Ep.70 Purpose Built w/ Topher

Ready to be inspired? An episode everyone should hear, Programming Lions interviews an American patriot, Topher. Strong in his beliefs and values, this rapper and Turning Point contributor has confidence in every decision he makes knowing his life’s journey has a purpose for himself and others. 

Links:

IG: https://www.instagram.com/tophertownmusic/

YT: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcUsRTjeljXN32T1DdY3PuA

X: https://x.com/topheronx

FB: https://www.facebook.com/tophertownmusic

Website: https://tophertown.com/?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAaYKt1FEKuRzBS2slWeYdJMCmkwIVvD3r2679WMltLhTuNi6YVix1QcT6JI_aem_eSN_UxpZdpi8uFMBP-yiyQ

TIMELINE

00:00 Intro

01:05 The Patriot

02:32 Air Force

04:14 Music 

09:02 Courage

10:49 Fatherhood

14:04 Purpose

17:29 Gen Alpha advice

20:06 TP Contributor

22:45 Lifting

Transcript

0:00

Welcome to the programming lions podcast today, Topher, the Mississippi rapper and us air force veteran who rose to fame in 2021 through his billboard hit. The Patriot is with us. He's got over 20 years experience in the music industry with over 23 billboard chart placements. He is guided by Proverbs 18, 16 Topher's music inspires purpose and faith. Proving challenges are no limit to success. We have such a great interview and so many good moments. I hope you all can listen and really enjoy this. We talk about family, fatherhood, getting out of your comfort zone, inspiring others and much more. So let's get into it. Yeah.

