Brother 3: From prison to freestyling with Gemstones

At the sound of screeching tires came the inevitable sounds of metal crunching metal.

Like some gangster movie, Milton “Brother 3” Taylor jumped out of his buddy’s tricked out vehicle and threatened the frightened couple in the car behind them. After the fender bender, kidnapping along with aggravated assault became the molded lifestyle Brother 3 was used to living.

“Back then, we were ignorant,” Brother 3 told Rapzilla. “Normal people would have just traded insurance notes and numbers. Instead, we continued to kidnap both of them. We eventually let the woman go but kept the man so that we could beat him up at various places around the neighborhood. He didn’t have any money to repay us the damages to our vehicle, which got us respect, women and envy. So, we made sure that he repaid us through the humiliation of his manhood.”

This continued lifestyle of ‘runnin’ ‘n’ gunnin’ eventually earned Brother 3 a prison sentence during a police raid one summer afternoon. He had been gang banging on a certain block where the police raid was taking place. When the gang saw the police coming from all four street sides, they took off at a sprint. When the police caught up with them, Brother 3 decided to get rid of a weapon he had been carrying so that he wouldn’t get charged with possession.

“I went to pull out this long-necked pistol,” Brother 3 said, “and I feel a three-barreled gun against my head. I feel the officer crush my ankle and tell me that if I move again, he’ll blow my head off.”

Brother 3 had been homeless, living on the streets of Chicago that hot summer and never had any intentions of getting caught. When the prison sentence was laid down as his punishment, Brother 3 admitted that his life had suddenly improved for the better:

“Prison saved my life because it was more organized in there than it was out on the streets,” he said.

From that point on, Brother 3 decided to move in another direction and enhance his lifestyle from the streets. Chicago continues to struggle with a high crime rate today, according to various case studies. After giving his life to Christ, Brother 3 moved back to the streets of Chicago to help develop the youth via Englewood’s Community Service Center.

“I tackle the knuckleheads one at a time and just share my life with them,” Brother 3 said, “and from there, I let God do the rest. Chicago has a lot of crime because most young men have a lot of hurt and don’t have any respect for their own lives. Community is important, and I pray for everybody to build relationships with each other. From that, you get to know the kids and change things. Even if they don’t accept Christ but learn to respect their own life, that is success and a blessing to me.”

The Project

On Monday, Brother 3 released a free EP titled God Glorified. In co-signing the EP, Gemstones had a special treat in store for Brother 3.

The popular single, “Hallelujah,” which features Gemstones, had sprouted from an already rooted relationship. It had been years of friendship before any kind of music collaboration evolved.

One day while sitting in the car, both artists freestyled various lyrics. Inspired, Gemstones told Brother 3 that they were going to take it to the studio. Once in studio, they both continued to hash out freestyle bars within the booth.

“There were two studio sessions for the verses and another studio session for the hook,” Brother 3 said, “and we had multiple hooks that we had made. Gemstones liked the song so much that he wanted it to be on his album. There were four to five different original beats for the song, but producers just couldn’t match the right beat with the fast-paced lyrics. Producers that worked with Twista couldn’t even match a beat with the spit.”

After a lot of money had been spent to find the right beat for “Hallelujah,” the funds for the single were not enough to land it onto a Gemstones’ album in time. Gemstones wasn’t going to let things die with it, so he decided to give it to Brother 3 for his EP.

“Our relationship is a brotherhood,” said Brother 3. “He offered to do music with me, and it just happened organically. That’s my brother, and I’d give my last for the dude. He’d do the same for me. I’m just happy to see what he’s been working on come to fruition with his album. Stones cares and comes from the heart. He pushes you to be vulnerable in front of him because that’s just who he is as a person.”

In regards to the rest of his EP, Brother 3 wants it to be like a public mission statement. He says that this is the foundation for furthering his career, and his hope is that people will take him and God seriously.

“Songs will always come from my life’s experiences with God,” Brother 3 said. “I will always have records that speak to the church. To Him be the glory, amen. He is the very source, the final glory.”

“3 understands the picture that is bigger than music,” explained fellow Chicago artist King David tha Vessel. “He understands God’s timing, grace, mercy and gives the glory to God. Therefore, God will rain down the blessings. 3 is a better man and Christian outside of his music then he is a rapper in studio, so he is bound and destined to be successful in his career.”

One of Brother 3’s goals of his EP is to be recognized as a legitimate artist and gain a core family of followers, fans and supporters. Since his life is in Christ, he would like to gain followers that want to challenge their own lives by following his music and getting to know Christ for themselves. Most of all, he wants God to be glorified as he continues to move on in his career.

“Your chief aim should be to glorify God,” Brother 3 said, “and it’s impossible to do that on the fence. It’s impossible to do that with one foot out and one foot in. It’s impossible to give him glory if you don’t give him all of you. My encouragement would be to really give him a try, let go of everything. Jump all in. Like the term ‘fall in love,’ literally fall in love, let go and fall into Christ. Allow him to uphold you. Allow him to use you to bring glory back to himself.”

Download God Glorified for free here.

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