Tucson, Arizona, March 6, 2026
Photo: Counterflow
James Robinson, known in the hip-hop world as JRo and a member of the West Coast rap group Tha Alkoholiks, recently appeared on the Counterflow podcast with host Buck Johnson to share his journey to Orthodox Christianity.
Robinson grew up in Pacoima, California, in a deeply religious family. His great-grandfather was an AME minister who built churches across California and Arizona and served as the pastor of Jackie Robinson. James was active in church as a child, sang in the choir, and served as a Catholic altar boy on his father’s side before drifting away from church around age 18.
He began rapping at age 13 and eventually formed Tha Alkoholiks alongside Tash and E-Swift, signing to Loud Records. The group released five albums, toured worldwide, and had Wu-Tang Clan open for them early in the latter group’s career. They also shared stages with Snoop Dogg, Cypress Hill, the Beastie Boys, Primus, and Fishbone. In 2003, Robinson relocated to Sweden, where he lived for 15 years, teaching at a hip-hop school, promoting events, and releasing a solo album while touring extensively across Europe.
He returned to California in 2017 for shows and ended up extending his stay. During this period, he met his future wife, a Russian journalist who was documenting hip-hop history in America. He noticed an icon in her apartment but thought little of it at the time. When she invited him to visit St. Anthony’s Monastery in Arizona, founded by the holy Elder Ephraim, he agreed without any particular spiritual expectation. Arriving after midnight, he walked into the church alone during a late-night service and was struck by the chanting, the incense, the icons, and the sight of children venerating the icons. He subsequently spoke with the fathers at the monastery, bought a prayer rope, and began reading deeply about Orthodoxy.
Both Robinson and his future wife independently received the same counsel from a monastic father—to leave California, so they relocated to Tucson, Arizona, where they attend a ROCOR parish and visit the monastery often. In 2021, Robinson was baptized on a Saturday and married the following Sunday. The couple now have three young children.
Robinson continues to perform occasionally with Tha Alkoholiks, modifying lyrics and dropping certain songs from the set entirely. He expressed a desire to eventually produce music with an explicitly Orthodox orientation.
In January, Johnson interviewed Josh Lazie, former bassist for legendary heavy metal group Danzig, who is now an Orthodox catechumen.
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