We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Daniel Bass a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Daniel, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.
I believe that my most meaningful project was my first album “Urban Missionary”. I have been doing music since I was about 9 years old. I have done songs with multiple people on their projects and never really had the means or the time to create .y own album. In the last 9 years I have had some very powerful life changing experiences and I was motivated to share my life through my music. So my first album is a statement of who I am, where I am from, and where I am going. I named it Urban Missionary because I believe that God allowed me to go through everything I did in the streets to send me back into the streets to help others.
Daniel, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
My name is Daniel Bass aka Brotha D and i am a 38yr. old Christian rapper/Minister and founder of the L.O.V.E. U. Foundation ministries. I am a Pastor of a Christ centered recovery program called New Life Recovery and I am also the owner of the “Urban Missionary” brand of clothing and merch. My non-profit the L.O.V.E.U. foundation Inc. ( Living Outside of Violent Environments United) is a Christ centered organization whose primary focus is to offer assistance to youth and their families. Our ultimate goal is to give youth and their families a safe place to come and receive support and assistance, especially if they are dealing with issues stemming from living in or being exposed to violent and/or broken environments. With recreational facilities, educational and family services open to the public, we also offer special services (or referrals) that deal with specific issues to youth and their families such as individual and group counseling, substance abuse treatment, employment training and placement programs, mentoring for children and adults, healthy family activities, and community outreach programs. The vision is to help youth see value in themselves through the love of Christ, encouragement and genuine interest in their lives and their family’s lives. To ultimately strengthen families and build healthy communities. As a pastor/mentor/teacher/counselor/artist of my purpose is to provide positive messages through music and motivational speaking. I believe we have to be the change we want to see in the world. Meaning this if we want to see change in our communities we need to be the first to take action. There are multiple ways to connect with me if you are interested in partnering with us. I am on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Tiktok sharing what we are doing and trying to network with others doing the same.
Facebook: Brotha D
Instagram: Brothad_5.17
Tiktok: Brothad_bw
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
I have had so many doors close on me because of my past. I was in foster care as a child, so I was introduced to the system at a very young age. Coming from parents who struggled with drug addiction and growing up in an environment that supported gang culture, I was told that statistically I would die at a young age. I statistically would not ever amount to anything or be successful. Good thing I am not just a statistic or a number on the chart. God had bigger plans for my life. I overcame all of that and I am striving to pave a new path for my family and other generations to come.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
I want to be a part of creating more opportunities for inner-city families that are living in gang or drug infested areas. I want to provide an alternative to individuals who feel stuck in a destructive lifestyle. I have been there and I know there in a better way.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/BrothaD
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/brothad_5.17?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BrothaDBloodWashed
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCzSau-mLWlxPQgoGox6aK7A
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@brothad_bw?_t=8Wq0ecyT9vX&_r=1 https://www.facebook.com/jessica.schweigerbass https://instagram.com/daniel_jessicabass?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= https://instagram.com/urban_missionary_merch?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=