Creation Festival Fall Tour Details
(8/30/2008)Creation Festival: The Tour, the blockbuster event of the Fall, is pleased to announce the dates and cities for its one-of-a-kind traveling experience. Kicking off October 9 in Cincinnati, OH, the tour will make stops in 30-plus cities across the Northeast, Midwest and South and will include an element of local outreach in each city. Tickets go on sale nationwide today through iTickets.com.
Patterned after the Creation Festivals, the nation's largest Christian music festival and the premier name in Christian music events, this "mini Creation on wheels" will be headlined by BEC Recordings band, Kutless, with special guests, Thousand Foot Krutch and Pillar. The line up is rounded out by female-fronted rockers, Fireflight, Run Kid Run and Integrity's Worth Dying For providing a time of praise and worship. KJ-52 will also perform and serve as MC for the night. World-renowned speaker, Bob Lenz, will share the gospel each night, with Pastor Harry Thomas, Creation Festival director and co-founder and Teen Mania's founder, Ron Luce, also joining the tour on select dates. A special "pre-show" will kick off the event, featuring performances by Esterlyn and Capital Lights.
"I think Christian rock needs this tour", explains Rob Beckley, frontman for Pillar. "It is a great effort from Creation to have the guts to put this together. Christian rock needs the tour; one, for the strength of the line up and two, because this generation needs the masses to come together and be encouraged every night through music and leave stronger than they came in. Pillar is excited to be a part of the tour, and I'm excited to see the other bands!"
The goal of Creation Festival: The Tour is to not only provide an exciting evening of great music, but also present an opportunity to impact the local community through outreach. Each city will partner with a local ministry, such as a food bank or clothing drop and attendees are asked to bring a can of food, thick socks or a warm blanket to donate to the cause. Details for the outreach for each date can be found online at www.creationfesttour.com/itstartswithyou.
"The center purpose and mission of what we do at the Creation Festivals and now thru this tour is to give 'Tribute to our Creator,'" says Nick Kulb, executive producer of the Tour. "That simple founding principal from 30 years ago is still in the forefront of our operations and is proving the test of time. This tour is extremely ministry and community active - we are looking forward to seeing thousands of lives changed as they accept Christ in the nightly alter call - we've teamed up with Compassion International and we've also launched the 'It Starts With You' campaign. This tour is so much more than the artists performing nightly; collectively, each of the bands and speakers are heading out on a united front with the Good News of Christ Jesus and to see lives radically changed for Him."
Creation Festival: The Tour – Fall 2008 Routing
*Dates and venues to be added, all are subject to change without notice.
10/9 Cincinnati OH
10/10 Charleston WV
10/11 Cullman AL
10/12 Ozark AL
10/16 Sterling Heights MI
10/17 Hoffman Estates IL
10/18 Green Bay WI
10/19 Kalamazoo MI
10/22 Lacrosse WI
10/25 Bloomington IL
10/26 Burlington IA
10/30 Grove City OH
10/31 Rochester NY
11/1 Bethlehem PA
11/2 Elmira NY
11/5 Altoona PA
11/6 Fayetteville NC
11/7 Knoxville TN
11/8 Chattanooga TN
11/14 Albuquerque NM
11/15 Greenwood Village CO
11/16 Dodge City KS
11/17 Council Bluffs IA
11/20 Tulsa OK
11/21 Austin TX
11/22 Corpus Christi TX
11/23 Lindale TX
For up to the minute information about Creation Festival: The Tour, please visit www.creationfesttour.com. Ticketing information can be found online at iTickets.com by following this link: http://www.itickets.com/tours/663.html.
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Creation Festival's 30 Year Celebration Honors Past, Looks To The Future
(7/9/2008)Over 4300 Attendees Visit The Prayer Tent, 238 Baptized And 1400+ Compassion Children Sponsored
Creation Festival, the largest Christian Music and teaching Festival in the United States, marked its 30th Anniversary the end of June by honoring the past and looking to the future. The four-day celebration saw special tributes and performances, including a surprise appearance from Amy Grant. The Festival also carried out its mission to impact lives, seeing over 4300 attendees visit the Prayer Tent, 238 get baptized and more than 1400 Compassion Children sponsored.
