Christian Pop Artist, Mogli the Iceburg, Lost His Mother as Kid and Found God as a Man
Gaelika Brown
In this episode of Testimony: A Musician’s Story I interview Indie Tribe artist, Mogli the Iceburg. Moglie was born in Long Beach, CA, but raised in Tennessee. Over the course of his life, he lived in Crossville, Knoxville, and Nashville, TN.
Mogli was an only child to Christian musician parents. Fans of his music know that you can’t box Mogli into a musical genre box. That’s probably because his parents exposed him to all types of music from Pearl Jam to Boyz II Men, and allowed him to naturally gravitate to the music of his choice.
Before his twelfth birthday, Mogli experienced loss in a major way when his mom passed away unexpectedly. A woman who was considered healthy to those around her had a heart attack at 40 years old. This flipped young Mogli’s perspective on life. He began to contemplate mortality, death, and his place in the world. It hardened him and made him grow up faster. But it also motivated him to live each day as though it was his last.
Being an adolescent who lost his mom had its challenges. And being an adolescent who is half Mexican and German in the middle of Tennessee presented its challenges as well. He was “the Mexican” and constantly reminded of how different he was. Thankfully, adolescence is only temporary, and eventually, he left his small town and studied at Middle Tennessee University. There is where his faith became his own. He formed relationships that cultivated him and allowed him to ask questions, without judgment. Mogli was curious about multiple religions and faith, so he studied Islam and Hinduism. He wanted to know why they believed what they believed. While he was exploring he was creating music too. But because he was straddling the fence when it came to his commitment to God, his music suffered. He didn’t think he could be a successful Christian artist. Then he discovered Andy Mineo’s Heroes For Sale album and was impressed with the artistry. Shortly after he met rapper and Reflection Music Group co-founder, Derek Minor on campus. Minor too was a student at the university. Through Minor, Mogli met another student, rapper Nobigdyl.
Mogli and Nobigdyl. decided to commit to making Christian music, and the seeds of the Indi Tribe Collective were planted and began to grow roots. We have watched the careers of the artists in the collective take off, like Whatup RG who is now signed to Lecrae’s Reach Records. Jarry Manna has had huge success with his joint projects with Parris Chariz, as well. In 2021 the collective announced that Cali rapper Jon Keith and DJ Mykael V were joining the collective. Shortly after they dropped the Upperhand album, and produced their inaugural Holy Smoke Festival in Atlanta, GA.
Music has deepened Mogli’s relationship with God. And once the pop Christian artist committed his faith to his music, he found much success. Whether he is screaming, singing, or rapping on track, the pop artist is drawing closer to the Lord with each musical note. “The writing process can be very powerful and emotional. A lot of times I clarify my thoughts about my relationship with God,” said Mogli.
Periodically, Mogli goes through a deconstruction and reconstruction of his faith. He looks at everything he believes in and takes it to the scriptures. He tries to identify what is cultural-dogma and what is the hard truth. However, his most impactful experiences with God come through people, “I experience God the most through my interactions with other people and how I see other people. And consequently, how I choose to treat other people”.
Key Points In Interview:
3:00 - Both Mogli the Iceburg’s parents were Christian musicians, and allowing him to have expressive agency in his music was important to them.
5:00 - He was born in Long Beach, CA. Moved to Crossville, TN when he was young. He explains that he is half Mexican and half German.
8:07 - Mogli’s mom passed away right before he turned 12. He discusses the challenges of growing up without her,
14: 40 - Mogli shares his Christian testimony. Additionally, he explains how he met Nobigdyl. through Derek Minor on their college campus.
24:00 - Breaking down his ethnicity and identity crisis growing up in middle America.
29:00 - He shares how he experiences God’s presence in his life. “I experience God the most through my interactions with other people and how I see other people. And consequently, how I choose to treat other people.”
32:00 - What’s Trending. Rockstar JT’s tweet about him smoking weed and still being a Christian. Mogli thinks it was an unnecessary post for Rockstar, because it is better to save certain conversations for dialogue than monologue. But Mogli is not a fan of people who have never experienced weed telling people who have had a positive experience that it is inappropriate and that they are going to hell. “We have the freedom to do everything. Not everything is beneficial. And all that requires context.”
39:00 - He shares his music start and the formation of Indie Tribe. 47:00 - 24K breakdown
01:03 - Mother Brown’s Prayer, and his explanation on how he came up with his stage name.
References Mentioned In This Interview By Mogli the Iceburg:
Suggested Artists Testimonies Mentioned By Mogli the Iceburg:
Connect with Mogli the Iceburg
Instagram: @moglitheiceburg