J Moss is one of the top gospel recording artists of the day. Along with his business partners, Paul "pda" Allen and Walter Kearney, better known as the hit producing team, PAJAM, have
produced and/or written hits for a plethora of top Gospel and
Urban music recording artists, including Karen Clark Sheard,
Kelly Price, Britney Spears, Kierra Sheard, 21:03 and season one
winner of BET's Sunday Best talent competition, Crystal Aikin.
I caught up with J recently when he was in the studio in LA and
before he hit the road with CeCe Winans on the McDonald's
Inspiration Gospel Celebration Tour. He gave the goods on the
tour and what's coming next from this multi-talented married
young father.
Lin.: Tell me about the McDonald's tour you're headlining with CeCe.
JM: I'm really exited about the McDonald's Inspiration Gospel Celebration Tour. Just like the name it entails, its inspiring. While we are inspiring people and moving them towards a greater, more enhanced relationship with God, we're also gonna celebrate the goodness of being sustained, especially during this recession…and also being covered.
So we're just gonna celebrate in Jesus and then just have a good old gospel time... with a little praise and worship, a little dance, a little hype, a little funk, we're gonna do it all! And I'm on the tour with my girl CeCe Winans! We're both from Detroit. And our families are very close; the Moss-Clark Family and the Winans Family. So getting me and CeCe on the stage is like getting a piece of Detroit from both sides of it all in the gospel genre. I'm really excited about the tour that's going down.
Lin.: Why did McDonald's launch this tour during this recession
and with you and CeCe?
JM: I think it's crucial. I think it's a great idea. Again, it's inspiring, it's a celebration. CeCe Winans has a very broad, versatile audience...and then you put me in the mix with my little following. It's just gonna be really uplifting and inspiring, and the bottom line is, it's free! So it just gives families a chance to come and enjoy good Gospel music. And you don't have to spend a lot of dollars. And when McDonald's is involved, it's gonna be high quality. You won't be coming there saying, ‘Well I couldn't hear the vocals!' It's a full blown set.
It's a great thing that McDonald's does every year, but it's much more impactful right now and very timely because of the current economic situation in the United States and many other countries.
Lin.: Is this a church tour?
JM: It's pretty much churches across the regions, Dallas, Detroit, Chicago, Newark, Virginia and more, now through the fall. We're really gonna hit it! It's gonna be a wild ride!
Lin.: What else do you and PAJAM have going on?
JM: We're looking forward to a new release from me slated to be released this fall, with a whole new identity, a whole new look, and a whole new ministry.
And, we're in the studio with my cousin, Karen Clark Sheard. We're pretty much doing her whole project. God just blessed her with her own label, KaRew Records. That's a really big step for her. And that album is gonna be off the chain!
We're also working on projects with Shirley Caesar, Melinda Watts, last season's winner from Gospel Music Channel's Gospel Dream talent competition. It's really excited times for the PAJAM camp right now.
Lin.: Tell us something that we don't know about you.
JM: God is really, really doing a special work in my life. He has blessed me and set me on a path to really dig deep and help people and families, whether married or unmarried.
I want people to be sensitive to the change that has happened. This is not a publicity stunt, the change that I've taken with the new image, and the new approach, the new message. This is really something that God has readied and prepared me for. And He's taken me through something and He's also brought me out so I can thrust this message into the world where it's needed. So I just want people to be sensitive when they see me and they see the new vibe to know that it's God's and not something I'm doing to keep my marketability up.
So when you come out to the McDonald's Inspiration Gospel Celebration Tour, we're going to let it all hang out! You'll also get a nice taste of my new album. We'll be doing some of those songs in the set. I think people will be pleased.
