Daily Inspiration: Meet Aric B.

Today we’d like to introduce you to Aric B.

Hi Aric, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I started singing in the church at five years of age. My Grandfather is a Pastor on the Southwest side of the city, and he greatly influenced all of my gifts, for music, for ministry, and for creativity I general. My mother and father were also instrumental in helping me to foster my gifts, encouraging me to believe in my abilities as an artist. I can remember at age ten wanting to be on American Idol. I would go into my parent’s room after each episode and practice my audition for them until they said “Yes.” My Dad was a celebrity Barber and I would beg him to take me around his clients so I could sing for R&B artists like Keith Sweat, Usher, and Musiq Soulchild. I was certainly unprepared for what the music industry would give me at the time, but I didn’t let the length of my process stifle my growth. I kept praying to God and believing that one day, someone would hear my music. By age 15, I was leading worship at a very large church in Decatur and had also started a Holy Hip Hop group called 3G. Our goal was to be signed to Reach Records. However, my personal goals of attending Morehouse led me in a different direction. I attended Morehouse College and become a minister with the Chapel Assistants program.

Later I became the Youth Pastor at the church I grew up in where my Grandfather pastored. At Morehouse, I was privileged to meet and collaborate with amazing artists and creatives in the AUC. Many of them who’ve gone off to have amazing, record-breaking, award-winning careers as artists and songwriters. After Morehouse, I was blessed with a scholarship to Harvard University to complete my Master of Divinity Degree. While in Massachusetts, I rediscovered my love for music, art, and creativity. It wouldn’t leave me alone. I started writing and recording again. By this time, many things in my personal life had changed, including my belief in God and Religion, sexuality, relationships, church and life in general. Therefore, I couldn’t just make music just to make music anymore. I had to be authentic in order for it to work. I think it was purely spiritual because once I made the decision to be myself, amazing connections started coming from everywhere. From those connections, I trained with some incredible creatives who’ve set careers like H.E.R., Kehlani, and K. Michelle in motion. I then reconnected with a producer and friend of mine LaCo Music based in Atlanta who was also attending the church I led worship at when I was 15. We started writing and creating. Our hunger for the creative process matched perfectly and we made my latest EP “Diary of A Mad Saint.” This project is an honest, vulnerable, purely experiential survey of a Christian experience in the modern world. This work chronicles my personal but rocky relationship with God, Religion, and the Church. Each song is an emotional representation of joy, pain, fear, criticism, faith, and spiritual responsibility. It seeks to connect with folks who have experienced the highs and lows of religion, with a culminating message of encouragement and hope to keep the faith and remember that God is the center of life. So far, it’s broken all of my musical records and I know it’s only up from here!

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Simply put, it has not been easy! It’s been a lifelong struggle. Not necessarily an external struggle, but an internal struggle to discover my highest self. My biological father was killed in a car accident five months before I was born. Growing up, there was always a gap in my identity. I always wondered what life would be like if he was still here. The father I got by way of my Mother’s marriage is amazing! He was so instrumental in helping me to hold the pieces of my humanity together without the answers I felt like I never got from God about my father’s death. So much mental confusion, uncertainty, and expectation to live up to my Father’s legacy at the church my grandfather pastored weighed on me. My blackness, my queerness, my gifts, and my talents could not be reconciled until I came to grips with my truth and accepted the cards God dealt me. I can finally say that I’m here now, and this new project is a reflection of that!

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
My most recent accomplishment and work of art is an EP entitled “Diary of A Mad Saint.” I am most excited about the liberation that is about to take shape in the world through this work. In my opinion, so many churchgoers are frustrated with the institution of church, its methods, and its functions. But they don’t know what to do about it or if they can do anything about it. This project gives voice to those experiences. Those folks who’ve been abused, mistreated, excluded for their differences, and longing for community, even as ex-members of churches is who I hope to connect with. Professionally, this has been a long journey. I’ve been singing for about 20 years with some vocal training and choir experience, but I got my musical start in church. I’ve also been writing songs almost as long as I’ve been singing. In high school, I’d toured and traveled as a background vocalist for Gospel acts in the industry but couldn’t seem to find my own lane. After graduating from Morehouse and Harvard, I was forced to accept my own differences in image and sound to realize that I was gifted to do what I do. What I have learned the most through this process is to be yourself in all the ways you can. It’s imperative to be yourself because there is a village called to your voice. The folks who are waiting to hear from you, be encouraged by your spirit, and be ministered to by your gifts will not find you if you are busy pretending to be someone else! Be your gifted self and don’t allow fear to place a wedge between where you are now and your destiny. What I want the world to know about my art is that it is a representation of my most authentic self. I’ve never been so free. I’ve never been so bold. I’ve never been so honest and it feels so good! Topics on church, religion, culture, spirituality, sexuality, relationships, and life in general are my personal interests and the fact that I get to talk about these things in my music is a major blessing. As I continue on the path to liberation, I hope to encourage others to begin taking their own steps toward liberation. Everyone has divine connection with the spirit whether they acknowledge it or not! Imagine what could happen if we all tapped into our highest self, our most productive self, our most vulnerable self. There would be not space for competition or self-deprecation. This is the goal of my work and my art.

Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the Covid-19 Crisis?
Definitely! I learned that life is not promised, no matter how much time you think you have. I also learned that you have to cherish each and every moment as an opportunity to maximize your potential. I also learned that you cannot be afraid of the dreams and visions God gives you. Take every idea into consideration. Allow your spirit to lead you with the truth. And I’ve started to live by the four agreements by Miguel Ruiz: Be impeccable with your word. Don’t take anything personal. Never make assumptions. Always do your best.

Contact Info:

• Email: aricbflemmingjr@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aricbmusic/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AricBMusic
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/aricbspeaks
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCEXurnM05yx3-olr-1vTnA
• SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/aricbmusic

Image Credits
Photos by Hunnus