Christian rapper Hulvey has a lot of things he’s looking forward to this year.
In August he’ll open for Phil Wickham and Brandon Lake on the “Summer Worship Nights Tour.” Later in the fall, he’ll release his new album — his first project in three years. But he’s most excited about his new baby boy on the way. It’s a lot of change for the 25-year-old artist, but as he shared with RELEVANT, he’s figured out the key to staying grounded while his career continues to skyrocket.
Hulvey sat down with RELEVANT to talk about the secret to a healthy work/life balance, how his life is completely different from three years ago, and what fans can expect from his upcoming album.
This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
You’ve got a tour with Phil Wickham and Brandon Lake this summer, an album coming in the fall, and probably a few other fun surprises. What are you most looking forward to?
Goodness, I mean, for me, I think this new baby boy is what I’m most excited about. The other stuff is awesome, but me and my wife, we already have one son, and just the joy that we get from that. It’s just like, I can’t wait to have that multiple times too. So for me, I’m really looking forward to that. On the career side, I can’t wait to hit the road. Brandon and Phil, it’s going to be amazing. From the times I have got to connect with them, they’ve just been so genuine. I mean, I have an album coming out, and I think that’s also really something I just can’t wait to give people because I put so much into it.
As a young dad, how do you find the balance between your career and your family?
Recently, there’s been this concept my wife and I have been operating on: quality over quantity because of how much I’ve had going on career-wise. When I’m home, I gotta be home. I mean, sit down with my son and just throw the ball with him. If he wants to throw the ball or watch a show with him, whatever it’s gotta be, I wanna be there to do it. Even the other day I had a show and had to travel in a tight window, but he had dads and donuts that morning, so I chose to make it tight and still go to his dads and donuts because I want to be there for that. Fighting for the quality of my relationship with my son and my wife has been key for us because we are aware that the quantity is not as much there right now based on how busy things are. We’ve been really fighting for that.
Do you have any tips for how you remain focused on the things that really matter?
One thing you can do is really talk to your spouse about what’s going on in your world. My wife reminds me, “Hey, keep the main thing, the main thing.” Being willing to have that accountability with your spouse can keep you grounded because she’ll let me know if there’s pride or a lack of intentionality. That helps me level up as a husband and a dad. Mentorship is also important; my mentor was really heavy with me about how all this stuff is going to fade, but my family needs me. The world can get another artist, but my family can’t get another husband and dad. Having those voices in your life to remind you what’s important is crucial. Scheduling is something I’m still learning, but learning to say no is huge as well. Being willing to say, “I’m not going to do this because I need time with my family.” We’re still walking through that, but it’s been fun to learn.
Your new album, which drops this fall, is your first one since 2021. How has your life changed in the last three years?
I could go for years about this, but it’s been a lot of things. I can’t go in public without understanding that how I represent myself could be seen by a fan. That wasn’t the case three years ago, and now it is. If there’s a stressful day going on, the way I represent Christ could be seen by somebody. Just the everyday lifestyle of fighting for Him in the midst of stress is different from what I went through in 2021 because now people really are paying attention. If I go in the Chick-fil-A line, they’re going to see how I act. I wrote a song about it because I had a bad day one day, and they saw that. I had to be honest with myself and realize I need to represent my God and my family better.
The responsibility I have over more people in my world has also changed. There’s a far bigger team now, and I have to handle business relationships in a way that is honoring. I have a responsibility to the fans to provide music that they can connect with God on and that brings them hope. They may not always agree with everything I do, but I always want it to be pure-hearted. Since 2021, the responsibility has grown. Everything the team and I are doing is naturally bigger in the world’s eyes, and I strive to make it tailored to who God made me to be. When we do these big shows, I want people to see what God’s put in me, not a version of somebody else. So, everything is different right now, and that’s okay.
Speaking of things getting bigger, Christian hip-hop is huge now. Why do you think that’s happened?
It’s totally not where it was. What I attribute it to is the TikTok movement. A lot of Christian rappers put in a lot of work on TikTok, and many content creators started coming out as Christian. They started making music for God and putting it on TikTok, and that stuff started blowing up. It became a trend, and now people are making memes about it because of how big it is. You’ve never heard a Christian song like this before; that is literally a movement now. I really attribute it to the TikTok movement.
I also think the culture is really tired of the same message of murder and watching rappers constantly die. People are wanting a breath of fresh air. It’s not just hip hop; the whole music industry is looking for life. I’m noticing that brighter textures of music are starting to be what people love to listen to. In the 2010s, there was a balance of bright and darker tones, but now it seems like people really desire music full of hope. Christian hip hop started with guys like Caleb Gordon and Alex Jean, who started coming up and shocking people. People wanted music to be excellent and reflect God. It’s definitely taken a whole new turn.
What can fans expect from your new album?
Tons. I really get into it on this one. On one of the songs, I peel back layers regarding Christian culture and the so-called church, revealing some things I think we could fix. I talk about how Jesus invites everybody to the table. Jesus is not picking and choosing who’s invited. I think a lot of people love to invite people to the table but then get shocked when they actually show up. This album is like, “Hey, you really are invited for real.” I talk about what I went through as a teenager in church, how I felt, and how God gave me hope. He was like, “Nah, you’re invited, man. You have a seat here.”
The album is funny because it has a sad title, but it’s actually a new play on a word. It’s about re-imagining what it looks like to cry and being thankful for God and what He’s done. Not always dwelling in our pain, but dwelling on how He’s taken our pain. He literally lives in us. This album is a reflection on what He’s done for me and the thankfulness. It’s very bright but also really reflective. Everyone I’ve gotten to play it for early has been really blown away by the response. I was a little scared I couldn’t pull it off because all the singles had me on a heavy momentum, and I was scared I couldn’t continue that momentum. It felt like God was giving me something fresh. He put on my heart, “I’m going to tell the story.” As I listen back, I realize God really did tell the story.
I just addressed the things going on. You’re going to hear moments where I’m being pretty bold in what I’m saying. It’s going to challenge people for sure, but the point is to remind people who Jesus really is. It’s a reminder that we’re all human, but with God in the story, we can have thankfulness and live in that place. The music really communicates that. I’m really looking forward to it. For real.
