Before he found salvation, Christian rapper Antonious led a life of crime. As a teen in Freeport, IL, he was arrested for aggravated assault and unlawful use of weapons, for which he served jail time. After his release, he moved to Atlanta, where he became involved in dealing cocaine; after some of his fellow gang members tried to kill him, he returned to Illinois and was arrested again, this time for robbery. During his second stay in prison, Antonious befriended a fellow inmate who was illiterate and needed someone to write letters to his wife. As he transcribed the man's messages, Antonious began to share his faith in God. When he was released, Antonious got his GED and joined 815 Click, a local rap group. Eventually, he felt that he needed to unite his faith and his music, so Antonious set out on a solo career and released Principalities and Good vs. Evil on Grapetree Records. ~ Heather Phares