DAVID V

Hip Hop: a cultural movement amongst today’s youth is used by many industries to push their agenda onto this generation. “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose” Romans 8:28. Just as the dominant spirit of this age can use hip-hop for it’s agenda, God can use it for His agenda; His Kingdom. GAUGE (David Veira), a firm believer in Jesus Christ who started his journey to salvation in 1999 which he describes as “…one of the worst and the best years of my life”. Before 1998 GAUGE’s life seemed to be a charmed one. Working as a messenger at a bank he quickly moved up the ranks to become a supervisor over the foreign money department. He was in a good relationship that lasted six years in spite of his womanizing. He was pursuing his dream as a hip-hop artist and to make a little extra cash sold guns on the side. However, this only lasted for a month since it conflicted with deep moral and spiritual values imbedded in him by his Christian parents who successfully raised eight older brothers and three older sisters.Things took a turn for the worst in 1999. GAUGE was moved to a new department in the bank and was later demoted. His relationship with the person he loved so deeply ended with a traumatizing break up over the phone. GAUGE was thrown into such a deep depression that he lost 25 pounds.In his place of darkness GAUGE remembered God, “I always knew there was a GOD from going to church with my mother, so that’s who I turned to for help. I would sit in my room in the dark and pray to GOD…” In God’s usual fashion he sent GAUGE a mentor who disciplined him in the ways of God. Jesus said in John 14:26 that the Holy Spirit will “…bring all things to your remembrance…” and that was exactly what happened on December 31st, 1999 when GAUGE accepted Jesus Christ as his personal Lord and Savior. After being born again GAUGE devoted his talent to helping others by letting Christ’s light shine through him. GAUGE soon learned that God does everything on time. On February 16th, 2004 he lost his mother in a tragic car accident. Gauge believes that his acceptance of Jesus helped him through another heart breaking moment in his life, “I was faced with another decision to make, turn away from God and be angry or say praise the Lord and become even closer to him. I chose to say praise the Lord and it was the best decision I ever made”. Since then GAUGE started his own record label Mental Link, Inc. in which he is the CEO. He even expanded his company to include a clothing line. With his family, GAUGE started The Credo Veira Memorial Foundation, a non-profit organization designed to help underprivileged children in memory of his mother. He has also found his Proverbs 31 woman, Lisa, who share’s his passion for Christ. After seven years of growing in the Lord, GAUGE completed his first album “December Thirty-First Nineteen Ninety-Nine”. This portion of GAUGE’s life might be complete but we can expect much more from this hip-hop minister. “I finally know what true love is and it took me falling on my face to learn it. Take it from me, turn to God and he will give you back everything that has been taken from you and more”-GAUGE.