TOPHER-Matt-webcam-00h_00m_00s_376ms-StreamYard: 0:45

We've got Topher that has blessed our presence here today. Good to see you. We got to introduce ourselves with Topher yesterday and he's been able to take some time and stop by our booth we got some questions. We've been following you for a bit. Our first introduction to you by the way was We came across the Patriot. It's like still one of my favorite songs. It's just so American and we love it. Appreciate that. Yeah, so the Patriot, of course, most people know has became basically second to the National Anthem for most people. Yeah. When you're talking about a patriotic song. And that was all, you know how you got the perfect storm? Mm hmm. Yeah. So the fallout of the 2020 election and what everybody believed and perceived what happened, what went wrong. Going around to those different rallies, just I wanted to capture the emotions of so many people because we were disappointed in the fact that we love this country so much. We hate to see it. We hate to lose it to people who mean it. Yeah. And so I just want to create a song about what it means to be a patriot and a patriot is just a person that loves the country fervently and is willing to defend it from both foreign and domestic enemies. That's it. There's no political affiliation, no gender specific term. It's just that person who has that type of mindset. And as a veteran myself, I just, I just love this country. There's some things that we fought for to defend and those principles I want to make sure that we have. And one of the things is like integrity. The Patriot just reminds me, every time I hear it, like, that's the number one song most people talk about. Yeah, I get goosebumps when I hear it, it's so good. So, congratulations on such a great hit song, and something that's touched so many people. But, that's how we first got introduced, and anyway, without further ado, we wanted to ask you a little bit about your military career, and Yeah, so I heard not that long ago that you were actually in the Air Force, right? Yeah, yeah. So, why did you decide to join the Air Force? I was a broke kid. Well, What was the training like to get in there? I grew up in a, you know, single parent household in the middle of nowhere, Mississippi. And I knew that I wasn't going to have the support that many of my other fellow peers were going to have when it came to higher education. I now know that I didn't really want to join the military. My mom was adamant against it because She didn't want her son to go into war. And I was afraid to die as well, right? Not a spiritual death, but a physical death. Right, right. Just to clarify. So, I kind of strayed away from it, until I had a dream from the Lord one night, and he basically woke me up and said, this is kind of the direction you need to go. So I end up going to the Air Force recruiter's office and they asked me what I want to be, they gave me the ASVAB test, and then, based on the ASVAB test is what you determine you're gonna be. Okay. You know, you have wishes, but at the end of the day it's based on your capabilities. You're right. And I scored pretty high, and I said I want to be as far away from the battlefield as I can, and away from the water. Like, I can't swim. And they were trying to make me a paratrooper because I was really fit and I was like, no, I'm good. I can't swim like that, so. The next best thing was a linguist. So I took the D Lab, which is a defense defense language aptitude battery test. And got a score minimum of 100. And I scored 100. Like, literally scored the minimum to become a linguist. Okay. And ended up joining the military, did six years, and it was an incredible time. Met a lot of different people. And that definitely solidified my conservative values and my view that I have now. Wow. That's pretty cool. Yeah. So, just like what I was dad talking in the beginning, we love your song, Patriot. So I'm just wondering, how did you get into music from, like, the military? How old are you? I'm 11. You're 11. So I was younger than you when I started making music. Yeah, I literally started writing songs when I was 10. I started to form groups while I was in school. So kind of how you're doing your thing now, I was doing that then. And look at me now. Wow. Like, you know, so everybody's like, this is not an overnight success story. This is something that I've been sewing into for many, many years. Luckily for you guys, you have your dad. And your mom, who are great resources to actually pour into you. So I didn't have that. So I had to wait until I got older to develop my own resources to push and pour into my dream. But yeah, I got started very young and I started to mix my politics with my music when I became passionate about speaking out. And that was around November 2019 and early 2020. I remember making a song called 2020 in February 2020 about Donald Trump and voting for him. And it was kind of scary at first because, you're stepping into muddy waters. One, I consider myself one of the trailblazers because not many people were out there talking about political conservative music. And stepping into the fringe. So it was, it was scary. But I'm glad that I did it. And I also So when I did it, I was able to realize there were other people who agreed as well. And that's a good thing in a community. So, finding people who are like minded that you can do something with, you're going to help encourage one another when things seem scary and dark. Yeah. And that's kind of what this event is for, right? To remind conservatives across the world that, man, there are millions of us. Right. You know, as we saw in the past election, 76 million people voted to make sure America was put first. So we just got to remind ourselves that despite what we see every day that we do have a voice. But yeah, music has always been an integral part of my life. It's something I've been passionate about. And kind of a sad thing as well because I feel the Lord expanding what it means to be a communicator. So ultimately music is a way to