Brallie's "Frankenstein"

Just in time for Halloween, peep the new joint from Braille Brizzy and S1 (Strange Fruit Project). You'll remember their classic jam "Blessed Man" off the "IV" record.

And no, it ain't a joint celebrating demons, pumpkins, and candy. Download your copy here and dig into the metaphor.

"Doctor, doctor / you strapped me down and made me awkward / now I walk with a crooked posture / I am not your experiment / stop messing with my appearance and interferin' with my ability to know God and fear Him / Liar! I am not a monster! / I was not created to be a gangster or robber! / We were not created to be hustlers and strippers / killin' our enemies and pouring out liquor"

Tre9 Joins Wrestling Star Booker T's Protest Against Sports Bar's Religious Discrimination

Tre9 just hit me with this news and said he'll be standing with Book at tomorrow afternoon's protest.

From the presser:

October 28, 2008

Contact:

Adrian Jones

713-471-2396

houstonpwawrestling@yahoo.com

Wrestling Star Booker T to Protest Local Sports Bar for Religious Discrimination

Booker T., the five time WCW World Wrestling Champion and current TNA superstar is protesting for the discrimination he experienced because of his Christian faith on October 26^th at Vito's Deck House located at 20237 Gulf Freeway in Houston, Texas.

On Sunday afternoon Booker T. went into a local restaurant/bar to meet a friend, Marty Wright and try to catch an hour of the Texans game. He had never been to this particular place before and neither had his friend. Approximately 15 minutes after arriving they were approached by the bartender and told that the Marty Wright had to either remove his crosses or leave.

Booker did not accept those terms and asked to speak with a manager. The manger explained it was part of the establishment's "dress code." Booker asked to see the sign where the dress code was posted, which couldn't be found. After T refused to leave because of the cross on his friend's neck, the manager called the police to make them both leave. This led to the police asking Booker and Marty to leave and a police report was filed with the incident documented. There were two other customers who also sported Christian crosses but were not approached by the manager. They left the establishment once they witnessed the discrimination against Booker T.

Booker T is urging all people who are just as offended by the incident to join him personally from 12:00-1:30PM Wednesday to rally against this establishment and make it known what they are doing. Booker claims, "I am outraged that there is restaurant trying to suppress people's freedom to express their belief in God. I will take a stand and make the whole city aware of this establishment's discriminative behavior."

Booker T. will provide signs and banners for this protest. If you would like to join in the picket against this establishment or provide media coverage for the protest, the information is below.

Vito's Deck House

20237 Gulf Freeway

(By Nasa Road 1 Home Depot )

Wednesday, October 29^th

12:00PM-1:30PM

http://www.vitosdeckhouse.com/

Kaboose "Excuse Me" Web Finale

I'm sad to see these go.

One year of www.sketchthejournalist.com

Yep, we've officially had one full year of blogs at www.sketchthejournalist.com.

Thanks to all of you who read, link, comment, and send source material.

Here's to another 365 plus days of HHH news & opinion.

Mary Mary + David Banner = "Superfriend" : A Critique of the Controversial Collab

So Mary Mary’s got a new record out and a lot of the early buzz seems to center around the appearance of mainstream rapper David Banner on the track “Superfriend.”

The questions seem to go:

- Is Banner a Christian or recent convert?
- Does his verse add or detract from the message of the song?
- Can the feature give Banner a false validation for his faith and standing with the Holy One?
- And why in the world didn’t the girls just Reach out (pun intended) to some quality gospel rap cats we know like Lecrae, Trip Lee, or Da’ T.R.U.T.H.?

Some of you have passionate, easy, and clear-cut answers to the questions. Others see some shades of gray.

My thoughts:

Is Banner a Christian or recent convert?

I don’t know. I would imagine that he, like a large portion of rappers, would define his faith as Christian. His albums often carry spiritual themes - his latest being “The Greatest Story Ever Told.” And his songs and lyrics will frequently touch upon several social ills such as the lack of fraternal role models and the devastating impacts of poverty – things that I’m sure prick the heart of Christ and his followers.

At the same time, his biggest hits are songs with titles such as “Like a Pimp” and “Stuntin’ Is a Habit” that seem to go in a totally opposite direction. His last album even carried the seemingly contradictory title “Baptized In Dirty Water” that appears to exemplify this dual nature.

Does his verse add or detract from the message of the song?

Actually, his lyrics seem to be the most directly spiritual on the song. Mary Mary’s “Superfriend” sounds awfully vague whereas Banner specifically references God as “Lord” and “Christ” and acknowledges the enemy of Satan.

