Bushwick Bill vs. HimSELF

Photo by JT Patton

As many of you know, for the past year or so I have attempted to document Bushwick Bill’s attempt to enter the gospel rap market.

This is an intriguing story for both the mainstream and Christian masses. As a citizen of his hometown and someone who has worked closely with Tre9 (who has in turn worked closely with Bill on this shift change), I feel a certain level of obligation to cover as much of this story as possible.

I also want to be honest – both with the facts and feelings associated with this evolution.

So here’s one of the harder pieces I’ve had to write lately.

“Bushwick Bill vs. HimSELF” is an essay that chronicles the details of Bill’s July 4 reunion concert with the Geto Boys - his previous and legendary gangsta rap group.

Although Internet publishing would have enabled a hasty recap, I wanted to really spend some time prayerfully considering my words and seeking feedback from a respected circle of friends and editors.

Now it’s your turn. Take a peek and let me know your thoughts.

As an introductory reference, here are two videos from the performances I mention in the piece (and that are roughly two weeks apart.)


Bushwick Bill freestyling “Takin’ It Back” at the All Eyes On Me Awards After Party impromptu hallway open mic session


Bushwick Bill and the Geto Boys performing “My Mind’s Playin’ Tricks On Me” at the Warehouse Live show

Geto Boys

Vidz: Bushwick Bill's gospel raps

Several of Bushwick Bill's recent g-rap performances have hit the Interwebs. Here's a sampling.

This one is his performance of "No More Child's Play" from the All Eyes On Me Awards with the band Atonement. Be sure to stick it out to the end to hear him talk.



Not sure where this one took place (I just found it on YouTube) but it has Bushwick doing the "Takin' It Back" rap acapella with his clean verse from "Mind Playin' Tricks On Me."

Recap: Bushwick Bill / Icece Listening Party & B-day Bash (12/14/07)

All I can say is “What a night!” I haven’t been to a holy hiphop event this unique in a while.



More than just a concert, Friday’s jam at The Brighter Side Café/Club also included celebrations of several birthdays and the surprise announcement that Much Luvv Records was losing one of its team members.

Oh yeah, we also got sneak previews of tracks off of two upcoming albums from Icece and the legendary Bushwick Bill (of the Geto Boys).

Happy Birthday to…

• Bushwick Bill
• Icece
• Mrs. Tre9 (aka Maria)
• Mrs. Bless’T (aka Linda)
  

The small $8 cover charge went to support The Brighter Side and included a full fajita dinner (con aroz & frijoles) - plus we all got to grub on the cakes.


Tre9 and Maria show off the goodies



As the crowd filtered in, DJ Chill manned the music booth and got all the kids dancing to the some old school hip hop classics and the latest gospel rap heatas.




DJ Chill and Tre9 behind the scenes

Shortly after that, Tre9 took the Master of Ceremonies mic and explained that evaluation forms were being handed out to the audience to rate and rank tracks from Icece’s upcoming album. Each song got a minute and half of play time and then the crowd was asked to give each title an:

• Industry Rating (A-D): A. Radio Single / B. I’d Buy It / C. Might Buy It / D. Wouldn’t Buy It
• Personal Rating (1-5): 1-Trash It / 2-Needs Lots of Work / 3- Good / 4- Feelin It / 5-Bangin
• Dislikes (optional): Ex: Beat, lyrics, delivery, sound quality (mixing), feature artists, etc.
  

Such market research is a common practice in the mainstream music industry, but it’s a rare occurrence in the holy hip hop world. And it’s such a win-win for the audience (previews of new tracks) and the labels (advance feedback before making any final decisions) that I don’t know why more people don’t take advantage of it.


X-Thug (of The Brighter Side) and Stephen Oran (fka Stikk)


Testimony with producer Bruce Bang and his wheelchair athlete brother Kevin

Before and after Icece’s listening session, several acts took the stage for a quick set. Those that blazed the mic included: AFC, Gifted (Bound 4 Glory Records), Chosen, Bless’T, and 007 (formerly of the 5th Ward Boyz).


