George Rose went from making music in his bedroom to hanging with Lil Jon, Nick Cannon and Cardi B. George Rose is the son of a pastor, dancer, music producer and extremely talented artist. That talent got him opportunities to work with some of the biggest names in music but during that time he turned away from his faith and fell into the trap of addiction. In this powerful interview we will hear where George found Hope when things felt so hopeless.
View this video with George Rose, and other interviews with BOOST artists videos on the BOOST Radio YouTube Channel.
Read This Conversation With George.Rose Here
NTEG:
We got a very, very special guest in the studio. When I first saw you in the hall and I seen that smile I felt anointed, man. I praise God for you being here. You want to introduce yourself?
George.Rose:
Man, I’m George.Rose and I’m from St. Louis, raised in Dallas, and I live in Kentucky. So that’s a lot, but figure it out.
NTEG:
Very cultured. So, you are PK?
George.Rose:
I’m a PK. Straight up.
NTEG:
What was that like growing up? Was the spotlight always on you? Did you feel like you had to be perfect?
Nikki:
Wait, for people that don’t know what PK is, because everybody don’t know what a PK is, a pastor’s kid.
George.Rose:
Pastor’s kid.
NTEG:
Pastor’s kid.
Nikki:
Yes. Yes. Yes.
NTEG:
I feel like people think when the spotlight is on them as a PK, they got to be perfect. Was that your story?
George.Rose:
We were raised in it, so all of our friends were pastors’ kids.
NTEG:
Got you.
George.Rose:
So, yeah, there’s definitely a spotlight, where my parents were pastors, but they also knew how to separate it so we wouldn’t feel locked in.
NTEG:
Yeah.
George.Rose:
But there definitely is a spotlight.
Nikki:
Being a pastor’s kid, reading your story, you’re in Texas and you’re around the whole movement of riding dirty community.
George.Rose:
Yeah. Yep. Yep.
Nikki:
How do you go from-
NTEG:
Oh, I love this.
Nikki:
How do you go from being the pastor’s kid, with your tambourine and stuff?
George.Rose:
Hallelujah. Come on now.
Nikki:
And now you in the streets.
George.Rose:
Yeah, I’m in there.
Nikki:
With the drugs. I mean, I’m just saying. So how do you get from that? What happened? Or is it just life just happens and your circle changes?
George.Rose:
Yeah, I moved out when I was around 20-21, moved out, and from that moment, I had the veil that was over my eyes. Just sheltered.
NTEG:
Yeah, they covered you from stuff.
George.Rose:
Yeah, moved out and within that same year, when I turned 21, I lost my virginity that year and I did my first drug that year.
Nikki:
Oh, you was turnt up.
NTEG:
Turnt up.
George.Rose:
Oh, it was on.
Nikki:
You was like, “I’m out the house now. We about to let it go.”
George.Rose:
My excuse was, I’m grown and, why? And so that started destruction. During that time I was still making music. I was making beats in my room.
NTEG:
Yeah.
George.Rose:
But a lot of people didn’t know I was a professional dancer before. That’s how I made my money. Backup dancing for artists.
Nikki:
Who did you back up for? We wanted to know that.
George.Rose:
So there was an artist in Dallas, his name was Townsend. He was a young kid at the time. I would do competitions at Disney World, like competitive dancing, do all that good stuff, and shout out to Fenton Fulgham, who was my choreographer in Dallas. I think he’d back up dance for Janet Jackson back in the day.
NTEG:
Wow. Having a relationship with God, obviously growing up in the church, when you started to tap into more of the worldly lifestyle, the drugs and things like that, how did you feel like God saw you at that moment?
George.Rose:
He still loved me and I was the guy.
NTEG:
That’s hope right there.
George.Rose:
Because I was the guy in our friend group that would be messed up out of our mind. And at the end of the night, “I’m sorry, Jesus, I’m sorry.”
Nikki:
You was praying and probably laying hands on people, yeah. Church boy.
George.Rose:
I know my friends are probably like “here he go again.” But that was me. My parents always taught me, no matter what, you always ask for forgiveness.
NTEG:
You’re giving hope to somebody right now, especially somebody who are right now listening to this, who know the Lord, love the Lord, but they may be caught up in some things.
George.Rose:
Yes.
NTEG:
And they may feel like that they’re disposable to God and you showing from your story that we’re not that disposable to God just because we may have a way that we go or a backslide moment, things like that. So you offering hope to somebody now.