Throughout the past 30 years all of the top Christian artists have graced the Creation Festival stage, with many careers launched at the event. The Festival took time to pay tribute to some of those artists during this special anniversary. Luminaries Keith Green and Larry Norman were remembered with special video montages chronicling their performances at Creation and their impact on the Christian music industry as a whole and guitar legend Phil Keaggy marked the 30-year anniversary of the release of his album The Master And The Musician with a special performance. The Newsboys presented Pastor Harry Thomas, Festival co-founder, with a special guitar as a thank you for the part Creation has played in the band's success, while many other artists shared special memories and acknowledgements from stage.
The highlight of the event was a surprise performance from Christian and pop music icon, Amy Grant. Grant has a special place in the history of the Festival, as the beloved Friday night candle lighting began during her performance in 1983. Just as she and her band were about to take the stage, an underground transformer blew and all power was lost. While she led the crowd in singing praise choruses, Pastor Harry remembered some candles that were in storage, so those were distributed to everyone and a tradition began! This year Grant returned to play a short set, featuring an exclusive performance of "One Little Miracle", a duet she recorded with Hawk Nelson, and also lead candle lighting alongside Paul Baloche.
"It was totally amazing to stand on the stage and see so many candles declaring the light of Christ in the believer. I never get tired of seeing that beauty and the vivid statement that we are a 'city set on a hill,'" explains Thomas. "Paul and Amy led us in a wonderful time of worship. Even with wax running down your hand to your elbow, you did not want that moment to end. One thing for sure, It was an unforgettable spiritual moment."
Newer artists like Switchfoot, Chris Tomlin, Kutless, David Crowder Band, Skillet, Jeremy Camp and Flyleaf gave amazing performances, laying the groundwork for the next 30 years of the Creation Festival.
In addition to featuring great music, the Creation Festival is also committed to impacting lives through the event. Creation uses the tagline, "It will be the highlight of your summer, maybe your life" and, as in the past, that rang true for many attendees. Throughout the weekend, the Festival saw over 4300 people come to the prayer tent for salvation and various needs, and on Saturday 238 people were baptized.
Pastor Harry Thomas adds, "Nothing thrills me more than seeing people follow Christ. Our prayer tent was overflowing daily with people making commitments. There had to be 2,000 people gathered to watch the baptisms at the pond - tears of joy and new life in Jesus! We give God all the glory and pray for every person's decision to be sealed by His Holy Spirit."
Compassion International, the premier Christian child advocacy ministry, has been a partner with Creation for 25 years, seeing the lives of more than 30,000 children impacted by commitments attendees make at the event. This year alone, more than 1400 Compassion children were sponsored!
"It is always a humbling experience to see the work God is doing in the lives of so many people, and to see new and old faces in Christian music return with such impact!" explains Mark Hanlon, Senior Vice President of Compassion International USA. "Compassion is so blessed to have a quarter century long relationship in an event that truly involves ordinary people in the everyday lives of children affected by poverty. We know that another 25 years of dedicated, successful partnership with Creation will result in saving innumerable numbers of children around the world!"
VideoRocket, the leading faith-based online resource for audio and video content, chronicled many of the happenings at Creation Northeast 2008 and posted video online for all to enjoy. To see exclusive interviews and behind the scenes content as well as the Keith Green and Larry Norman tributes, please visit www.VideoRocket.com.
For more information about the Creation Festivals or to obtain information about attending Creation Northwest July 23-26, go to www.CreationFest.com.
