– Rondel `Disi’ Holder has touched many with his music

By Abigail Brower
IT HAS been several years since he was named the King of Rap in the Christian community, and his talent is so unique that it is hard to imagine that the local music industry almost lost him to the medical field, but a change of heart prevented that from happening.

Born here in Guyana on August 20, 1995, Rondel was taken to Jamaica at a very young age where he was raised by his grandmother. It was while living in the reggae island that he became involved in music. “My uncle and I always competed to see who knew the lines of the famous Jamaican gospel artiste Papa San,” he said. “It was a competition of clarity and knowledge.”

Rondel read a lot and grew into a child that loved spending his time at public libraries and this later developed into a love for writing. He became a mainstay on the music scene after being inspired by his youth leader, Glendon Hanover, and gospel singer, Samuel Medas. “I know I can bring anything musically to both of them because they are both musicians,” Rondel said. “When I feel my music is not right, it’s just not cutting or like I should just really give up and do a regular job like everybody else, my mentors would always give me that reassurance to stay and remind me of the phrase ‘God brought you this far, then don’t let the stumbling block stop you, you’re going to overcome it; you’re going to be strong, just persevere’,” he said.

Today, Rondel oversees teams of several musicians, including Valon aka Onasay Roberts and Gavery aka Shaquille. Among his many works is an album that was launched in 2013 by a record label from Barbados named ‘The Blood Washer Occurrence’. But due to hiccups in the band and financial reasons, only one song came out successful and that was ‘I am Royalty’. Rondel has also been involved in several events and shows in and out of Guyana.

Rondel’s immersion in music is precisely why his profile gets captured again and again by the media, and today he is well-known as a rapper, singer, song writer and poet. He also recently completed his Bachelor’s Degree in Medical Technology at the University of Guyana and is a team player for the University’s basketball club. He strongly believes that God created and gave him the spiritual intellect to make his music empower and reach the masses.

Holder does not omit God from his music; he includes and gives him the platform. “I know I am not the first to have such major impact by conjoining the secular with the gospel. God is literally transforming me in the spotlight to do his work,” he said.
Rondel is a passionate activist for people who are in need of knowing Jesus. Among his works are several church visits where he conducts mentoring for young people. He spreads the gospel in his music and action. It is his ambition to empower society through the message in his songs, sharing and exchanging technical skills and talent with artists from all walks of life and races.

He is energetic and driven in his philosophy as regards his faith and music production in Guyana. He believes that with his work in the Christian community, while he continues to make music and serve at church, he will continue to leave a lasting impression on his fans by talking to them about Christian rap, the role of creators and entertainers in the church, and how he feels God is pushing him out of his own comfort zone.
Poised to fill a void in today’s gospel industry, Rondel is an undeniable talent. “Even though my high preference is to stay in the creative industry than the medical field, I would stop doing music if it doesn’t influence the people anymore,” he admitted.

Rondel is gearing up to release another album by March 2018 called ‘Next Level’. He described this album as “a very sensitive project”; a representation of where his Christian walk and relationship with God are. Holder’s approach to the gospel scene is heralded as a breath of fresh air since his debut album which was released in 2013. He believes that since his inspiration came from God, his dreams and the people, Rondel knows that it is his calling.

“This is what God has been telling me. It is time to move away from these mundane things and to get to another place in living just by moving up, but at the same time it’s going to be hard, it’s going to be tough… And so for a long time I have been resisting because I’m saying to myself I don’t want to go there it’s been a really scary place, so this album is a marking transition,” he said.

His advice to young people who are seeking to get closer to God is “find people who are trying to get close to God, read God’s word, pray with those people and ensure you find mentors to help you enhance more in the Christian life.”