communicate. But you know another way to communicate? Podcasting. You know another way to communicate? Speaking. Writing. And I'm seeing him opening up these opportunities and slowly Pulling me away from the mic what I love to do so much. Yeah, but letting him leave me has been so rewarding And let and God still sustain in the music even though I'm not putting nothing out Do you write like you have Like a team that works with you on your music or do you like write your own music and like do it all by yourself? I wish I had a thing Yeah, if anybody's out there listening, hey, come on, but your barn's gotta be tight though. You can't be having any wax So, you know I'm saying I got a reputation the main thing as a number one Billboard artist, but I will say I write everything myself a person with ADHD is tough, like you gotta stay on topic and you gotta finish the subject But man, I see a bird, a squirrel, I'm gone. You know, it's yeah But that's what I love about the Patriot is I was so hyper focused when I got back from the rally that I wrote that song and like It was like 10, 15 minutes, something like that. It wasn't, it wasn't that long at all. I knew, I, yeah, I saw the video. It was Natty Dread is a TikToker. She's a, she's from, actually from Scotland. And she had dropped a monologue, just you know, without the music. She dropped it on TikTok. And it was a little bit slower than what you hear on the song. And I just loved it. You know, I've always been a fan of sea shanties and Scottish culture and stuff like that. So, when I heard it, I was like, Yo, I want to do something with this. It's awesome how you weave that in there. I love that. And I said, I put a challenge out there, I said, Hey, if any producers want to work with me, Take this sample and flip it. And then my man, Killer Vic Beats, He's another marine veteran, So somebody else that, you know, I'm glad that I got to meet. He he did his thing, and then me and him worked on that for the next couple days, and I think we had the song. Mixed, mastered, and released within four days. Wow. I believe. Okay. And ever since then, it has done nothing but incredible numbers. Yeah. And that's just thanks to all of you all who are patrons that just love it, I'm pretty sure you as a dad was like struggling to find music that, one, represented the values that you try to instill in your children, but two, that was just clean. Yeah, yeah. Put on and don't have to worry about. Right. I saw that there was a problem that needed to be solved, and that's kinda how I found my lane to step into. Yeah. Yeah. Okay, that's a good backstory. I like that. A couple of follow ups on it. Coming out as a black rapper, conservative values, like, talking about the election and all that, did you get a lot of backlash? And then, second part of that is, I imagine you inspired others to come out. It's been rewarding. Yeah, I bet. I promise you it has been. So many people, even from the music or just the content creation standpoint, I've had so many more minority creators come out and say, I gave them the okay to do it. Like, one of my biggest, I would call it successes, It's Craig Long, and he's here today. But he's a conservative black curator, and he got started after he was inspired by my videos. And I remember him, me and him did a live during 2020, I think about around the summertime. And he was kind of skeptical about putting his name and face out there. But he, but I encouraged him because I told him I would stand the storm. Yeah. Because my house is not built on sand. So when the winds come blowing and the water come rushing, I remain who I am because I got Christ. And when I showed him that and he was able to see my success, then he stepped out. And now he's successful many years later. Now he's out here being a breakout speaker. So that's kind of how it goes, you know. Each one teach one or your light is going to shine and help somebody else illuminate theirs. So don't ever think that, what you're doing is, doesn't have an impact. You just probably haven't ran into the person yet. I guarantee you it's going to be some kids, you know, maybe years from now. And it was like, you're too young to start a podcast. Nuh I seen GSD. Look at them. Right? That's how it's going to be. But I'm pretty sure it's uncharted territory. You're not quite sure how to do it. But you learn. And then what's going to be important is that you're showing people that it's possible. And people need to be hopeful. And that's why I like to give people hope. So, so in life, cause you've been a singer and you've also been in the military. So, I'm just wondering, what was your biggest challenge in your life? And how do you overcome it? Man, biggest challenge has been a dad. I'ma say that. We talk about being The military, military is pretty easy. Really? Yeah, and like the big aspect mainly because they tell you what to do. It's pretty structured, right? Yeah, it's pretty structured. You know, they, they tell you what to do, where to be, what to wear. You just kind of go with the flow. Right. As a dad, I didn't have one growing up. Oh. So I didn't have a barometer. So I didn't know if I was doing a good job or not. And now that I got two girls, they're nine and five, you know, and I'm just trying to do my best to make sure that I'm being Hard enough, being soft enough, being open, but also being secure with them. So it's, it's a very touch and go type of thing. But being a dad is very difficult, man. So I hope that, I hope y'all don't give your dad a difficult time because, between, for the most part, for the most part, yeah, so military fairly easy, music fairly easy because it came natural. My dad's a blues guitarist and singer, so I got it in my blood. That's why I was able to start so early. So those things always came natural, but being a dad, it didn't come natural. It takes a lot of patience, a lot of learning that I had to go through. Now I still go through on a daily basis. So, yeah, being a dad. It is a difficult job. Young gentleman will know someday, but it's a