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Tobymac's 'Alive & Transported' On June 9th, Theaters Across The Country
(5/29/2008)Multi-platinum and award-winning artist TobyMac will offer a one night only film premiere of "Alive and Transported," his new concert DVD/CD that also debuted in stores today May 27th. TobyMac will hit the big screen in 68 cities across the country on Monday, June 9th, courtesy of The Bigger Picture, the alternative content distribution division of Access Integrated Technologies, Inc. ("AccessIT") (NASDAQ:AIXD). For a list of theaters, please go to www.thebiggerpicture.us/tobymac.
After years of requests, "Alive and Transported," is finally being released on a DVD and CD combo. As his fans will confirm, TobyMac has one of the most electrifying shows around, and the full-length project puts you on stage with Toby and the Diverse City Band as they perform "Slam" "Made To Love," "Gone", "Burn For You", "Diverse City", "Catchafire (Whoopsi Daisy)" and many more favorites.
"All the reasons TobyMac won this year's Dove Award for Artist of the Year are evident in his performance in 'Alive and Transported'. He draws in his audience and inspires it with fabulous presentation and sound," said Jonathan Dern, President of The Bigger Picture. "And everyone who sees him in the theatre, will feel like he or she has VIP seating at the concert."
"We are proud to present TobyMac's first DVD concert with this special one-night only presentation in theatres," said John Rubey, President of AEG Network LIVE. "Fans who've been asking for this concert to be available will not be disappointed with the high quality digital cinema picture and the incredible surround sound."
Tobymac's latest studio album Portable Sounds was released in early 2007 and was his highest solo debut ever on the Billboard Top 200 chart (No. 10). In addition to sold out tour dates, four back-to-back radio hits, being named the GMA Dove Award's 2008 Artist of the Year, and R&R's Christian CHR Artist of the Year in 2007 TobyMac was also nominated for a 2007 American Music Award as Favorite Inspirational Artist.
www.tobymac.com
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Grits' New Album 'Reiterate' Streets This July 29th
(5/5/2008)Hip-hop emcees GRITS will release their eighth full-length album, Reiterate, July 29th, a debut of sorts on their own newly launched Revolution Art label. Major distribution to retail for this album and the ensuing label releases will go through the Provident–Integrity Distribution arm, a division of Sony-BMG.
In support of their Reiterate release GRITS will go out on the road for the 30 Day Tour, which will take them nationwide mid-July through mid-August. They also will be hitting the summer festival circuit including Agape Fest, Ichthus Festival, Crossover Festival, Rock The Desert, Spirit West Coast, and the NewSong Festival. Plans for the Art Attack tour are also underway for September where GRITS will be joined by other Revolution Art music acts.
Toby "TobyMac" McKeehan, one of their biggest champions says, "GRITS has changed the face of positive and spiritual hip-hop. They are relevant and have a knack for discovering talent that stretches our industry to places I love seeing it go."
5-time Dove Award winners and 2-time GRAMMY nominated act GRITS has cracked MTV2's Top 10 Most Requested and Top 5 Handpicked and received favorable media coverage in the pages of XXL, Spin, Vibe, Billboard, The Source, URB and other major publications and media. Over the course of their ten-year plus career, GRITS has sold over 500,000 albums and shared the stage with the likes of OutKast, Jay-Z, Ice Cube, Skillet, A Tribe Called Quest, and Monica.
The GRITS song "Ooh Ahh" remains a hot commodity as a digital single and has sold over 160,000 downloads to date. The song, from their 2006 release simply titled 7, was also used on the big screen in both "The Fast And The Furious: Toyko Drift," and "Big Momma's House 2" featuring comedian actor Martin Lawrence. Rappers Coffee and Bonafide have seen their music grace the movies before with the single "Here We Go" featured in "Something's Gotta Give" starring Jack Nicholson and Diane Keaton, as well as music used in independent films including "Devious Beings", "Lockdown", and "Road Dogz". GRITS' songs have also been used extensively on television including shows like "MTV CRIBS", "The Real World", "Pimp My Ride", "Tough Enough", and "Boston Public".
Revolution Art has a solid roster already in place including Stefan Moss a.k.a The SYNTYST (Scientist), and 18-year old powerhouse JADE.
