Bio
“I rap what is real to me and God is very real to me. My spiritual poetry is my prayer. It is my way of connecting with God and expressing an energetic message of faith, hope, and love for God’s children.”
- Joe Melendrez At first glance, Joe Melendrez appears to be a trendy, energetic and awe inspiring young man who loves to use his performances to elevate audiences with his new age faith filled hip-hop. But, take a closer look, and you fully understand his true mission: To inspire all people to actively participate in their faith. Born in San Antonio, Texas where he and his younger brother Bono were raised by his father Sonny and his mother Linda, Joe attended Catholic schools, but it was not until a teen A.C.T.S (Adoration, Community, Theology, and Service) retreat in 2001 that he realized the power of God in his life and the call God had for Joe to serve.
- Joe Melendrez At first glance, Joe Melendrez appears to be a trendy, energetic and awe inspiring young man who loves to use his performances to elevate audiences with his new age faith filled hip-hop. But, take a closer look, and you fully understand his true mission: To inspire all people to actively participate in their faith. Born in San Antonio, Texas where he and his younger brother Bono were raised by his father Sonny and his mother Linda, Joe attended Catholic schools, but it was not until a teen A.C.T.S (Adoration, Community, Theology, and Service) retreat in 2001 that he realized the power of God in his life and the call God had for Joe to serve.
The challenge was apparent: How to make the Gospel of Jesus relevant and alive in the hearts of all people, especially in the hearts of today’s youth. Melendrez began to look into his own personal influences and interests to find the answer, which eventually came through is love for hip-hop music. Joe first began to experiment with his love for hip-hop and rapping when he entered a contest for Chipotle. The award-winning rap he wrote for the corporation earned him the grand prize of 3 free burritos a day, everyday, for a whole year. Melendrez used his burrito bounty to start a meal ministry with people from all walks of life. From college students to the homeless, Joe used this “soul food” to bring faith, relationships and aspirations into the conversation.
With the momentum from his Chipotle win Joe decided to rejuvenate an idea that came to light during an A.C.T.S. retreat he led in 2002. The idea was “Rosary Rap”. Melendrez wanted to create a way for all, especially the youth, to pray the rosary and embrace this powerful meditation. Through the support and encouragement from friends, family & mother Mary, Joe produced the Rosary Rap album. The hip-hop beats and rosary raps take the listener through the entire rosary including the joyful, sorrowful, glorious, and luminous mysteries. Each mystery is set up by a descriptive yet brief meditation rap focusing on the life of Christ. Released in 2008, Rosary Rap continues to inspire people and help them gage the understanding that through the intercession of Mary, we grow closer to the heart of her Son.
Soon after graduating from the Catholic and Marianist College, University of Dayton, with a B.A. in Religious Studies in 2008, Joe’s faith journey took him to Southern California where he currently ministers as a Pastoral Associate at Chaminade High School and Middle School. This position has allowed Melendrez to share his gifts and talents with over 2,000 students on a day-to-day basis, especially through his work on retreats, which extends beyond the community of Chaminade and into other schools and parishes.
Melendrez’s work allows him to lead and administer spiritual, relevant, highly interactive, environmentally stimulating and technologically advanced retreats. Most recently, his efforts have served the needs of confirmation programs, elementary school students, youth groups, and other Catholic schools. Retreats give Melendrez the opportunity to inspire and develop the faith of youth in a more intimate setting. Joe is eager and excited to continue his retreat work with parishes and schools from all over and is continually looking for opportunities to serve and meet the needs of other communities.
Released in early 2011, Joe’s second album FULLY ALIVE is a matured form of Christian hip-hop, inspired by Joe’s G.O.D. (Giving Other’s Depth) Music Movement. The scripturally inspired and sacramentally based album touches on topics from Baptism to Forgiveness, to Christ’s Return with the goal of helping others to live a life FULLY ALIVE in Christ. FULLY ALIVE continues to fuel Joe’s spiritual mission especially through his energizing concert experiences.
Joe’s music has helped transform audiences in St. Louis, San Antonio, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Denver, Honolulu, Maui and in Madrid, Spain at World Youth Day 2011 where Joe performed for Pope Benedict XVI. Joe has been featured in USA Today, the National Catholic Reporter, National Public Radio, OYE Magazine, The Catholic Channel’s Busted Halo Show, The Good Catholic Life Radio Show, and several other online publications.
As Joe enthusiastically explains, “I am honored to participate in a ‘revolution of prayer’ that will fearlessly allow others to embrace the real love of God.”
