Christian rapper Brinson interviewed on National Public Radio

Christian rapper Brinson was recently interviewed on National Public Radio.

The owner/CEO of GodChasez Entertainment has over a decade of experience and training as an ordained minister and was invited to the station by Melissa Ross, the producer/host of the First Coast Connect show on WJCT FM/TV.

The nearly five-minute segment covered:

• His role as an independent hip hop artist/entrepreneur
• His ministry work in the Jacksonville, Florida community, and
• The ways he is helping others duplicate his success.

“Brinson is a fresh exciting voice on the First Coast,” Ross said. “I enjoyed meeting him!”

Brinson brought along Juice 20/20 of Space Cherry Films along to document the media session and was even able to perform an acapella of his track “Hit the Floor.”

“NPR offers a great service to the community and I’m so grateful for the opportunity to share with their audience what God is doing through me and hip hop music,” Brinson said.

First Coast Connect is described as a show covering the issues, trends and newsmakers that have people talking. This one hour program airs Monday to Friday at 9am EST on WJCT FM/TV and is available as a podcast on NPR’s website.

INTERVIEW: Brinson on “No Other Heroes” and what to think when God doesn’t seem to answer your prayers

I recently caught up with GodChaserz Entertainment CEO/producer/rapper Brinson via e-mail to discuss his new album, what to think when God doesn’t seem to answer your prayers, and which film made the best superhero movie this summer.

Sketch: No Other Heroes marks your third solo album and 22nd release from the GodChaserz record label you founded and own.

After so much time and effort spent in music ministry, I imagine that things can occasionally get boring, frustrating, or just routine. So what motivates you to press on and move forward these days?

Brinson: A couple of things really.

First and foremost, I believe I am called to do GodChaserz. If I didn’t believe God sent me to do this I would have quit a million times.

The second reason is all the testimonies, they really help me stick it out in the hard times. That being said, I quit at least 20 times while making NOH. Then the Lord would have people from all over the country send me emails, texts, tweets about how my music has impacted their kids, youth ministry, or changed the culture of their church, etc. That is one of the biggest things.

Also, I think I have had that “I’m being slept on” mentality for so long that I still work extra hard like I have something to prove. Every album it feels like I (or any of the guys on the label) have to reprove that GodChaserz is a force in Christian Hip Hop.

Other than that, I’m still having fun. I love to be on stage, I love meeting people. And I want to make sure I’m clearing a path for other GodChaserz artists.

Sketch: Your song “Gold” unfolds a pretty interesting story. What inspired it?

Brinson: I was inspired by watching numerous artist on TV. We see the same story all the time. From KC and Jo Jo, to the late, great Whitney Houston – the list goes on and on. They all come up in church, God gives them a gift, then they leave the church and blow up. Drugs and all sorts of crazy things come into play when money is involved. It always leads to emptiness.

Sketch: Your song “Hit the Floor” is a bit of a departure from your typical sound but may be my favorite track on the album. What made you want to spazz out on the song and in the video?

Brinson: On every album I always have some sort of hybrid song (ex. “Green Grass Theory,” “80/20″, “Hello”). This time around it’s “Hit the Floor.” I’m big on pushing the envelope with fusing styles on my albums.

As far as spazzing out, while Juice2020 (co-producer) and I were going over the project, we kept pushing hard for lyrics, harder lyrics. I just had fun with “Hit the Floor” and it came out great. I never thought it would be the first video but God brought it all together; the concept, look, everything. I think everyone is going to enjoy this one.

Sketch: You attempted to fund the production and promotion of this album using the popular crowd-sourcing site Indiegogo.com. With it you set, but did not reach, a goal of $50,000. What made you post such a lofty target figure and what does it say about faith and God’s willingness to financially bless or not bless your work here?

Brinson: Man Sketch…. this is a hard thing to talk about.

I wasn’t going to do it at all. As you know, I’ve been doing this for so long without any big label push behind me. I’ve been relying on favor and faith in God’s provision. Many doors have opened that way, so I was just going to stick to the formula.

But I know the message has to reach more people. So I prayed on it and believed the Lord said “Go.” I still fought with it too. But, I know an obedient and willing heart will always win with the Lord. So I stepped out on faith and went for it.

We didn’t reach our goal, and naturally a man will question if he obeyed God. The “Where did I go wrong?” question came up. Ultimately, I just chalk it up to God having a greater purpose, maybe to just kill my pride of not wanting to ask for help.

I set the target so high because I know what good can be done with that amount of money. I could reach more people – especially orphans and kids in group homes. As far as God’s willingness to bless, I still believe He’ll do it. God is able.

