Fivio Foreign is publicly embracing a new chapter centered on Christianity, taking one of his clearest steps yet over the weekend when the Brooklyn rapper was baptized in a pool surrounded by people dressed in white.

Fivio shared video of the baptism on Sunday, August 23, showing himself being immersed in water as gospel music played in the background. Rather than treating the ceremony as another promotional moment surrounding his music, the rapper accompanied the footage with a personal message about the commitment he had just made: “I got baptized today. I pray I keep the promises I made to God.”

The baptism comes during a significant period of personal and musical change for Fivio, who became one of the defining voices of Brooklyn drill through records such as “Big Drip” before reaching an even larger audience through collaborations with Kanye West, Drake, Lil Tjay, Alicia Keys and other major artists. In recent months, however, the rapper has increasingly spoken about sobriety, faith and his desire to stop making some of the decisions that characterized earlier periods of his life. That transformation has now begun appearing directly in his music.

Fivio’s Baptism Followed Weeks of Publicly Embracing God

The baptism did not arrive without warning. Fivio had spent the weeks leading up to the ceremony making it increasingly clear that his relationship with God was becoming central to both his personal life and his creative direction.

In July, Fivio shared an update celebrating six months of sobriety and described himself as keeping God first. He subsequently began teasing what he called a new approach to gospel music, telling followers that he intended to demonstrate how someone coming from his background and musical style could create faith-centered records without abandoning the sound and personality that made him successful.

The idea was particularly notable because Fivio's identity had been closely tied to Brooklyn drill. He emerged during the period when New York drill was becoming a major national force, building his reputation through aggressive production, street-centered lyrics and the unmistakable ad-libs that became part of his signature sound.

Instead of completely discarding that musical foundation, Fivio has begun attempting to redirect it.

His recent single “Chasin,” featuring The Fire Choir, combines elements of his familiar delivery with explicitly spiritual lyrics about prayer, reading the Bible, finding purpose and asking God to use him as a source of encouragement. The song became one of the clearest examples yet of what Fivio's new direction could sound like.

He Says the Change Is Bigger Than Switching Genres

Although Fivio has used the word “gospel” when discussing his recent music, he has been careful about defining himself as a traditional gospel artist.

During an interview with The Shade Room Live shortly before his baptism, Fivio explained that he does not necessarily view what he is creating as gospel in the conventional sense. He compared the question to earlier in his career, when people attempted to classify him exclusively as a drill rapper.

“I don’t want to put it in a category,” Fivio explained. “I’m just Fivi and I’m just trying to praise God through my music.”

The distinction helps explain what appears to be happening musically. Fivio is not necessarily abandoning rap production or attempting to transform himself into a traditional gospel singer. Instead, he is changing the subject matter and purpose behind the music while retaining elements of the sound his audience already associates with him.

He has said he wants to stop using his music to glorify violence and instead promote a more positive message. For an artist whose career was built partly around one of hip-hop's most aggressive subgenres, that represents a substantial change even if the beats and delivery remain recognizable.

Fivio has also expressed interest in working with established gospel figures including Kirk Franklin and Mary Mary, suggesting that his exploration of Christian music may extend beyond a single song or short-lived experiment.

‘Chasin’ Put His New Direction Into Music

The shift became especially visible with “Chasin,” a gospel-driven record featuring Fivio's newly formed Fire Choir.

The song centers on faith, accountability and perseverance while preserving the intensity associated with Fivio's music. Rather than rapping about pursuing money, status or street conflicts, Fivio describes going to church, opening the Bible, praying for his purpose and asking God to keep him moving in the right direction.

Fivio and The Fire Choir also brought the record into public spaces rather than limiting the transformation to social-media announcements. On August 16, the rapper was scheduled for a pop-up performance of “Chasin” at the Red Steps in Times Square, with organizers describing the song as a new chapter rooted in faith, personal accountability and perseverance.

He also performed the song during Harlem Week, further demonstrating that the faith-centered material was becoming part of his actual live repertoire rather than existing separately from the rest of his career.

For longtime listeners, the contrast is substantial. “Big Drip,” the 2019 breakout record that introduced Fivio to a much larger audience, helped establish him as one of Brooklyn drill's emerging stars. Seven years later, the same rapper is appearing alongside a choir and publicly talking about using his music to praise God.

Fivio believes his audience may be ready to make that transition with him.

