Reach Records is having a good week

Reach Records is having a good week.

First, Tedashii's second album, Identity Crisis, finally dropped on Tuesday, May 26.

Amazon.com had it up a week early (on the original release date) and it got a good buzz. I checked iTunes' charts on Saturday and noticed it was ranked #8 on their overall Hip Hop list. (See the screen shot here.) You might remember that Lecrae took the #3 spot there the first day that (rebel) dropped.

This is particularly impressive considering the technical glitch they had with full album downloads in the iTunes store at first.

Props to Reach for producing quality music and prepping the market to pull off a successful drop.

Then came the news that Trip Lee's video for "Real Vision" would be played on BET's 106 & Park (the real one, not the gospel knock off).

Trip Lee Feat. Tedashii "Real Vision" from Rive Video Promotion on Vimeo.

Finally, the Don't Waste Your Life Tour kicked off in their homebase of Memphis, TN. You can follow a lot of artists' exploits, thoughts, and photos on Twitter.

Today, Sunday May 31, was obviously a hightlight for them as they got to worship, perform, minister and fellowship with one of their heroes in the faith: Mr. John Piper.

Catch a flick of 'em all right chere.

Please keep the crew in your prayers and look for the DWYL Tour to hit your area soon.

Update (06/05/09): Identity Crisis hit #2 on Billboard's Gospel chart & #10 on their Christian album chart. View here.

My losing Rockets rap: Shane Battier On 'Em

So, as you may know, I lost my Rockets/Lakers bet with DJ Wade-O.

Still, I'm a man of my word and ponied up with my own "---- ---- On 'Em" remix in honor of Shane Battier.

I figured the Duke boy's glove-like defense of Kobe served as a perfect reference for our team. I mean, we were "down three dudes / so I guess it makes sense."

Listen and/or download (if you dare) by clicking here to visit the story at DaSouth.com. My full lyrics are there too.

To hear Wade-O's response, you'll need to check out his show with the great Kirk Franklin interview. Get it here.

BTW, I in no way claim to be an MC. This was purely a goof and I had fun with it. I hope you do too.

Ambassador & Cross Movement Part Ways (Sketch's Thoughts)

As many of you may already know, the gospel rap community was shocked this week to learn that Cross Movement Records and William “Duce” Branch, aka The Ambassador, had parted ways.

(You can read the official statement here.)

This split and the manner in which it was handled was both frustrating and deeply disappointing. To be honest, it’s been a challenge for many of us to know how to deal with the information in a way that adheres to Scriptural guidelines for such separations and yet refuses to feed our gossip-hungry flesh.

I find it sad too, that this issue would rear its head so close to the release of Duce’s last album, “The Chop Chop,” where the historically distant MC finally seemed to be opening up and more relatable by sharing specific details of his personal life and struggles in songs like “Checkin’ for My God.”

I think we can all agree that our top priority should be to pray for all of the individuals involved. Not that this relationship can be restored so we get more Ambassador albums, but that the man, William Branch and those around him are all in the center of our Lord’s perfect will.

In the words of my man Ricky B, God is NOT in the music business - he’s in the PEOPLE business.

Grace and peace.

S.O.M. "The Journey Revisited" review

My Houston patna’s Soldiers On a Mission just dropped their latest album “The Journey Revisited.”

For my thoughts on this quasi-rerelease visit DaSouth.com to read my critique.

HCR offers "The Breakout"

Holy Culture.net has just launched a special program called “The Breakout” to give independent artists even greater exposure on their site and various media outlets.

The process is simple. Each month artists submit tracks to be voted on by readers and HCR staff. Winners receive a full promo package, acknowledging you as the “Holy Culture Breakout winner” that includes: banner ads, interviews, reviews, and music leaks.

For more details, hit up “The Breakout” section at HolyCulture.net.

Christian Rap Pioneer Wins Jimmy Fallon Dance Contest?

Is the “Stanky Leg” too much for you? How about “The Jimmy Fallon Dip?”

If you’re looking for the country’s next hip hop dance craze it might just be this little ditty from gospel rap pioneer Alton Lee, of the group Disciples Of Christ, and his First Family.

The crew has been poppin’ and lockin’ for a while, and now Lee and his son are in the running for a dance contest for the former Saturday Night Live comedian’s late night talk fest.

“The Jimmy Fallon Dip” received air time on the show this week and the winning entry will be announced tonight, Tuesday May 26.

Here’s hoping we’ll see ?uestlove and the rest of The Roots house band getting their Kid-n-Play-on with helpful instruction from a Christian Rap trailblazer.

