Joshua “A.O.N” Kriese was raised in Calgary, AB. He began writing poetry at the age of 14, and within a short time he began to channel his emotions through hip hop, going by the alias “Reckless.” Although he grew up with a strong Christian background, he often rebelled against his parents and wanted nothing to do with God. He hung out with the wrong crowds, and one day got himself into trouble trying to steal from a local department store. His parents decided that they could not handle him and sent him to live with his Grandmother in a nearby town.
Over the next couple months, Josh spent his time reading books and applying the principles he read. When his Parents finally decided to take him back, they enrolled him in a Christian High School, with hopes of him turning his life around. This tactic had little to no effect on him, as he began to party a lot with the friends he made. His grades often suffered as a result. In grade 12, he was finally expelled for fighting, and was kicked out of his house that very same weekend.
Josh then began to bounce around from friend to friend, looking for anywhere to stay at night. He stayed with one of his friends for 3 months, and finished up his schooling at home to get his High School Diploma. Once he graduated, he moved into another friends place and began to sell and smoke drugs, all the while aspiring to become a “rapper.” At age 18, he also began working at a local nightclub so he could cover the bills, and make a little profit selling product to people who came in.
Despite leaving home, he still occasionally attended the Church that he grew up in. He began to hang out with the children’s pastor, Kayla, and they developed a strong friendship over the next couple months. She eventually introduced him to Christian Hip Hop by showing him an artist that went by “Lecrae.” Although Josh thought it was corny at first, he began checking out some of the other artists in the genre.
He still continued to sell drugs, but was slowly coming to the realization that God had a strong call on his life, and that this was not the path he was supposed to be on. After selling cocaine to a couple of girls at one of his roommate’s house parties, he walked into his bedroom to find them sniffing it off the Bible he had been given as a child. Once they left, he picked up the book which he had not read in years, and began to skim through it. That night, God told him that it was time to leave and move in with a friend from his old Church.
After he moved, he got involved in the local battle rap scene. He was slowly trying to turn his life around, but was not willing to give up all he had attempted to leave behind. Then late one night, at the age of 21, he had heard the Gospel preached by a man named “Paul Washer,” and broke down over the realization of his sin. Over the next couple months, he quit rapping and began reading his Bible, and studying books by theologians. By 22, he began to date Kayla, and on April 16 of 2011, they got married at Royal Oak Victory Church.
Soon after the honeymoon, Josh began writing his first mixtape, entitled “Boiling Point,” and changed his alias from Reckless to A.O.N. (Meaning “All or Nothing”) The mixtape and his new alias are built around Revelation 3:16, which is not being lukewarm Christian, but either hot or cold towards God. He has dedicated his gift to reaching the lost and spreading the Gospel. “I really want to reach the people who don’t go to church, or have any interest in it. And in the end, I just want to spread the Gospel and its saving grace,” he admits.
The mixtape contains 18 full-length tracks, 3 interludes, and is slated for an early 2012 release. 3 singles from the project have already been released, and can be found on YouTube as well as a handful of other sites. A.O.N has also started collecting beats for his album entitled, “No Compromise,” which he is in the process of writing.
A.O.N has also shared the stage with hip hop acts Propaganda & Odd Thomas from Humble Beast Records.
