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

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...

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 catching up on a slew of video clips I need to post and have been meaning to share this interview I did with Houston rapper GS at his That Real Talk album release party back in November.

In this brief sit-down we discuss:

• His connection to Bizzle and God Over Money Records
• His passion for street ministry
• His “I’m Doin’ Jesus” movement and name

Discover more about GS online at thisisgs.com.

In part 1 of this interview we looked at Wize's insight into his time with Frontlynaz and his views on Holy Hip Hop. This time we will take a look at some of Wize’s ministry life away from the stage. If you want to catch up you can read the previous article by clicking this link.

Edgy, amusing, and personal are some of the words that could be used to describe Bejoy Philip. The artist previously known as “Brother Wize” from the Stellar Award-nominated group Frontlynaz gave me the chance to gain some insight into his life in Christian Hip Hop and his other activities.