When your faith becomes stronger, it’s amazing the effect it can have on your way of looking at and doing things in life. From watching what you say and the image you put out there of yourself, once you’re born-again, (for many people) you are a new person. These famous folks changed their lives, changed their music, and in many cases, stepped away from the entertainment industry altogether to focus on getting closer to God.
CHRIS TUCKER
While Chris Tucker never officially disappeared, he decided to start working every once in blue moon despite being on a hot streak in the mid-to late ’90s. The only work he would do for a good decade was the Rush Hour franchise, though he did take a role in the Academy Award-nominated film Silver Linings Playbook in 2012. Despite being the most-loved sidekick to Ice Cube’s Craig in the Friday franchise, Tucker wouldn’t sign on for the sequels to play Smokey because he had become a born-again Christian after doing the film Money Talks and no longer approved of the character.
MASE
I had the biggest crush on Mase after that Harlem World album came out in 1997. Who didn’t? But by 1999, Mase was having a change of heart about the whole rap thing. After releasing his sophomore album, Double Up, Mase revealed to Funkmaster Flex that he was retiring from the rap game to pursue a calling from God. He went on to become a pastor, and did that until 2012 as pastor and founder of El Elyon International Church and Mason Betha Ministries. Once he decided to return to rap, he says he realized that he might have jumped the gun trying to be a pastor so soon, but his faith is still strong:
“I didn’t give myself any room to grow, I went from one extreme to another extreme, I was just so gung ho about what I was learning, that’s all I wanted.”I went so hard in one direction that people had things to say and rightfully so,” Betha told Flex. “I don’t blame them for that [but] it’s been 13 years, let’s move on.”
VANITY
Remember Vanity? Before there was Apollonia, Prince’s female protege was the s*xy lead singer of the group the Purple One formed called Vanity 6 (three women, six boobs, hence the “6″). The group was behind hits like “Nasty Girl” and their performances were quite raunchy. Vanity was supposed to have the lead role alongside Prince in Purple Rain, but left it all behind, and left Prince’s camp in general to focus on solo music and acting. Eventually, Vanity became addicted to crack cocaine in the late ’80s, and after almost dying from from the effects of years worth of drug use, Vanity became a born-again Christian, and went back to being known as Denise Matthews. “With the devil breathing down my neck, trying desperately to snatch and strangle me for hell, I repented.” She has since become an evangelist.
MONTELL JORDAN
He’ll forever be known as the guy behind the jam, “This Is How We Do It,” but Montell Jordan wants to be known more these days for his work for Christ. In 2010, Jordan planned to put out new music, but it was shelved, so he found himself trying to reconnect with his faith alongside his wife, Kristin, and their kids. They joined Victory World Church in Atlanta and his life hasn’t been the same since. “The Lord spoke to me and said ‘you got to retire, you got to lay that life down.” Jordan became the Worship Minister at Victory World Church and along with Victory World Music, has released a gospel album called Shake Heaven.
PEBBLES
After years of being known as the “Mercedes Boy” and “Girlfriend” singer (and as the rumors go, stiffing folks out of their money), Perri “Pebbles” Reid left the music industry behind to focus on God. She became Sister Perri and started a deliverance women’s ministry in Atlanta, deciding to do so in ’97 after she says the hand of God touched her life and changed her direction during a really tough time. She started the Perri Ministry because God told her she could change lives:
“He told me through this ministry that millions will be delivered and set free. Through the power of the Holy Ghost, they will be delivered from alcohol, drug addictions and abusive relationships.”
ANGUS T. JONES
Once the lovable little boy from Two and a Half Men, grown up Angus T. Jones’ faith became much stronger and he was no longer feeling his work on the show, calling it “filth” in a YouTube video in 2012 after being baptized. Jones, now 20, left the show behind and has since started working for the World Harvest Outreach Church in Houston, affiliated with the Seventh-day Adventist Church. While he has since apologized for calling Two and a Half Men filth, he says he doesn’t regret everything else he said about working on the show:
“It was difficult for me to be on the show and be part of something that was making light of topics in our world where there are really problems for a lot of people. I was a paid hypocrite because I wasn’t OK with it and I was still doing it. I really want to come into the light because I know that is where the healing is and I’ve seen God do amazing things.”
Read the rest at Madam Noire.
