Paul DeShield had modest expectations when he released his album last month. But De Shield of Faith caught the attention of Rapzilla. The leading Christian hip-hop platform featured the project among its submission picks and included it in a release-day round-up. “I did feel like the songs were good, and the album was put together in a way that was presentable. But [the acknowledgement] was unexpected,” said Mr DeShield, who recorded it under his stage name, Eminence.

“Maybe it's that Bermuda mentality where I felt I’m just this guy from Bermuda who put out an album, but I didn't feel like it would get much recognition.”

De Shield of Faith brought together two very important parts of his life: music and ministry.

“The album weaves 73 scripture references from 24 books of the Bible through the nine tracks. The Scripture Map ties every reference to the exact line that carries it, so listeners can follow the bars back into the Word for themselves,” he said.

“There's also a nine-week Bible study guide built for youth groups and small groups with scripture, themes, and discussion prompts for every track — getting people into the Bible through the music is the whole point.”

Raised in the Seventh-day Adventist Church and educated at Bermuda Institute, faith was a constant.

He started rapping with friends as a teenager, experimenting with GarageBand, Apple’s music-making software, and performing at Chewstick and other open mics.

At Oakwood University in Alabama, Mr DeShield studied ministry, theology and chaplaincy before earning a master’s in divinity from La Sierra University in California.

He then began full-time ministry in San Francisco, at one point pastoring at one church on Saturdays and playing drums at another on Sundays.

“Those two pieces, music and ministry, putting those two pieces together is where the album sprang up out of — this idea that I want to have a project that is a full culmination of everything that has been a part of my life since the very beginning,” he said.

For Mr DeShield, that meant creating an album firmly rooted in Christianity while ensuring the music stood on its own

“I wanted it to be looked at as a project that is not just coming out of the ministry for ministry's sake, but I wanted the music to be something that any fan of hip-hop can appreciate,” he said.

“I really pride myself in really being a student of the craft and honing the skills of hip-hop, of rap music, of lyricism.”

Growing up, he didn’t think it would ever be that simple.

“Specifically in the SDA church, rap music was something that's frowned upon — and this is something that is across different denominations — but rap music is seen as something that is not godly or not spiritual, something that couldn't be presented in a church format,” he said.

“I always saw that as something that didn't really resonate with me. When I was rapping, it was always positive. You can put [rap and religion] together and create something that is intrinsically and inherently gospel, but also inherently hip-hop. You don't have to separate it or diminish it to make something that is authentic.”

As such, every song on De Shield of Faith is “authentic to scripture, authentic to the ministry, authentic to the gospel, but it's also authentic to hip-hop”.

The nine-track album draws on the Biblical armour of God and is also a play on Mr DeShield’s surname.

“The shield of faith is really about reminding you that you have a purpose in life. [It’s] reminding you that if you are going to be moving forward in positivity, that there's redemption for you, there is a future for you. You can move forward in life and be successful and thrive,” he said.

He hopes the album inspires young people inside and outside the church with the confidence to pursue their own calling instead of reshaping themselves to meet other people’s expectations.

“Look for your shield of faith moment. Look for that thing that feels like you were made to do, [that you feel you] have to do, regardless of what tradition may say, regardless of what society may say.”

Most of the project was developed this year, but some songs he wrote years ago — Moments That Matter, a tribute to his late father, was written after his death in 2021. There’s also mention of Bermuda and the gombeys.

“It's someone that still has a heart on the rock, and that's something that I really wanted to be a part of the project,” Mr DeShield said.

“It's a project that comes from my full life experience. Even the title of the album. It’s De Shield of Faith, which is almost like The Shield of Faith. But if you're in Bermuda, you're like, that's De Shield of Faith, right? It's kind of rooted in that Bermuda identity at its core.”

• De Shield of Faith is available to stream on all major platforms. For more information visitdeshieldoffaith.com