Gifted on the mic


007 comin' fierce

Next, we got to hear and evaluate songs from Bushwick Bill’s “Testimony of Redemption” album. Man was there some fire here!

Seventeen cuts in all, from the anti-Chucky, rock screamer “No More Child’s Play” to the remake of the classic “Mind Playin’ Tricks On Me” called “My Renewed Mind.”


Charles, Pastor T, and Joe from A.O.G. Clothing

The album has several guest features from local HHH cats like Gifted, Bless’T, and Lil Raskull who were in attendance that night and later took the stage with him.

I gotta tell ya that Bushwick is serious about his change. At a side table during the listening session he chopped it up with Lil Raskull and said he wasn’t satisfied with just doing this one album. He said God had laid it on his heart to do a triple album tentatively titled “The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.”


Gifted, Ras, and Bushwick engage in some real talk.

He said he didn’t want people to see him like KRS-ONE who dropped “Spiritually Minded” and then went back to his typical material (and was thought to have only done a gospel album to pimp sales from the church crowd. )

Instead, Bill said he has done and said so much evil in his old lyrics and that he needed to set things right with his new content. He said he wants to touch everyone with his music and even include tracks done entirely in Spanish or Jamaican slang.

A drop date for “Testimony of Redemption” has not yet been set, but look for it in 2008 on the G-Spot Productions label.

After the BB listening session, Colcutz and Tre9 took the stage followed by Von Won, S.O.M. and Icece.


Tre9 and Colcutz (in the Lupe Fiasco-like hoodie) get the crowd moving without any Souljah Boys


S.O.M. - They some real "Fiyah Startas"


Icece is 6'3" flowin....

At the end of Icece’s set, Tre9 asked that everyone from his label join him up front for a major announcement. He reviewed the history of his Much Luvv Records label and how Icece was an old high school friend who reconnected with him over the past few years. Icece was intended to be Much Luvv’s first mainstream artist (still positive and clean, just not so Scripture heavy) but that a bigger opportunity had been presented to him that he had to take.

Never one to hold his artists back, Tre9 gave his blessings for Icece to sign with J7 Records out of Baton Rouge, LA. J7 has a relationship with Universal and can possibly put Icece in front of millions and millions of listeners.


The Icece presentation and prayer

Both sides embraced and prayed as T-Trax (J7’s main man) thanked Much Luvv for their above-the-board business ethics and for grooming Icece’s career up to this point. A cool feature of this move is that Tre9 will actually continue that relationship as a manager/advisor for his former artist.




Tre9, Icece, and T-Trax

Finally, the Little Big Man took the stage to perform some of his new material. He said he was nervous about the performance and still getting into "show mode" with some of his new lyrics. Nonetheless, he did it all with a smile and his trademark giggle and humor.


Bushwick blasts off


"What's up Party People?"

The “All Eyes On Me” TV show camera crew was in the crowd in addition to some guys filming for an upcoming documentary on Bill’s life.



Tre9 assisted on the hook for “Takin’ It Back” (Bushwick Bill / takin’ it back / to the days when people actually learned something from rap) and AFC and Gifted joined in to perform their parts on “Work It Out.”




Gifted, AFC, and Bushwick break it down

Bushwick closed out the night with a prayer for the families of Houston’s fallen recently deceased rappers (Fat Pat, Hawk, Big Mo, and Pimp C) and took the audience through a recitation of the Sinner’s Prayer confession of faith. He also asked people to lift him in prayer as he continues to try and follow and imitate Jesus the Christ in his daily life.


The always animated Boyce



As I said, it was quite a night. Look for more details on both Icece and Bushwick Bill’s albums in the near future and check out The Brighter Side on any upcoming weekend for a chill, Christian social environment.


Mr. Morris of The Brighter Side


Bushwick with his G-Spot Records partner


Hear Bushwick's new music at: http://www.myspace.com/therealbushwickbill
Hear Icece's tracks at: http://www.myspace.com/icece