_{By Mike Romero}

In the final original episode on the Provo music scene for NPR’s World Cafe, host Raina Douris tracked down James Curran (aka Jamesthemormon aka James The Mormon aka JTM). The fascinating 20-minute episode explores not only Curran’s unique career as a Latter-day Saint rapper, but also the quirks of Utah hip-hop in general. Producer Chance Lewis of House of Lewis also presents excellent commentary on the subject. Lewis worked with Curran on a significant number of his releases through the years.

One of the most intriguing and devastating points of the episode is what happened when Curran finally hit it big. At the height of his popularity, labels didn’t know what to do with the Mormon aspect of his music and persona. And conservative/orthodox Mormons didn’t know what to do with the rough around the edges, love-it-or-leave-it aspect of his persona that was now representing them in Burger King commercials and on ESPN.

“Part of the reason the expectations may have been so high for James was that there really wasn’t anyone else doing what he was doing at the level that he was doing it,” said Douris on the episode.

“James was trying to convert rap fans to Mormonism, but he ended up converting Mormons to rap in a lot of ways,” Chance Lewis explained.

“It’s like making steak for vegans,” said Curran. “They’re like, ‘I don’t eat steak, but I’ll eat your steak.’”

The pressure from both inside and outside the faith left Curran feeling distanced from his spiritual community. He felt incredibly isolated and alone. Despite this, he hung on.

“I wanted to leave the Church,” he said. “And I did everything I could to un-believe what I believe, but I cannot un-believe. I truly just believe it, and I believe it to my core.”

Chance Lewis noted that Curran’s move from Provo to Salt Lake may have been why he was able to start fresh and find a supportive congregation that accepted him instead of hyper-focusing on his “Mormon” persona and all of the political baggage that came with that.

“Everyone associates Salt Lake with being sort of like the epicenter of Mormonism,” said Lewis. “But people in Utah know that it’s really down here. It’s kind of the more hardcore and extreme.”

It’s a really fascinating, quirky, and heartfelt look at the struggles of a Latter-day Saint musician – especially one who is bucking deeply entrenched traditions and who practices their religion openly instead of having it take a backseat to their secular endeavors. It’s a respectful and well-researched piece with great insights. As a Latter-day Saint myself, I came away with a desire to have greater compassion, charity, and empathy for musicians in my faith community who are brave enough to put themselves out there. I can’t recommend this episode enough.

Make sure to follow JTM on Instagram and listen to the full episode below!