difficult job. You want to do the right thing, you want to have the right balance, you want to, challenge your kids, but not, be too hard. It's a, it's a difficult thing to do, and so we try to do our best, and we don't always do the right things, but we try. I'll tell you that. Well, I thought the, army was hard. Cause, like, you have to, like, go through all this training. Well, look at this guy. He's, like, he chills a lot of stone. I know, right? Well, I was gonna say, as a a lifetime athlete being put into physical positions is not that tough, right? You kind of acclimate, your body is acclimated to those type of conditions. It's the mental, right? The mental that comes with knowing that someone can yell at you. You have to deal with the stresses of work. You know, you can't really train your brain. It's not quite the same as a muscle as a bicep, right? Basic training probably was some of the hardest training at the eight weeks I was going through was probably the worst that you did the whole six years, right? Because one is breaking you away from your, your circle, breaking away from your community, breaking away from your culture, those type of things, and that's what they do, right? So they take you away from phone, they, they take your phone away from you. I'm real old. Yeah, you don't have your phone on you. Imagine like the Jin Alpha people, like that are always on like TikTok or something. Yeah, they're losing their minds. They'll be, have a tangent. Yes, for eight weeks, right? Then like, did the, you get it back at the end? No, so they gave you about 10 minutes to make a call every Sunday at a certain time. That's it. Wow. You had 10 minutes to How about like when you when you leave the army, you probably get it back, right? No, you get it back once you get done with your training. What would you say to people who claim themselves to be victims? Hmm. And how do you suggest that they make their lives better? And maybe just to add on that, like you, you had a pretty humble upbringing, like single parent household, and you, Had to grind a lot. Maybe, there's people like these two boys that have two parents in the household. Arguably good parents. And I'll say so. And so, yeah, you're starting at a different, you know, a different level of playing field, right? In a lot of ways. And so I think the essence of the question is how do you see that? And how do you see people getting out of that stage? And you were a great example of that. Yeah, so. I feel like a lot of times as a Christian we downplay or we discourage people from questioning God. But there are people who question God in the Bible, but it's not so much questioning God as it is how you ask the question. Yeah. So I used to always ask God, why me? And then one day he said, why not you? Why not you? If I never went through those tough times, would I be who I am today? Right. If I never got bullied when I was younger, would I be able to take the online bullying that I face today? So I'm different from most people and I'm able to survive in an environment where most people sink and they freak out because that's how I grew up in. And I'm not saying it's ideal, but it's ideal for your purpose in your life. That's why you're probably not going to go through what I went through because your purpose is a little bit different from mine. And that's okay. Yeah. Like we all got a purpose. We all feel like we got to have the same life, we don't, because we're all not designed for the same thing. Right? So, if you want to be strong, you don't sit on the couch, you go to the gym. If you want to be smart, you read, right? So it's the same, it's the same concept. Y'all probably heard it before, it said, Lord, you pray for strength, and then he sends you through all these trials. You pray for patience, and he makes you wait on stuff forever. Like you develop it through the trial, right? And then once you develop it, you overcome the trial. So I just, I did have times where I used to question God, like, why me? Why can't I be born somewhere else? But I gotta be born in this family, in this place, you know, I wanna be a rapper, there's nobody rapping around here. But if I would've been born in places where they had hip hop, then I would've been influenced to make different music than I'm making today. He had to disconnect me from those, unfortunately, isolate me from the world, per se, so that when time came and he needed me to do something, I wouldn't have a stronghold on my life. He can easily, readily put me out there and do what I've been able to do. So you gotta think about it from that standpoint, you know. So. Sometimes you gotta look at your life and say am I really a victim or is there something I need to be learning here? Yeah, is it a test or a learning experience? It's a learning experience, yeah. I love that. That's a great way to look at adversity because people go through different types of adversity. We've had different types of adversity than you or next person. Your purpose might be different and the things and the lessons you need to learn might be different. And so I think that's a great way to look at it. What do you guys think? Yeah. I agree, yeah. So you've been involved with younger generations and challenging them to think critically. What advice can you give us and Gen Alpha kids to keep our country strong with conservative values? Look at hand in raising you. Don't be afraid to question things. I was always a why guy like I don't know if one of you are a why kid But I used to get on my mom nerves because her just explaining something and if I didn't fully understand it I was gonna ask why until I understood it. Yeah, you know and Just because I said so was never a sufficient answer, right? Unfortunately for my mom, right but Just continue to ask the important questions until you feel like that you are confident, one, in the solution you come to, or in the person that you're asking it of, right? And be, and be bold. Like, people are gonna be crazy, and they're gonna be happy to be crazy. Like, that's it. So