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TobyMac Named Artist Of The Year At GMA Dove Awards
(4/25/2008)Multi-platinum and award winning ForeFront recording artist TobyMac had one of his best Dove Award experiences in his acclaimed career last night as he was named Artist of the Year, and received Dove Awards for Short Form Music Video of the Year ("Boomin'") and Rock Recorded Album of the Year as Artist and Producer with his latest project Portable Sounds. The 39th Annual GMA Dove Awards aired last night on the Gospel Music Channel.
"I am truly honored to win all 4 awards, especially the Artist of the Year award," remarked TobyMac. "For GMA to recognize a Hip-Rock Funk artist flexes our diversity and makes me want to shout. I am blessed to have talented people around me to help me pursue my artistic passion."
It was 12 years ago in 1996 when Toby, as a member of dcTalk last accepted the award for Artist of the Year. As a solo artist TobyMac has
been nominated twice before for Artist of the Year (2003,2007) has won seven Dove Awards. Over the past year, and on the heels of two RIAA Gold -certified projects, TobyMac released his best-selling project to-date, Portable Sounds, which was his highest solo debut ever on the Billboard Top 200 chart (No. 10). In addition to sold out tour dates, four back-to-back radio hits and being named R&R's Christian CHR Artist of the Year in 2007 as well as CCM magazine's Best Male Artist of the Year, TobyMac was also nominated for a 2007 American Music Award as Favorite Inspirational Artist.
On May 26th, after years of requests, Alive and Transported, TobyMac's explosive concert experience is finally being released on a DVD and CD combo. As his fans will confirm, TobyMac has one of the most electrifying shows around, and the full-length project puts you on stage with Toby and the Diverse City Band as they perform "Made To Love," "Gone", "Burn For You", "Diverse City", "Catchafire (Whoopsi Daisy)" and many more favorites.
<http://www.tobymac.com>
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Dove Awards Will Pull Out All The Stop On April 23 Show
(4/10/2008)American Idol® previous finalists Phil Stacey, Mandisa and Chris Sligh; Dove Award Female Vocalist of the Year Natalie Grant with country icon Wynonna, 19 Recordings/Jive Recording Artist Jordin Sparks; Ricky Skaggs and The Whites and Point Of Grace with Cindy Morgan are the latest performers added to the increasingly luminous line-up for the 39th Annual GMA Dove Awards (www.doveawards.com) telecast, according to the Gospel Music Association (GMA) and Gospel Music Channel (GMC).
Gospel and Christian music's biggest night of the year will take place live on Wednesday, April 23, 2008 in Nashville at the Grand Ole Opry House and will be broadcast live nationwide on the Gospel Music Channel television network from 8 – 10 p.m. (ET). The Dove Awards will also be broadcast live on XM Satellite Radio on XM 32 "The Message."
Joining Skaggs and The Whites and the previously announced Charlie Daniels with Third Day's Mac Powell will be The Isaacs, Angella Christie, The Hoppers, Jeff and Sheri Easter and Karen Peck and New River for an "Opry at the Doves" special performance. Also performing will be New Artist of the Year Nominees 33 Miles, Brandon Heath, Group 1 Crew, Mandisa, Rush Of Fools and DeWayne Woods.
The vibrant tapestry of artists tapped for performances ensure that the 2008 Dove Awards telecast will include many extraordinary moments, including several especially created for the occasion:
• The world premiere of music created for Compassionart (http://compassionart.co.uk/), a newly formed charity founded by Delirious? frontman/songwriter Martin Smith that is dedicated to seeing works of art generate income for the poorest of the poor. Smith hosted an unprecedented gathering of award winning Christian music songwriters in the UK in January and recording is underway for a charity project that will release in the fall. Smith, along with Aussie worship leader Darlene Zschech will appear via satellite video to introduce the first live performance of "So Great" featuring previously announced performers and Compassionart songwriters Chris Tomlin, Steven Curtis Chapman, Israel Houghton, Michael W. Smith, Paul Baloche and Christy Nockels.
