2012 Dove Awards air tonight, Christian rap represents with Lecrae, Rawsrvnt, & others

 

The 2012 Dove Awards air on the GMC network tonight at 8pm CST. 

Christian hip hop is represented through sets by Lecrae and Tedashii with DJ P Dogg and Rawsrvnt performing alongside Michael Tait of the Newsboys, Blanca Callahan of Group 1 Crew, Todd Smith of Selah and Natalie Grant for a special medley from THE STORY Tour.

Christian hip hop award winners include: 

Rap/Hip Hop Recorded Song of the Year
"Hallelujah" - Rehab Deluxe Edition - Lecrae

and

Rap/Hip Hop Album of the Year
Rehab: The Overdose - Lecrae

Rawsrvnt to perform at 2012 Dove Awards

Hip hop worship artist Rawsrvnt will join Lecrae in representing Christian rap as a performer at the 2012 Dove Awards. Rawsrvnt’s segment will be part of The Story Tour montage.

Last December Rawsrvnt joined the tour which was billed as a Christmas spectacular with carols and a musical journey from Genesis to Revelation. It featured Steven Curtis Chapman, Newsboys, Natalie Grant, Selah, Anthem Lights, and special guests Max Lucado and Randy Frazee.

The 43rd Annual GMA Dove Awards will take place on April 19 at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta and be nationally televised on GMC TV on April 24 at 8:00PM Eastern.

The Award Show God Shoutout Phenomenon

Author's note:

I posted this online a few years ago when I was helping promote The Fence documentary I worked on with Bobby "Tre9" Herring.

Given the time that has passed and our now diverted passions, I'm honestly not sure if it will ever be completed or released. But given that last night's BET Awards had plenty of this, I figured it would be worthy of resurrection today.



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?

Is the “spiritual/Jesus track” at the end of the album a reflection of their true relationship with the Creator or something they tack onto the record to make their momma proud?

This year, we’ve already come through the Grammys, BET, and MTV Awards where such sentiments were no doubt proclaimed from the stage. There's also been the Dove and Stellar Awards where Christian music artists most certainly did the same thing.

Watch this exclusive clip from The Fence documentary series that explores these topics through interviews with people like Houston rap figures Paul Wall and Madd Hatta (97.9 KBXX) as well as comedian D-Ray and Christian rappers R-Swift and Urban D.

How would you respond to their stories, explanations, and reasons for this “Award-Show-God-Shoutout” phenomenon if you were in front of them? Are there valid reasons behind such sentiments?

Leave your comments here and let me know what you think.

Dove Awards and Holy Hip Hop Inc. Unite for 2011 Events

Big news on the gospel rap accolades front. On Monday, September 27 it was announced that the Gospel Music Association’s Dove Awards had partnered with Holy Hip Hop Incorporated (HHHI) to assist them in managing the nomination process for recognizing the genre’s best rap album and song.

Additionally, this year’s Dove Awards will be held in Atlanta and the annual Holy Hip Hop Awards will also take place in that same city during the same week.

This is a big deal for those of us who often complain about the legitimacy of the Dove Award nomination and selection process which tends to lean toward the familiar CCM-label affiliated hip-pop acts year after year. The En Sound Music Awards did the same thing last month here in Houston when they partnered with DaSouth.com for similar services.

The move makes sense for both entities. I'm told attendance and excitement for GMA Week in Nashville has been in decline for several years. And hopefully this partnership will help the HHHI improve their show's quality in the areas of presentation and artist participation.

Although Atlanta’s Holy Hip Hop Awards have often seemed more like recognition than competition, I’m excited to know that individuals who are intimately engaged in our culture will now get to play a part in deciding who will receive this form of encouragement and support for their music ministries.

Look for more information on this week as the April 20, 2011 event date draws closer.