Nikki:
And even with that, God was still opening doors for you.
George.Rose:
He was.
Nikki:
To get to this moment right here, right now.
George.Rose:
He knew what he was doing.
Nikki:
“I know you out there drugging. You done lost your mind. You’re 21, you done left the house, you done gone crazy. But I still have a purpose for you. I still have. I need you to walk this out.”
George.Rose:
Yes.
Nikki:
“However we going to get there, I need you to get there.”
George.Rose:
Yes.
Nikki:
So yeah. Okay.
NTEG:
That’s powerful man. And that led to your own record label. How long between the time you were working with that group and that collective to transpiring into opening, starting your own label?
George.Rose:
So I built a relationship with playing skills and amazing brothers. Amazing.
Nikki:
Grammy Award winning,
George.Rose:
Grammy Award winning. So I went from making music in my room to being with Lil Jon. You know, we were in a club like Nick Cannon.
Nikki:
You was turnt.
George.Rose:
We was like Bun, B.
Nikki:
Yo, that’s ill.
George.Rose:
But I learned a lot and on how to move. And a lot of people and a lot of artists, Secular and Christian don’t know how to move. And so that was a big thing. I learned how to maneuver when you meet bigger artists. Don’t be thirsty, do your job and get out. And Lenny could tell you, he was in the industry too. I mean Erykah, Badu, he worked. But did all of that, ended up branching on my own, and really started fine-tuning my sound. And years later, I left music completely. God took me out and then he said, “go back, but I want you to go back Christian rap.” And so that was 2018, started that, met Eric, and then started the lifestyle journey from there.
Nikki:
So my question is, you were addicted. Tell everybody what you were addicted to because I want people to know, because there’s people listening that has the same exact addictions and they need to know that, “oh, he had that too. If he can overcome, then I can overcome.”
George.Rose:
Well my first drug ever, even before weed was ecstasy. So that opened the door for everything. But the main one that I was struggling on was cocaine. That was the one that almost took my family, my wife, away from me. My own mother told my wife at the time was like, “it’s okay if you leave.” And I love my mother for that, because I had a wife and a son. My mama like, nah.
Nikki:
So you had a wife and a son while you were strung out.
George.Rose:
Oh yeah.
Nikki:
See we got a lot of little layers that build back here, because we need the wife. So I know that your mother is a big reason that you got clean. She called you once, twice, three times. On that third call, she basically says you’re going to die. That’s the moment that you, what was that like when she called? Because she had already called once. She had already called twice. I’m pretty sure people around you might’ve been saying stuff like, “yo bro, what are you doing, man?”
George.Rose:
Yeah.
Nikki:
Take us back to that day when your mom called you, let’s go. What were you doing that whole morning? How did it go?
George.Rose:
I don’t really remember the exact day, but I remember the phone call and she was crying. I could tell she was.
NTEG:
You picked up. She was crying.
George.Rose:
Yeah, and she was like, “George, God said that if you don’t stop doing what you’re doing, you’re going to die.” And so when the Lord talks to you, it wasn’t new to me, it was kind of like, okay, I’m going to listen. But the thing that really took me out was that really hit me. But she said, “your son,” because I only had one kid at the time and it was George III. It’s like your son has your name and he’s going to follow in your footsteps. And that took me out.
NTEG:
Was that one of the hardest moments you experienced during your addiction, or what was that hardest moment that you can look back and say, “that was one of the ones that was hard for me to really get through?”
George.Rose:
Lying to my wife. Lying to her about where I was going.
Nikki:
So you would tell her, “hey, I’m about to go to the store,” and you’ll go.
George.Rose:
I was going to the trap houses in Dallas. It was bad. The trap house when you walk in and you hear, you know.
Nikki:
No, I don’t know. Tell me about the trap house.
George.Rose:
I mean look, you walk in and they got guns. But this is not godly favor at all.
NTEG:
Did you ever feel like, before your mom called you that time, that you were going to die?
George.Rose:
Oh yeah,
NTEG:
What was that like?
George.Rose:
I mean, there was nights where I would be in bed and my heart would be, and I’d be sitting there like, “oh,” and I’ll just start asking God to forgive me just in case I died. And my wife’s laying right there and I’m just, multiple nights that way and she was mad at me. It was just terrible. There was nights where it was terrible.