• 2008 marks the 25th year that Dove and Grammy wining artist Michael W. Smith has been performing and recording his beloved music. Countless artists have been influenced by him including Idol finalists Phil Stacey, Mandisa and Chris Sligh. They, along with Amy Grant, who first brought Smith to renown as her piano player and co-songwriter and Jordin Sparks, who in 2005 and 2006 performed on Smith's Christmas Tour, will remember his influence with a medley of their favorite "Smitty" songs.
• Iconic artist Wynonna makes her first performance on the Dove Awards stage with Natalie Grant who is the reigning two-time Dove Award Female Vocalist of the Year for a duet that promises to be one of the most powerful and mesmerizing of the Dove Awards, if not the whole Awards season. The two will perform the powerful "Bring it All Together" from Grant's acclaimed Relentless project.
• The Grand Ole Opry may be more famous for its weekly country music performances, gospel music is woven just as tightly into the heritage of the famed building and the Dove Awards will culminate its show with an "Opry at the Doves" featuring gospel, country and bluegrass artists singing their powerfully simple songs of faith and conviction. Ricky Skaggs and The Whites will perform "Love Will Be Enough" from their Dove-nominated and Grammy-winning Salt of the Earth CD, while Jeff and Sheri Easter, The Hoppers and Karen Peck and New River will perform a medley of southern gospel favorites. Charlie Daniels will lead a "choir" of artists including Third Day's Mac Powell, The Isaacs, Angella Christie and other singers to bring a rousing close to the evening's festivities with "I'll Fly Away."
Confirmed as presenters are Kirk Franklin and Matthew West and Dove Award nominees Skillet, Aaron Shust, Mark Lowry, TobyMac, Sandi Patty, Rob Beckley of Pillar, Mark Schultz, and Leonardo. ABC Good Morning America comedy contributor Anita Renfroe will also be on hand to present at the Dove Awards along with fellow comic Michael Jr., R&B singer Regina Belle and from the NFL, Cincinnati Bengals TE Ben Utecht. Other previously announced performers include Casting Crowns, Marvin Sapp, Switchfoot, The Clark Sisters, David Crowder*Band and Trin-i-tee 5:7.
Gospel Music Channel is the exclusive television home for the GMA Dove Awards. GMC is the fastest growing television network in America and can be seen in 40 million homes across the country on DIRECTV channel 338, cable systems including Comcast, Time Warner, Cox, Charter, and Knology as well as on Verizon FiOS. In addition to the live telecast, GMC will present back-to-back encore broadcasts that night and additional re-airings following.
Tickets for the 39th Annual GMA Dove Awards are currently available at TicketMaster or www.doveawards.com.
The American Bible Society (www.bibles.com) is the presenting sponsor of the 2008 telecast and the designated charity of the 39th Annual GMA Dove Awards.
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Tobymac To Perform For The Pope At New York Youth Rally
(4/5/2008)Marking his third performance at an event with a Pope, TobyMac has been confirmed as a performer at a Youth Rally on April 19th at St. Joseph's Seminary in Yonkers, NY which will be presided over by Pope Benedict XVI. DC Talk performed at such rallies in Denver (1993) and St. Louis (1999), both of which were presided over by the late Pope John Paul II. The 2008 rally's purpose is to encourage youth to seek vocations within the church.
On his inaugural visit to the United States Pope Benedict XVI is attending open-air masses in both Washington D.C. and New York City, and delivering an address to the United Nations and visit to the World Trade Center site.
About being asked to perform before the Pope at the Rally, TobyMac commented, "It's an honor to participate in this Papal visit. Not too many artists are given this opportunity. We have great respect for the work he does."
TobyMac recently completed his "Boomin' Beyond Measure Tour" with Jeremy Camp and is preparing for the release of his first Live CD and DVD as a solo artist, "Alive and Transported," which hits the streets May 26th. In addition he is slated to headline numerous summer festivals including Spirit West Coast, Icthus, Atlantafest, Alive, Creation East and West, Sonshine, and more.
