Christopher Jose Cooper (born November 17, 1966), professionally known as Soup the Chemist and Super C, was an American Christian hip hop musician and a pioneer of the Christian hip-hop movement. He was a member of the hip hop group Soldiers for Christ, also known as S.F.C., and as a solo artist, has released two studio albums, Dust in 2000 through BEC Recordings and Eargasmic Arrangements in 2003 through his own Beesyde Records label. He published an autobiography, Through My Windows, in 2014, through Dimlights Publishing.

Soup the Chemist
Birth nameChristopher Jose Cooper
Also known asSup the Chemist, Super C
Born (1966-11-17) November 17, 1966 (age 58)
New York
OriginRancho Cucamonga, California
GenresChristian hip hop
Occupation(s)Rapper, singer, songwriter, author
InstrumentVocals
Years active1984–present
LabelsBEC, Brainstorm, Broken, Word

Early life

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Christopher Jose Cooper was born on November 17,[1] 1966,[2] in New York, his father was George Muhammad L. Cooper and mother Joyce L. Cooper, now Jacquet (née Washington), whose grandmother was Lucretia Lee Washington. He moved to and was raised in Rancho Cucamonga, California, and graduated from Cajon High School in 1984.[3][4]

Career

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He began his music career in 1984, after graduating from high school.[3] Cooper's pursuit of Christian hip hop became evident after he watched the film Wild Style, regarded as the original hip hop music and culture movie.[5] Among Cooper's earliest influences are old-school rap acts such as Double Trouble, Run DMC, and EPMD.[6] Then known as Super C, he formed the hip hop group Soldiers for Christ, also known as S.F.C., which, alongside similar groups such as Freedom of Soul and P.I.D., helped pioneer Christian hip hop.[7][8] Under Cooper's auspices, the group released four studio albums.[7] Because of his pioneering role in the genre, he is sometimes called the "Godfather of Christian hip-hop".[8] He released a studio album, Dust, on January 31, 2000, through BEC Recordings.[9][10][11][12][13][14] The song "As the Sun Rises" from Dust features Jon Gibson and samples "Dust in the Wind" by Kansas.[15][16] The song, "Is This a Dream", from the album is the third of Chris Well's five songs in the October 2006 issue of CCM Magazine that is reported to "cast out fear".[17] Cooper wrote an autobiography, Through My Windows, published on February 3, 2014, through Dimlights Publishing.[18][19][20]

Discography

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Studio albums

  • Dust (31 January 2000, BEC)

References

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  1. ^ Soup TheChemist (November 13, 2015). "@therealpeace586: November Bros!! #BirthdayBros #5 #12 #17 cbrigandi @soupthechemist happy birthday Chris' @ Newport…". Google+. Retrieved February 1, 2016.
  2. ^ "U.S. Public Records Index". Family Search. 2009. 165512357.
  3. ^ a b Soup the Chemist (February 3, 2014). Through My Windows. Dimlights Publishing. Retrieved February 1, 2016.
  4. ^ Ingram II, Brenda M. "Sup the Chemist: Interview". GOSPELflava. Retrieved February 1, 2016.
  5. ^ Argyrakis, Andy. "Talent Pool: Wild Style; Sup the Chemist" (PDF). CCM Magazine (July 2000): 20. Retrieved February 12, 2015.
  6. ^ "GospelFlava.com - Articles - Sup The Chemist: Interview". www.gospelflava.com. Retrieved February 17, 2019.
  7. ^ a b Powell, Mark Allan (2002). Encyclopedia of Christian Contemporary Music. Peabody: Hendrickson Publisher. pp. 817. ISBN 1-56563-679-1.
  8. ^ a b "INTERVIEW: Christian rap pioneer Soup the Chemist talks about his upcoming book on the history of holy hip hop". Jesus Musik. Retrieved February 8, 2016.
  9. ^ Urbanski, Dave. "Sup the Chemist: Dust" (PDF). CCM Magazine (May 2000): 80. Retrieved February 12, 2015.
  10. ^ Vest, Matt (January 18, 2003). "Sup the Chemist, "Dust" Review". Jesus Freak Hideout. Retrieved February 1, 2016.
  11. ^ Farmer, Michial (February 20, 2000). "Sup the Chemist – Dust (Farmer)". The Phantom Tollbooth. Retrieved February 1, 2016.
  12. ^ Marihugh, Josh (March 5, 2000). "Sup the Chemist – Dust (Marihugh)". The Phantom Tollbooth. Retrieved February 1, 2016.
  13. ^ Jolly, Tommy (April 25, 2000). "Sup the Chemist – Dust (Jolly)". The Phantom Tollbooth. Retrieved February 1, 2016.
  14. ^ Ingram II, Brenda (January 31, 2000). "Reviews – Sup the Chemist (Dust)". GOSPELflava. Retrieved February 1, 2016.
  15. ^ "As The Sun Rises (feat. Jon Gibson) [Music Download]". www.christianbook.com. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
  16. ^ "Sup The Chemist: Dust - Music on Google Play". Retrieved April 17, 2018.
  17. ^ Well, Chris. "UNMASKED CCM: List-O-Rama: Ooh, Scary: 5 Songs That Cast Out Fear" (PDF). CCM Magazine (October 2006): 23. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2016. Retrieved February 12, 2015.
  18. ^ Sketch the Journalist (May 9, 2013). "INTERVIEW: Christian rap pioneer Soup the Chemist talks about his upcoming book on the history of holy hip hop". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved February 1, 2016.
  19. ^ Lassiter, Chris (May 8, 2014). "Looking Through Soup's Windows". S.O.U.LMag (22): 44. Retrieved February 1, 2016.
  20. ^ Lory, Josh (April 2014). "Soup the Chemist – Through My Window". Down the Line Zine (March 2014): 50. Retrieved February 12, 2015.
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