BRONZEVILLE — Vocalist and songwriter Sir the Baptist is the son of a preacher and grew up at a church in Bronzeville, but his message is anything but pro-religion.
In fact, the 27-year-old indie artist — whose real name is William James Stokes — says he's "not anti-God," but "anti-religion."
“My goal is to set a lot of people free of religion in the aspect of social religion,” he said. “It’s still churchy, but it’s not really church music at all.”
Stokes — whose music is part hip hop, part gospel — has amassed a growing following.
He’s performing at Schubas Tavern, 3159 N. Southport Ave., Sunday at 7 p.m. and is about to release a video single, “Wake Up,” on Nov. 5 through Jay-Z’s entertainment streaming service TIDAL.
His father was a pastor at the Bright Star Church at 735 E. 44th St., where his family lived. He described his childhood as “all church.”
There were events at the church every day of the week. Though he started singing at a young age, he had mixed emotions about music: “You kind of never realize it’s something you enjoy doing,” Stokes said. “You just get thrown in it when your dad is a preacher. You have to sing in the choir.”
He often had to pitch in when other singers didn't show.
“My dad would have a singer who would be a part of the church, but if that singer left the church or couldn’t make it that Sunday, you had to step in and sing. It becomes second nature that you don’t realize that it’s something you’re supposed to hate or like,” he explained.
Still, he was well aware of the jazz greats that played in Bronzeville, including Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington and Lena Horne.
After his father died when he was 11, he took a break from religion.
“I just got tired of people pretending like they were perfect, or at least ‘holier than thou,’ so I took like a year and removed myself from everything,” Stokes said. “I did some deep studying, went into depth about what I believe.”
Stokes has lived in L.A. and New York City. He moved back to Chicago this summer but travels to the coasts frequently.
Since leaving the church, Stokes has transformed his thinking and has created a musical style and message of his own.
In one song, "Raise Hell," he raps: "Born a sinner and I’m bout to sin again tonight / You gonna have to forgive me ... / I'mma raise hell until I reach heaven’s door."
The video includes footage from protests around the country, including poignant scenes from Freddie Gray protests in Baltimore. In other scenes he appears to be in a church and his eyes at times appeared to be possessed.
"I done been to the water / I done been baptized," he sings. "Now I need a new water / Sipping on that new wine / I know what's best for me sorta / I want heaven when I die but / There's this one thing that I can’t seem to change."
“It’s not anti-God, it’s anti-religion, because God already knows we’re imperfect,” Stokes said. Some have called his music sacrilegious, but he said he doesn't care.
But he still carries influence from his upbringing in Bronzeville — with a twist.
The music is "reminiscent of the world-renowned Broadway musical 'Book of Mormon' with his church stylistic comedy, while other times referencing the serious and thought provoking fire and brimstone teachings from his upbringings," his website reads. " ... The mystique of Sir’s artistry is connected to the memories of his father’s sermons and Chicago crime- and drug-infested ghettos."
Besides creating music, the artist has participated in local anti-violence public demonstrations. That call to action started as a boy. Stokes said his late father got him and his siblings into activism.
He said he wants to help the community he grew up in and use his platform “for a greater good," and has held anti-violence rallies in neighborhood parks.
On Oct. 15, he staged a public demonstration and concert called “Wake Up Chicago.”
The demonstration called an end to the violence. The event took place on Michigan Avenue and the Chicago River.
Stokes said that just like the Biblical character John the Baptist, he is preaching to people and letting people know that something greater is coming.
“He was saying that there’s something coming behind me that’s bigger,” Stokes said. “This is bigger than me. I want people to get involved and become active. There is something behind me that’s coming that’s greater than me and I’m just preparing us for it.”
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