NTEG:
And I’m assuming now you guys are married, she stayed.
Nikki:
So my question is, for anybody listening that’s dealing with a spouse or a brother or sister that has an addiction, what should they be doing to support you to help you? Because certain people have, “oh, I’m going to take you to rehab. You’re just going to go or I’m going to curse you out. I’m going to have an intervention.” What is the best way to approach someone that you love that has an addiction, that worked for you?
George.Rose:
Love them through it, but have a hard line or an “I will leave.” Or if there’s a family, yeah, I will leave. God will even get to a point to where he will never leave you, but he’ll take his hand off you.
Nikki:
Did you feel that at any point? Did God take his hand off you?
George.Rose:
It was getting there. It was getting there. Because right after I stopped, fentanyl hit the streets and started killing people.
NTEG:
Hallelujah. Praise God.
George.Rose:
And so God meant what He said. It wasn’t no spiritual day, a “you going to die.”
Speaker 4:
Yeah.
George.Rose:
So I would just say, just love that person. Don’t give up on them. But there will come a point where you will need to, this is it. If you want to continue to do what you do, okay. And that’s hard for me to say, but my wife told me, she was like, “hey, I will take him away.”
Nikki:
I bet she’s so just standing back in awe of you now.
George.Rose:
Oh yeah.
Nikki:
In awe of you and God and how far you’ve come.
George.Rose:
I would tell her, I’d be like, “look, I’m going to get through this. I’m not going to stay in this.”
NTEG:
Is that what made her stay?
George.Rose:
It was Jesus.
NTEG:
Amen.
George.Rose:
Because even before we got married and stuff, and I was a butt head back then and she wanted to leave, but God told her, He was like, “stick it out.” It’s going to be worth it. So when you listening to the voice of God, I’m telling you, you got a good spouse, I’m telling you.
Nikki:
So your mother calls you, cries out to you. What’s your next step? What are the resources that you use because you knew you had to get out of that and never go back?
George.Rose:
I think I deleted all the drug numbers that I had.
Nikki:
That’s big.
George.Rose:
Stopped hanging out with my friends. And these are my best friends.
NTEG:
You had to change.
George.Rose:
They still my best friends today. And they’re clean. They’re clean now.
Nikki:
Oh, that’s good.
George.Rose:
And I know it was because I stepped out and they watched like, “oh man, George can do it.”
NTEG:
Wow.
George.Rose:
But stopped going to the same places I was going, and really the biggest thing was locking in with Jesus and getting back into church. That’s it really. Church.
Nikki:
You became a youth director?
George.Rose:
Yeah, so me and my wife were like the children’s directors.
Nikki:
Yeah.
George.Rose:
Children’s ministry runs heavy in my family. My parents were children’s pastors and so that’s kind of where the youthfulness comes in. And we’re actually over children’s ministry right now at a church.
NTEG:
Let’s go.
George.Rose:
In Kentucky. And so I’m a firm believer in not just being an artist, but also if you’re a Christian artist. And I know it’s a lot. There’s a lot. But find somewhere to plug in and serve. Stay humble. Go clean some toilets.
NTEG:
That’s good stuff, man.
Nikki:
Listen.
NTEG:
That is good stuff. So walk us through. You said your mom said your son was going to follow in your ways. You kicking this addiction, kicking this habit to being able to baptize your own son.
George.Rose:
Oh yeah.
NTEG:
What feelings were involved in that, man?
George.Rose:
Just crying.
NTEG:
I got two sons, so I can imagine.
George.Rose:
I’m trying not to cry right now.
NTEG:
That’s all right, go do it.
Nikki:
I’m really about to cry. I think it’s okay because I’m sitting here trying to fight back.
George.Rose:
I’m a crier so I know it’s going to come.
Nikki:
I don’t want to fight because it’s a beautiful story.
George.Rose:
Yeah.
Nikki:
It’s an amazing story.
NTEG:
It’s like the rose that grew from the concrete.
Nikki:
George Rose.
NTEG:
George Rose.
George.Rose:
Yeah.
NTEG:
Hey, that’s powerful, bro.
Nikki:
You know?
George.Rose:
Just to see my son, and he wanted to. I didn’t make him, he wanted to. And it was spontaneous. We were doing baptisms that day.
NTEG:
Yeah.