Would I do it again? Probably not. But, if I feel the Lord is saying do it, I’m not dumb enough to tell God “No”. Those things never work out.

Sketch: Since the new album is called No Other Heroes and I know you’re a film fan which made the better movie this summer: The Avengers, The Dark Knight Returns, or the Spiderman reboot? Why?

Brinson: The Dark Knight Returns was the best movie of this year – hands down. It was more than a comic book movie, it had everything: suspense, great acting, a plot twist, drama, great fights, shoot’em up, bang bang… it was a great story all around. I thought the acting was at a high level. They nailed every scene. I had to go back and watch The Dark Knight. So yeah, Dark Knight Returns.

The Avengers was a close second. It was a GREAT comic book action movie. Robert Downey Jr. really did a great job acting. He was very impressive, better than all of his Iron Man movies.(I thought Iron Man 2 was horrible.) The dude who played the Hulk was great. I really like him. I appreciated that Samuel L. Jackson didn’t ruin the movie. He isn’t good in sci-fi movies.

Spiderman was an epic fail. I thought the story told was good, but the dude who replaced Toby Mcguire was thumbs down. But hey, you can’t win ‘em all Hollywood.

That was a great question man. You know I’m a big movie buff. I’ve seen at least 20 movies in the theater this year. SMH I need to repent, LOL.

BONUS QUESTION:

Sketch: What song(s) have you’ve made that you think got overlooked, but you thought it was special?

Brinson: On my first album it would be a song called “I Remember.” I thought it was a great song. We talked about so many things about the 80′s (toys, candy, TV shows etc). It was overshadowed by “Solar Powered” that was a big song.

Then on OMG i would say it would be “Breaking Down.” It was a great storytelling/fantasy song. I think my flow and voice tone was great and the third verse was very good.

No Other Heroes releases today at all major digital download stores including iTunes and Amazon.com.

Brinson drops "Tebowin'" tribute to Tim Tebow

It was only a matter of time until a Christian rapper crafted a tribute track to Tim Tebow. First to the finish line was Jacksonville, Florida resident Brinson with "Tebowin'."

Before going on sale today, the song appeared to have tons of momentum with "The Mile-High Messiah" having four straight 4th quarter comebacks and six straight wins. Unfortunately, "Touchdown Jesus" and the Denver Broncos fell short of glory yesterday with a 41-23 loss to the New England Patriots.

"Tebowin'" is available for purchase at all of the major digital suppliers (including iTunes) with a portion of the proceeds to be donated to the Tim Tebow Foundation. To hear a sample, click the Play button near Tebow's Bible-verse-laden eye black in the image below.

New Brinson "TEBOWIN" Tribute to Tim Tebow by Brinson Solar GodChaserz

And of course this begs the question: How does "Tebowin'" compare to this DJ Khaled/T-Pain remix?

First Baptist's Houston Project utilizes Christian rappers for city-wide ministry

Some of this year's Houston Project Christian rap ministers
From left to right: 1-God, Tony Whoa, Brinson, Excelsius, Educator, Mahogany Jones

Yesterday, I blogged about a Christian rap concert by solo artist Lecrae in Kemah, Texas that reportedly drew 10,000 people.

While that’s cool and I’m very happy for both him and Reach Records - I’m equally, if not more impressed, with a guy like Educator, a rapper you probably don’t know, who was also serving my city through hip hop ministry on the same night as Crayola as part of First Baptist Church’s Houston Project.

Through that initiative, over 1,400 volunteers are challenged to share the love of Christ in 13 different locations via vacation bible schools, youth events, adult ministry, food distribution, sports ministry, evangelism, and prayer. Aside from the next-door neighbor focus, many will also find uniqueness in the large role that Christian hip hop is playing in this movement.

Coordinated by Malcolm “Excelsius” Marshall, guys like Educator, 1-God, IBC, Tony Whoa, Brinson and Mahogany Jones have hit the streets four days and nights this week to share the gospel.

They face the challenge of small crowds who don’t know them or their music or even care about their message. And yet, they’re still out loving on Houstonians and telling them about the inconceivable grace of Jesus the Christ.

H-town is blessed to have hip hop ministers of the gospel, with platforms of all sizes, serving us this way. Salute!

Thursday, July 14 marks the final day of the Houston Project. Learn more about it at houstonsfirst.org/houstonproject

Here's Excelsius telling me more about the event from last year.

Video: Full interview with Brinson

As mentioned in my September 11 post, I wanted to share with you my full interview with GodChaserz Entertainment CEO/artist Brinson.

I hope you hear his heart and see why he's one of the most personable guys in Christian hip hop.

