It's easy for musicians to sound deep, introspective and meaningful nowadays. Add enough adjectives and self-reflective mumblings when asked a straight forward interview question and you too can throw the hash tag visionary in your twitter profile. In the current musical climate of hip hop, the dream and vision of an artist's upcoming release passionately detailed in media appearances is often deeper and more profound than anything found on the five-cent tracks. In a genre where concept albums are more second and third cousins than a connected family, Armond's "Kairos" is the grease-free face wash to erase memories of these blemishes, with the added benefit of fresh sounds that equal the cleansing splash of water to the face.  Add a comment

Originally from VA now serving in ministry in Ohio, Trabelus Whitfield aka Maddlines presents us with his album Ridiculous. Over a soundscape of beats styled to appeal to a broad range of ears Maddlines lays out his heart for Christ in this album in a big way, as in 17 full length songs! The album starts with the track “I am”. A “Church in the Wild”-esque production over which Maddlines with some irony downplays secular hip hop trends and lyrics and why holy spirit inspired lyrics are better. The second track Heaven, is one of my favorites on this project. The production is well orchestrated and the singer David Chance compliments Maddlines rhymes very well, and his message about Heaven seems on point. Gotta Do Better the next track serves as a counterpoint to his criticisms of the secular realm where he points out the shortcomings of the Church on many levels. I like this track a lot, it’s message, beat, and his flow are all excellent in my opinion. Being a boom bap head, I can’t lie songs on this project like Get yo Hands Up, Pop Tarts, Bars Nonstop, with their rapid fire hi hats, snares and 808s  lose my interest about half way through. But I kind of dig Noise for the King a similarly styled track. I could go on, there are a few more gems on this LP, and overall, the production is solid. Considering how difficult it is to put together an album I am impressed that a minister and father of four, is able to put forth such an ambitious work.

As we continue looking at this “call out” season I want us to see some really destructive trends and realities that will come about if we do not nip this in the bud now. For greater clarity please read the previous two articles.

Thank you for reading my second installment in this series. For better context please read the previous article because I pick up from there.

Last month when Clear Sight Music’s Black Out Circuit Tour hit Houston I had a chance to sit down with label’s owner/artist Flame to discuss:

• The response to bringing an EDM (electronic dance music) element to the tour
• The feedback and follow-up to his controversial “#1 Spot” song
• And whether or not he views Christian rappers as pastors

I waited some time on writing this article. The main reason is I had to avoid anger and a spirit of wrath on my part. I waited for someone with a similar mindset to step forward. That voice did not come. The more I tried to avoid it the more the issue was presented to me in various ways. Since there is a lot of content I will be unpacking this over several articles. So I ask that you bear with me as I unload the major problems from this recent “call out” season in Christian hip hop. 

For some following the career, ministry & general musings of ARMOND, it may be hard to believe that his latest release entitled “Kairos” is only his second full length album. But as someone who has a prolific discography myself, I can totally relate to the disbelief some of his audience may have about his 2013 album being his sophomore effort, especially considering the near ‘ridiculous’ amount of music he’s released between 2010 & 2012 alone. The funny thing is, ‘Kairos’ almost became another mixtape if it wasn’t for divine intervention. Part of that ‘intervention’ came in the form of Grammy award winning producer WIT, who not only did some of his best work ever for the track “Pour Effort” off 'Kairos', but was instrumental in convincing the rapper born Armond Goss to go into full ‘album mode’. Turns out making “Kairos” an album was the wisest decision in retrospect, so wise that it should be mentioned amongst the year’s best independent hip hop releases, even now. We could talk about the brilliant guest verses from the likes of Japhia Life, Bumps INF & Priest, we could salute the great production handled by the ‘usual co-conspirators’ like Doc & Pizzie to the unexpected ones like Swade Beatz, We could break down the phenomenal posse cut that is “p90x” & we could talk about everything else in between. Truthfully, we could talk about so much on the technical side, but “Kairos” is more than just another album with 'dope beats & rhymes', it’s a life changing moment, a personal & artistic evolution if you will. So, without further ado, it’s time to investigate the mental & spiritual profile of an artist who took transparency to the next level for a greater cause. It’s time for you to learn about what inspired Armond’s music this time around, what’s private & sacred for him & why, what fuels his popular ‘Clock Radio Speakers’ podcast with his musical co-hort Doc...& why he’s threatening to BLOCK YOU if you follow him on Instagram...maybe. 

