Gospel News: February 2009

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

FLAME bandplayer and video

"Joyful Noise" Official Music Video - FLAME feat. Lecrae & John Reilly (Cross Movement Records) from Cross Movement Records on Vimeo.
flame314.com
CONTACT FLAME MANAGEMENT:
info@FLAME314.com

www.myspace.com/lecrae

Who is this REBEL?

An unlikely story stands behind the man known by many as "Lecrae". From the southside of Houston to a leader in the movement of urban reform, a rocky road provides a window into the grace he experienced through out his life, with every situation molding him into the artist and leader that he is today.
Born and raised by his mother in a struggling community on the south side of Houston, Lecrae moved around to several places giving him the versatile background and cultural awareness he carries with him. San Diego, Denver, and Dallas have also once been home to him and the street life he once idolized and pursued. Along the way, like many in the inner city, he took to rapping as a way of communicating his mind. It wasn't until after high school that his hobby became a passion after his hip hop background was redeemed by Jesus Christ.

At 19 years old at the encouragement of a christian leader he attended a conference and heard James White delivering the message. In that moment, sitting in a chair, his world was flipped upside down as the Holy Spirit convicted him of his sin and need for a Savior. That day Lecrae was rescued by the Lord and began following after Christ. Almost instantly his renewed heart spilled over as he printed his testimony and passed it out enthusiastically all over his college campus at University of North Texas. The next 5 years included many struggles and victories before he teamed up to begin Reach Records, releasing his first album at the age of 25.

Calling Dallas home, Lecrae remained content using his gifts of speaking and rapping while volunteering at a juvenile detention center, but the Lord would have different plans and soon he began working on his debut "Real Talk". Pouring out a genuine discussion of life issues and passionate, unashamed pursuit of Jesus Christ, Real Talk was released to the world where he quickly became noted as an emcee that would meet listeners where they were by delivering transparent, relatable, and impacting messages.

As Lecrae continued to make his mark in the music industry, he realized the stage wasn't enough. He wanted to see deeper impact in urban culture. There needed to be a culturally relevant and biblically solid resource center to help train the next generation. Co-founding ReachLife Ministries in 2005, the non-profit organization exists to partner with organizations to equip local leaders with culturally relevant tools and media projects designed to strengthen communities with the word of God. ReachLife is another vital piece in the larger vision of seeing a reformation in urban culture.

Since formation, Lecrae has released the groundbreaking album After the Music Stops and the first Christian Rap CD to ever sit in the No. 1 position on Billboard's Top Gospel Charts, Rebel. Led by the classic single 'Jesus Musik,' After the Music Stops slowly spread to the mainstream market with other hits such as 'Praying For You' and 'Send Me.' Aimed to build an audience of disciples, the album sat on Soundscan's Christian Hip Hop/R&B chart for two years after releasing in 2006. While in the No. 3 position, Rebel released in 2008 and claimed the No. 3 position on the secular iTunes' Rap chart.

A graduate of University of North Texas, Lecrae now resides in the inner city of Memphis, one of the nations most violent cities. A movement is brewing around the country with hungry, unashamed believers popping up in inner city communities everywhere. Lecrae is humbled to be a part of leading others towards Christ so that lives can be changed forever just like his changed years ago. With new avenues and strategic partnerships Lecrae prays that the impact from Reach will spread far beyond simply the music and into the lives of believers across the world.

Da T.R.U.T.H. bandplayer and bio

www.myspace.com/truthonduty
datruth.net

Da T.R.U.T.H.

Each of us is writing a book. The question is: how does your life read? In his third album Open Book—which enjoyed a record setting debuted at 2 on the Billboard Gospel Chart the week of its release—GRAMMY nominated Da’ T.R.U.T.H. provokes us to pursue “Open Book” living—Jesus consumed, truth driven, intentional and transparent lives in order to make the sight of Christ attractive (2 Corinthians 3:2; Matthew 5:14-15).