George.Rose:
And at the end of service the pastor was like, “hey, is there anybody else?” And George wanted to do it. And so we were like, okay.
NTEG:
How old was he?
George.Rose:
Six.
NTEG:
And that’s because of your example. Not to say your wife wasn’t involved in it, but as a father, man, you setting a great example, bro. Wow.
George.Rose:
So I’m literally in. I’m just like, this is what it’s about.
NTEG:
Yeah.
George.Rose:
Yeah, that’s it.
Nikki:
Did your son know that you were addicted or anything? Did he see anything to know now, “dad overcame this?”
George.Rose:
Not yet. He will be eight years old next year, so he’ll learn. I mean, he hears my testimony, and one day it’s going to click. Like, “dang, daddy, you was on drugs?” Yeah.
NTEG:
Yeah.
George.Rose:
You know? Because no telling what, Lord Jesus, what your kids, our kids are going through are going to go through. It is even more intense now. I couldn’t imagine being in school. But yeah, he’ll find out soon or he’ll be able to fully understand it.
Nikki:
It’s a beautiful thing. So after all of this experience, what does hope look like for George Rose?
Speaker 4:
It’s all right.
Nikki:
No, you deserve to let.
NTEG:
You deserve it, brother.
Nikki:
You deserve it. You deserve it, man. The way God had his hand on you and just took all them thorns out of you and made you into this rose that you are now that’s taking over the radio. You got songs on the radio like your son is getting baptized, you with your wife, not your girlfriend, not your ex, not your baby, with your wife, your kids, like you’re pouring into the church. It is just a really beautiful story. It is.
George.Rose:
I mean, what was the question again? Because I started crying.
Nikki:
I don’t even know.
NTEG:
I was going to say, you got the perfect name, bro.
Nikki:
George Rose from the Concrete.
George.Rose:
Oh, hope.
Nikki:
What does hope look like for you?
George.Rose:
It looks like sacrificing your family living with your parents and her parents for about almost four years, to chase this dream of being a full-time artist, and now being able to move into your own place on Monday.
NTEG:
Congratulations.
George.Rose:
Well I don’t know when this is going. When we get back.
NTEG:
Congratulations.
George.Rose:
And God did it.
NTEG:
God put me on. God put me on.
George.Rose:
Shout out to Miles Moya, come on. But God did it. Every answer is Jesus. Not chakras, not Enneagram, Jesus. Read Matthew, get into the Bible, learn about Jesus, learn how he walked, talked, breathed. I just finished Matthew for the first time. Learn Jesus and you will find hope. That’s it. I ain’t going to give you no “ahh.” Matthew, Jesus. You’ll find the greatest hope. You will see, the greatest hope ever for us. No matter what situation you’re in, God will come through. So yeah, that’s what hope looks like. Cling on to Jesus, spend time with him. And I used this analogy for my best friend when he was struggling with believing in God. And I remember I was on the phone crying. He grew up in church too. And I said, “dude, please just imagine you hanging on a cliff and all you have, you got five fingers and you holding on and they start slipping.” I said, “as long as you got one finger, keep the one finger on it. Don’t let go completely. Stay the course. Keep running after Jesus. Keep running.”
Nikki:
Do you have a favorite scripture?
George.Rose:
Oh, yeah. Second Timothy one seven. “God’s not giving me a spirit of fear, but a power of love and a sound mind.” I have that tatted on my arm. It was my first tattoo. And David, no fear. God has not given you a spirit of fear, but of power, love, sound mind, peace. And so operate in that. Whenever you get fearful, “can I do this?” Or whenever God has you stepping out into faith because this whole thing is faith. The whole radio station, this is faith. This is stepping out like God, I know you’re going to supply our needs. Second Timothy one seven.
NTEG:
Writing it down.
George.Rose:
Yeah, man, come on now. Faith. That’s that faith walk.
Nikki:
I’m just excited for you. You know what I mean? You on this Anointed Experience tour, you went literally like, what’s the song 1K Phew, “from the trap house to the church house.” Seriously. You know what I mean? And there’s people out there that are struggling now and going through that same addiction, whether they’re addicted to coke, pills, weed, and they’re hopeless and they know God has a purpose for them, but it’s hard to see when your mind is clouded. You got smoke everywhere, people that aren’t good for you. So your testimony is going to save a lot of lives and God kept you around for that very reason.
George.Rose:
Amen. That’s what it’s about.
