5 Things You Can Expect to See at Lecrae’s Warehouse Live Concert this Friday

Christian rapper Lecrae returns home to Houston on September 28 for the last of only three release concerts in support of his new album, Gravity, that landed at #3 on Billboard’s overall sales chart the week it debuted.

Here are five things you’re bound to see at Warehouse Live this Friday night.

1. Snapbacks, tank tops, and homemade Lecrae t-shirts

Fashion statements from the 1990’s made a comeback this summer. And despite almost being October, it’s still hot and muggy in Houston so look for hats and upper body gear that appears to be missing all of its pieces.

Also, Christian rap fans can sometimes be a thrifty bunch so don’t be surprised if you see a few youth group members getting their craft on.

2. Bored bartenders

A good portion of Lecrae’s fanbase would consider themselves tee-totaling churchgoers so the staff behind the bars at Warehouse Live might be equal parts bored and frustrated with the lack of drinks sold and dollar bills filling up their tip jars.

So let me speak directly to my Christian brethren and be so bold as to ask them to do Lecrae and Reach a solid and buy a few overpriced beverages while you wait for him to take the stage.

Yes, it sucks to spend $5 on a watered down Coke or drop a ten spot on two bottles of water, but it will also show this non-church performance venue that it can still be financially viable to book faith-based acts like Lecrae.

It’ll also speak well of you and your Savior if you offer a smile and generous tip to the nice folks filling up your glass.

3. Non-Christians*

But, let’s not assume that everyone standing in the general admission area in front of the microphone is a follower of Jesus.

Lecrae’s efforts to expand his “reach” outside of Christian circles (through things like his guest features for Statik Selektah, participation in the BET Cypha, commercials on MTV, and interviews with media outlets like Time Magazine, XXL, and Allhiphop.com) have actually worked. Surely some folks who bought a copy of Gravity just like the guy’s sound and positive message.

So if you happen to smell cigarette smoke on someone or hear a few four-letter words fly out of the mouth of the fella in front of you at the ticket booth, don’t go looking to report him to your pastor. Show some grace and pray that God uses that evening’s performance to stir something inside of him (or her.)

*Again, I’m speaking to my fellow believers on this one. Also, let’s not assume that a person you don’t know but happen to see smoke, drink, and/or curse isn’t a Christian.

4. Von Won performing “Welcome to H-town”

This one is a lock. Reach Records already confirmed that Von Won will be an invited guest (in addition to these other artists) and one of the biggest hits from Lecrae’s Church Clothes mixtape was his remix of this Wit & Dre Murray classic with local boy Von Won on the hook.

Get familiar with it now so you can sing along and don’t be surprised if you see some H’s in the air (I promise, they’re not gang signs or Illuminati devil horns) when hear this beat start its slow roll.

5. A good show

My first experience at a Lecrae concert wasn’t a good one. He talked more than he rapped and there wasn’t anything (or anyone) on stage besides himself and mic. Today it’s much different.

Simply put, Lecrae and Reach Records can put on a good show. It’s something they’ve studied and worked on for years (peep my interview with Lecrae at this year’s SXSW posted below) and have gotten better at.

Sure, you’ll get an uplifting, God-glorifying message, but you’ll also get a dope hip hop performance. And breaking news: it’s okay to simply enjoy that at face value.



Tickets for Friday night’s show at Warehouse Live can be purchased online here. Doors open at 6pm.

Hip hop missionary releases mini-documentary about work in Brookshire, Texas

Houston hip hop missionary Bobby “Tre9” Herring has released a mini-documentary about the work being done in Brookshire, Texas, a town just west of Houston.

The 14-minute-long movie incorporates performance footage, background information, and interviews with Herring, partner pastors, Christian rappers, and students about how Eyes On Me Incorporated’s Hip Hop Hope Missions program has become a part of their lives.

“To often, those of us involved in the Christian hip hop scene get wrapped up in the industry-side of our calling and unfortunately let the ministry-side slide down our priority list,” Herring said.

“Hopefully this documentary will expose the general public to what we believe is our most important job and inspire other urban ministers to pursue their primary mission with even greater passion.”

The short film was shot and edited by Christian rapper Ronnie “Reconcile” Lillard for Frontline Media.

Other gospel-based hip hop artists who appear on screen include:

• Von Won
• Corey Paul
• Colcutz

To learn more about Hip Hop Hope Missions visit alleyesonmeinc.com.

Behind the scenes of KJ-52′s Choose-Your-Own-Adventure-type video for “Brand New Day”

Yesterday afternoon top-selling Christian rapper KJ-52 dropped one of the most interesting and creative music videos I’ve seen in a while.

In the new clip for “Brand New Day” from his recent Dangerous album, the viewer gets to choose between several options for how the storyline will play out.

Behind the Scenes

After seeing Tweets about the vid from the artist, I reached out to the Florida-based MC to get some details on how it came about.

KJ told me the whole thing was filmed with a GoPro camera strapped to his chest at the Alive Festival last summer. He was hosting/performing for four days on the main stage and had plenty of downtime so he decided to start filming his day from his perspective.

KJ’s Inspiration

I also asked about his inspiration for the clip’s Choose-Your-Own-Adventure style.

“I think I originally got the idea from seeing a first person shooter type of music video,” KJ-52 said. “Once I started messing around with that then it became sort of video-game type music video. Then from there, I thought it would be cool if you could pick different outcomes based on it being similar to a video game.”

A One-Man Band

KJ even told me he shot and edited the entire video using the iMovie software and a mix of footage from the GoPro camera and his iPhone.

