[2] In his early teens, he was a rapper performing at wedding receptions, high school dances, and block parties.

He met with Latter-day Saint missionaries and was encouraged to join the LDS Church by one of his religion professors, but did not at that time.

After he completed his second year at Dixie State, Johnson served as a missionary for the LDS Church in the Alabama Birmingham Mission.

Some news headlines incorrectly called him the first high-ranking "black" leader of the LDS Church, with those generally considered to be either Helvécio Martins or Joseph W.

In October 2019, Johnson gave a talk in the church's General Conference entitled "Power to Overcome the Adversary ".

[12] However, KSL modified this with the term "modern era", pre-1970 general conferences were much larger, and in the early 20th-century there were speakers simultaneously at multiple locations, so the claim would require more research than has been included.

[13] In January 2020, the LDS Church announced that Johnson would begin service in July 2020 as president of the England Manchester Mission.