Topics covered:

• Luvv to Dance, OMG, and running GodChaserz Enetertainment
• His inspiration behind the "Don't Rap No More" song
• Connecting with other artists and what Knine REALLY sounds like off the mic
• His beard, image, and upcoming projects
• Dealing with negative criticism
  

Remembering When Christian Hip Hop Also Courted 9/11 Controversy

Around this time almost three years ago I found myself troubled by and critical of a group of Christians using the anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks and Muslim extremist terminology to advance a personal agenda.

And while I won’t go so far as to say that GodChaserz Entertainment’s promotion of Jovan MacKenzy’s Jihad album rose to the same level of distaste as Rev. Terry Jones’ threat to burn copies of the Qur’an on that date, I was recently reminded of a time when Christian hip hop pushed the envelope into similar treacherous territory and how we were ultimately able to overcome those differences and redeem a relationship.

Along with the title and 9/11 release date, MacKenzy’s album included cover art with Arabic font faces and Crusades-era battle imagery. In my review for Rapzilla.com I noted that:

I can honestly say I never got a real Christian vs. Islam vibe from the project, but I definitely got a "Let's-exploit-their-terminology-and-imagery-in-our-promo" feeling.

Maybe that's the issue.

1. It's tacky and exploitative – particularly from one who claims to follow the teachings of Jesus.

2. It doesn't even make sense. Once you get past the cover and suspicious drop date you don't really get the "Us vs. Them" or "conversion-by-force" thematic sense from the rest of the album.

The packaging (not just the physical thing, but the whole concept, 9/11 date, etc.) doesn't match the content. When that outer wrapping is offensive and distasteful to boot, you're just doing yourself a disservice.

At the time, GodChaserz Entertainment president Brinson took issue with my critique. On my personal blog, he posted that his company defined “jihad” as a “holy war” or “personal struggle.”

He said “Since we are not Islamic, the holy war (jihad) we declared was on SIN.”

And to GodChaserz' credit, an indie label with 15 titles under its belt, none of their releases after Jihad carried anything close to this tone.

Brinson's last album also dealt with the inner battle between flesh and spirit, but was more appropriately named Escaping Me. His latest, OMG, flips a popular text term to express his literal awe at the greatness of our Creator.

Thankfully, Brinson is a solid, rational brother in Christ. And after my initial critique, we were able to civilly discuss our differences and continued to build our friendship beyond just a surface critic/artist/CEO relationship.

In fact, this became a topic of discussion during my video interview with him during a recent stop in Houston.

Oh how I wish this Qur’an-burning business could be similarly solved.

(AUTHOR'S NOTE: Comments start around the 0:40 second mark.
You'll also get to hear more of Brinson's heart in additional interview segments that will be posted next week.)

GodChaserz news

GodChaserz got it goin' on.

In addition to recently inking a deal for distribution to Best Buy stores, the Florida label just dropped an album full of instrumentals for your next show, mixtape, or remix and this video promo for Brinson's upcoming OMG album. The clip at the end looks nice - like DustBrandFilms nice.



Several other upcoming projects have associated promo videos. Check 'em out over at Godchaserz.com.

Vid: Brinson "Rock 4 The Rock"

GodChaserz's Brinson sent me this link to his live performance video of "Rock 4 The Rock" from recorded with multiple cameras at Urban D's Crossover Community Church in Tampa.

I have to admit, this isn't my favorite cut off of Dat's Gospel Mixx Vol. 2, but I like Brinson's band name references and the crowd-surfing/mic-stand-strumming playfulness he adds to the performance.

Sketch article: Frontlynaz cover story in Tha Message Magazine's Summer 09 issue

Frontlynaz in da' buildiiinnnnggg!

Those East Coast boys are the subject of my cover story in the Summer 09 issue of Tha Message Magazine. I just received these copies in Friday night.

Good word is you can get yours too. Hit up QualityJunk.com or (BIG NEWS) soon it will be available to you on news stands through Ingram Distribution.

Here's your article teaser:

Perhaps your first introduction to Proph 1, Bro. Wize, and Wit was when the computer-talk club banger "Gunz Down" got spun on The Wade-O Radio show. Or maybe you took notice after their independently released Game Over album received a surprise Stellar Award nomination alongside bigger titles from labels like Cross Movement and Reach Records. Or possibly, it was when their "Can't Break Us" anthem from DJ Morph's International mixtape rocked your favorite online video spot with top notch visuals and vocals.

But while they may be new to you, it's important to note that these dudes have been "Frontlynaz" for years.

Brinson LIVE! DVD

GodChaserz' Brinson celebrates his birthday this week with a 3-D Party in Jacksonville, FLA.

