I Ascend: Please share with us, who is Mr. Canton Jones?

Dr. Jones: I am a lover of Jesus Christ, a son of the Most High God. I have a family, I am a husband, and I have been married for twenty years. I have four children, one girl and three boys. I am known for doing music. I am a musician in this space of hip hop, R&B sounding, but we call it Kingdom music. I am a Gospel artist, essentially. I have been awarded a couple of Stellar Awards, I have been nominated for two Grammys and have received several awards in my life. God has been good to me. I am a Morehouse College graduate and recently, my wife and I have been awarded Honorary Doctorate Degrees, in Theology and so God has been great. We have been operating in full time ministry for over twenty years, with numerous outreach events and just different things to try to win this generation to Christ. We have been at this for a long time.

I Ascend: Now you’re trying to put some age on us. (Light Chuckle)

Dr. Jones: A lot of hair dye baby a lot of hair dye. (Laughter) We now Pastor a church called Free Life Church, we have been pastoring there for six years. It is a church for people who may not have understood or experienced church culture. A lot of people would call that evangelism, but that is church for them. It might be considered outreach to some because they are not used to having the unchurched in their church. We reach out to the people, who many do not reach out to at all.

I Ascend: How many years have you been in the field of Ministry?

Dr. Jones: When I began creating Kingdom music, as I call it, I did not want to do music anymore. Because I was originally doing hip hop and R&B, though my heart is really geared towards production. I always wanted to produce artists. When I rededicated my life and started going to church with my girlfriend, now, wife, said, “If you are going date me, you got to go to church.” I started volunteering and helping the youth ministry. I was eventually hired to create music with the kids. This is how they heard me as a musician, then I became a part of the label and the rest is history. A lot of people started to know who I was in the hip hop arena, because the kids wanted that type of sound for their, praise and worship. I would produce music for them and we would sing songs together. Then we began to move into bigger conventions and other opportunities, the listeners and attendees would want that type of music and experience for their kids and it just started spreading.

I Ascend: What has the process of “Becoming” on this journey been like for you?

Dr. Jones: It is really interesting that you used the word becoming. We are on a journey with Jesus Christ, but eventually you have to have the confidence to become. When you are becoming, it seems like you’re never ever going to arrive. When Jesus turned the water into wine he did not know that he came to the wedding to turn the water into wine. His mother was saying come on, it is your time. He was still hesitant. Mary was like, okay, since you’re being stubborn, let me go and turn to the disciples. She had all the other guys that’s with him go get the pots and fill them up with water. It was time to watch what he does with it! In a similar situation I recall with me, and how I got on the Bobby Jones Show. My mom was telling, me to get ready, I was like, Mom, we came here too late and all the slots are full. These people registered weeks ago, we are here too late. My mother turned to me and said, go over there and sit down. When I come get you, you will be next. That is how I got on the Bobby Jones Show. You really have to look at yourself through God’s eyes. When Jesus cursed the fig tree, at the end, he told Peter and the disciples to have faith in God. That passage, really says, when interpreted, have the faith of God or have God’s faith. Which is totally different from having faith in God. So I am now taking on God’s faith and becoming. What is the difference? Well, if I take you to a restaurant, and you have to spend your money, then you will probably order based off your budget. However, if I take you to the restaurant, and you can spend my money, right? You’re ordering steak, shrimp, lobster, and everything. What I am trying to convey is we always do it bigger when we got somebody else backing us. Now you can explore, with God you can do things abundantly, more than you thought. You began to realize that with the faith of God there are no limits. So my life is changing, I have decided to become, instead of being in the process of becoming.

I Ascend: What hardships have you faced in Ascending to where you are?

Dr. Jones: Well, for one feeling like, my music of choice is not accepted in the body of Chris. When you look at the news, they start off with, you know, black male, did this, or did that, robbed this person, or there was a shooting here. That is how all Newscasts normally start with some type of tragic happening. Those things get the attention of the people, they do not start the “News” with good news, because people, tune it out. However, when you start with something that’s a little shocking. Unfortunately, most of the time, it starts with African American men. Definitely targeted between the age of thirteen and thirty. God put this burden on my heart to make music and give a voice and a worship space for that type of man. I tell people all the time, the people that lead praise and worship at your church or the people that is in the choir, those are not the people that are on the news getting into trouble. It is the ones that are not there, or maybe in the back with their hands folded. He is the guy that is not involved. He is the guy that needs a worship space. God has given me music for that type of person and females as well. For the most part, it has been so difficult to get our pastors to endorse and push it. You might get a youth conference here and there, but it is not identified as part of the culture of the church. Might I remind you, the church is in the heart of the neighborhood? Yes, it is right in the heart of the hood. If you go outside, you will see Hip Hop culture everywhere. Somebody is passing by playing it real loud in their car, somebody is walking around with it on in their headphones, and they got that swag and their hoodies on. It is not bad, it is just, the culture. It seems like our Hip Hop culture is accepted everywhere else, including white America, even in their worship experience, but we do not. That has been very, very difficult. I have been kicked out of a black church, for doing what God called me to do. It seems that the African American culture is the only one that has a different culture from their mainstream and their worship. When you go in on Sunday morning, you have to change everything about yourself, you have to talk a little bit more proper, and they change their whole swagger for two hours of the day. If you go to the islands, their mainstream, music is what you hear, let’s just say we go to Jamaica, and we are at a hotel or whatever, you hear the Jamaican music the sound of reggae. When you go to their churches, you’re going to experience that same culture, the same sound. So our sound changes dramatically, when you get inside of our worship service. It can be confusing to people, to the kids, and to those who are not churched. That is why God told me to put Jesus in the middle of the culture, in the middle of the swagger, in the middle of the dreads, in the middle of the gold teeth, in the middle of all that culture. I have put Jesus in the center of it all.

