BIO
With traceable roots in the East Coast displayed through his lyrics, Jeremaya (born Christopher Dawson) was born and raised in East Orange, New Jersey. A strong passion for music was placed inside of him inevitably at birth. He grew up enjoying a variety of music styles introduced to him by his mother at an early age. In 1992 at the young age of 11, Jeremaya, inspired by the fresh and highly popular movement of young rappers (including Kris Kross) then decided to become a rapper under the stage name “Hanger.” Influenced by lyrical hip-hop legends such as the late Notorious B.I.G., Jeremaya began developing his rap skills by continuously writing rhymes. He knew he was destined to be a songwriter.
In early 1998, Jeremaya (still under the rap name “Hanger”) began making mixtapes comprised of popular songs that were already out. In that same year, Jeremaya started a rap group with his friends called D.O.P.E. (Da Organization Pernicious Entertainers). It had similar elements of the former rap groups Junior Mafia and The Firm. The group was short lived as other plans were in the making that even Jeremaya didn’t know about.
In July 1999, Jeremaya moved from New Jersey to Atlanta, Georgia. Shortly after his move, his life transitioned to a new level as he made the decision to give his life to Christ. His ways immediately changed. He dropped the rap name “Hanger” and picked up the new name Jeremaya (which is linked to the biblical prophet Jeremiah). He chose this name after reading about God’s mission for this prophet to bring his people back to him. Jeremaya knew that this was his mission in life as well. Jeremaya also mastered the art of being a DJ and is consistently in demand to spin at various events. He brings a unique approach to the disc jockey game.
Jeremaya released his first project in 2005, titled Off the Bench Mixtape, with cuts like “29:11”, “Classic”, and “Man Without Christ.” The album circulated in key pasrts the US and even certain locations overseas. In 2006, Jeremaya released the follow-up mixtape titled Purpose Dreams and Visions Mixtape, which included “Not Perfect”, “Just Because”, and “Be Alright.”
Jeremaya’s third album, The Principle, will be released in late 2008. The party hit, “Water to Wine” is currently out which will be followed up by two other singles. Besides rapping, Jeremaya is the official DJ for the Trackstarz radio show, “The F.I.E.L.D.” He is also an artist for Destinations, the popular hip-hop/spoken word & song show birthed out of Atlanta. In 2007, Jeremaya formed Freedom Music Group, a company that he plans to use to cultivate other artists who have a passion for music. Jeremaya has appeared on a few albums, including The Book of Daniel(D-Class)and For His Pleasure: 40 Days of Purpose, a collaboration of many artists including the national recording group Destiny Praise. Looking into the long-term future, Jeremaya ‘s vision is to takeover multimedia for the name of Christ. He is a member of DestinyMetropolitanWorshipChurch and currently volunteers with Middle School (Club 4:12), and Destiny Style Records.