Fivio Foreign Says He's Stepping Away From Brooklyn Drill to Praise God
Brooklyn rapper Fivio Foreign says he is stepping away from the drill music that built his name and shifting toward songs of faith — but he stops short of calling himself a gospel artist.
Billboard reported on 21 August 2026 that the rapper, born Maxie Lee Ryles III in 1990 and raised in East Flatbush, may be pivoting to Christian rap (Billboard). The story followed a clip of new music that went viral earlier that same week. In an interview with The Shade Room, Fivio discussed changing the content of his lyrics, and told the outlet: "I'm just trying to praise God" (Complex).
The nuance matters to him. Fivio said he does not consider himself a gospel artist and does not feel he is making gospel music, describing the new material instead as "music from my heart" (Billboard). He said his upcoming album contains different styles of music in which he is praising God, rather than fitting neatly into a single genre box.
Fivio has already been testing the waters. He released a gospel-flip remix of "Nobody" by Trim, and on 31 July 2026, Broadway World reported that he will release a new single and video titled "Chasin'" — a personal tribute to his late mother, filmed with a gospel choir (Broadway World). He has also named two gospel acts he would like to eventually collaborate with: Mary Mary and Kirk Franklin.
For listeners who have followed Fivio since the Brooklyn drill wave, the shift echoes a familiar pattern in hip-hop, where artists have periodically turned toward faith mid-career. Fivio's own connection to that world predates this announcement — he delivered a widely noted verse on "Off the Grid," from Kanye West's 2021 album Donda, a record steeped in gospel sounds and Sunday Service aesthetics. His earlier singles, including "City of Gods" on Columbia Records, placed him firmly in the drill scene that defined New York rap's mainstream breakout in the early 2020s.
What makes this stand out is Fivio's insistence on the distinction. He is not claiming a genre conversion. He is saying the content is changing — from street-level drill narratives to praise — while the music itself resists a single label. Whether radio, streaming playlists and audiences read that distinction the same way he does is a question the upcoming album will answer.
No release date for the album has been confirmed. "Chasin'" has not yet been given a public release date either, though the gospel choir and the tribute to his mother suggest Fivio is leaning into the new direction sooner rather than later.
