Bios
Gen-14
Gen-14 is a Hip Hop group that consists of 4 families. The group was formed through the love of relationship and hanging out together. Once they started writing together, the passion they all had for people and music became evident. In April of 2004 they officially became Gen-14. There was no doubt this group is destined for greatness.
The goal of Gen-14 is to create music that will influence cultures and nations. They want to be unique and dynamic with musical production, vocals, lyrics and performance. They strive to create music that will bring hope to all who listen.
Gen is an abbreviation for generation. In Matthew Chapter 1 the bible lists the lineage of Christ. In verse 17, the bible says that there are 14 generations from Abraham to David, from David to the deportation to Babylon and from the deportation to Babylon to the birth of Christ. However if you read verses 12-13 in the last list of names, only 13 names were actually written, with Christ being the last name mentioned in the lineage. It is our belief that everyone who is born again and who has been adopted by the Father through Christ Jesus is the fourteenth generation. We are Gen-14 the group, but every believer is generation fourteen, the hope of His calling.
Gen-14 released their freshman album Not On My Watch in January of 2006. They have been gaining momentum ever since, traveling nationally to spread their message through their inspirational music.
Generation Fourteen Ministries hosts unique conferences that train and equip the body of Christ to minister to the urban community, and it is the umbrella that covers Gen-14 the Hip Hop group. Gen-14 Ministries teamed up with Jesus Culture in July of 2010 and began planning the first of many Urban Encounter conferences. They are also working closely with Paul Manwaring of Global Legacy to take their message worldwide.
The mission of Generation Fourteen Ministries is to build “My Watch” communities, strengthen the family unit, teach the next generation how to govern themselves before they lead others, and unlock the awesome potential that resides in the human spirit.
Gen-14 stays heavily involved in their community through local programs such as, G14 Life Coaching, MyWatch, The LOT, and Family Restoration Counseling. They feel it is important to stay rooted and grounded in their home town. They take that “down to earth” attitude everywhere they go.
Brutha Rich
As a husband, and a father of six, Brutha Rich is a man who through experience has learned to walk in amazing forgiveness. He was born in the tough racial environment of Redding, California, a city with a population that is 88% white. At the age of ten, Brutha Rich lost his mother to a murder, committed by his father. Although, he was raised in a devout Christian home, his hatred toward God was his greatest passion. This hate would lead him down a road that was certain to end at death’s door. On October 15, 1993, Brutha Rich did die. A God encounter that shook him to his very core and he died to his former self.
Brutha Rich has always been a performer and has had music in his blood. As a child, he often sang at church and he is an original member of the Kids Unlimited Institute of the Arts, Parsons Junior High Music in Motion, Junior and Senior High Choir, and now, Gen-14. If you were to meet Brutha Rich in person, you would most likely hear one of his personal quotes, “My passion is to see others operating in their full potential and to see every divided family and every broken relationship restored through reconciliation and forgiveness and to see His kingdom inhabit our nation for a thousand generations!”
Brutha Rich has a father’s heart and this passion is birthed through his personal daily relationships. He is the originator of Project 18 and G14, which are local mentoring programs designed for troubled teens. He is focused on seeing worldwide transformation. His strategy is simple: bring warriors with you and love people to life.
RAWC
Robert Wigington, a.k.a. RAWC, has been a part of the music and ministry of Gen-14 since 2004. He is a husband and father of two, and the brother of Gen-14′s, K-Passion. R.A.W.C. grew up in Richmond, California where young teens are constantly pressured to join gangs and to live a life of crime. His first encounter with Jesus came at the age of 9, the very first time he opened his bible. He tried to read, but had a hard time understanding the text. All of a sudden, a power came over him that could not be explained. He describes it as having the feeling of warm liquid love that covered his whole being. As a result, the convergence of his life began.
Nevertheless, RAWC, not having a full understanding of his encounter with God yet, chose to escape a life of sorcery, abuse, and drug addiction from the Bay Area. His decision to leave his friends and family behind to move to Redding, California, proved to be an exodus for not only himself, but also for the many that followed.