He also announced via Twitter this morning that he's got a new "Brinson LIVE!" DVD for sale.

It's got over 2 hours of performance footage from The Pangea Live and Urban D's Cross Over Community Church. Also, behind the scenes clips from the "Solar Powered" music video.

You also get the full "Solar Powered" joint and 3 episodes of his funny "Extreme Witnessing 101" series.

Buy it here for less than $20.

Sneak Peek: Next Tha Message Mag cover

Here's your sneak peek of the next cover of Tha Message Mag.

I wrote the story about the Frontlynaz. Should be out soon.

To order back issues go to ThaMessageMag.com or QualityJunk.com.

Better beard: Brinson or Billy Mays?

So, I was watching "Pitchmen" on the Discovery Channel this eve and had a thought:

Who has the better beard?

Brinson (GodChaserz Entertainment)

or

Billy Mays (OxiClean all your favorite infomercials)

You decide!

Me? I like Brinson and the GCE fam, but I gotta give the edge to Mays. Dude is so gangsta!

Vidz: Brinson "We Need the Savior"

New performance clip from God Chaserz' Brinson.

Vidz: Brinson's ExTreme Witnessing 101

Brinson's at it again. This time with a Shawn Michaels-styled "Super Kick."

Enjoy.

Vidz: Brinson & D-M.A.U.B. "Solar Powered"

Godchaserz Entertainment's Brinson and D-M.A.U.B. bring the heat in the video for "Solar Powered" from B's "Escaping Me" album.

I love the Solar Powered drink at the end, but am mad dude didn't take my suggestion to tape a smackdown of the Energizer Bunny as his lyrics suggest.


Solar Powered By Brinson feat. D-M.A.U.B from Brinson on Vimeo.

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.

Promo: Brinson & Applejaxx newness

Newz you should know:

Brinson's soon to drop a solo jawn from the GodChaserz Camp. Peep the commercial below and you'll catch the theme.



Also, another track from the upcoming Applejaxx mixtape, Databass, has been leaked. Step on over to Illspot.net to get a listen.

The new track: "The Answer" feat. Mr. Coldstone

Look for this one to release next Tuesday, July 15.

Godchaserz: Brinson pre-order with FREE ReadyWriter mixtape hosted by DJ Wade-O

Brinson's on his grind and got a special deal for pre-orders of his solo album: A 19-track "Poetic Freedom" mixtape hosted by DJ Wade-O.

Peep the commercial below.



Get your pre-order on here.

Promo: ReadyWriter Drops Today + Blogs Bring Sales

I gave my boy Brinson a hard time about "Jihad" a while back but still wanna show him some love.

Peep the latest from Godchaserz Entertainment that drops today. I'm downloading a preview copy as I type this and will post my thoughts on the album after I've had a chance to digest it a bit.

Sample the noise here: Conduit

And good news for both Godchaserz and me - it seems that credible blog mentions (like www.sketchthejournalist.com) actually increase album sales.

Props to Rizoh at The Rap Up for tipping me off to this one.

Peep the story from The Hollywood Reporter.

Blog posts can triple future album sales, according to a new study from researchers at New York University.

NYU Stern professor Vasant Dhar and former student Elaine Chang sampled 108 albums released between January and March of 2007 to determine the impact of blog chatter on record sales. Using Amazon.com sales rankings, albums were tracked four weeks before and four weeks after release.

Researchers found that when an album got mention in more than 40 legitimate blog posts, sales were three times the average. If those albums were associated with major labels, sales jumped five times the average. Albums that got more than 250 blog mentions saw sales increases of six times the average.

The number of MySpace friends the artist had also improved album sales, but researchers said there was a weaker correlation than with blog chatter.

Y'all cats in the record biz betta catch this wave before you're left all wet!

Review: Jovan MacKenzy - Jihad

September 11th. The date is forever etched in American hearts.

It’s the day our world changed and we woke up to the very real threat of global terrorism. Shamefully, just six years later, the memory of nearly 3,000 lives is pushed aside in the name of hip hop consumerism.

It wasn’t just 50 vs. Kanye - although their well-orchestrated competition did spur album sales. Wine-0 (fka Nuwine) pimped the memorial day with an expletive-laced diss track video for Ye, Curtis, and his former gospel rap brethren so that listeners would know his new album would be in stores on that date.

Godchaserz Entertainment also saw the 9/11 anniversary as a prime opportunity for pub by dropping Jovan MacKenzy’s disc titled Jihad* and carrying the idea to its cover art with Arabic font faces and Crusades-era battle imagery. This from a [gulp] Christian MC.

