Enock was a longtime member of the fabulous The Cross Movement crew. After a few circumstances, God prompted Enock to move to Houston, Texas where his career was relaunched with with Much Luvv records.

Enock talked to Gospelflava.com about his new album, why he left The Cross Movement, and how he ministers to those struggling with lust.

Gospelflava.com: Can you tell us what the purpose was behind your solo debut, AWEthentic?

Enock: The idea behind AWEthentic was basically to be just that —genuine and real when it comes to me as a person.

Many times we hide behind aliases, names and even the Gospel, and we don't let people see who we really are. When we get into this Holy Hip Hop thing, we almost treat it like we are celebrities. So when the paparazzies come around, we don't want to talk about anything personal or deep issues. So AWEthetic is just an effort to be real and genuine as far as my approach to ministry, and as an artist and a human being.

Gospelflava.com: You have some raw and uncut songs such as "Runnin'" and "Truth Be Told". Why do think it's so important to do these types of songs?

Enock: I know that there are a lot of people that have gone through what I've been through, as far as sexual addiction is concerned. You have a lot of HHH artists that aren't addressing these issues. A handful are. I've come across a lot of people that are dealing with the struggle, especially in the past, and the Lord prompted my heart to be real, open and honest. I wanted let people know that it was the grace of God that got me through it.

AWEthentic

“Still Here” is a autobiographical song about the trials and tribulations of Juan James’ (aka Enock) upbringing. Phillip “Dunkenstein” Moore provides the music on what could easily be an R&P track.... See full album review.

Gospelflava.com: You were a member of The Cross Movement for many years. There are many wondering why you left. What would like to tell the people about your departure from The Cross Movement?

Enock: In a nutshell, and what I fell like God has put in my heart to tell people, is that God takes you through certain things to bring you to a certain point. Many times, he uses our poor decision-making or wise decision-making, and He'll take us through a number of things to get us to a certain point.

I feel like my ultimate purpose for being out of The Cross Movement is comparable to when you have too many plants in one pot. It makes it hard to grow. So I feel like God, (through a series of circumstances and His providence), allowed me to go through a number of things and move to certain places and meet certain people which landed me in Houston. A lot of unfortunate things and fortunate things happened. I probably wouldn't be where I am today if I was still with The Cross Movement. I feel like God had plucked me out for His own purpose.

I pray that God will continue to bless their ministry. They are doing an awesome work. They're flourishing and I pray that God will continue their success. If it wasn't for The Cross Movement, I wouldn't have gained as much success as I've gained today.

Gospelflava.com: You hooked up with Houston-based producer Stikk to create some instant classics. Stikk was able to give you the rugged hip hop beats that you are used to and give you the Dirty South style. Tell us about the obvious chemistry between the two of you.

Human Emergency

Another trademark rendered by The Cross Movement is the art of storytelling. "What Do You See?" is an easily accessible cut that graphically portrays the crucifixion in present day verbage; "Back Up" gives an historical perspective, retracing Christ's footsteps..... See full album review of The Cross Movement's Human Emergency album.

Enock: Stikk helped stretch me in a lot of areas. It was definitely a challenge to work with him. We just gelled. It was like a breathe of fresh air when it came to his production and his style of music, it inspired me. There would be nights when I would come to the studio and he would play a track. I would write to it and at the end of an hour, I would have a song. He would say, "Man you have a song? Let's record it." It was just like magic. Hopefully on the next project, Stikk will have his hand on it again.

Gospelflava.com: You did a song, "Who R U?" about questions concerning how people think minister through Christian Hip Hop. What would you like to say to the Holy Hip Hop industry?

Enock: There is so much to say. I'll pull out an exerpt from one of the verses, of "Who R U?" It says, "This is so on time. You won't support Pigeon John, but you'll support Sean John." Right there you see the double standard. We actually diss the people that we say that we're trying to reach.

For instance, someone had wrote a song about Eminem, Jay-Z and others, telling them that they're going to over. He was really ripping them. I asked him if he would have an opportunity to sit down and talk with them about the Lord after hearing this song. The answer is no.

One of the things that I would challenge HHH about, is to be more relational in our approach. We say that we are in this Holy Hip Hop thing to reach out, but we repel more than we reach.

The Gospel itself is offensive, we don't have to make the Gospel [more] offensive. In our piety and arrogance and knowledge of the Word, we become more offensive than the Gospel is. That's where I think we have a serious problem in Holy Hip Hop, because we don't know how to talk to people. We don't know how to relate and build relationships and genuinely get to know people.

Insider Interview with Enock

We also got a little less serious with Enock in our Insider Interview with the emcee. Check it out..... See full Insider Interview with Enock.

Christ cared. He just wasn't concerned with them coming to Him —he wanted to meet their needs. The ultimate theme was that through Him meeting their needs, they were going to come to Him. I am totally convinced that 'we are Jesus Christ' on this earth. I'm not saying that we are God or Jesus, but because His Spirit lives in me, I'm able to demonstrate His love through me. So in essence, the world is waiting for the manifestation of the sons of God.

When you look at the command that Jesus gives, "...to love one another.", I don't see a lot of that especially when it comes to the Hip Hop community as a whole. I do appreciate what KJ-52 did. He reached out to Eminem and think that Eminem would have to respect that.

Gospelflava.com: You wanted people who are struggling with lust to know that there is a way out. What is your message to those who are struggling with that, whether they are high up in the ministry or not?

Enock: The first thing is, don't hide. When Adam sinned, the first thing he did was hide from the Lord. Of course, you can't hide from God, but when we are in our struggle, we just disappear for days at a time. Nobody can get in touch with us, or we just hide our struggle. The first step is to acknowledge the problem and tell somebody. You tell someone or some strong people that you can confide in. Sisters tell sisters. Brothers tell brothers. Accountability is so important; making sure that you have that communication with you and your brothers, so you are able to share whatever it is that you are going through. Don't just tell stories, but get in the Word and pray and really strengthen one another.

We have to learn to look at women in a different light, because we've been pumped so much over the past fifteen years especially since regular television is starting to compete with cable television. So they are beginning to have more racy things. You have a lot of reality shows and a lot of dating shows. We have to change our diet because they keep pumping themselves up with this stuff and they are wondering why they can't even preach. You are what you eat. What a man thinks in his heart, so he is.

Don't hide, but show yourself. Secondly, grab some brothers that are going to bathe you in prayer. Third, change the way we think about women because women are precious in the eyes of God. If we see women the way that God sees them, the problem of lust and sexual addiction will lessen.


Enock is definitely AWEthentic in his approach. He wants to expose sin and cover those struggling in the love of Christ. Keep your eyes and ears open for this emcee. While you are at it, go out and buy his CD, AWEthentic. It's sure to bless you and challenge you at the same time.