Lamar Riddick: A Man of God Working for Uncle Sam
Published on December 5, 2023
Lamar Riddick has been in the news quite a bit this year.
His talents have earned him one of two highly sought-after full-time positions as a rapper in the US Army. Alongside his friend, Nicholas Feemster, Riddick was chosen to fill the billet and has been making headlines ever since.
To some, Riddick is just a novelty brought to the masses by good ol’ Uncle Sam, but Lamar has been gracing Holy Culture with his musical prowess for some time.
Now it’s time to acknowledge this rising star, highlight his many accomplishments and introduce him to our readers.
Who is Lamar Riddick?
Lamar was born on January 20, 1993, in Elizabeth City, North Carolina.
At a young age, his parents divorced, leaving Riddick spinning. His mother soon moved in with her mother, and both raised Lamar in Windfall, NC.
Childhood was rough for him; his lythe features made him a soft target for bullies, and he struggled in his dad’s absence.
But by eighth grade, his mom started to send him to visit his dad, realizing the importance of a male presence for her son.
At the age of 12, he gave his life to Jesus; it was also around this time that he was introduced to Christian Hip Hop.
In high school, Riddick joined band and chorus, developing his music skills, and for the first time, felt God calling him to a life of purpose.
His talents would land him a full academic scholarship to study music technology at Bethune-Cookman University. While college was full of temptations, Lamar’s friends saw him through thick and thin, covering him in prayer. There, a friend introduced him to a local producer who had just come to Christ, Emye. The two hit it off and began working on Riddick’s debut album, On Fire.
Early Career and Entrepreneurship
On Fire, a ten-song EP, was released in 2014 by Prestine Records, and it was just the first of many projects to come: in nearly a decade, he has put out 30 singles and two albums.
In 2016, he penned “Revive,” a single calling for reconciliation to the racial divide that followed the killings of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile.
The song had an unprecedented impact, and the Revive brand was born “in an effort to aid our culture in equality, equity, and fairness.” That same year, he launched the Revive Collective Apparel.
2020 was a big year for Riddick. He performed and was awarded Best Christian Rap Artist at the EDDY Awards in Jacksonville, Florida. He received a Music Business Certificate from New York University and released two of his most popular singles: “Crae” and “Run with Ahmud.”
United States Army Field Band
While Riddick was riding a career-high in 2020, the same thing could not be said for the US Army, which lagged behind its recruiting numbers.
A US Army memo revealed underlying gaps in recruiting efforts, and a solution was conceived to close the identity gap by “launching a ‘brand refresh‘ to connect with young people.” The Army would use a tactic they had tried in 2019 and start looking for full-time rappers in late spring of 2021, with auditions beginning in the fall.
At the time, Riddick was a program assistant at the West Virginia School of Music, and when the opportunity came knocking, he jumped at it. In September, he took the risk of performing the emotionally charged “Revive” in front of the Army talent scouts.
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The risk paid off. Riddick and fellow artist Nicholas Feemster were selected and arrived in Oklahoma on January 18, 2022, for basic training at Fort Sill.
Since then, both artists and the field band have traveled overseas to the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo in Scotland and made TV appearances on the Kelly Clarkson Show, PBS, and many news outlets nationwide.
A Man of God Working for Uncle Sam
Although he gets a check from Uncle Sam, Riddick continues creating and pushing out music to glorify God.
This summer, he submitted his single “W.O.W” to “The Plug Live A&R Session” during the Elevation Conference and won the prize package, which included interviews, airplay, and more.
It has been a fantastic experience watching this man of God grow from an indie artist to a representative of the Kingdom in uniform.
Even though he has been on the scene for almost a decade, we are confident this is only the beginning of what God has in store for him.
We’ll keep an eye out for him, so stay tuned.
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SOUND OFF WITH YOUR COMMENT
I had the great pleasure of working with Lamar when he was our Program Assistant at West Virginia University. At the time, he was also trying to take a “clean” message via Rap to college campuses around the country. He is wonderfully talented, a great gentleman to know, and a man of God. I am extremely proud of him and his work for the US Army. I know that the Lord will use him well, and pray that he continues to use his great talent and personality for God’s glory !!
Shout out to Lamar who is my son from another mother. I’m so proud of his ministry in music, the man he has become and now his service in the Army. Praise be to God!!!