His passion for God is released everywhere he goes. He wants to see a generation empowered and equipped to shape a culture that will release the kingdom of God. RAWC believes that when someone receives Christ, they become citizens of heaven, and it is a privilege to make earth a reflection of our home (i.e., on earth as it is in heaven). He proclaims that a Christ-centered culture of revival is the answer to a death culture that has plagued our society. RAWC’s desire is to activate the youth with the seven mountains of religion (religion, family, business, government, education, entertainment/arts, and media) as a result, this will bring Jesus his true reward: the souls of generations.
RAWC is also the founder of My Watch, which is an organization designed to transform communities through relationships.
Soul Cool and K~Passion
Joe (Soul Cool) and Katrina (K-Passion) have been happily married since 1999. Together they raise four daughters. The two have uniquely joined their gifts and talents to serve the call for the urban culture to be transformed.
Before joining Gen-14, Soul Cool was a member of another hip-hop group, called Heaven Sealed, with his wife and brother-in-law (RAWC). He was raised in a single parent household, which has given Soul Cool a heart for family. He leads a lifestyle of worship and fully believes in the spirit of unity. Soul Cool spends a majority of his time as a life-coach, coupled with training and teaching the fundamentals of basketball. His mandate is to ignite people into their identity in Jesus Christ.
K-Passion’s heart was made to worship. Her love for God is contagious and affects those whom she meets. K-Passion grew up in a difficult family environment in the Bay Area of California, however, that did not stop her love for Jesus at a very early age. K-Passion has a distinct revelation from God about a Pearl Generation. A pearl becomes a beautiful gem only after experiencing the aggressiveness of its environment. As a result, the pearl transforms into something of great value. She believes that there are some who are going through certain struggles, which have prevented them from receiving God’s love. Her passion is to see a Pearl Generation rise up in purity and to be restored into a relationship with Our Father through Jesus Christ.
Surrenda
Demetrius (Surrenda) was born in Duarte, California. At the age of six his mother divorced and sent Surrenda along with his two older brothers and sister to live with their grandmother in San Bernardino. It was there that he was introduced to the hip hop culture at a time when people believed that hip hop was just a fad. After receiving his first rap album on his seventh birthday, he instantly fell in love with the music. At the age of ten he was already free styling against other kids on the school yard. It was in San Bernardino where Surrenda would also discover another culture.
This was a time when gangs were on the rise and crack cocaine was being distributed on almost every corner in his neighborhood. Growing up without a father and a mother who was only there part time, it didn’t take much for him to be influenced by gangs. Although his grandmother did the best that she could in helping raise Surrenda, by teaching him to believe in God, that still wasn’t enough to prevent him from joining a gang. At thirteen Surrenda was living on the streets and was jumped into the Crips gang. The experience of the street life engulfed Surrenda with even more hurt, hate, frustration and depression.
Through numerous trials he realized that the gang lifestyle was no longer the life that he wanted to live and he decided to break the mold. He began focusing on writing and found small success along side local rappers in the underground scene. Although writing was great therapy, it led him into another lifestyle that would prove to be just as destructive as the gang that he left behind. Surrenda’s life was filled with parties, drugs, different women, and early fatherhood. While pretending to be happy, he was really filled with depression and hurt. His smile on the outside would cover the suicidal tendencies that he was carrying on the inside.
He married at the age of 24, hoping that marriage would bring him happiness. However, it only revealed his insecurities, as he fell into a deeper depression. After only one year Surrenda found himself in the midst of a divorce. Thoughts of murder and suicide constantly invaded his mind. One Sunday, he decided to take up a friends offer by going to church. Upon arriving he already started to feel God pulling at his heart, and everything that his grandmother taught him about Jesus was starting to come to the forefront. On October 17, 1999, Surrenda gave his life to the Lord and promised from that day forward that he would surrender his life unconditionally to Christ. (thus the name) One year later, Surrenda and his wife renewed their vows and have been raising six kids together. He and his wife are now ordained ministers.
He attended Trinity Life Bible College for a season and was also an Assistant Youth Director and Youth Pastor before re-discovering his passion to write and perform. Currently, Surrenda is hosting The War Chest, which is a Gen-14 video blog. The next step is to create a nightly radio talk show, focusing on current events and giving the youth a platform to voice what is relevant and important to their generation.
Surrenda’s heart is to reflect the heart of the Father to a fatherless generation through his writings and songs, and to reveal the gold that every person has inside of them. His favorite scripture is Luke 4:17-19. This is what he lives and stands by.