Start the adventure in the window below.* Look for cameos from popular Christian music stars such as Lecrae, Family Force 5, Skillet, and DJ Morph and don’t be afraid to select the less-than-glamorous path options. Here, even your bad choices are good ones.


*Be sure to choose the “interactive” version at your first yes/no opportunity.

Also, because the clip’s interactivity depends on links from YouTube it may be best to view this directly within their portal. If you need that option, click here.

Lecrae’s “Gravity” hits #1 on iTunes

At the time of this post Gravity, the new album from Lecrae, is currently at the #1 position of iTunes’ overall sales chart.

The Houston-born Christian rapper’s project went on sale today and has received a significant mainstream push due to his recent appearances on the BET Awards, his free Church Clothes mixtape, and collaboration songs with secular rappers such as No Malice and Big K.R.I.T.

Houston will get one of only three Gravity release concerts at Warehouse Live on September 28. Tickets can be purchased online here.

INTERVIEW: Houston rap legend DJ DMD speaks on his Christian conversion and remaking “25 Lighters” into “25 Bibles”

I’ve heard about Houston rap legend DJ DMD‘s religious conversion for a little while now as well as the Christian reworking of his flagship hit “25 Lighters” into “25 Bibles.” I’d been meaning to catch up with him about it and it worked out that I was able to get a little bit of his time when the MOVE Tour hit our city last month.

We’ve had longer conversations that I’ll write about later, but here you can hear him tell his story in his own words and talk about how the remake came about.

NOTES: 

He humbly downplays highlights like, you know, working with DJ Screw, Bun B, Pimp C, Lil Keke and Fat Pat. Oh yeah, there’s also a small comment about the fact that this track was also reinterpreted by Rick Rubin and ZZ Top for this summer’s “Battleship” movie. There’s a great piece about that in this month’s Texas Monthly magazine if you missed it.

Also, DJ DMD will be shooting a video for this track in Port Arthur this Saturday, August 25 with noted hip hop cinematographer Mr. Boomtown. For details on how to participate, click here.

INTERVIEW: Sean Simmonds talks about making Xist Music a label of 2nd chances

During the MOVE Tour stop in Houston last month I got the chance to sit down with Sean Simmonds to discuss his art and the process of building Xist Music into a label of second chances for guys like Da’ T.R.U.T.H. and The Ambassador.

INTERVIEW: Heath McNease discusses his free C.S. Lewis-inspired album

I recently caught up with rapper/singer Heath McNease via e-mail to discuss his new album, the Disney “Narnia” movies, and whether or not we’ll ever see another C.S. Lewis.

Sketch: Which of C.S. Lewis’ books was the most challenging for you to write a song about? Why?

Heath: Definitely The Problem of Pain. I wrote “A Grief Observed” early on…and I was really conscience of trying to make clear distinctions between the two songs lyrically, because they deal with some overlapping themes.

I was just going about “Problem of Pain” all wrong sonically at first. I wanted it to have too much of a serious vibe musically. So I actually ended up writing it on the ukulele and then recording it on the piano. Musically it sounded far more upbeat. Once the sonic palette was brighter…it made the lyrics stand in stark contrast. I love how it turned out.

Sketch: What was your take on the recent film adaptations of the “Narnia” series?

Heath: I saw the first one and loved it. I thought it was great. I saw Prince Caspian once, and I thought it was fun. I haven’t seen Dawn Treader yet, but I’m sure I will at some point.

I think I was kinda upset at Disney letting go of the product. Disney handled the franchise so well. But I’m sure I’ll see it eventually. Obviously it’s hard to capture every detail from the books, so you hope to capture the spirit of the work which is what I tried to do with my songs.


Sketch: This album showcases more of your acoustic singer/songwriter side. Did you attempt any of these songs in hip hop first? Why or why not?

Heath: Well it’s not totally acoustic. I actually made a concerted effort for it to not be an acoustic album. It’s definitely more of an indie/folk rock record. I actually thought in the beginning about what it might sound like if it was a hip hop record. But I just feel like people try to capture the lyrical nature of Lewis all the time. I wanted to approach it from more of a “vibe” perspective. And it just came down to what style could best capture that. And for me…it lent itself to songwriting instead of rapping.

Sketch: Since I’m from Houston, I have to ask, are there any “chopped and screwed” sounds to be heard on your version of “The Screwtape Letters?” I’ve always thought that would be a natural take on the story from a hip hop perspective.

Heath: Haha. That’s actually a great idea. That was definitely not my interpretation of it. But I’d love to hear someone take that idea and run with it.

Sketch: Will our faith ever have another C.S. Lewis? Why or why not?

Heath: I don’t know, man. That’s an awesome question. I tend to think we will if we have another catastrophic war – which I certainly hope we don’t. But Lewis and Tolkein were both severely affected by the World Wars. It existed in the way they interpreted so many things. Just being soldiers, that informed so much. It did the same with Kurt Vonnegut.

And faith took a dramatic shift in England following World War II. I always thought Lewis fought against the current of the hatred and disbelief that ran rampant at the time. And he did it with depth, warmth, and humor. Sadly the best writers, thinkers, creators, etc. are usually products of terrible tragedies. So as much as I hope we get another C.S. Lewis…I hope we don’t need one.

The Weight of Glory: Songs Inspired by the Works of C.S. Lewis can be streamed and downloaded on a pay-what-you-want-basis (including FREE) at the artist’s Bandamp site.

Listeners can also choose from a variety of financial support options that offer rewards of signed CDs, personalized thank-you videos, and house concerts.