What happens when the church that raised you becomes the engine of your art? We sit down with actor, singer, and five-generation Kojic kid Mark JP Hood to trace the real PK grind—from family band Fridays on Chicago’s South Side to leading on BET+’s Churchy and shaping arena stages. Mark calls church a conservatory, and he means it: that’s where he learned presence, memorization, leadership, and emotional connection long before red lights and call sheets.

We go deep on creative roots and safeguards. Mark shares how his parents balanced holiness with exposure, taking him to Broadway tours and Tyler Perry productions that unlocked his vision. Inside Churchy, he lifts the hood on a culture of respect: heart-first leadership from Kevin Fredericks, writers who rewrite to his voice, and a simple boundary—jokes shouldn’t break what’s sacred. It’s reverent comedy that laughs with the pews, not at them.

We also tackle the state of gospel music and the numbers that don’t tell the whole story. Mark unpacks how CCLI inflates CCM metrics while many Black churches “just sing it,” making choir-driven gospel look smaller on paper than it is in culture. Then we get practical: invoicing church expenses instead of quietly covering them, building healthier infrastructure so pastors’ families don’t burn out, and ending the bad habit of publicly shaming musicians. Along the way, we talk streaming routines born in the pandemic, finding covering at Cali Worship, praise-break tempos by region, and a new Lifetime lead—Preach Pray Love—where Mark plays a young, progressive pastor navigating image and intimacy.

If faith, culture, and craft matter to you, this conversation will feel like home and a nudge forward. Stream now, share it with a PK who’ll get every reference, and tap follow so you don’t miss the next candid deep dive. If it challenged you or made you laugh, leave a review and tell us your favorite praise-break BPM.

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