JAMES O. TERRY JR. aka J.O.T. aka GRANDE GATO - INDEPENDENT RECORD LABEL CEO/BOOK AUTHOR/CLOTHING LINE OWNER & DESIGNER
ACCOLADES: North Carolina State University College graduate, FCC licensed.
MISSION STATEMENT: "To uplift and encourage others through my gift(s) that GOD, the father of my lord and Savior JESUS CHRIST(CRISTO DE JESUS), gave me".
About J.O.T. aka GRANDE GATO,
J.O.T. aka GRANDE GATO wants to encourage and give both young and old people in the world hope, and let them know that through JESUS CHRIST (CRISTO DE JESUS) nothing is impossible. J.O.T. aka GRANDE GATO started his music journey back in high school in Winston-Salem, North Carolina briefly as a break dancer. But he soon learned that he wanted to be a DJ instead after he saw a Winston-Salem DJ cutting and scratching on two turntables at hip hop venue. J.O.T. aka GRANDE GATO DJ'd his first large scale venue at the Sawtooth Center in downtown Winston-Salem, North Carolina (The same spot he saw the hip hop DJ that influenced him). J.O.T. aka GRANDE GATO left his DJ crew after going away to college at North Carolina State University and became a campus DJ and also DJ’d for various hip hop/rap groups in Raleigh. Before long J.O.T. aka GRANDE GATO started producing his own beats and eventually started writing and rapping his own lyrics. This soon led J.O.T. aka GRANDE GATO to embark out on his own as a solo hip hop/rap artist. Though J.O.T. aka GRANDE GATO had gained a decent amount of fame and finance throughout North Carolina with the music, he still felt spiritually unfulfilled inside with his life. In 1993 J.O.T. aka GRANDE GATO turned his life over to Christ and in 1996 officially started up his Christian based company, SOUL-FULL PRODUCTIONS(The reason he spelled the company name with a hyphen in the middle and the letter L twice at the end of the name was to let the world know that his "SOUL" was "FULL" because he displayed the WORD OF GOD through what he did.) With three different subsidiary branches to SOUL-FULL PRODUCTIONS(Clothing line branch, Literature branch, and Record label branch) J.O.T. aka GRANDE GATO encouraged Christians not to get lazy in their ministry and non-Christians to see what Christ can do in any dreams they desire. As the first artist to come out on his independent record label, J.O.T. RECORDS, J.O.T. aka GRANDE GATO put out five CD albums, four CD singles, and four 12” vinyl records (entitled NORTH CAROLINA STREET HEAT Presents…..volumes 1,2,3, and 4). J.O.T. aka GRANDE GATO also has a music video which was shot on film near the college university he attended. J.O.T. aka GRANDE GATO considers himself to be the Quincy Jones of hip hop/ rap because he does everything on his CD projects ranging from writing and performing all his lyrics, producing all his music tracks, performing all of the cuts and scratches in his songs, to designing the artwork for the CD layout/CD cover. J.O.T. aka GRANDE GATO is also part of NORTH CAROLINA STREET HEAT, a group of various artists whose music styles range from Rap/Hip hop, Dancehall reggae/Roots reggae, Spanish rap/Reggaeton, R & B, Pop Country, to Positve rap/Holy hip hop. Today J.O.T. aka GRANDE GATO has been heard on major FM radio stations, SIRIUS satellite radio, and has appeared on major television news stations. J.O.T. aka GRANDE GATO has performed live in both Miami, Florida (In 2003 at UMOJA FESTIVAL, in 2006 at I/O ENTERTAINMENT LOUNGE) and North Carolina(In 2002 at BENTON CONVENTION CENTER NEW YEAR’S EVE CONCERT hosted by 97.1 FM’s A.C. STOWE, in 2006 at CENTRO CRISTIANO OUTDOOR CONCERT). In 2004 J.O.T. aka GRANDE GATO had his first autobiography entitled, About J.O.T., published (The book took six years to write). He also shot a music video for his song titled "PRESS ON" which was featured on BET. During this time J.O.T. aka GRANDE GATO had been experimenting with designing his own clothing line (He has designed some pieces that were also worn by him to advertise the upcoming SOUL-FULL WEAR clothing line. J.O.T. aka GRANDE GATO also started up the female division of his clothing line which is called LADY SOUL. Recent pieces of the LADY SOUL clothing line have been designed by a female partner. In 2006 J.O.T. aka GRANDE GATO had another book published called Breaking Stereotypes, and promoted the 12" vinyl various artist project NORTH CAROLINA STREET HEAT Presents....volume 4. In addition to that he also promoted his recent 2006 CD album titled NITROGLYCERIN. In 2007 J.O.T. aka GRANDE GATO produced the first issue of SOUL-FULL magazine, and also attended a Latino music event to be interviewed in an international LATIN magazine Memorial Day Weekend in MIAMI FLORIDA. J.O.T. aka GRANDE GATO plans to release a "LIVE" remix CD of his last album titled, NITROGLYCERIN, in 2008. The "LIVE" remix CD will feature both a female vocalist/spoken word artist and a live band. GOD BLESS!(DIOS TE BENDIGA!)
