What Do Tasha Cobbs and Nicki Minaj Have in Common?

She was full of excitement over this exposure of her faith and the opportunity to tell her story. What listeners hear in the song is a piece of her testimony. 

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It’s been almost a year since Tasha Cobbs Leonard released her 2017 album Heart. Passion. Pursuit. An uproar came from the Christian community when she shared one of her tracks with pop/hip-hop diva Nicki Minaj who raps 16 bars in “I’m Getting Ready.” BET and Billboard both reported that Cobbs received backlash because of Minaj’s “racy lyrics.” In response, the gospel powerhouse stated, “There are more people that are for us than are against us.”

Cobbs emphasized that Minaj felt that the song spoke to her and was open to sharing about her relationship with God for the first time. The renowned rapper was full of excitement over this exposure of her faith and the opportunity to tell her story. Furthermore, Cobbs explained that she believes this will happen more in the future, as artists desire to overlap and collaborate to expand their styles and learn from one another.

Pastor John Gray and wife, Aventer, quickly backed Cobbs up in an interview with Jubilee Magazine at her album-release party by asking, “Who’s allowed to worship God?” He made it clear that Christians should not try to dictate who is and is not allowed to worship God. He continued the discussion by saying how there are Gospel artists who battle sin but are still allowed to sing. His overall point: People can’t judge each other’s sanctification processes. To watch the full interview, click here.

Cobbs has since then made another surprising decision–but one that is rather exciting, at least for those in the south. She’s been settling in Greenville, SC to be with the Grays!

Seasoned pastors Ron and Hope Carpenter uprooted themselves from Redemption World Outreach Center in the city dubbed G’Vegas where they had been established for twenty-seven years. Shortening the well-known moniker to “Redemption,” they moved the ministry across the country to San Jose, California. Taking up the mantle of the Carpenters, Pastor John Gray has stepped in and begun shifting the congregation in a new direction under the name Relentless Church.

In addition to these fresh coats of paint for the megachurch, Tasha Cobbs Leonard has decided to join the movement of God by leading praise and worship at Relentless. On April 8th, 2018 she took to her Instagram:

Soooo excited about our assignment to @myrelentlesschurch!!! Thank you Pastor John and Pastor Aventer for trusting us and the entire worship and Music ministry leaders to carry out this assignment! We Love you and we love our Relentless Family!!!! LET’SSSSS GOOOOO!!!! @grayceeme @realjohngray

Watch John Gray’s announcement to the church here courtesy of Kimberly Lyles.

Will there be any more surprise featured singers on future albums? “If you were asking me about another collaboration, I would say Celine Dion, hands-down,” Cobbs told Billboard. She joked that if Celine called her tomorrow, she would book a flight immediately to fly to wherever the pop diva is stationed. “She has one of the most phenomenal voices in the world,” Cobbs commented. Just imagine: Celine Dion and Tasha Cobbs singing together. The thought alone gives me chills.

 

 

Featured Image by Arthur Miranda

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About the Author

Becca is a gentle soul who seeks the best in the world and in others. She is easily touched by the beauty of books, music, and art. Though she aspires to write as eloquently as Emily Dickinson or Lang Leav, she hopes to make her own mark on the world one day. She dreams of leaving behind a voice that sparks creativity, imagination, hope, love, joy, and faith.