Jelani’s writing career, like his ministry experiences, have largely focused around music.

In 1996, he joined forces with Electricurrent founder Ray Majoran to launch HipHopZone.com, the first site of its kind to provide reviews and commentary related to Christian hip-hop music and culture. His contribution to HHZ was rewarded with Best Overall Hip-hop Site from the Support Online Hip-Hop (SOHH) Awards, sponsored by MTV.

This coverage also spread to gospel music, where his alliance with Gaylord Entertainment’s Musicforce.com culminated in interviews with gospel luminaries Donnie McClurkin, George Duke, Andraé Crouch, Tonéx, and David Thomas of Take 6.

Since 2001, Jelani’s had stints with independent zines like OneMind and FEED, as well as traditional periodicals like The Companion, The Covenant Home Altar, and the Portland Tribune.

Currently, he writes a monthly variety column for UrbanFaith.com.