“Is this story going in the religion section or the entertainment section?” the artist formerly known as Pretty Willie asked following an inspirational conversation about his music and the Young Fly and Saved movement.
Now known as P-Dub – a.k.a. Willie Moore Jr. – his inquiry wasn’t out of any sense of entitlement or preference as per ego.
The curiosity came from his mission to bring the projects from his camp to the masses.
“We want Kingdom Music to be to gospel what the rock and roll was for the blues,” P-Dub said. “And the door is now open so that Kingdom Music can go mainstream.”
The door P-Dub was speaking of is the distribution deal his Kingdom Music label signed with EMI Gospel on July 1 starting with the release of his album The Turning Point on September 14.
He is certainly on the path to his purpose. But the road the singer/rapper presently travels couldn’t be further than where his musical career started – or the street where his life came to a crossroads and he decided to head towards the light.
Almost 10 years ago, Pretty Willie’s lyrics were anything but holy. His catalog included songs like “Lay Your Body Down.”
His hit debut single “Roll With Me” exploded on the radio. The attention he received from the national music scene because of the record led to a deal with Warner Brothers records.
An admitted church boy who had been praying since childhood, his music suggested that he constantly catered to the world.
But his lifestyle contradicted the words of his songs … which wasn’t a bad thing.
“My heart was always in the right place, but it wasn’t an avenue that I was going with my music,” P-Dub said.
“When I was singing ‘Lay Your Body Down,’ I had actually been married for two years. I couldn’t pretend that I was this ‘sex dude.’ And I was praying the whole time, because I didn’t want my life to be a façade.”
Even as he prayed, he kept up the charade because he thought it necessary to make his dreams of becoming a music star come true.
After being overshadowed by Nelly, he had to step outside of St. Louis market on his music grind.
But even as he received success and profit from a long-distance fan base, he was aching for more. In hindsight, his career stall was a divine delay – even if he didn’t know it at the time.
“I had been praying and saying to God, ‘If this is not for me, then take it away,’” P-Dub said.
P-Dub thought he finally got a leg up when he recorded a song that he thought would put him back on the map.
He recorded a single with R&B star Tank that he thought was his ticket to the big time.
But in a hotel balcony on Sunset Boulevard, the voice of God spoke to him and told him to make a u-turn.
“He basically said, ‘Okay, your way or my way,’” P-Dub said. “And he basically showed me the way.”
P-Dub was obedient.
“Everybody thought I was nuts,” P-Dub said.
In what can only be described as an effort to prevent him from resisting temptation, the record with Tank was shelved.
He made the transition from his secular career to public salvation and it was a huge weight off of his shoulders.
“Wherever you blow up, that’s where they expect you to stay,” P-Dub said. “Like some of these people still doing gangster rap all these years. I didn’t want that to be my life.”
Now the Young, Fly and Saved movement has 30,000 active members worldwide. P-Dub’s Myspace music page has received more than 25 million hits.
Singing about “laying women’s bodies down” is now ancient history for him. P-Dub’s songs now reflect the “Good Thing” he found in his wife.
He is also interested in changing the hearts and minds of young people by offering a healthy alternative to the negative thoughts and images illustrated through music these days.
P-Dub is in the process of developing a program that focuses on raising awareness regarding how the music that young people listen to directly affects their behavior while promoting healthy listening choices.
“Music is the soundtrack of our lives,” P-Dub said. “And we want to be careful of what we put on our soundtracks.”
The A-list collaboration he was denied in the world was provided through his interpretation of the Word.
Rap star David Banner teamed up with P-Dub for his song “Mississippi Shine.”
Known for his sexually suggestive lyrics, Banner’s holy hip-hop tag team seemed the most unlikely of duos.
But the effort proves the power of P-Dub’s movement – which is further strengthened by the distribution partnership with EMI Gospel.
“Through working with EMI I want to prove that that Kingdom music really works,” P-Dub said. “And that it’s viable – and that what we have to offer is worth them opening up the big budgets.
I want to create a bigger market so Kingdom Music can be seen and heard everywhere – on every platform.”
For more information on P-Dub, Kingdom Music or the Young Fly and Saved movement, visit www.myspace.com /pdub, www.theyfs.com or e-mail him at