Fortunately (?) this offensively brash and exploitive theme doesn’t go much further than the packaging and title song track. However, it’s not the first time J-Mac has courted controversy. His “Shot To Ya Soul” track on the Dat’s Gospel Mixxtape also struck nerves by calling out mainstream rappers (Mobb Deep, 50, Jay-Z, R Kelly) and explaining how their public words and actions appeared to contradict or conflict with modern Christian practices.

Pushing aside such distasteful promotion tactics to evaluate Jihad’s overall content is admittedly hard to do. But there is substance underneath.

MacKenzy has rhyme skill talent and delivers a solid Biblical message about the struggle to lead a sacred life throughout the project. However, this spiritual strife is not the same thing as the “holy war” referenced in the title. “Jihad” and “sanctification” are not synonyms!

On the album Jovan employs a throwback East Coast type flow over serviceable synth-heavy beats by Godchaserz artist/CEO Brinson. Early tracks like “Capital G” with Dae Lee remind the listener of golden-era mic tag teams and up-tempo party flavor. Later, “I’m So Glad” utilizes Uncle Reese’s soulful pipes on the hook to make a nice, smoothed-out praise joint that is ripe for radio.

Jovan also attempts some concept records with “39 Lashes” and “Class of 08.” The effort is appreciated but the execution could be improved.

“39 Lashes” recalls the beating Jesus took before his crucifixion by illustrating each whip with a description of sin that we, as a global people group, have committed against Him. However, it seems like many of these offenses are external and in somewhat of the same category.

For example, masturbation, fornication, adultery, and prostitution are mentioned but aren’t they all sex issues? What about gossip, rage, greed, envy, pride or other, more internal, transgressions? A few are noted, but it seems that the obvious, exterior behaviors have them outnumbered despite Christ devoting equal, if not more, of his words toward the internal struggles we face.

“Class of 08” brings a bold “spirit of Joshua” from young voices MacKenzy, Rigs, and Readywriter as the new holy hip hop (HHH) torch bearers. The fire and drive is encouraging, but while there are passing mentions to those that came before them, it would have been cool to actually hear a few “Moses” names dropped.

Shout out cats like Fred Lynch of P.I.D., martyr D-Boy Rodriguez, Sup the Chemist of SFC, or even more modern legends like Lil Raskull, T-Bone, and Cross Movement who are still adding titles to their discographies. Perhaps the young cats are simply ignorant of their musical genealogy. If that’s the case then maybe they get a pass. Still, a more overt acknowledgment of gospel rap trailblazers would have been a nice addition to this message.

The inclusion of a live “Freestyle” track (over a HHH beat no less) is great, as is the smooth wordplay of ingenious Knine atop handclap drum kicks on “Red Carpet Treatment.” The “UFC Cypha” with Excelsius and other MCs is also a fun, pass-the-mic insight.

There’s real meat on Jihad to be sure. One just wishes the way it was delivered was more palatable.**

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

* “Jihad” is an Arabic/Islamic word used in the Qur’an. Today it is typically used to define a Muslim holy war against unbelievers or campaign against doctrine, policy, etc. One could say that the New York and D.C. attacks on September 11 were part of a Muslim terrorist jihad.

** Am I making too big of an issue out of the album’s marketing?

I can honestly say I never got a real Christian vs. Islam vibe from the project, but I definitely got a "Let's-exploit-their-terminology-and-imagery-in-our-promo" feeling.

Maybe that's the issue.

It's tacky and exploitative – particularly from one who claims to follow the teachings of Jesus.

It doesn't even make sense. Once you get past the cover and suspicious drop date you don't really get the "Us vs. Them" or "conversion-by-force" thematic sense from the rest of the album.

The packaging (not just the physical thing, but the whole concept, 9/11 date, etc.) doesn't match the content. When that outer wrapping is offensive and distasteful to boot, you're just doing yourself a disservice.

It would be like a CD titled The Abortionist Killer Chronicles with cover art that featured rifle crosshairs on a clinic and was released on the anniversary of one of those tragic shootings.

But what if, inside TAKC, when you actually listened to the lyrics, you didn't hear that vitriol? Instead, you got a personal story song about an unwed father who regrets letting his lover abort their child (an actual HHH song I recently heard that really moved me). What if you got lyrics about love and respect for the emotional turmoil these women are going through? That's the true message of Christ.

However, who would know that from the outside? Would they be willing to buy this CD with that kind of outer shell?

And what about the people who WOULD want to purchase a project called The Abortionist Killer Chronicles? What would that say about them?

I guess with Jihad I feel there's a bit of a bait-and-switch going on. And the bait, as it often does, stinks.