Stay updated with all things TobyMac at http://www.tobymac.com
With over 8 million career scans, the GRAMMY-nominated "Portable Sounds" is TobyMac's latest and highest solo debut ever on the Billboard Top 200 chart (No. 10), and after hitting No. 1 on SoundScan's Contemporary Christian Overall chart in its first week as well, the project has scanned over 300,000 units and is still solidly in the top 20 after 48 weeks of release. Along with this sales success, TobyMac was named R&R's Christian CHR Artist of the Year, while over 100 Christian radio stations played his smash hit singles "I'm For You" and "Made to Love", and his video for his rock hit "Boomin'"was named the Gospel Music Channel's Video of the Year and CCM magazine reader's Best Music VIdeo for 2007. TobyMac released his solo debut ("Momentum" 2001) followed by the critically acclaimed "Welcome to Diverse City" (2004), both of which received GRAMMY nominations, and most recently were awarded RIAA Gold Certification. As a solo artist, in addition to rave reviews and a favorite in magazine and internet Reader's Choice polls each year, including 2007's CCM magazine Best Male Artist of the Year, TobyMac has also won seven Dove Awards, received nine GMA Music/Dove Award nominations, and was recently nominated for an American Music Award as Favorite Inspirational Artist.
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Gotee Records Now Fully Independent Company
(3/31/2008)Gotee Records, known for their boutique approach to finding and nurturing musical talent, is now a fully independent company after purchasing the minority stake back from EMI Christian Music Group.
Begun in 1994, Gotee Records is positioned to re-focus on artist development, while also becoming a hybrid publishing company via EMack Music.
"Gotee Records and Emack Music are moving forward in a proactive and strategic fashion, and we plan to re-calibrate ourselves for the new consumer we're now encountering in this business," says co-founder and label President Joey Elwood, "Our next phase will obviously be heavily weighted on the digital market and how to engage that consumer."
Label co-founder and CEO Toby McKeehan, a hugely successful artist in his own right (dcTalk, TobyMac) adds, "Gotee was born of an artist heart, so we will continue to be an entity focused on arts and artists. Since our beginning with acts like Out of Eden, GRITS, Jennifer Knapp, SonicFlood; into the years of Relient K, Ayiesha Woods, and Family Force 5, we feel confident in our ability to bring relevant and moving art to the people. EMI CMG played a very strategic role in our company's history and they will always be part of our roots as we move forward."
TobyMac and dcTalk will remain on EMI CMG's Forefront roster as recording artists and EMI CMG Publishing will continue to administer their publishing catalogs. In addition, the two Relient K albums released on Gotee/Capitol Records, "MMHMM" and "Five Score and Seven Years Ago," will remain as part of EMI's catalog.
One key element of this transition is a shift from configuration-based contracts to content-based contracts. The talent signed to the label will be constantly creating and releasing music, and in return the marketing will be ongoing.
The family-oriented label has reached more than 70 million dollars in gross sales, selling nearly 8 million albums to date. Gotee Records has also racked up five albums as certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), as well as garnering four GRAMMY nods, 12 Gospel Music Association Dove Awards and over 60 Dove Award nominations.
Moving forward in 2008 fans can anticipate new music from GRAMMY-nominated songstress Sarah Kelly (4/1), debut act Stephanie Smith, digital campaigns for rapper-extraordinaire John Reuben and House of Heroes (spring/summer), and music from both breakout artist Ayiesha Woods (July) and Family Force 5 (August).
