Tony Cummings looks at the life, times and music of San Diego's JON KEITH

Jon Keith

The recent rise and fall of Kanye West should not hide an undeniable fact that in 2026 gospel rap/Christian hip-hop is in rude health. There are plenty of rappers like Lecrae, NF and Chance The Rapper receiving national and sometimes international acclaim while the underground of this vibrant musical genre is a scene populated by hundreds, possibly thousands of musical wordsmiths making with Jesus-centred rhymes.

Cross Rhythms have been giving airplay to one of the underground's best rappers for quite a while. In 2024 CR listeners would have caught Jon Keith's pumping proclamations "God's Hand" and "Wit It" and last year enjoyed his collab with Miles Minnick "Look" and his captivating "Won't Fly (Jesus At My Place)".

Jonathan Keith Randle was born and grew up in San Diego, California. Jon Keith caught the rapping bug early. By the spring of 2021 he was part of the hip-hop collective Indie Tribe who released the much-praised album 'UPPERHAND'. In 2016 and 2017 Jon released his first two EPs, 'Young Life' and 'New Vibez' and the following year signed with King's Dream Entertainment, the label owned by rapper Ruslan. A year later he released his second full length album 'Olympus' which landed him placements on many mainstream playlists; propelled by singles like "David" and "Bag". His third King's Dream album was 'Anti-Hero'. Then in 2023 he released the independent album 'Eremos'. The album courageously chronicled his struggle with mental health and the spiritual attacks he endured during the period. The Greek word eremos is used 50 times in the New Testament. It is translated as "wilderness" and means a deserted, lonely or desolate place. It can also refer to an uncultivated region that is suitable for grazing. The word eremos can be used as an adjective to describe a person who is deserted, abandoned or desolate. It is derived from the noun eremia, which describes an uncultivated or disconnected place - a state of loneliness.

Jon and his wife Jordan were interviewed by Jackson Posey. He spoke openly about his wilderness experiences and his attempts to put his darkness into raps which are sometimes depressing and sometimes uplifting. "Sometimes you struggle with feeling isolated from God and not knowing where God is and not knowing if He walks with you or if He's present," said Keith. "I wanted to show an authentic picture of humanity." He continued, "It's a roller coaster ride. There are ups, there are downs, there are violent times, there are times where you're screaming at God and you're not saying anything that you could ever put in a record."

Jon has now got through the dark period in his life. "There are times where the presence of God is so tangible and sweet and present that you don't even have any words to describe it," he said. "We don't get to decide. We don't have any say on when, where and how God moves. But you know, it's hard, but it does have an opportunity for it to be beautiful if you let it. By the grace of God, I'm still here. Hope has been restored. I actually feel like I'm being made new." Here's hoping Jon Keith's rapping output continues for years to come.