Watch Jimmy react to their clip below:

Tre9 on Much Luvv Radio

Tre9 @ Fellowship of The Woodlands by JT Patton

Much Luvv CEO Bobby "Tre9" Herring finally gets to be on his own label's radio show!

If you've ever wondered why he invites mainstream rappers to his All Eyes On Me Awards Show, why he calls himself a "hip hop missionary," or what he might have told Lecrae backstage at SXSW, then you owe it to yourself to hear it all straight from the dude's mouth.

Download your (free) mp3 of the show here.

RELATED: I was interviewed on the show (before Tre) here.

Rapzilla iPhone/iTouch App

Apple iPhone and iTouch users take note: Rapzilla.com has a FREE App you NEED on your mobile device.

Launched on April 28, the Rapzilla app is like having their website in your pocket. It’s got music leaks, news & reviews, a fan wall, and video library.

I’m really excited about this. It looks great, has quality content, and shows that gospel rap can embrace and utilize any new tech trend to improve its marketability.

Get your version from the iTunes app store today!

Sketch article: Tedashii in Tha Message Mag

The good folks at Tha Message Magazine have another fat issue out with my feature story about Tedashii on the cover.

Here's your teaser:

Once upon a time, Tedashii Anderson had an identity crisis.

Biologically, he was the product of an African-American mother and Samoan father. However, Pops was out of the picture for much of his life - leading Tedashii to associate himself with only half of his true heritage.

Order your copy by contacting Chad at either (817) 420-3090 or by e-mailing him at chad@thamessagemag.com.

Also, as you may have heard, T-dot's album got pushed back to May 26. As a consilation, Reach Records is offering fans two FREE downloads of tracks that didn't make the album.

Get them here.

And (pre)order your copy of "Identity Crisis" here.

Vidz: MuteMath "Spotlight" (in a van)

One of my favorite bands has another innovative video getting buzz.

Peep the clip below for MuteMath's song "Spotlight" (featured in the Twilight movie) that was filmed entirely in a Ford Econoline van.



Honestly, it reminds me of Rootbeer's video for "Pink Limousine," but obviously it's a LOT easier to do that with two MCs than a full band + equipment. (And a piano!)

Here's the other MuteMath cut that, as Paul Wall would say, "had the Internet goin' nutz."

Wade-O Radio Honors Mothers This Weekend

It’s all about the ladies this weekend on The Wade-O Radio Show.

In honor of Mother’s Day, Wade is turning over the controls to his wife, Belinda Harris, who will be interviewing mom-to-be Charde Jones (bride of Christian rapper k-Drama) and a special surprise guest.

DJ Lady Grace will be handling the “Mix of the Week” and Wade-O Show intern Laide Mak will fill in for Sketch the Journalist on the “Holy Hip Hop News Blast” segments.

“It’s a true blessing to share my show with these ladies and allow my audience to hear directly from these daughters of Eve,” DJ Wade-O said.

“All of this is to accent the beauty of motherhood and address issues that, from time to time, get left out of the male-dominated holy hip hop scene.”

In addition to the special guests, tune in for hip hop and urban soul that honors and is performed by powerful women of God.

As always, listen to The Wade-O Radio Show on Saturday evenings from 11pm to 1am on the five stations in and around the NYC Metro Area owned by WRDR The Bridge-FM. You can also catch it on demand on DaSouth.com, HeadzupFM.com, or through your favorite podcast RSS feed.

Also catch the show on these new stations and air times:

iPowerFM
http://www.ipowerfm.com/
April 17
Fridays: 10pm – 12am EST

Nia Radio Network
http://www.niaradionetwork.com/
April 18
Saturdays: 3pm-5pm EST

G-Force Radio
http://www.gforceradionetwork.com/
May 1
Fridays: 9pm – 11pm GMT

Zoe Radio
http://www.zoeradio.org/
May 4
Mon-Fri: 4pm – 6pm CST

For more information on DJ Wade-O and The Wade-O Radio Show please visit http://www.wadeoradio.com/

Vid: 2008 All Eyes On Me Awards Highlights

Tre9 posted a quickie highlight reel of last year's All Eyes On Me Achievement Awards ceremony to get you hyped up for this year's event on October 2 & 3.

Watch it here.

Rockets v. Lakers = Sketch v. DJ Wade-O

Let the trash talk begin.

DJ Wade-O and Sketch the Journalist (your humble blogger) are engaged in a friendly wager over the Rockets / Lakers NBA Playoff Series. The loser has to create an “Air Jordan On ‘Em”-style remix of k-Drama’s signature rap song.

“The funny thing is, neither one of us are MCs,” Sketch said. “If you ask me, it’s going to be the listeners who lose!”

