Sadeke Brooks, Staff Reporter

Upcoming gospel artiste, Apostlex. - contributed

Gospel artiste Apostle Lex has had his fair share of experiences that paved the way for him to become a minister.

The artiste, whose real name is Wendell McKoy, says he uses his experiences as inspiration for his work.

When he was young, he said, he lived with his grandaunt and two of his four sisters in St Mary but over time his life deteriorated.

"We were said to be rude children, and I wasn't living with my grandaunt again. My mother was living with her husband. I felt left out because my sisters were going to school in Kingston. I felt rejected," he told The Star.

He started to use the energy from his experiences to write songs, which is an art he started developing at 11 years old. At 22 he decided to move to Kingston where he tried to build on his talent.

While in Kingston, he visited many studios and was receiving some level of success. He went to Jack Scorpio Studio and was placed second in a competition there. Also, in 1995 he met Supreme Promotions' Isaiah Laing for whom he recorded several songs. He also performed at Sting the same year. In addition, he performed at Cactus and Mirage nightclubs.

By now, his songwriting skills had developed tremendously and he started writing songs for other artistes.

Bad experiences

"In '97, I met Bugle; he is one of my best friends. We used to write songs together and we helped each other with writing techniques. I was affiliated with gangs and those bad experiences I had would help me with writing," he said.

However, those bad experiences forced him to flee to St Mary in 2000. This was the point at which he became a Rastafarian.

Apostle Lex said, "I went back and became a Rastaman. I smoked weed and had locks. But during my life, I heard somebody speak to me saying 'this is not you'."

He eventually cut the locks in 2002. However, his life changed on July 23, 2003 when he became a Christian. Since then his life has been different as he started attending the Whole Life Ministry Bible Training Centre. He then began to use his writing talent to spread the Christian word.

"What I really do is poetry. It is a mix of deejay style with singing so some people say it has a rap thing to it. What I do comes across as comical, but it's practical, biblical and spiritual," he said.

"I am conscious of the fact that this is the ministry and not about me but the person that has given me this gift," Lex said.

Sharing his gift

He has been sharing his gift with many students across the island through motivational speeches. In addition, he has performed at Praise House and Fun in the Son. Funerals, corporate functions and weddings are also some of the places he delivers his message. He also plans to perform in the Bahamas this summer.

Apostle Lex has done a promotional track called When You Bless and he says the response has been good.

Based on the blessing that he has received, he plans to help others who want to get into gospel music. In addition to trying to reach lost souls, he wants to stage a concert in aid of his friend who has cancer, as well as help street people.