Darrell Lynn Bell, Jr. (born July 2, 1981), who goes by the stage name Stephen the Levite or STL abbreviation, is an American Christian hip hop musician. The Last Missionary was released by Lamp Mode Recordings in 2012.[1] This album would be his breakthrough release on the Billboard charts. He is a member of Christian hip hop collective The Collective, with Timothy Brindle and Zae da Blacksmith. He was also a member of the Christian hip hop group Redeemed Thought. He is known for his complex flow patterns and multi-syllable rhyme schemes.[citation needed]
Stephen the Levite | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Darrell Lynn Bell, Jr. |
| Also known as | Stephen the Levite (STL) |
| Born | July 2, 1981 San Diego County, California |
| Origin | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Genres | Christian hip hop, Urban contemporary gospel[1] |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter |
| Instrument(s) | vocals, singer-songwriter |
| Years active | 2001–present |
| Labels | Lamp Mode |
| Website | stephenthelevite |
Early life
editStephen the Levite was born Darrell Lynn Bell, Jr.,[2] in San Diego County, California on July 2, 1981.[2][3] to Darrell Lynn Bell, Sr. and Cheryl Bell (nee, Goodrum).
Music career
editStephen the Levite started making music in 2001.[3] He became signed to Lamp Mode Recordings in 2007. To Die Is Gain was his debut album and the second album was 2010's The Forerunner.[4] However, it took until 2012's The Last Missionary for the artist to crack the Billboard charts.[5] New Release Tuesday rated the album four stars out of five.[6] He is a member of Christian hip hop collective, The Collective, with Timothy Brindle and Zae da Blacksmith. Can I Be Honest? was rated four out of five by Indie Vision Music.[7] In 2020, He released his album Still Hungry.
Children
editStephen The Levite has four children. His first was born on February 4th, 2010. He works on a website called Scratch. His second was born on September 17, 2011. His third was born on April 28th, 2017. and finally, his last child was born August 30th, 2019. Though the children haven't appeared much recently, Levi, his firstborn, appears in the music video for "Sure Thing" by S.O., as well as Stephen's "S.O.S" music video. Brooklyn, his second born, also appears in that video.
Studio albums
edit| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions[5] | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Chr |
US Gos |
US Heat | ||
| To Die Is Gain[4] |
|
– | – | – |
| The Forerunner[4] |
|
– | – | – |
| The Last Missionary[1] |
|
45 | 20 | 43 |
| Can I Be Honest? |
|
– | – | – |
References
edit- ^ a b c New Release Tuesday. "The Last Missionary". New Release Tuesday. Retrieved February 11, 2015.
- ^ a b California Birth Index. "Darrell Lynn Bell, Born 07/02/1981 in California". California Birth Index. Retrieved February 11, 2015.
- ^ a b Stephen the Levite (2001). "Stephen the Levite's stream on SoundCloud". SoundCloud. Retrieved February 11, 2015.
- ^ a b c Cross Rhythms. "Stephen The Levite Artist Profile". Cross Rhythms. Retrieved February 11, 2015.
- ^ a b AllMusic. "Stephen the Levite Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved February 11, 2015.
{{cite web}}:|author=has generic name (help) - ^ Lacy, Dwayne (June 6, 2012). "Raw Beats Full of Inspiration". New Release Tuesday. Retrieved March 5, 2015.
- ^ Peronto, Anthony (November 24, 2014). "Stephen The Levite – Can I Be Honest?". Indie Vision Music. Retrieved March 5, 2015.