Banner also admits he is weak, says he doesn’t deserve God’s blessings on his life, believes more in relationship than religion, and says he knows there is nothing that could separate the grip that Jesus has over his soul.

On the other hand, there’s the admission that he curses in his music, deals with angry outbursts against authority figures, and turns to sex and drugs to fill voids in his spirit. He also describes the “superfriend” hugging him a night and seems to say Jesus is just a “plan for greater peace.”
Toward the end, he also shouts out his previous Billboard bullets by saying “Stuntin’ Is a Habit” and that people assume he’s a “pimp.”

So again, we hear the two sides of David B.

Can the feature give Banner a false validation for his faith and standing with the Holy One?

Perhaps. In interviewing Christian artists for the upcoming “Fence” documentary with Tre9, this was a valid argument I heard against doing such collaborations with secular rappers. There is a fear that it gives the artist a stamp of approval from the Christian community and allows them to feel like their relationship to the Messiah is just fine because other believers still work with and accept him.

Now, for me personally, I can accept and respect that standpoint. I also see and know of cases where these collabs have opened up opportunities for ministry, discipleship, and greater spiritual accountability.

My opinion:

I think it has to be decided on a case-by-case basis with prayer and direction from the Holy Spirit. That’s often a component we leave out when we want to draw hard and fast rules and regulations around this art we’ve given to God’s glory. Although we should have standards, I think we also need to allow room for the Trinity to work outside of our boxes when prompted.

And why in the world didn’t the girls just get some quality gospel rap cats we know like Lecrae, Trip Lee, or Da’ T.R.U.T.H.?

This one is a little bit harder to answer. We KNOW Mary Mary has been exposed to quality Christian rap throughout their careers – even recently being on tour with someone like Da’ T.R.U.T.H.

Perhaps it was label pressure to get a guest artist with a higher mainstream profile. Maybe they already had a relationship with Banner (which it sounds like - see the 106 & Park link below) and wanted to draw him closer with a collab.

I’m not sure other than to say I believe a better and clearer gospel message could have been delivered by one of our community’s top-shelf MCs than someone from the mainstream who appears to still be struggling to fully express his faith in his music and lifestyle.

And since Mary Mary is an R&B/urban gospel type group, the few rap features they DO put on their albums really stand out and should be considered with great care.

For this one, I’m going to say they probably should have used someone known as an established Christian rapper.

And I’m also going to give props for David Banner’s apparent push toward the cross in his life and lyrics. Had this verse been on his own album I think it could have been a highlight of the project. But since it’s on Mary Mary’s record and is being marketed to the church crowd, it just comes off like dirty baptismal water.

*************************************************

Oh yeah, just between you and me, you might want to check out the launch of DaSouth.com on November 4 for some comments about David Banner’s faith and action directly from the dude’s mouth.

Related links:

Mary Mary talk about the collab on BET's 106 & Park

A different perspective

Worship-hop

As heard on Episode #79 of the Wade-O Radio Show:

The other night I had a conversation with my good friend s/ave that sparked me to both thought and action.

You need to know about s/ave.

He’s the dude from Heaven’s Hip Hop Magazine that used to write the “Real Criticisms” page that really took cats to task about the quality of their Christian rap. He later started ONEMIND Magazine which begat om95.com which eventually turned into DaSouth.com.

All of that to say, he’s a guy that LIVED and BREATHED holy hip hop.

Now, he doesn’t even listen. Instead, he’s found his heart in modern praise and worship music.

But back to our convo the other night - as usual, I tried to get our talk to at least touch on gospel rap. I asked if he had even tuned in to anything lately and he said no.

A major reason: not enough worship in those rhymes.

Which got me to thinking, surely he’s missing out. I know for a FACT that guys ARE putting holy praise on their albums…. Right?

So I had an idea. I was going to make slave a mixtape of some of the best worship rap joints I’ve got in my iTunes library.

But my search came up with several surprises.

To be honest, it proved a little more challenging than I expected. You see, once I started to apply a standard of pure worship to my list, it kept getting smaller and smaller.

It’s a definition I got from blog written by shai linne a while back. In it, he noted there’s a difference between lyrics that say we’re going to praise God and actually praise God. It’s like bragging to my friends about how often I tell my wife I love her and then never actually speaking those words to her face.

Unfortunately, a lot of our gospel rap is the former instead of the latter.