Be clear. Outside of the “Conqueror” mixtape from Cory Campbell a.k.a. the guy who's exceptional on a lot of Andy Mineo choruses, there hasn’t been a vocalist who has held my attention ‘hostage’ this year in the way SPZRKT (pronounced 'Spazzy Rocket') has with the May 7th 2013 release of “The Loner”. Those two should probably work together at some point...somebody needs to 'A&R' that move...but I digress. Sure, an artist like Collision Records' Christon Gray for example is a vocal phenom in the classic sense of R&B that’s sanctified & I’m definitely a major fan of him & his work with 'We Live As Kings', but SPZRKT operates from a whole other ‘universe’ in technique & stylistics alone. The twenty something year old Texan’s knack for emotive songwriting doesn't hurt him either. To be honest, being an avid listener of R&B past, present & potential future, I did find what I thought to be familiar nuances in his music that reminded me of certain artists of the sacred & the profane, but as SPZRKT quickly countered in his rebuttal to my observation, the Social Club Misfit Gang Wolf Pack crooner is just a dedicated ‘student of the game’ using the lessons learned with brilliant application to make a mark that’s clearly his own. SPZRKT’S latest effort has inspired another episode of “The Profiler Series” & in it, this emcee 'investigates' a soulful singer to gather evidence on why he sounds NOTHING like Abel (That’s ‘The Weeknd’ for some of y’all Christian Hip Hop kids), why he thinks highly of James Blake, why discussing ‘heartbreak’ in a Christian context is necessary & the story behind MartyMar’s belief...and that ‘Awkward’ verse of his.

Let’s get to it people...

(courtesy of KingMovement.com)

Whatever definition you may attach to the term “hip-hop,” its level of influence is beyond debate. From wardrobe to jargon, movie soundtracks to marketing, the wide reach of hip hop is undeniable.

The problem with such influence is that those who wield it are often not responsible enough to do so wisely. If this influence isn’t properly filtered, there’s a risk of developing an atmosphere that is saturated with desires to create or to become idols.

The obvious direction I could take with this article is to discuss how enamored mainstream hip hop artists (well, society in general) are with improving their image in order to receive “hero worship.” Whether pushing their materialistic, misogynistic or various other macho acts of status, the intent of many to project themselves as larger than life is obvious. However, for the purpose of our current gathering, I will discuss the danger that idolatry presents to the hip hop-loving portion of the Body of Christ.

(read the full article at KingMovement.com)

Between a debut mixtape with his former crew known as Blood Coalition & two solo mixtapes released almost within a year of each other, Yonkers emcee SELAH THA CORNER has been steadily emerging as one of the brightest new voices in pro-Christ hip hop music even before (and after) his brief tenure with New York’s Kingdom Time Music. With the gifted DJ YNOT as his ‘co-pilot’, he soars into new musical horizons; Selah’s standout wordplay & introspective accounts of his environment was front and center on his debut ‘tape “We Own The Night”- a mostly boom-bap dominated voyage into the world he feels deeply compelled to minister to. Now with the recent release of March 2013‘s “Hoodie Season”, we see his passion & urgency deepen for his community even more, along with his artistic approach.

South Florida based Hip Hop artists Colin Ansby and Rey King recently were interviewed by @Jblaze305 on FNFLive 88.3FM (@fnf883fm). The IAMYG crew talk about Colin's new project 'Rated E for Everyone' and what they are planning for the future. Download Colin Ansby's project 'Rated E for Everyone' on DaSouth.com. Check out the IAMYG website for more information on Rey King (@IAMREYKING) and Colin Ansby (@IAMCOLINANSBY).Video filmed by PGC Films (@PGCTHEDON).

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A few weeks ago I finally kicked off my “5 Questions With…” video interview series and was fortunate enough to initiate the idea with writer/MC/activist Jon Corbin aka The Runaway from Milton, Ontario.

In the following discussion, we talk about:

• Runaway’s folk hip hop project
• The Canadian hip hop scene
• His relationship with Shad K, and
• His introduction to Christian rap

Discover more about The Runaway online at therunaway.ca

I'm an Englishman, I have been to the states and also have family in both New York and Florida but I have never been to Texas and yet I have a strong fondness of Houston Rap.