Tony Cummings quizzed Birmingham-based rapper NEUMA about his past, present and future.

Neuma

The Cross Rhythms reviewers are agreed that one of the best hip-hop albums of the year is the independent release 'City On A Hill' by UK-based rapper Neuma. Known to his mum and dad as Ian Martin, he has been based in Birmingham for 12 years though is currently studying in London. Neuma has produced a hugely impressive debut about which the CR reviewer commented, "even some non hip-hop heads were feeling this one." So we felt it time to quiz the 19 year old.

Tony: Where were you born?

Neuma: I was born in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. For those who don't know, that's on the East-Coast, about an hour north of Philadelphia and an hour and a half south of New York City. I have family in Pennsylvania and New Jersey (where my Mom is from).

Tony: You lived in Madrid as a child. Does that mean you speak Spanish?

Neuma: Yes, growing up in Spain as a young kid meant that I was able to pick up a perfect Spanish accent and speak naturally. However, moving to England at the age of eight, I didn't speak it for a number of years and I lost my fluency. In my teens however I have tried hard to get it all back, and I can say that right now I'm back at a fluent level. I always kept the accent, and was able to understand, but I had to work to get my fluency back.

Tony: Your parents were missionaries. Was that a problem for your?

Neuma: For me, growing up as a missionary kid has been an incredible experience. Sure it's been hard for the family to leave friends and relatives behind for the sake of the call, but the rewards of doing so have far outweighed the struggles.

When we first moved to Spain I was only two years old, so I obviously wasn't completely aware of what was going on. But my Mom tells me that I was angry on the flight over, especially over having to leave my cousins I think. The result was that I vigorously tried to retain my 'American' identity. Being a young child, learning Spanish came naturally as I attended public school. I remember one time, when I came home crying at the age of six because kids at school didn't believe I was American; such was the level of my fluency and the level of my American identification.

My sister was born in Madrid in '91, adding to the fact that we as a family still feel a strong connection to Spain, even though we lived there for five short years. My parent's situation was also not that of your typical missionary family (if there is anything typical about it!). They worked, and continue to work, in a ministry called Betel (Spanish for 'Bethel') that works with drug addicts and alcoholics. Virtually the entire congregation of our church in the center of Madrid was made up of recovering heroin addicts. It has been incredible growing up to see daily the miracle of God's life-changing power in the lives of countless ex-addicts. I have seen for myself the unbelievable transformation of hardened-criminals into pastors and evangelists.

Along with this ministry also came its trials. Spain in the '80s and '90s had a huge AIDS problem, particularly among needle-sharing addicts. Over half of our church was infected, and it was painful to see pastors and beloved friends die as a result. I will never forget the inspiring last words of our first convert and pastor Raúl Cásto, who said 'If we do not surrender, we will overcome'.

Living in Betel has been unforgettable. All of my best friends have come from a life of drugs and crime, the type of people that society would give up hope on, making it clear to me that the Gospel has the power to change lives. I can say without doubt that living in Betel has taught me the important things in life and shown me the right path. I have learned from their mistakes and been blessed by their success. Every single day I am presented with concrete evidence of God's love, grace and fulfilment. The result is lives on fire for God. When asked why the men and women danced with joy during times of worship, Raúl answered, 'We dance because we cannot fly'.

So, to carry on with the story, my parents were asked in 1996 if they would like to move to England to be the directors of a centre in the UK. They felt it was the call of God, so we moved and have been here ever since. We started off with very, very little and have seen God's abundant blessing in our lives and ministry ever since.

I can say now that having lived in distinct cultures has opened my mind to many things. It has given me a great appreciation for different cultures and lifestyles, plus a general love of travel. Of course there have been issues that went along with moving countries. Most importantly for me was the issue of identity. In my teen years I had a real struggle of knowing where I fit in. It was as if I was a foreigner no matter where I went. I was American by birth and passport, but I hadn't lived there since I was two and I felt like a foreigner when we visited. I loved Spain, but they called me foreign. I lived in England but I certainly didn't feel English either. In fact, after moving to England I made the conscious decision to retain my American identity and keep my accent especially. Any time I caught myself saying anything that sounded 'too English' I would stop and correct myself. This may also be the reason I started listening to hip-hop and dressing according to American fashion rather than what I saw around me. However, I think God had a deeper purpose in this.

My conclusion in this matter of 'fitting in' was that in fact I am a child of God, and a citizen of heaven! It didn't matter 'where I was from', or what culture was 'my own' because God has made me a special mixture. As a result I am able to adapt to my surrounding and survive in any environment. Not to mention the fact that I can speak two languages. I thank God daily for the experiences he has given me and for the person it has made me today. I wouldn't trade any of it for the world!

Tony: You are linked with Betel Of Britain in Birmingham. What kind of ministry is that?

Neuma: Betel Of Britain is a ministry dedicated to restoring broken lives by the power of the Gospel. It is at face value a residential drug-rehabilitation centre. However, at its core it is a Christian community with the aim of re-parenting people damaged by the effects of drugs and alcohol, and the much deeper issues which lead to these addictions. It is a place where people that have never felt love and acceptance are able to find it for the first time. It is a place where God's life changing love is manifested in the lives of transformed people. At a day-to-day level, the centre is run by ex-addicts that have come through the programme. The centre itself is completely free and does not receive any government funding. Men and women in the centre instead work in Betel's charitable businesses in order to teach them discipline and the value of work, but also to effectively pay for their recovery. It can be seen as an intense programme of discipleship as the men and women are in an atmosphere of accountability and Godly devotion.

Tony: I understand you started off rapping as IDM in the group Madd Prophetz. Tell me about them.

Neuma: The Madd Prophetz released the album 'Unseen Warfare' in 2004, when I was 15 years old. The group was made up of J-Deep, Roz (both of whom came from Betel) and I. We did quite a number of gigs all over the place. We frequently were invited by churches and youth groups all around the country to perform as well as share testimonies from Betel. We also performed at several conferences, including three in Spain, mostly through Betel connections.

Tony: When did you start work on your solo album 'City On A Hill'?