Corner Cafe Show: April 28, 2018
Christian Hip Hop artist, Russell Sickler, is a native of North Eastern Colorado. Shortly after birth, he suffered from many ailments. Not only was he born with a club foot that had rotated 180 degrees, but he also battled RSV at 3 months old and asthma. By the time he was 2 years old, his parents had divorced and Russell lived with his mother. While growing up on a goat farm in Wray, Colorado, his mother raised him to believe in God and trust in His existence. In 2007, Russell's faith became even stronger while attending Acquire the Fire in Denver, when his faith became his own. Because of the challenges growing up, Russell struggled with bouts of depression in his teenage years, often having feelings of “inferiority”, until God affirmed who He created Russel to be. During this time, he was able to go on 5 mission trips with Global Expeditions, and traveled to New York, Australia, Israel, Jordan, Ireland, and Dallas, spreading the word of God. These opportunities allowed him to be influenced by the word and encouraged him to preach the Gospel whenever it was needed.
Russell's 9 year career in the music industry began as a b-boy and beat boxer. At 12 years old, during visits to his father's church, he took an interest in sound engineering. This interest came in handy when he heard Hip Hop for the first time from the Christian group, Grits, when he was 13 years old at Acquire the Fire. When Russell began his own rapping career, he couldn't afford studio time, so he ventured into recording music on his own. By 2016, he was a solo artist. Russell now owns a recording studio where he not only creates his own music, but also does the same for others. He has opened for artist such as Datin, Sevin, Pyrexx, Bizzle, Eddie James, Next Generation Powerforce, and Armond Wakeup. Most recently, Russell released his first solo project titled Bearded Lies. His project, which has a barber shop theme, passes down wisdom and growth to younger generations, with light hearted banter in between.
Today he is managed by Steadman Robinson of Robinson Legacy, and plans on continuing his work as a Christian Hip Hop artist. In the future, Russell has aspirations to expand his reach in the music industry by becoming a sound engineer and executive producer. Coming this summer, Russell will begin his path to accomplishing these goals by doing shows outside of Colorado with fellow artists Derek Minor, Roy Tosh, Surve, and more. Outside of his music career, Russell is also an active volunteer with his church, “City Lights” a new church plant in Greeley. He loves spending his free time with his first love and wife, Alex, and their beautiful son.
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