Jesus Freak Hideout featured Nathan Jarrelle for an in-depth conversation surrounding his album Beyond Your Reach, Christian hip-hop, songwriting, faith, and the purpose behind his music.
The feature, conducted by Michael Weaver, accompanies Jesus Freak Hideout’s review of Beyond Your Reach and explores the story behind an album built around honest discussions of faith, doubt, depression, personal struggle, Scripture, and hope in Jesus Christ.
Released January 15, 2020, Beyond Your Reach is an eight-track hip-hop album produced by Damian Alston. Songs including “John 1:4-5,” “Like Jesus,” “Know the Boy,” “Through These Tears,” and “Beyond Your Reach (Acts 17:27)” approach Christian music through personal storytelling rather than separating faith from difficult human experiences.
WHY NATHAN JARRELLE WRITES ABOUT FAITH AND STRUGGLE
During the interview, Jarrelle explains that he never wanted to create generic, “one size fits all” music.
Instead, his approach to songwriting is rooted in meeting listeners where they are. By writing honestly about his own struggles, Jarrelle uses Christian hip-hop as a way to remind listeners that they are not alone while pointing them toward the hope he finds in Jesus Christ.
The conversation also traces Jarrelle’s development as a writer. Before songwriting and rap, he began writing short stories as a child, influenced by R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps and Fear Street books. Poetry and journaling followed during his teenage years and eventually became a foundation for his songwriting.
THE STORY BEHIND “LIKE JESUS”
Jesus Freak Hideout also highlights “Like Jesus,” a track inspired in part by the famous “Be Like Mike” concept associated with Michael Jordan.
Jarrelle explains that the song grew out of his own struggle with comparison. Rather than aspiring to become another artist or cultural icon, “Like Jesus” redirects that desire toward the person Jarrelle believes is actually worthy of imitation: Jesus Christ.
The spoken-word section at the end of the song was not scripted beforehand, adding another personal element to one of the album’s central records.
SCRIPTURE BEHIND BEYOND YOUR REACH
Scripture is deliberately built into the identity of Beyond Your Reach.
The interview explores the significance of John 1:4-5 and Acts 17:27, which directly inspired songs on the album. Jarrelle describes these passages through the relationship between darkness and light and the belief that God remains near even during seasons of doubt, fear and disappointment.
That idea ultimately sits at the heart of Beyond Your Reach: darkness can be acknowledged without allowing it to have the final word.
Jesus Freak Hideout’s accompanying review praised the album’s smooth production, Christ-centered writing and Jarrelle’s willingness to address difficult subjects while remaining grounded in Scripture.
Listen to Beyond Your Reach by Nathan Jarrelle below.