I also noted that in the worship-type tracks I DID find, several names, camps, and labels came up multiple times. Trip Lee’s last project had several vertically-focused songs. Ambassador’s got a list too. I encourage you to check your own digital library to see what you can find.

So, am I advocating a wholesale switch from topical, evangelistic, or social issue-based lyrics from Christian MCs? Absolutely…. Not.

But, I am saying my soul could sure use another “Sinner’s Prayer” project from MG! the Visionary, “In Rare Form” from Rawsrvnt, or simply a few more worship joints from my favorite artists to balance out their albums.

“…Out of the mouth the heart speaks,” right?

*****************************************

Wanna joint this conversation in greater depth?

Check out s/ave's Worship-hop Blog.

Wade-O hits the NYC Airwaves

Yep, it's official. DJ Wade-O is hitting the airwaves in NYC and the surrounding area. My man's still going to continue the podcast and now just has a broader, more local platform for the newness.

And best believe your humble blogger is tagging right along to that gravy train with expanded commentary via the Holy Hip Hop News Blast segments on the Wade-O Show.

I'm proud for my big homie and encourage you to lift him in prayer as he takes on this new challenge.

Details from the presser:

Newark, NJ - The power and favor of Jesus the Christ is taking DJ Wade-O’s podcast, “The Wade-O Radio Show,” to a new level. On Saturday, November 1, the show will debut as a syndicated FM Radio program to a potential 6.5 million listeners in the NYC/NJ Metro area, not to mention those across the nation that will take advantage of the station’s online streaming capabilities and those that are already accustomed to hearing Wade-O via the Internet.

The Wade-O Radio Show will broadcast from 11 PM to 1 AM every Saturday evening on WRDR The Bridge FM. The Bridge simulcasts live online at http://www.bridgefm.org/ as well as over the following frequencies in the Greater New York City Metropolitan Area:

• 103.1 FM in NYC and Northern NJ

• 89.7 FM in Monmouth / Ocean Counties, NJ

• 99.7 FM in Sullivan County, NY

• 94.3 FM in Pomona, NY

• 98.9 FM in Poughkeepsie, NY

Currently, The Bridge broadcasts Holy Hip Hop Pioneer DJ Floyd Cray’s ground-breaking “Gospel Vibrations” show from 11 PM to 1 AM every Saturday. The combination of the already built-in listener base from “Gospel Vibrations” and the present following of “The Wade-O Radio Show” podcast should present a sizeable audience for ministries, businesses, and advertisers seeking to target the coveted 16-40 years of age demographic set in the NYC/ Northern New Jersey Metro Area.

“I’m very excited about this opportunity,” DJ Wade-O said. “I started the Wade-O Radio Show Podcast with the intent of ministering to my friends through music and interviews and am grateful that I have been able to maintain the original mission the Lord gave me as I have made new friends all around the world.

“The show has grown to have listeners in nearly every state in the U.S. as well in countries like Canada, Kenya, Ghana, the U.K., and even Australia. I’m really looking forward to serving the New York and New Jersey markets and continuing the work of my predecessor, Floyd Cray. I hope this encourages all of my peers who are doing podcasts to keep pressing. We can get our shows placed on FM Radio!”

The syndicated version of The Wade-O Radio Show will continue to include exclusive music, artist interviews, holy hip hop news and commentary by Christian hip hop writer/columnist Sketch the Journalist, special segments, new label and artist information, and special giveaways to listeners.

The new broadcast will be used to give the radio audience the first chance to hear the popular radio show before it will be available for free podcast download the following Sunday.

The debut on-air show, Saturday, November 1, will be a “Best Of” show featuring clips and highlights from the past year. With a large archive of interviews from industry movers and shakers such as Tonex, Rockwilder, Dorinda Clark-Cole, Lecrae, Bushwick Bill, Da T.R.U.T.H., KJ-52, Trip Lee, Canton Jones, Corey Red, J.J. Hairston from Youthful Praise, and others, this will certainly serve as a dynamic show to launch the program.

Upcoming guests on The Wade-O Radio Show will include the Stellar award nominated group Frontlynaz, U.K Sensation Dwayne Trumpf, and Stellar award nominee, graphic design artist and DaSouth.com co-owner Aziz “Zee” Peregrino-Briman of Bezworks Design.

If you are interested in partnering with DJ Wade-O to continue to bring Christian Hip Hop to FM radio outlets, please contact Albee Beutel of the Kingdom Minded Group at 212-203-4400 ext. 101 or email albee@kingdommindedgroup.com.

To learn more about DJ Wade-O and the Wade-O Radio Show, please visit http://www.wadeoradio.com/.

