God First!

The soulful and uplifting sound of Carmen Yates is breathtaking as she expresses herself with her debut single “Better Me.  Carmen's lyrics are motivational, inspiring, and uplifting to her listeners as she edify the Kingdom of God through her music.  Carmen discovered the gift of singing when she was five years old, while exploring her talent through different channels, such as competitions. She was also runner up at Fort Wayne Indiana Black Expo Pageant.  Carmen's love for music opened the door for to get accepted in Morris Brown College music department.      Get Carmen's single "Better Me"     Amazon | Apple Music | Spotify Connect with her on Facebook | YouTube  

Where do I begin, my name Is Emilio Perez Jr. Macho Perez is my artist name. I’m born and raised in Newark, NJ. Ok now that that’s out of the way let’s get real. I was born in poverty to a mother who would beat me. I wet the bed till I was about 15, uncontrollably. I would wake up soaked and then to the belt. My mother would beat me because I peed the bed. Then she would make cornmeal (which I hated and refused to eat) and I would receive my second whooping of the day. Then I had to go to school smelling like urine. They would belittle me and emasculate me with vulgar names in Spanish. It felt like they hated me. I say all this so you can see what led up to the waste of two decades of my life.   My first attempt at suicide I was 9 years old. I climbed out on the ledge of the third floor window. I stood out there for 30 minutes. Freezing , crying, and confused, I stood on that ledge and imagined what it would be like if I did it.   I realized something on that balcony, they don’t even c

To say that I've been through a lot in my life is an understatement! But what I can attest to is God's grace and mercy all throughout my walk. So many times we as people look to control our own lives as if we don't trust God with our lives and His plan. Oh but how powerful His love is for us when we take our hands off the situations and allow God to "Handle It" for us. There's beauty in putting our full trust in Him. Most people know of my testimony of being told I'd never walk again in 2015 after losing my right hip, and having a fake left one. I turned to my pain pills and heroin to try and escape the pain and emptiness I felt going through this trial. But God, in His grace, when I didn't know what else to do, He saved me, delivered me and made me whole in Him! Written by George Jones III and Alicia McDermott Yanik, this beautiful worship infused hip hop song will move upon your heart and remind you to take your hands off the situation and allow God,