I Ascend: How do you juggle your time with home life while pursuing your craft?

Dr. Jones: So there is a term in the culture that says “You fell off.” Which means you are not doing it like you used to. I did not fall off I came down, there is a difference? As my kids were growing up, I learned that cleaving is more than just with husband and wife, it is with all your family. When your child come into the world, you have to weave him in and everything takes time. Early on I was not mature enough to handle my own schedule. Because I would be in the studio twenty four hours a day. So the Lord told me as soon as I got married to give my schedule to my wife. Now I understand why the Lord made me do that, because she makes sure that I do not miss anything concerning my family. She is the one that sets up everything for me. She is intertwined in all my business endeavors. A lot of people break up in a relationship because they feel their partner is expendable, which means if they lose their companion, their still going to have their job, they can still make their money, you know, they may miss you. But they can still live, to be honest with you without my wife, I am stuck. We cleaved in a way that she got all the accounts.

I Ascend: She is a true helpmate.

Dr. Jones: I am glad you said that, when I studied on helpmates and the way it is worded, you would assume that the woman was brought on to help the man. But in the context that it was written. It means, that they are supposed to help each other. They are both helpmates. I realized that everything that I do, she does, I have to teach her or she has to teach me and we do everything together. When we get upset with each other, I used to get quiet when I got mad. I used to be able to not talk for days and now that everything is entangled. I do not know where she ends and I begin. Now we got to get that thing, right because I am hungry, and she got all the accounts, she got the money, she got to cook. Now I got to talk, it keeps us accountable to each other. It keeps us in love, we always have to communicate on certain levels.
In this season of my life, we have about another week left I have been doing basketball with my kids. When I say every day except Sunday, every day except Sunday. I have one girl three boys, my baby boys, those two had basketball practice on Monday, my daughter has a game on Tuesday, my son also had a game on Tuesday and I refuse to miss anything. I make my engagements around them. I said God, I trust you that I can be at my daughter’s game and my son’s game. I am going to forfeit certain things because I cannot miss my children’s stuff and call it ministry. Most pastors want to save the world and then lose their own home. I did not want to be in venues all the time while my kids have events and certain things going on and I am not there and deem it well. No, I can pray for whoever needs prayer. I am going to send a prayer like Jesus. I can pray for you on the phone, I can pray for you on zoom, but I got to be at this game, I will even pray for you at the game. My family is my first ministry, I know what my priorities are. Now a lot of people may not agree with that, they got to get the bag, they have to go get money and that is their focus not mine, I choose my family.

I Ascend: Congratulations on Ascending and standing in your Truth, and Pursuing Destiny. What do you want people to remember most about you?

Dr. Jones: I want people to remember that I love my family, I love my wife and my children. I think everything comes out of that, and that I was true to my family. I love my church family as well. I do not have be famous for people, I have to be famous for my family, I have to be there to speak into their lives, I got to be a basketball coach, when I need to be a basketball coach. I got to teach them how to cut the grass, I got to teach my, daughter how to date, how to draw, and I want to be there. I do not want anybody else being a father to my family. With the music aspect, we all do music, my most profitable, moments, are when my kids and my wife are creating and performing music. When I am sitting back enjoying them, I am so amazed at their gifts, and their gifts came from an inheritance of what I do. What I cherish the most although awards come and go, people will honor you, and I really appreciate it. There is nothing like seeing your seed being honored, being taken care of and going to the next level. That is what I hold the dearest to my heart.

I Ascend: What word of advice would you give to readers to have them continue to Ascend in pursuit of their dream, no matter where they are currently?

Dr. Jones: Well, it goes back to what we discussed earlier, instead of becoming you just become. It is a confidence thing that you have to gain to keep pursuing. Sometimes you will have to do certain things over and over. It may seem like things are not panning out perfectly as you saw it. You will have to have the faith to keep going. While you are going through the process people will leave you, you may lose support. You run out of money, but you have to keep going. Sometimes you are in the process of what you prayed for. God is saying, if I give you what you prayed for, in its fullness, it will destroy you. You will have to go through the process to become prepared. Which means He did say yes even though it feels like a no. My daughter has a car but she does not have a license she has a learner’s permit. I gave her the car, she chose the color, and all but she is still in the process of receiving it in its fullness. One of the things that I do, I count small wins to build confidence. Did it happen? Yes, we had a service with the roof leaking. The power went off a couple of times, because we had too much plugged in. At least we got the service done, at least, if we get a chance we can do it again. That is the kind of confidence needed to keep building. I will tell every reader to never stop if God did not say stop, or quit, or detour into something else, just keep going. People quit too easy in this generation. Do what you are called to do, in season and out of season. Are you willing to preach when there is nobody out there listening on the internet? You got to go hard and you got to know God called you to do it.

I Ascend: Please share some of the projects you’re currently working on and how our readers can continue to follow and stay abreast of all your doing?

Dr. Jones: I am working on various projects, currently we are doing New Music Monday. Where we basically drop a new song every Monday. In addition to that I will be releasing around four projects throughout the year. I have so much music and so many ideas. Be sure to follow me on Spotify, or Apple Music, and all music platform streaming services then you can get all the music with a subscription and I’ll keep it coming. For all booking inquiries my email is bookcantonjones@gmail.com. Our website is www.Cantonjones.net and the ministry is called “Free Life Church” and free life experience is what we call it so be sure to visit: www.FreeLifeExperience.org and get information about the ministry. On Social Media, @TheCantonJones on Tik Tok and Instagram, Facebook @ Canton Jones.