Psalm may not be a name you know very well, but this independent rapper out of Boise is far from new to the music scene. Formerly known as Sketchy Waze, the emcee--born David Andrew Byrd--had a modestly successful underground following, having garnered more than 2 million views on his online videos, and was featured on popular hip-hop channels such as WorldStarHipHop, Cypher Effect and TeamBackPack.

Although his trajectory seemed positive by worldly standards, he hit a breaking point personally and spiritually, and God got ahold of him and changed his definition of success. Fueled by a passion to bring hope into the darkness from which he was rescued, Psalm's gritty, real and ultimately hopeful hip-hop--most recently expressed with his 21-track project, Covenant--is poised to make a real, eternal impact.

To get to know Psalm, I threw 8 questions at him about his past, present and future.

Hip hop. Idaho. Not normally a pairing you think about. Talk about your love of hip-hop, and what the scene is like in your home city.

Honestly, I love music of every type. There isn't a genre that I can't find something to love and appreciate about. Rap music just made sense to me cause my singing voice is so-so. The music scene in Boise is fun; there are a lot of talented people in my city, but there aren't a lot of opportunities here. It wasn't until I started releasing and pushing my music online that anything really started happening for me.

You have a pretty incredible testimony that saw your life being rescued by Jesus from some pretty broken situations. Tell us a little bit about that.

I've always had to learn everything the hard way. Since I was young, I have been very hard-headed, and gave my poor mom lots of sleepless nights growing up. I struggled heavily with addiction throughout my life, which runs in my family. And, looking back, it was probably my addictive personality that led me to so many dark places. But, for the most part, I don't regret it. I am thankful that I have seen those dark places, and can empathize with, and reach out to, the people who are still there. 

If I had never been broken, I would never have been able to witness how completely Jesus is able to fix people. And it wasn't overnight; there were a lot of setbacks. But I kept my eyes on Him and He was faithful to see me through it. I am still growing in a lot of ways, still discovering my faith and just what it means to be a Christian. I am far from perfect, but I am better today than I was yesterday, and looking at my life over the past three years, the changes have been absolutely miraculous.
 
How did your testimony turn into a musical expression?

I feel like my entire life has been a musical expression! I've made music in some form or another since I was 8 years old. When I found God, I walked away from a modestly successful following and music career that I had developed under the moniker Sketchy Waze, and essentially made a deal with God that I wouldn't allow music to be my idol any longer. 

To me, that meant walking away from music completely, which I did for the first two years as a believer. During that time, I wrote lyrics randomly as a form of self-expression, but didn't really intend on making any music from it. In fact, even when I felt like I was starting to see signs encouraging me towards making music publically again, I resisted out of fear of falling back into old habits. I was a very different person than I had been years before, when being in the public eye had appealed to me. But I got quite a bit of support from church members and family, and eventually decided to make an album, this time to glorify God, rather than myself.

Andy, you're now known as Psalm. Talk about the significance of this new name.

I was actually in the book of Psalms when I decided to release my album. The book of Psalms strikes me because of how powerful the testimonies are inside of the songs. Ordinary men, who have both done extraordinary things and have fallen tragically short of God's glory in their lives, expressing messages of grace and redemption that still resonates with people thousands of years later. So many passages just struck such a chord with me, that I felt I could have written them myself. Those who wrote those songs weren't perfect by any means, but they had a love and admiration for their maker that was evident in their poetry.

Who are you trying to reach with your music? People who were like you?

Absolutely. I think it's obvious that my music won't get played at a Sunday morning service, but that's not who it's for. I want to talk to those people who have no interest in church; people that are probably scared to even consider going to church. I don't believe that God only lives inside church walls, and I don't believe He only calls people to serve Him inside congregations. If I can help just one person find that light that I was lucky enough to find, it will be worth it. In a way, I feel like I'm balancing the scales a bit. I know that my redemption is by God's grace and not by my own actions, but I still feel compelled to try and do as much good as I can in my life, maybe as a form of personal penance for all the bad I've done.

What's been the most incredible thing you've seen God do since you began this ministry?

My life since finding God has been nothing short of miraculous. He has answered prayer after prayer that I have sent up to Him in awesome, ineffable ways. I have had spiritual encounters that most people wouldn't believe; even I have trouble believing them when I sit and think about some of the things I've experienced in hindsight. But God is real. The overwhelming answer to my life's urges has been just that. God is real. And present. And that is the most incredible thing anybody can ever discover in life.

The album is called Covenant. Talk about the project and what you set out to do. This isn't your first album... what were you trying to say with this project?

I didn't have any agenda with this album. In the past, I have always created music with a sense of urgency, a need to release it to the public and feed this buzz I had built for myself. I was paying my bills with my music during my secular career, but it was never enough. I was consumed with wanting more and more success. This is the first album I created without any pressure to do anything with it beyond just creating it. I have abandoned my worldly ambitions completely, and have learned the true value of letting go and letting God. That cliche saying is extremely powerful if you really put it into practice. Give it all to God. I'm not saying don't do anything in life, but learn to do the things that God wants you to do. That has been my covenant with God. Whatever His will is, may it also be mine.

What's next for you? What has God spoken to you regarding the things you're doing right now?

Again, I really have no personal agenda. I am doing video ministry in my church, Calvary Chapel Treasure Valley, and have started a small telemarketing company in my hometown, which is doing very well. Other than that, I am still seeking, and listening, and learning, and growing. Finding God I'm sure is a lifelong adventure, and I'm still relatively new on the journey. So I am just taking it day by day. I am learning to be a good husband and father, and am proud to minister to my family in a righteous way. As far as music, the artist in me likes getting recognized for my craft, and I still struggle with a degree of vanity with it. So I want to be careful to not let my music define me. I love music, and it will always have a place in my life, but there is so much more life to live, and I have been greatly enjoying living it.