you need to be just as bold as being righteous, just as bold as being a wise, and just as bold as being a Christian as they are. Because they're going to work for their kingdom, and because the bigger and darker it gets, the more powerful they get. So the more light they are, the more powerful we become. So I just want to encourage you, y'all have, how do I put it, Myron Golden said that it's never been easier to become successful than ever, than now. Like, you could become successful overnight with the technology and things that you have. But that being said, the window for it to happen is so much shorter. Because things are evolving so fast. I mean, between AI and everything else. So I would just encourage you guys, don't wait around. Because of that. If it's a good idea and you feel like it, go ahead and execute on it now. Because six months from now, it might not be. And you could have missed something. So do what you need to do now. Time is not your friend. Right now, time is not your friend when technology is doing what it's doing. I just wish I had a phone with this high res resolution that I can just upload to a platform. You know, I probably would have been a rapper sensation when I was 10, you know. I thought you would have. And I was like, we didn't have none of this. Man, you should have seen my phone when I was a kid. So, just take advantage of what you have right now. And like I said, and when you don't know something, look up people that inspire you. That inspire you to do what you do. And talk to your parents, man. You know, they are a great resource and, and trust me. They may not seem like it, but they're looking out for your best interest. Amen to that. Amen to that. Most times, yeah, most times. Yep, yep. That's right. For the most part. Gotcha. Well, maybe we'll, we'll wrap it up, but before we do, I want to ask you about your shift into Turning Point USA as a contributor and what's that like? You're now doing, I guess, a lot more man on the street stuff than you used to, and how's that experience been? Interesting. Yeah? So, music has kind of taken a backburner. Okay. And that's just the Lord's will. And I used to do, going around quizzing people about the Bible in the grocery store. Yeah. That became an issue too because The authenticity that you saw in my videos from people having no idea who I was quickly faded away because of the rise of fame. So people saw me coming. And it messes up the, the genuine nature of people's reactions, if that makes sense. So, it was kind of one of those things, the Lord saw that that was happening, so he got ready and positioned me to shift into something else. So where I can take advantage of that now fame and use it to further whatever the mission is for the kingdom, right? Yeah. That's another thing. You got to be in tune with the Holy Spirit. You got to be in tune with what God wants you to do and don't be afraid to move. I was kind of stiff neck at first, you know, been an Israelite, just don't want to move. But I remember I'm not music. I'm not this. I'm, I'm Toph. And God qualifies those he called. He doesn't call to qualify. So instead of me being so hesitant on Shifting to something else. I said, you know what? I'm just gonna trust God. I'm just gonna have faith in him and I'm gonna see how this thing pan out. Yeah. Right? If he's with me, I'm gonna be alright. And so far I've been more than all right, things are turning up. My health is getting better. I got a booth here, Fighting Weight, where we're going into the community now to help other veterans get back to fighting weight. So many opportunities are opening up, like the Turning Point Contributor. And now I get to do stuff on a bigger scale and pour into the next generation. That's really what I want, I'm out here fighting because I don't want my daughters to ask me when they become adults that what were you doing when the world was going to crap? Yeah, right. I was like, I was playing my video game. Yeah No, I was out here Advocating for the principles that we teach you and that we tell you are important But I'm not I'm showing you are telling you they are important, but I'm showing you they are important by going out here and fighting Right. Right. So they're watching this and they're witnessing their dad do this, and I'm hoping that encourages them to become great individuals and adults when they grow up. I'm sure they will. I would. I would. Go ahead. Alright, so, last question. What's your max bench press and deadlift? Oh, Max is getting right into it here. I don't know. I haven't maxed out in a long time. But I will say Before I picked up a lot of weight, about 10 years ago now, I used to do some powerlifting, bodybuilding. And my biggest big three lifts was 325 bench. A 500 deadlift and a 425 squat. That's pretty solid. That's pretty solid. That's pretty solid. That's not just solid. That's like 6 times mine. Oh my gosh. Well we've been doing CrossFit together. The boys are getting stronger Oh, yeah, and we're noticing even at this age. You don't notice like your deadlift went from like 80 pounds up to 120 I went to 65 to 95. Give me some progress, baby. Yeah, God take care of you temple it's one of the mandates God has given us that I feel like we neglect far too often. It's wild to me that this is like the one body we're given in this life. And why would you put bad fuel in it and not take care of it? I don't understand it, but, so we, we definitely take that to heart in terms of how we eat. Not that we don't have some fun and like Spoil ourselves here and there, but Moderation, baby. Moderation. Everything in moderation. That's what my grandmother always told me. This was really amazing. You are an inspiration to a lot of young people. We follow you, we're gonna keep in touch, obviously. We love what you do, we got a lot of tidbits and great information with you today, and so I appreciate that. And God bless you, and best of luck to you on your path. for coming on. Yeah, my pleasure, boys. I'll see y'all. That was really fun. Thank you. Oh, yeah.