Jackie Hill Perry, a Grammy-nominated poet, rapper, author and Bible teacher, has worn many hats over the past decade. But for her, every creative pursuit serves as another expression of the same call: to tell the truth about God.
After a six-year hiatus, Hill Perry has returned to the studio with Blameless, her first full-length album since 2018 and her debut under Reach Records, the Atlanta-based Christian hip-hop label founded by Lecrae.
The 16-track project is a deeply personal exploration of sanctification, spiritual warfare, lament and the daily process of becoming more like Christ. Featuring collaborations with Project Pat, KB, Madison Ryann Ward, nobigdyl., Ahjah Walls and others, Blameless blends spoken word with Hill Perry’s trademark theological clarity.
“I never stopped creating,” the 36-year-old wife and mother told The Christian Post. “Even when I wasn’t releasing music, I was still writing, still letting God refine me. Blameless is the sound of that process; it’s messy, joyful, honest and unapologetically rooted in truth.”
When Hill Perry stepped back from music in 2018, she didn’t anticipate how long her hiatus would last.
“My life was expanding,” she recalled. “I went from being married to one child, to two, to three. The Lord was opening doors for me to teach His Word, and I sensed He was saying, ‘Just because you can do many things doesn’t mean you should do everything.’ So I chose Bible teaching.”
Though grateful for the ministry opportunities that followed, including bestselling books such asGay Girl, Good God and Holier Than Thou,Hill Perry said the departure from music wasn’t without grief.
“I lamented not making music,” she said, “I’m musical. I love it. I cried about it.”
Her return began unexpectedly, in a church children’s ministry, when she met Ace Harris from Reach Records while handing out fruit snacks.
“We started talking about music, and I felt the Lord nudging me: ‘Ask him if it’s time to make music again.’ And it was. So I followed God’s lead,” she said, “I prayed, I talked to my husband, I talked to my leaders. When something aligns with God’s character and purpose, that’s where I go. For me, music is just another way to disciple people.”
The title of the album, Blameless, comes from Jude 1:24: “To Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of His glory with great joy.” It’s a word, Hill Perry explained, that captures both aspiration and dependence.
“Blamelessness is impossible apart from Christ,” she said. “The album isn’t about sinless perfection; it’s about longing to look like Jesus even when you don’t. It’s that tension every believer feels, between loving God and realizing how far you still are from His image.”
Much of that sanctifying work, she added, has come through pain.
“The Lord uses pruning, trials, betrayal, slander, to make us more like Him,” she said. “He’s not going to use you greatly without breaking you first. If He doesn’t, you’ll break yourself with pride. I’ve learned that the hard way.”
Hill Perry alludes to these seasons on songs like “Pride & Prejudice,” written after enduring what she called “public slander” that tested her resolve.
“I was taking my cues from Peter, when Jesus was reviled, He didn’t revile in return,” she said. “The Lord told me to be quiet, to trust Him. But that makes the pain harder. ‘Pride & Prejudice’ was my way of not being quiet, to process what happened honestly.”
The track, she added, carries both confession and self-critique. “It’s pride, because there’s some ego in there. But it’s also prejudice, the assumptions people make and then sanctify as truth. Writing it reminded me that I’m complex, and so is everyone else.”
Each song on Blameless represents a “room” in what Hill Perry calls the “Blameless House,” a metaphorical space where “faith and failure” coexist. Collaborators like KB, Madison Ryann Ward and nobigdyl. help furnish that space.
“I chose collaborators not just for their talent but for their character,” Hill Perry said. “I didn’t want people on Blameless who didn’t live blamelessly. Integrity mattered as much as artistry.”
While she’s open to collaboration, Hill Perry said she treads carefully when it comes to crossing over into mainstream music.
“It would depend on the person, the conversations, the clarity,” she said. “I just wouldn’t want to be confusing. That’s my main thing.”
Hill Perry first gained national attention in her 20s as a spoken word artist with an unapologetic defense of the Gospel and commentary on human flourishing and sexuality.
Over time, her platform grew to encompass teaching, podcasting and authorship, all while growing her family. Alongside her husband, fellow artist Preston Perry, she co-hosts “With the Perrys,” a popular podcast that blends theology, culture and candid discussions about marriage and ministry.
That multi-platform approach, she said, is less about diversification and more about stewardship.
“Music, books, podcasts, whatever it is, it’s all the same mission: helping people know God,” she said. “Some people will listen to a song before they’ll ever open a Bible. So if music can reach them first, praise God.”
“I’m not committed to music,” she stressed. “I’m committed to communicating biblical truth. This is just the medium God’s given me right now.”
But as her platform has grown, so has the spiritual warfare. The author and speaker revealed that in recent years, she has experienced both “profound” suffering and the sweetness of God simultaneously.
“It’s been very hard privately,” she shared. “I’ve communicated that a lot. I think if people listen to me, I talk about suffering way more than I used to, because I’ve suffered, and I know it is both spiritual warfare and God’s goodness. To me, the Lord uses Satan, the Lord uses affliction, the Lord uses thorns to keep us low, to keep us humble, to look like His son. Any pain, any hardship, is also an opportunity to share in Christ’s suffering.
“Even though it’s hard, I know that the Lord loves me by allowing me to go through what I go through,” she added.
Beyond her creative work, Hill Perry has emerged as a leading voice advocating for greater theological literacy within the Church, particularly among women. She’s currently pursuing a master of divinity degree at Reformed Theological Seminary.
“We’re seeing a lack of understanding in fundamentals like justification, sanctification, the atonement,” she said. “That’s leaving the door wide open for false teaching. Not always the extremes, but subtle forms of legalism and detachment from grace.”
“It’s not that women can’t learn,” she added. “It’s that we’re distracted. I’ve seen it in myself, reading fewer books, spending more time on social media. We have to fight for focus.”
While some lament the absence of young, theologically grounded female leaders, Hill Perry said she believes they exist, just not always in public view. “Some are serving quietly in their local churches,” she said. “They might not look cool or have big followings, but God exalts the humble. Those women are out there.”
After a whirlwind release season, Hill Perry is ready for stillness. “Honestly, what’s next is rest,” she said. “I want to get back to school, finish my degree, maybe start a new book. Music may or may not be part of the next season. Right now, I just want to put up a Christmas tree.”
But even in rest, Hill Perry said she’s always seeking to “walk in obedience,” and remains deeply aware of the tension between calling and cost.
“It’s getting rough out here,” she said. “Love is waxing cold. But it all comes down to obedience. Whatever God calls you to do, you’re not alone in it, not in the joy, not in the pain, not in the learning.”
“Whatever the medium,” she said, “the message stays the same.”
Leah M. Klett is a reporter for The Christian Post. She can be reached at: leah.klett@christianpost.com