Remember, it’s more than music…its ministry!

The Wade-O Radio Show: http://www.wadeoradio.com/
Fellowship: http://www.illspot.net/

Vidz: Kaboose promo 3/4 - "The Best Part"

Sean Slaughter / Man on Fire - Oct 28

FYI: Sean Slaughter's "Man On Fire" drops Oct 28.

Just hearing "Flesh Killa feat. JR" you can tell it's gonna be a hot one. (Bad pun intended.) Guest spots include: Alvin Slaughter, Papa San, JR, and Soul P.

I gotta admit, I was kinda sleeping on the dude for a minute, but after I copped his "Best Of" mixtape with DJ I Rock Jesus at the AEOM Awards, I became a big time fan.

Vidz: KJ-52 / "I Got It Got It"

Another great promo video from KJ.

KJ-52's "Stuck in the 80's" Missing Pages preview mixtape + The Wade-O Show

I finally got a chance to check out KJ-52's interview on the Wade-O Show podcast yesterday and forgot about this lovely little widget he's made available as promo for "The Missing Pages."

It's a slick clipfest of classic 80's beats and movie lines that will bring you back down memory lane. It's also one of the coolest promo tools I've ever seen in Christian rap.

Do yourself a favor and spend some time with this one, check out his in-depth interview on Wade's show where they talk about everything from label deals to racism in HHH, and then go buy your copy of this awesome bonus package of The Yearbook/The Missing Pages.

"Blaow! Blaow! Blaow" - KJ-52 manual airhorn interpretation of the ones on Wade's show (You'll get it after you listen to the podcast.)

Sketch review: Kaboose / Excuse Me

Rapzilla.com just published my review of Kaboose's "Excuse Me" album that releases today.

Here's the teaser and link. Let me know if you "love it" like 'Boose does his own album in another hilarious promo vid from the Syntax Creative crew seen below.

Kaboose seems like a guy that loves hip hop. Not in a “This-bumps-nice-in-my-ride” or “Rap-will-get-me-rich” way. No, for this Minnesota-bred mic-man it’s more of a “What-would-I-have-ever-done-WITHOUT-this?!?” mindset.

Not that it would elevate to idol worship that supplants the Creator, but I can’t help but imagine how fondly ‘Boose seems to have taken to the art form. Like a member of the deaf community discovering American Sign Language in his late teens, the mohawked mic-ripper comes off evangelistically passionate about his new mouthpiece. And on an album like Excuse Me, he flexes his maximum hip hop potential to convey thoughts on just about every facet of his life.

Click here to continue.

Vidz: Urban D's "Peter"

Nice story video with footage from "The Passion of the Christ." There also appears to be scenes I don't recognize from that film. If you know the title hit me up.

KJ-52's 80's Mashup Remix Video Contest

K-Tweezy's promoting his "Yearbook: Missing Pages" re-release (dropping Tuesday, Oct 14) with a mashup video test.

Like the cover art and new single, dude is "Stuck in the 80's," so grab your ghetto blaster, nasty neon, and rock-it like your favorite b-boy or character from a John Hughes flick.

Peep the special site for more details.

Vidz: White boy pumps that "Jesus Muzik"

This is just awesome!

And at least it seems like the dude knows he's going for laughs. Credit thetruth178 from the HCR boards for this find.



BTW, Lecrae's (rebel) continues to climb the charts and sell well. Nearly 10,000 units in the first week according to Rapzilla.

Sketch article: Whuteva / Avoiding the Failures of "The Pastor Ma$e Project"

The good folks over at Illspot.net just published my interview with former G-Unit member Whuteva about his upcoming gospel rap album and the steps he's taking to avoid being pegged as the next Pastor Ma$e.

Here's your teaser and link:

See if this sounds familiar…

A young New Yorker teams with a childhood friend to become a rap star. With links and support from a multi-platinum producer, he seemingly hits the “Big Time” with nationwide tours and television appearances. Then, at what some would define as the height of his celebrity, he finds God and steps away from the game.

Our Yankee friend withdraws for a season to develop spiritually, often blaming his former hip hop lifestyle as a tool of the Enemy.

Later, the MC returns to the mic with a goal to infiltrate the mainstream market with a clearer head and cleaner tongue. Although not taking an evangelistic approach to his lyrics, when asked, he points to the God-man of Jesus as the reason for the change.

Is Whuteva the new Murda Ma$e? Can Desmond Douglas avoid some of the pitfalls that have seemingly haunted Mason Betha’s post-salvation public image?