He told The Shade Room that some of the fans who listened to his earlier music have grown older and may no longer connect as strongly with violent subject matter. Rather than worrying that his new direction will alienate those listeners, Fivio appears to see the change as reflecting his own maturation as well as theirs.

The Transformation Appears to Have Started Before the Music Changed

Fivio's recent spiritual turn appears connected to a broader effort to change his life rather than simply a decision about what kind of records to release.

In December, the rapper publicly announced that he planned to enter a rehabilitation facility. At the time, Fivio said he had reached a point where he wanted to change, live differently and stop making what he described as “dumb decisions” and “dumb mistakes.”

Months later, he announced that he had reached six months of sobriety while putting God first.

That progression provides important context for the baptism. Viewed by itself, a rapper being baptized could be interpreted as an isolated religious moment. In Fivio's case, however, it follows months of public statements about sobriety and changing his behavior, followed by explicitly Christian music, performances with a choir and interviews explaining why he wants his music to praise God.

The August 23 ceremony therefore appears to be another step in a transformation Fivio has been documenting publicly over time.

His caption also suggested that he understands baptism as the beginning of a commitment rather than the completion of one. By saying he hopes to keep the promises he made to God, Fivio framed the moment around what happens next rather than simply celebrating what had happened that day.

Faith Has Appeared in Fivio’s Music Before

Although the current emphasis on Christianity represents a dramatic change in Fivio's public image, religious themes are not completely foreign to his catalog.

One of the most important performances of his career came on Kanye West's 2021 album Donda, a project filled with Christian imagery and spiritual themes. Fivio appeared alongside West and Playboi Carti on “Off the Grid,” delivering a lengthy verse that became one of the most celebrated guest appearances on the album.

That record was not a traditional gospel song, and Fivio was not presenting himself as a Christian artist at the time. But his involvement with Donda placed him inside one of mainstream rap's most prominent attempts to combine religious themes with contemporary hip-hop production.

His current direction is considerably more personal.

Instead of appearing on another artist's spiritually themed project, Fivio is now talking openly about his own relationship with God, incorporating those beliefs into his lyrics and making changes in his personal life that he says are connected to his faith.

The baptism makes that distinction particularly clear.

Fivio Is Trying to Bring His Existing Identity Into His Faith

One of the more interesting aspects of Fivio's transition is that he does not appear interested in pretending his previous life and career never existed.

When teasing his new direction in July, he framed the challenge around proving that someone from his background could create music centered on God. He referenced the skepticism he faced when helping push drill music forward and suggested he now wanted to demonstrate that the same energy could be redirected toward something spiritual.

That approach separates his current music from the idea of simply abandoning hip-hop for traditional gospel.

Fivio's voice remains Fivio's voice. His Brooklyn accent, delivery and street perspective remain part of the music. The transformation is happening primarily in what he wants those tools to communicate.

That may also explain why he has resisted formally labeling himself a gospel artist. The rapper has said the project contains different kinds of beats and does not necessarily fit his understanding of what a traditional gospel record is supposed to sound like. What connects the songs, he says, is that he is praising God throughout them.

In other words, Fivio is not necessarily attempting to leave behind the artist his audience already knows. He appears to be trying to determine what that artist sounds like with an entirely different message.

The Baptism Makes the Transformation More Personal

Music-industry pivots are common. Artists change sounds, experiment with genres and reinvent their images throughout their careers.

A baptism is different.

For Christians, baptism traditionally represents a public profession of faith and symbolizes spiritual rebirth. Fivio choosing to share that ceremony publicly placed his recent musical transformation into a more personal context.

The footage showed him surrounded by people dressed in white as he was immersed in the water and raised back up. Gospel music played as those around him celebrated the moment.

Fivio's own words were considerably simpler.

“I pray I keep the promises I made to God.”

For an artist who became famous helping carry Brooklyn drill into the mainstream, the image represented a striking contrast with much of the music and imagery that introduced him to the world.

Whether Fivio ultimately calls what comes next gospel, Christian rap or simply Fivio Foreign music remains something he appears unwilling to define too narrowly.

What is clear at this moment is the direction he wants to move.

Months after entering a period of sobriety and weeks after beginning to publicly center his music around God, Fivio Foreign stepped into a pool on August 23 and was baptized.

Then he shared the moment with the same audience that watched everything that came before it.