The bet began when Sketch began to brag online about his hometown Houston Rockets’ first successful advancement into the second round of the playoffs in more than a decade. Wade, who claims to be a longtime Laker fan (“since Magic was wearing the short shorts”), decided to issue a challenge against his Holy Hip Hop News Blast segment host.

“We both Tweeted and hit up the message boards for ideas and a frequent suggestion was to ride the momentum of all the k-Drama remixes and mine some humor out of our weak attempts to rhyme,” Wade said. “I’m a huge sports fan and having the wins and losses mean a little something extra makes the games even more interesting.

“Either way, the end result should be entertaining to our audience,” Wade laughed.

The Houston Rockets surprised most NBA fans by stealing a win on LA’s home court Monday night. But anyone who follows “The League” is no doubt aware that Laker star Kobe Bryant is bound to enter Game 2 with a specific goal to right this wrong.

Keep up with the back and forth verbal gamesmanship by following both DJ Wade-O (@wadeoradio) and Sketch (@sketchthej) on Twitter and listen for the special “-------- On ‘Em” remix to hit The Wade-O Radio Show shortly after either team is the first to win four games.

For more information on DJ Wade-O and The Wade-O Radio Show please visit www.wadeoradio.com

Vid: The Award Show God Shoutout Phenom

We released a new trailer for "The Fence" documentary we've been working on for a while. I actually loosely edited this one (selected the clips, made the cuts, and put them in order) and another (more talented editor) gave it the polish.

Here's the tease and link:

It seems to happen at every award show – so much so that it’s now a frequent punch line. The rapper who rhymes about selling drugs, pulling guns, and sleeping around with your girl gets honored for his work and the first thing out of his mouth is “I want to thank God.”

Why would someone promote and sell a lifestyle that appears to be so sinful if they are really trying to follow the ways of Jesus? How do they think their God receives such words of gratitude?

Read the rest and watch the video here.

Tre9 & Von Won join Bishop T.D. Jakes & Fred Hammond for post-Ike Galveston Benefit

Galveston County, Texas was hit hard by Hurricane Ike early in 2009 and has not yet been fully restored. In his hometown of Houston, Tre9 witnessed firsthand the damage the storm caused and the recovery process that took place. However, Galveston took the full force of the hurricane, was devastated by the damage, and is still trying to pick up the pieces.

On Friday, May 8, 2009 a benefit event for this tragedy will be held at Moody Gardens Convention Center. It will kick off with performances by Christian rappers Tre9 and Von Won around noon. It will also be blessed with empowering messages by featured speaker Bishop T.D. Jakes and end with a concert by Fred Hammond and his choir.

The Galveston County Hope Benefit will be a full day of seminars focused on health, relief funding, self empowerment, and financial literacy.

"When I was asked to sit on the planning committee and to represent for Christian hip hoppers on stage, I had no reservations,” Tre9 said. “We must be in the community representing Jesus through genuine service whenever we are afforded the opportunity - especially in tragedies that hit so close to home."

This event has been planned to reclaim, rebuild, and restore those churches, businesses, and families that are discouraged during this difficult time and that are identified as not having the necessary funding to repair damages caused by Hurricane Ike.

The mission is to provide an atmosphere that will enhance public and private sectors while stimulating the economic structure for Galveston residents. This event will enrich the community while promoting and demonstrating the power available through unity and compassion.

Many churches of all denominations that have incurred severe damage during Hurricane Ike will probably never be able to worship in their facility again. Even though churches and businesses were insured, many policies did not include surge protection and will not cover those losses.

"If I can grace the stage, doing what God has called me to do, and know that the revenue is being generated for such a need, I am more than willing to serve,” Von Won said. “It is opportunities like this which make me glad to be a gospel rapper."

Proceeds from the event will be distributed by the fiscal agent of Galveston County Hope: FUUSA (www.FUUSA.org), a 20-year-old Houston community-based 501(c)3 non-profit agency that serves adults and at-risk youths in Harris and 12 surrounding counties.

On site, there will also be multiple collection locations for those who are wishing to donate through both financial support and supplies to the churches of Galveston County. For more information visit www.galvestoncountyhope.com.

Twitter = Blog Killer

As my man Matt Sonzala said, Twitter is killing my blog.

It's just so much easier to post pics, links, and ReTweets of important info from my iPhone than the PC.

Still, I know y'all like the bloggy blog and it DOES offer me a better way to share more photos and written pieces longer than 140 characters.

Just trying to adapt to the new tech and figure out how to integrate the two.

Valuable postings to come. I promise.