Brother E

Brother E (real name Efrain Alicea) is an American Christian hip hop artist.

Religious belief

Alicea attended a Catholic school and was heavily involved in church activities. As a young man he ran a youth retreat program under the auspices of the Catholic Youth Organization in New York City. At this stage, he was yet to experience a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

On May 4, 1991, he visited Iglesia Sion Pentecostal, a small Spanish Pentecostal church in the South Bronx. It was here that Alicea dedicated his life to Christ. He soon became the English Sunday School Teacher and Youth Director, beginning his youth efforts with a core group of only four young people; in less than six months this number had grown to over sixty attendees each Tuesday.

Musical beginnings

In spiritual terms, 1993 was a significant year for Alicea. He began to write down lyrics which he believes God gave him during prayer. Later, he began to match the lyrics to a classic secular hip hop beat known as Big Beat. Although hip hop had been popular for 20 years, its Christian manifestation was largely unknown in New York. As Brother E, Alicea quickly became prominent in his field. He believes in the importance of reaching young people by "speaking their language", and considers himself an urban evangelist.

Beginning in June 1993, Efrain, under the name Brother E, began rapping several songs that God had given him. He formed a ministry called Power & Dominion, recruiting teens from his church and forming a band that ministered in the Tri State area. Since 1993 he has seen thousands come to Christ through Gospel Hip-Hop. He realizes the importance of reaching youth “speaking in their own language.”

Joyful Noiz, one of the few emerging Christian hip hop groups in the mid 1990s, inspired Brother E to form a ministry called Power and Dominion (PAD). This consisted of Brother E on microphone, some teenagers who played bass and keyboards, an intermittent singer and a drum machine. By 1999, PAD had contributed three songs to a compilation CD, "All IV Jesus". Later, he collaborated with Bert Bocachica and Manny Badillo in a ministry called Brothers Inc. 4 Da' Lord. This mixed music, testimonies and a live DJ.

As a result of his ministry as an urban-evangelist through hip hop, Brother E has been a major contributor to the Storytellas ministry [ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0bD_se64k4 ] at Crossroads Tabernacle under Rev. Joseph Henry Cortese. The Storytellas ministry is a Gospel Hip-Hop/Rap ministry that encompasses music, rap, dance, drama, comedy and multi-media in evangelistic efforts. The ministry is evangelistic in nature, ministering in the streets during the summers and in various prisons in the Tri-State area.

In 2007, Efrain was appointed the Associate Pastor at Promised Land church in the Bronx under the ministry of Rev. Sixto M. Carrion. [ www.promisedlandchurch.net ]

Other achievements

In 2007, Efrain was appointed the Associate Pastor at Promised Land church in the Bronx under the ministry of Rev. Sixto M. Carrion. [ www.promisedlandchurch.net ]

Efrain has studied as an undergraduate student at Columbia University and also graduated top of his class in 1995 from the Spanish Eastern District (S.E.D.) of the Assemblies of God Bronx Bible Institute. In 2006 Efrain became a chaplain with the United Chaplains State of New York where he is now an instructor teaching on Urban Chaplains. In July, 2007, he graduated with a Master’s of Theology from The Christian University.

Alicea has also been a Fine Arts Coordinator in the Spanish East District of the Assemblies of God. He is an honors graduate from the Assemblies' Bronx Bible Institute, and is currently studying at Columbia University.

Brother E also serves as the Assistant Coordinator of Rap Fest, a free, open-air, Christian hip hop event held annually in the South Bronx. The event currently attracts an audience of around 5,000.

He lives with his wife Erika, a New York City Department of Education teacher. She, too, teaches Sunday School Ministry and is an active member of the Crossroads Tabernacle. Efrain is also the proud father of Jason Noel Alicea. in 2008: he and his wife have made a church called The Elements.

Discography

torytellas

*"Hip-Bop Live at Crossroads" - Storytellers (July 12, 1999)
*"Strong as Death" - Storytellas (June 8, 2000)
*"Parakletos" - Storytellas (January 30, 2004)
*"The Man" - Storytellas (November 11, 2005)

Other releases

*"All IV Jesus Compilation CD" - various artists (released 1999)
*"Annette Sings" - Annette Cuchiarra (1999)
*"Rap Fest '99" - various artists (September, 1999)
*"Calling of the Camps" - various artists (November, 2000)
*"Warfare Camp Mixtape" - various artists (December 13, 2003)
*"Rap Fest Presents" - various artists (December 25, 2007)

Videos

*"Rap Fest 2001: Volumes 1 & 2" - concert video collection (2002)
*"Rap Fest 2001 Music Video - Can't Nobody Tell It" (2002)
*"Rap Fest 2002: Volumes 1 & 2" - concert video collection (2003)
*"The G.Squad: Hip-Hop on a Higher Level" - documentary (expected release date: 2006)

External links

* [http://www.brothere.com Brother E]
* [http://www.crossroadstabernacle.com Crossroads Tabernacle]
* [http://www.rapfest2000.com Rap Fest]