Gotee Records touts one of the most diverse artist rosters in the Christian music industry today. Launched in 1994 with their first signing, the sister-trio Out of Eden, Gotee is now home to Family Force 5, John Reuben, Sarah Kelly, Ayiesha Woods, Stephanie Smith, B-Reith, and Relient K.
www.goteerecords.com
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Dove Awards Performers Announced For April 23 Live Show in Nashville
(3/29/2008)Dove Awards Performers Announced For April 23 Live Show in Nashville
Diverse Line-up Includes Casting Crowns, The Clark Sisters, Michael W. Smith,
Amy Grant, Marvin Sapp, Switchfoot, Steven Curtis Chapman, Chris Tomlin, Trin-i-tee 5:7,
David Crowder*Band, Israel Houghton; and Charlie Daniels with Mac Powell
Gospel Music Channel to Telecast Dove Awards Live Nationwide 8 – 10 p.m. ET
Casting Crowns, The Clark Sisters, Michael W. Smith, Amy Grant, Marvin Sapp, Switchfoot, Steven Curtis Chapman, Chris Tomlin, Trin-i-tee 5:7, David Crowder*Band, Israel Houghton; and Charlie Daniels with Mac Powell and other performers to be announced in a special Grand Ole Opry segment are the first performers announced for the 39th Annual GMA Dove Awards telecast, according to the Gospel Music Association (GMA) and Gospel Music Channel (GMC).
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Flame's Our World Redeemed Debuts At #5 On Billboard Gospel Chart
(3/15/2008)Dove Award nominee and Cross Movement Records gospel hip-hop artist FLAME has been climbing the charts following the debut of his fourth album, Our World Redeemed, which released on March 4, 2008. The critically acclaimed album jumped an amazing 41 chart positions in one week to hit the #1 position in its second week on the CMTA R&B/Hip Hop Chart. The project also debuted at #5 on the Billboard Top Gospel Chart.
Our World Redeemed is the second installment in FLAME's two-part audio novel and is the sequel to his album Our World Fallen, which released April 17, 2007, to rave reviews. The two-part album series captures the story of FLAME befriending a non-believer and pointing him to the cross of Christ, while examining the fallen condition of the world.
Picking up where the Our World Fallen cliffhanger ending left off, Our World Redeemed digs deeper into the plot concerning FLAME's fictional non-believer friend, whose life is now surrendered to Jesus Christ in this second chapter. FLAME paints a vivid picture of his many efforts to disciple and to exhort his friend in all areas of the Christian life, from ethical values to Biblical principles. Based on FLAME's example, his friend then begins to disciple others, leading many to Christ. The plot thickens as tragedy turns to triumph, when the untimely passing of the fictional character's relative becomes the inspiration to carry on the legacy of the Gospel.
With production by Tony Stone, DJ Official and J.R., Our World Redeemed is comprised of 16 tracks and features collaborations with Trip Lee, Json, Iz-Real (Everyday Process), Future and shai linne, plus the work of beat masters Chike, k-Drama, Speedy and Alex Medina. The album runs the gamut from aggressive to lighter fare. Its most aggressive tracks include "Who Can Pluck Us," an extreme head banger laced with arranged strings and strong snares, and the crunk-styled "Hold On." On the lighter side, there's the soul-stirring "It's You," the prayerful worship medley "See More Him" and the authentic hip-hop worship ballad "Power In Your Name," featuring Dawn Dia from the duo Cho'zyn.
Born in the inner city streets of St. Louis, FLAME accepted Christ at the age of 16. Heavily influenced by the hip-hop culture, he was particularly drawn to the work of The Cross Movement, who later signed the young rapper to their own label. One of the youngest members of the Cross Movement Records artist roster, FLAME is currently studying Biblical counseling at Boyce College in Louisville, Ky. The 2008 Holy Hip Hop Award honoree has been ministering for over 10 years in music and speaking engagements. His last album, Our World Fallen peaked at #7 on the Billboard Top Gospel Chart.
FLAME's Our World Redeemed is available on Cross Movement Records and is distributed in the CBA market by Provident-Integrity Distribution and by Sony/BMG in the general market. For more information on FLAME and his album Our World Redeemed, visit www.flame314.com, www.myspace.com/flame314 or www.crossmovementrecords.com.
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