Quote from JAMES O. TERRY JR. aka J.O.T. aka GRANDE GATO: "GOD delivered me from Cancer so I could help spread the ministry of CHRIST or CRISTO through my works (Music/Books/Clothing) and spread the good news of faith through my testimonies(Live Performances/Public Speaking/Visiting sick, incarcerated, etc.). J.O.T. aka GRANDE GATO wants to bring people from different cultures together, especially Blacks from his AFRICAN AMERICAN culture and Hispanics from the LATINO culture. After viewing the SOUL-FULL productions website, if you feel moved to do so, please help support this ministry. Thank You (Gracias)."
SOUL-FULL MINISTRY STATEMENT
Soul-full productions purpose is to provide a positive, encouraging atmosphere to both youth and young adults so to utilize their individual minds, bodies, and talents/gifts in a way that will make these youth and young adults productive males and females in society. The principle focus is that through Jesus Christ you can achieve success in a manner, which is neither destructive nor degrading to themselves or others. Soul-Full Productions helps youth and young adults to develop good, sound, decision-making skills which prepares them for challenges they will face in life.
Thank you for taking the time and consideration to review this ministry material.
Proposal for SOUL-FULL Ministry
The problem:
Many of today’s youth and young adults are using their GOD given talents/gifts in destructive ways instead of constructive ways due to poor decision making and having too much idle time in life. Thus violence, sexually explicit behavior, and drugs start to influence our youth and young adult’s lives (Music, Music Videos, Clothes, and Literature youth are bombarded with imply that the way to handle life problems and challenges is through violence, sexually explicit behavior, and drugs). Hip Hop/Rap is the most influential music among youth and young adults. Many of the songs have violent lyrics and suggest that killing is the way to survive. The majority of the music videos aired on television have women either naked or half-naked (private parts are blurred out), and soliciting themselves for money (Women with women lesbian acts are highly promoted in many of these videos). Last, our youth and young adult culture has lowered their standards to gang affiliations and drug dealing (In their minds this is the only way to make decent money).
The solution:
Through my experience as a former BED schoolteacher I not only taught violent males and females, but also turned around those whom the educational system had given up on. I noticed that the youth and young adults spent the majority of their time after school watching negative music videos, listening to negative hip hop/rap, reading books that perverted GOD given talents/gifts and glorified making a living by being a gangster, gang member, or pimp. These youth and young adults also wore baseball caps and T-shirts that, although were stylish, displayed pictures of either guns or drugs on the clothing. I successfully achieved changing those youth and young adults through my positive and educational hiphop/rap CD, my easy to read book published on how you can survive and make a living using your GOD given talents/gifts without perversion, and my stylish inspirational SOUL-FULL WEAR clothing line which constantly reminds youth and young adults to include Christ in daily decision making. I was able to reach both youth and young adults and change their lives. The SOUL-FULL PRODUCTIONS ministry offers a “realistic” way for youth and young adults to survive and deal with life challenges through a Christian mindset that promotes “non-violence” and high self-esteem/self worth.
What is needed:
As you know it takes money to fund any worthwhile program. There are basic essentials that every ministry needs: a building/meeting place, and a reasonable operating budget to keep the operating ministry in existence. A consistent meeting place for the ministry is crucial. As we know, once you start up something it has to be a known “routine” that youth and young adults can always go to the same location (no moving from one place one week and a different place the next). An internet web-site for SOUL-FULL ministry has been created but needs continual funds to support the monthly fee. Due to fact I am the only financial source for the SOUL-FULL PRODUCTIONS, I come before you now and ask that you assist in help keeping youth and young on a positive SOUL-FULL path in life. Youth and young adults are able to relate to the SOUL-FULL ministry because it combines Christ with everyday things that influence their decision making and survival. I know with your help youth and young adults can be brought to Christ. Any money (dinero) you can make to this ministry will undoubtedly change lives!