Reach Records’ Derek Minor, Formerly Known as PRo, Explains His Name Change

Reflection Music Group/Reach Records’ Christian Hip Hop Rapper formerly known as PRo, released a blog explaining why he changed his name to Derek Minor. For those of you who don’t keep up with CHH, you may remember him from when his 2011 release “Dying To Live” debuted at #6 on Billboard’s Top Gospel Albums Chart. In the blog entry below ,Derek reveals that he changed his name for a few reasons. The main reasons for the change are that PRo doesn’t represent where he is now in his life after growing as a father, Christian, husband, etc and when his fans/supporters tried to look him up on the internet, they would have trouble because PRo is such a common name. In my opinion the name change is a very smart move. You have to read the blog entry below to find out where he got the name Derek Minor from.

In regard to the name change, Derek says, “So, I’m sure by now you’re probably wondering what’s going on with this name change. Am I wanted by the law, do I owe back taxes, or am I going through a mid life crisis? The answer is no (maybe) but after a million tweets from confused brothers and sisters, I decided to address it. The truth is that, though I love what I have accomplished as PRo, I am entering a new chapter in my career. This new chapter includes a new direction, and new goals. But first, let me tell you how the name change happened.

As a lot of you know, I recently injured my Achilles tendon playing basketball. Unfortunately injury is one of the risks associated with putting the team on your back, and I fell victim to that risk. Honestly, I don’t know what my team is gonna do without me! In all seriousness, this injury provided me with a lot of time to assess my career, what I’d accomplished, and where I wanted to go in the future. I realized during that time that there was a lot more that I wanted to accomplish and that I was much different than the artist I was 7 years ago. I have matured as a Christian, husband, father, and artist immensely in that time and I believe the name change reflects that maturity. See, PRo originally was short for Prodigal, as in Prodigal Son. I don’t believe that concept represents where I’m at in life or my career at this point. On top of that, fans were having a hard time searching my name on Google and other Internet outlets. The word “pro” is just too common and my projects would be buried behind many other definitions and companies. So we decided to come up with a new name.

The journey towards a new name included many meetings, prayers, brainstorming sessions, and questionable aliases. Before we settled on the name Derek Minor, I considered many names, my personal favorite being Dirk N’Spitski. After all was said and done, I chose the name Derek Minor. Why? Derek is my real name, and I wanted my new name to come from a place of honesty and realness. My father’s name is Derek also, so when I was young people called me Derek Jr. I wanted to keep the same realness and intimacy of my birth name while still conveying the maturity that I have experienced. So I switched the Jr. to Minor and the rest is history.

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As my career continues, my aim is to be transparent and real with the people. I want to create art that is relevant, down to earth, relatable, and honest. That way, with every record you hear, you’re getting a piece of me. I aim to serve Christ with my life and that is what I am giving you through my music—my life. THIS is Derek Minor.”

For more information on Derek Minor, formerly known as PRo, click on the following link!

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