Propaganda (musician) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Propaganda
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Propaganda performing at the Murray Hill Theatre in 2018.
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Jason Emmanuel Petty |
| Born | May 27, 1979 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Genres | Christian hip hop, spoken word, underground hip hop |
| Occupation(s) | Rapper, pastor, poet |
| Years active | 2002–present |
| Labels | UpRok, Tunnel Rat, End of Earth, Humble Beast, Empire, RMG |
| Associated acts | Tunnel Rats, Footsoldiers, Odd Thomas, Beautiful Eulogy, Lover of Rose Park Coffee Roasters |
Jason Emmanuel Petty (born May 27, 1979), known as Propaganda, is an American Christian rapper, spoken word artist, and poet. He is from Los Angeles, California.
Propaganda has released seven albums on his own. He also made one album with Odd Thomas and another with Derek Minor. He has performed with the underground hip hop group Tunnel Rats and the group Footsoldiers.
Contents
Propaganda's Early Life and Music Journey
Jason Emmanuel Petty was born on May 27, 1979, in Los Angeles, California. When he was very young, his family moved to a neighborhood where he was one of the only Black children. He was sometimes teased because of his skin color. Later, his family moved again to the suburbs. There, his family was known for not having much money.
Jason learned to rap. He also enjoyed dancing, graffiti, and drawing. He was discovered by the underground hip hop group Tunnel Rats. His first appearance was in 2002 on the album Speak Life by Sev Statik.
In 2003, Petty joined the Tunnel Rats. On April 8, 2003, he released his first solo album, Out of Knowhere, with UpRok Records. In 2006, he released an EP called I Am Not Them with Tunnel Rat Music. He also recorded Live This with the group Footsoldiers, which was connected to Tunnel Rats. Footsoldiers also worked with KRS-One on his album Life. Petty was featured on the song "I Ain't Leaving".
Petty released a second solo EP, The Sketchbook: A Small Collection of Unreleased Material, in 2008. His second album, Listen Watch Focus, also came out in 2008 through End of Earth Records.
Albums with Humble Beast Records
Propaganda then released four albums with Humble Beast Records, based in Portland. The first was Art Ambidextrous. It was a dual-album with Odd Thomas and came out on February 1, 2011.
Petty's next album, Excellent, was released in 2012. It reached No. 7 on the Billboard Top Gospel chart. His fourth solo album, Crimson Cord, came out on April 29, 2014. This album also did very well on the music charts.
In 2017, he released Crooked. This project talked about important social topics.
Propaganda has toured across the country many times. This includes the "Unlimited Up" tour with Murs and the "Spotlight" tour with Sho Baraka in 2016. He also went on the "Tension Tour" with Kings Kaleidoscope in 2017.
Other Projects and Activities
Besides his hip hop career, Jason Petty has been a youth pastor. He also led a poetry team called Selah. He helped his sister with her dance ministry called "Live."
In 2013, he worked with I Am Second to host a poetry contest called the Spoken Word Challenge. In 2017, Petty and his wife, Dr. Alma Zaragoza-Petty, started "The Red Couch Podcast." This series had eight episodes where they discussed important topics about fairness and equality in society.
He began the "Hood Politics with Prop" podcast in 2020. In mid-2020, Petty was a guest co-host on the Behind the Police podcast mini-series. This was part of the iHeartRadio podcast Behind the Bastards with journalist Robert Evans. On this podcast, Evans explained the history of policing in America. Petty shared his thoughts and added more comments. In early 2021, Petty also appeared as a guest co-host on Evans' Behind the Insurrections mini-series.
Propaganda's Albums
- Out of Knowhere – 2003
- Listen Watch Focus – 2008
- Art Ambidextrous (with Odd Thomas) – 2011
- Excellent – 2012
- Crimson Cord – 2014
- Crooked – 2017
- Nothing But a Word (with Derek Minor) – 2019
- Terraform: The People (with DJ Mal-Ski) - 2021
- Terraform: The Sky (with L's) - 2021
Film and Video Projects
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
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| 2003 | The Battle for L.A.: Footsoldiers, Vol. 1 | Himself | A documentary film |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
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| 2018 | The Box, 4 sessions | Himself | A Bible Study film |
