We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Mike Pennino. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Mike below.

Mike, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

Currently, the most meaningful project I’ve worked on is my first album release called “Between You And I.” My heart behind the album was to be very transparent about myself, my life, and my faith in Jesus. I discuss different topics like God, faith, mental health issues, and more. I picked different types of hip-hop beats for the songs, and I was able to stretch myself as an artist. My goal with the project was to get real with my listeners and for them to hopefully see Jesus as Lord and Savior. That no matter what we go through, we can trust in Jesus and know that He truly loves us.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am a hip-hop artist who currently lives in North Carolina. I am originally from New Jersey. Ironically, growing up I didn’t really listen to rap until high school when a friend introduced me to Eminem. I began to really listen to hip-hop music after that. I had been writing lyrics for a bit, and I found that I could express myself more when writing hip-hop lyrics. After high school and before college, I had placed my faith in Jesus. Long story short, I stumbled upon Christian hip-hop on Youtube which got me interested in learning more about Jesus and reading the New Testament. After reading through it, I came to a place of seeing my sin for what it truly was and my need for Jesus. So I trusted in Jesus and what He did to save us. After that, I noticed my lyrics began to change and my desire to do music grew. I wanted to share the good news of Jesus with everyone I could and to be there for those in need. One way I can do that is through music. Regardless of where I rap and perform, my goal is to point people to Jesus and be a blessing. I want to point people to Jesus, to help people overcome mental health issues, to be encouraged in this tough world, and to be challenged to trust Jesus and become who God made them to be. I desire to love God and love people throughout my life (which includes with my music).

: Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

My particular mission to help people experience the glory of Jesus. If I was to summarize what I mean, then I’d say I want to help people trust in Jesus, to see how much He loves them, to live the life they were created to live, to experience the goodness of God. I take this approach in what I do. The pressure is not on me to get people there, but to do what I can to give people just a glimpse of Jesus in my life (which I ironically have a song called “Just A Glimpse”). My overall goal is to love God and love people. Whether that’s through my music, through my role as a college pastor at my church, through random moments of kindness, through volunteering, or however. I want to glorify God and help make this world a better place.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

The moment where I had to really pivot was before I went to college. I actually took a year off after high school so I could qualify for in-state tuition in North Carolina. During that time, I lived with my dad and brother, and I worked at an asian restaurant. In my free time I would search for underground music on Youtube. I love Youtube, haha. One day when I was on Youtube, I found Christian Hip-hop playlist. I thought it was weird, but I gave it a chance and loved it. The music was really good and they had a passion for Jesus that I never had seen. It inspired me to read through the New Testament and learn more about Jesus. As I read the Bible, it’s like it read me. Expose me of my sins and need for God. I always thought of myself as a “good kid” who was tight with God because I claimed to be Catholic, but I didn’t really have a genuine relationship with God. The more I read the Bible, the more I saw that I couldn’t live up to God’s standards. I remember crying at the side of my bed knowing that I couldn’t live up to God’s standard and I cried out, “God, You have to fix me. I can’t fix myself.” I eventually fell asleep and time would pass on. I continued to read and study more about the Bible and God. Then one day it finally clicked as I walked into my bedroom. “That’s why Jesus died for me, because I couldn’t fix myself!” In that moment I told Jesus that “I was down for whatever” and I gave Him my life. It is amazing to truly know the love of God personally, and to be saved and forgiven of my sins by Jesus. He has been changing and working on my life ever-since. Trusting in Jesus and choosing to follow Him was the best decision I ever made in my life.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://mikepennino0317.wixsite.com/music
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mikepennino/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mikepennino
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/MikePennino
• Other: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2IZ9WWdOn08PGs605BmZhc?si=OjxEe4zEQLe0T7pyEhPpZg Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/mike-pennino/1549262620 Merch Store: https://mikepennino.creator-spring.com/

Image Credits
Reagan L. Moody Nickolas Golden Jordan McGirt