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was raised in the Pleasant Hill area of Macon, Georgia. As an adolescent, Michael witnessed many things that a child should never witness, moving him in the wrong direction, a young life of crime. By the age of sixteen, he was selling drugs, smoking marijuana, and affiliated with a gang. In 2002, he was involved in a spree of robberies which led to his arrest along with two of his best friends. Michael was a teenager facing charges that could add up to a 60-year jail sentence.
He remained with the Department of Juvenile Justice until his seventeenth birthday, then transferred to the Department of Corrections, Lee Arrendale State Prison (better known as "Alto", one of the most dangerous prisons in Georgia). After serving two years in Alto, he was transferred to Hancock State Prison where his eyes and heart were opened while hearing the Word of God being preached in a prison church service on February 19, 2005. That day Michael found his faith, which transformed his life forever. After serving three years and one month, he was released from prison, but his experience of freedom began before then even while being locked up.
Michael's journey is painful, remarkable, and inspiring!
He now shares his life story and faith through his music, books, apparel, and speaking engagements. Michael feels his faith in God opened and is opening numerous doors of opportunity for him to share his testimony, rap, and preach about truth, love, mercy, and forgiveness.
Today Michael is a Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) school district educator. He is teaching and mentoring incarcerated teens adjudicated in the same system he was at their age, and teaching alongside teachers who taught him at that same young age. He knows firsthand the power of music as a means of expression, compassion, and therapy that makes a positive transformation in one's mind and soul.
Michael is now dedicated to helping today's DJJ youth change the trajectory of their lives through an innovative music production program he has created that helps young people express their pain and life experiences in a positive way through music and shift their mindsets, from anger and violence, to hope and forgiveness.
Michael has released multiple albums & books, his most popular, his autobiography "From a Convict to a Convert" is available on Amazon.com. His music can be found on all digital streaming platforms (Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube, etc.) under his artist name, OG Bruh Mike (OG for Obey God). He is also a newly Certified Orange Duffel Bag Life Coach, ready to coach those in need to achieve and succeed!
Michael Berrian Jr.
(OG Bruh Mike)
