A thirst for truth, wisdom, and righteousness motivates Childlike CiCi. She doesn’t just rap for the sake of rapping. When she steps up to the microphone, she does so with clear-eyed intent. Opening herself up to  the highest inspiration, she humbly acts as a vessel to deliver a pure message. It’s why she’s earned the trust of a growing fanbase. It’s why she’s attracted the likes of Lecrae and more to her corner. It’s why she’s unassumingly made history as “the first black female Christian rapper to sign a major label deal.” It’s also why her 2025 EP, All We Like Sheep [Capitol Christian Music Group], immediately resonates.

Ultimately, she’s heeding a calling and fulfilling a higher purpose embodied in her chosen moniker.

“CiCi was a childhood nickname, but ‘Childlike’ was inspired by scripture,” she says. “In Matthew 18:3, Jesus says, ‘Unless you turn and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.’ To me, it describes the idea of being ‘Childlike’ and the importance of humility and a willingness to learn. This is what I aspire to.”

Born in the hip-hop hotbed of Brooklyn, CiCi relocated to Virginia at four-years-old. Following her parents’ divorce, she settled in North Carolina with mom. The family moved around often due to financial hardship, but she cultivated a strong relationship with music nevertheless. Among her most formative memories, she excelled at battle rapping, challenging anybody to a friendly verbal bout. Simultaneously, she also penned short stories and poems. At eight-years-old, she wrote lyrics of her own to popular songs on the radio. Growing up, she recorded and released music independently throughout high school.

Everything changed in 2019. After receiving a scam message on social media, she underwent a revelation.

“It felt like God was telling me, ‘You’re using the gift I gave you in order to promote the kingdom of darkness and glorify violence, sexual immorality, and addiction. You’re encouraging people to live a dark lifestyle in exchange for money’,” she recalls. “I started crying. I just went on YouTube and watched a video of somebody talking about God—which wouldn’t normally be in my algorithm. I decided to stop partying, smoking, and making secular music. I got saved.”

In between holding down a sales job, she attended church frequently and read the Bible. During 2022, she experienced another revelation. “I started to listen to Christian hip-hop, and I realized I could actually rap for God,” she says.

CiCi surged on social media, going on to serve up a series of viral freestyles touted by everyone from NFL legend, two-time Super Bowl champion, and Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders to The Shade Room. Picking up the ball and running with it, she dropped Hello Designer and the breakthrough “Why Would I,” generating over 1.5 million Spotify streams. Signing to Capitol Christian Music Group, she maintained her momentum in 2023 with the 4 Friday EP and “Stay Low” [with Toyalove & Reeche Lache’], amassing 1 million Spotify streams. Quitting her day job in 2024, she leveled up again on It’s Time EP, boasting fan favorites “It’s Time” [feat. KB] and “Love In The Lost” [feat. CéJae & Stevie Rizo].

However, she only continued to push herself creatively.

“I’m the same in a lot of ways, but I have a new desire of excellence,” she states. “I just want to be able to operate at a higher level of excellence in everything I do. I’m taking a different artistic direction. The songs are telling a story as far as what I’ve experienced on my journey.”

During 2025, she kickstarted her next phase in earnest. She initially introduced All We Like Sheep with “God’s Not Dead” [with Futuristic] and the single “Day One” [with Lecrae]. On the latter, a synth loop flickers across a hard-hitting, clap-driven beat. Right out of the gate, she locks into a punchy and powerful back-and-forth with Lecrae, practically finishing one another’s rhymes at a breathless pace. The energy climaxes on a chantable chorus, “When blessings coming down, can’t forget to thank Him. When you’re under pressure, it feels like you can’t run. Huh, came up out that tunnel, God got it, day one.”

“It’s about the actual straying of the sheep,” she observes. “There are a lot of wolves in sheep’s clothing, but it doesn’t take away from the fact God is real and can meet you wherever you are. The hook represents the idea of exiting a tunnel—which could be one of many things depending on whoever is listening. It might be coming out of depression, anxiety, or fear, and walking into a new level of confidence.”

She’s doing just that with the curiosity and honesty of a child on All We Like sheep and much more to come.

“When you listen to me, I want you to know you’re not the only one who may have fallen short, gone astray, messed up, or struggled to make time for God,” she concludes. “We have all gone astray; we’ve all tried to do things our own way. The reason Jesus died was to help us in those times. I want to remind you that you’re not alone.”