Continue reading here.

Vidz: Kaboose "Phenomenal"

Apparently Kaboose thinks his new album, "Excuse Me," is phenomenal.

Check Rapzilla.com next week to read my review of the project and see if I feel the same.

Vidz: Classic Southern Gospeltality Records

Ahhh... this brings back memories of the late 90's H-town holy hip hop scene and "Ministerz of the Underground" shows on Channel 14 at 1am on a Saturday night.

Enjoy some old school SGR clips.

"Pass It On" by Son of Jesse feat. Tragedy



"Spiritual Warfare" feat. SOJ, Tragedy, & Da Click


Props to Hvnbnd from the HCR & DaSouth.com message boards for this find.

DJ Promote's "Wages of Syntax 2 Volume 2" for less than a Mickey D's combo

Twenty-three crushers blended by one of HHH's craziest DJs for less than Big Mac sack of carbs? Count me in.

Pre-order your copy here for just $4.98!

1. "Goin Outta Control" Kaboose feat.Royce Da 5'9"
2. "The IV" Braille feat.Rob Swift
3. "Hawthorne's Most Wanted" RedCloud feat.Kurupt & Tonex
4. "Universal" L.A. Symphony feat.Posdnuous of De La Soul
5. "Knuckle Up (Experiment X Remix)" Kaboose feat.Shane Newville, Manchild, & Playdough*
6. "I Sigh" Sackcloth Fashion
7. "Pandemonium" Luke Geraty feat.Pigeon John
8. "Traveling Circus" RedCloud feat.Sam Hart
9. "First of All (Lolly Pops Remix)" Sivion, Jeremiah Bonds, Soul P.*
10. "Heart" Othello feat.Destro of Boom Bap Projects
11. "Samurai Showdown (Double Dose Remix)" Shane Newville feat.Braille*
12. "Side By Side" Def Shepard
13. "Guns & Roses (Rising Son's Remix)" RedCloud feat.& Jayo Felony & Tonex*
14. "Hidden In The Bushes" Freddie Bruno & k-Drama
15. "Blessed Man" Braille
16. "For You (Blessed Man Remix)" Kaboose feat.Braille & Christin Hart*
17. "Season's Greetings" Othello feat.Siren's Echo
18. "Don't Wear It Out (Journey Through My Mind Remix" RedCloud feat.Grits*
19. "Follow Me Now" Kaboose
20. "Move On" Man of War
21. "Boombox Saints (Waterworld Remix)" RedCloud*
22. "Technique" Def Shepard
23. "Thank You and Good Night" DJ Promote

*Exclusive versions only available on this release.

Rootbeer (PIgeon John & Flynn) for McCain

Or so says their video blog...

Leak: dogfight! & Sandy Hogan "Hip Hop"

FREE leak for your weekend from my man dogfight! and his friend Sandy Hogan.

Here's the rundown from Tope himself:

So me and Sandy got in the studio, played around with one of my old songs and this is what it came out. She's a natural. Old School hip hop at its finest. We didnt get to finish it up like we planned on yet so it's just an unmastered rough mix. Thought you would like to hear it. Look out for the completed version soon.

Download your copy here for a limited time only. (Seriously!)

B-boys Love Applejaxx

Applejaxx's "Hands Up On 805" is being used by The Lost Kids for a routine. Somebody get them booked on MTV's only bearable show, America's Best Dance Crew, stat!

Jaxx's debut LP "Born Identity" is due out 1st quarter 2009.

Free DL: ReadyWriter & DJ Wade-O Mixtape

My boy Brinson from GodChaserz is a dude that obviously puts others before himself. Even though he recently dropped his own album, "Escaping Me" (which is the best I've heard from the label), he's promoted it by offering a mixtape from one of his other artists.

ReadyWriter's "Poetic Freedom" was an add-on bonus for orders of "Escaping Me" and is hosted by DJ Wade-O. Now, Brinson letting you take it for FREE, with or without a purchase.

Snag yours here.

And get your "Escaping Me" here.

Da(NEW) DaSouth.com is Coming!

Tonight might be the VP debate this is something nobody's gonna argue about!

They want YOUR VOTE, but we want YOUR VISIT! The new DASOUTH.COM website launches on Election Day - November 4, 2008! Join the email newsletter to be reminded of the launch!

Vidz: RedCloud "Krylon Teardrops"

Effective use of a single set and wardrobe.

Heck, the budget was probably blown on paint for that bomb piece in the background anyway.