A graduate of The Institute of Jewish Studies and Philadelphia Biblical University, Da’ T.R.U.T.H., born Emanuel Lee Lambert, Jr., has been involved in urban missions since he was 16. As a rapper and urban missionary, he is on a mission to impact the culture with godly values. He has been a featured artist on Kirk Franklin’s HERO Tour along with platinum-selling duo Mary Mary and has performed at festivals including MegaFest and Creation Fest.

On the heels of the recent surge in “artist-hosted” radio shows, Da’ T.R.U.T.H. was just tapped to host “Truth With Da’ T.R.U.T.H.”—his own four-hour Sunday-morning Gospel show—on NYC’s 98.7 Kiss FM every third Sunday beginning November 18th. He has been featured in Vibe, The Source, XXL, ESSENCE, Sister2Sister and JET magazines and profiled in Charisma, CCM and New Man magazines. His television appearances include “BET News” (aired during “106 & Park”), BET’s “Lift Every Voice,” TBN’s “Praise The Lord,” INSP’s “Steelroots” and “Mixx Master’s Lounge” and the Word Network’s “Bobby Jones Gospel.” Da’ T.R.U.T.H. was also a featured artist in “Holy Hip-Hop: The Movie,” Christopher Martin’s urban Christian film.

Dae-Lee

http://www.dae-lee.com/

There’s something to be said about a man who is confident in being who he is. In an industry where an artist’s image is created to sell records, few dare to be who they really are without compromise. Rap recording artist Dae-Lee is a firm believer in sticking to the truth and presenting himself with flaws and all.

“I grew up in a Christian home, one of few that we knew of in my neighborhood,” Dae-Lee says. “One thing that I remember was the fact that as a family we were never trying to blend in or anything, we knew who we were. We were just as confident in our lifestyle as a thug on the street was about his lifestyle. When people saw that, they respected us for keeping it real with who we were.”

On his debut independent project, Love’s Pain, Dae-Lee remains true to his family’s philosophy. The songs that he writes are reflective of where he is in his life and the issues that he’s facing. He believes that many people are working through the same problems and will relate to what is being voiced through his lyrics.

On the track, “Oh Lord,” Dae-Lee talks about how God gave him his musical talent and then challenged him to move out of his comfort zone. He explains, “When it comes to performing, I still don’t see myself as a ‘rapper on stage in front a crowd’ type of person, but just like everything else that’s coming to be, I see that God wants me to step outside of myself.”

Dae-Lee was first drawn to music and the hip hop genre as a teenager. One of his uncles, a musician himself, gave Dae-Lee a keyboard with the stipulation that he could keep it as long as he was putting it to good use. He used the gift to create hip hop beats and songs with other rappers in the area and began to grow as an artist. While still in high school, his lyrics focused on the pain of family issues and the influence of growing up in a neighborhood where sex, drugs, hustling and guns were the norm. The music also reflected his inner struggle with the Lord and the weakening of his faith.

Shortly after his high school graduation, Dae-Lee found a new direction for his music. A friend invited him to a youth event at a church, where he saw Christian rap artist Israel the Warrior perform. He had never seen rap used to glorify God and he realized that his music should do the same. Dae-Lee kept rapping about life, but a new underlying theme began to emerge.

“Most of what I talk about now revolves around a relationship with Jesus Christ,” he says. “I can be talking about anything from broken families, disappointments to music, but it all comes back to that relationship.”

Dae-Lee’s first recording experience was at a studio at Norfolk State University, where he recorded vocals for six songs he had written with a couple of friends. The project was created just for fun, but the experience gave Dae-Lee the push he needed to pursue his music more seriously.

Now, Dae-Lee has his own studio where he recorded the music for his upcoming album, Love’s Pain. “I saved up and purchased the materials for a studio that would allow me to produce and record at home without giving up the quality of a high-end studio,” he says. He also started JJ-Productions (Jehovah Jireh Productions) and is producing music for other up-and-coming artists.

With the release of Love’s Pain, his production work and an upcoming touring schedule, Dae-Lee is on the rise of becoming who God wants him to be. “God has brought me here and the only thing I see messing it all up is me trying to snatch the controls away from him to try and make things happen myself. He has and is taking care of me so I trust Him to continue.”