pastor that has that father-like mentality, a pastor that you can touch and get to. I'm not trying to say anything against mega ministries or anything like that, but we all need somebody that we can go in and say, you know what, I'm struggling with a certain issue.