Mil

My name is Jamil Strickland but my friends call me Mil. Since you are reading this, I imagine you want to know a little something about me. What you are about to read is just a summary. It would be a very long section if I provided you all with every little detail. Well, let’s begin! I was born and raised in Philadelphia, PA on October 11,1977. For the most part, my mother and my father were nonexistent. My father was in jail for about ten years of my life and even when he came home other things took precedence over our relationship. My mother busied herself with men and drugs and I was left alone to figure out this thing called life. The pain from not having parents loving enough to deny themselves of their wants and meet my needs still troubles me to this day. It is part of my make-up and even though it scarred me I wouldn’t change it because of who it has made me. Was it because I was an unplanned pregnancy or was it because they weren’t ready to be parents? I don’t know the reason but I have forgiven them and hope that they might accept Jesus Christ as their savior. As a teenager, I was wild and out of control. I would rob people after school was over with my crew and we would beat folks up for no reason sometimes. As a result of doing those things, I was in and out of holding cells and appearing in court for breaking the law became the norm just like the sun rising in the morning. When I got kicked out of Mastbaum High School, my uncle threatened to send me to a group home if I didn’t straighten up. I knew that wasn’t a place that I wanted to be so I chilled out. A few years later I got kicked out of my aunt Yvette and uncle Christopher’s house for thinking I knew everything. After that, my aunt Julia took me in until I finished high school. After I left my aunt Julia’s place, my cousin John and I got an apartment together. I was part of a rap group called “LO Fam” that consisted of my man “Tank” and “Bad Rob Lo”. We would have all of our friends come over to drink, write songs, play play-station, and talk about the simple things young men talk about. Most of the time our friends would invite themselves over. I just thought I should mention this to the reader. Of course we had women and loud music as well. I was chief of the whoremongers in my circle at that time and I thought that I was living the American dream. I thought that sleeping around with whomever I desired was the key to a happy life. After throwing it (my private parts) around like a baton, even that got boring and I started to question what life was about. Partying and going to the strip club wasn’t that exciting anymore furthermore we were at a standstill as a rap group. When Mel Gibson’s Passion of the Christ came out, I was moved by the preview and made it my business to go see it. At that time, I was living with my girlfriend in North Philadelphia. When I went inside the movie theater I would have never in a million years imagined that a film would change my life. I went into the movie theater thinking that I was going to enjoy a controversial movie but I left convicted and inspired to get right with God. I told my girlfriend that I was moving out and that I needed to live right because I feared being sent to hell when I died. She thought that I was making an excuse to get out of the relationship but I was really convicted. God had supernaturally touched me through that movie. I called my wife who at the time was just my baby mama and asked her if she could give me a number to a pastor she trusted. My wife grew up in church and witnessed to me even when I was running around acting like a fool. I believe she has something to do with me being saved today. I’ve been saved almost three years now and I haven’t looked back since. Glory be to God! When I first got saved, I struggled with the idea of rapping for God. I thought it was a corny thing to do and I thought about what people would say. But then I thought to myself, how can I rap for a world that doesn’t like me and not use my gift for the one who gave it to me and who loves me. After that, I began to work on this project called “B4 & After”. On this album, I use my God given gift to talk about my life and how God desires to save all of mankind. My goal is to present the gospel (the message that Jesus died on the cross for all of our sins) to thousands if not millions of young people and the young at heart by way of Christian hip-hop. Material things of this world don’t deserve our worship - we need to worship the living God who desires to see all of humanity enjoy the glorious heaven he has created for us who survive the second death. If you want to learn more about surviving the second death or for booking, see the “Handlin My Fathers Business” part of this page. God Bless you 4real!