HolyCulture.net catches up with the big boy of Rhyme Council, “Big Fil”, and goes in on how he wants to glorify an even bigger God with his latest project, “Stadium Status”.

Shine: For the readers who may not be familiar with you, go ahead and give us your background on how you got started.

Big Fil: Man I could write a book…lol, but I will paraphrase. I’ve been rapping for about 15 years, started off in secular rap and had an opportunity to sign to Slip-Slide Records (Trick Daddy, Rick Ross, Trina). I knew they were going to drag us through the mud…lol. We were excited but I begin to feel different. The Lord was truly after me. I began to go to church and that’s where I heard the Gospel and came in the knowledge of Jesus Christ. I put the mic down for a couple years. Then, I messed around with it again for a few years. In 2004, I said I’m going to take it seriously and been going hard ever since.

Shine: How did the connection with Rhyme Council come about?

Big Fil: I met Swift when he came to Florida to shoot a video with Space Cherry and he happened to be on the same event. We rocked it. He stated he was feeling the music…I believe he was shocked to see another big boy go hard as he does on stage…lol. But, we saw each other again in NY and just built with each other and then he invited to the camp, and the rest is history.

Shine: Are you from Florida or Philly?

Big Fil: You know I get that question a lot. I guess it’s because the way I rap or the strong east coast influence I have. I’m from Florida and raised in Jacksonville (Duuuuvaaal)…lol

Shine: What’s the CHH scene like in Florida?

2011 has proven to be a year where we’ve heard the voice of the people. Rallies like Occupy Wall Street have stretched as far as Oakland and even gained support around the world. Whether you agree with their cause or not you can’t deny that the people have voiced their opinion. In the same vein, 2012 has been handed the baton and off to a good start. Recently a group of NYC pastors and councilmen were arrested for holding a peaceful rally to express the voices against the NYC’s school boards decesion to ban churches from holding further worship services in its schools. HolyCulture spoke with Efrain aka “Brother E” of Elements Church and Rapfest in the Bronx to get further details on this recent event.

Shine: For the HC readers who may not know you, open up by giving us a little of your background?

Brother E: My name is Efrain, aka Brother E. I’ve been a part of Gospel Hip Hop for a long time as an MC in various ministries; on staff at Rap Fest in the Bronx; had an internet radio show back in the day called AmenRadio!; I ran a store called Tha Outlet (hate to see Bus Shop closing); ran the Heavenly Hip Hop Ring a LONG time ago LOL; and I used to write for Hip Hop Zone and was an editor for Holy Culture for a few years too. During all that time I was a youth minister and now am the Pastor of The Elements Church in the Bronx. We’ve been a church since 2008 and we’re serve the urban community. Our mission is “Leading the urban culture to Christ by cultivating relationship.” I’m also a father of two and a husband.

Shine: How long have the churches been allowed to use these buildings?

Brother E: How long? Since Christians began settling in this country. In small town across the country the first building they would erect would be a school, that on Sundays would turn into the town church. So it’s kind of hard to give you a hard answer on that, but in the “modern era”, regarding religion and the public school system, some significant Supreme Court rulings have come down since as early as 1925.

Shine: After so many years of being able to worship in the schools, why now? What’s the boards argument against the services?

At the time of this interview, I had just had a meeting with my pastor where I was explaining to him some of the legalities of the music industry. I had completely forgotten that he was a former traveling minister in song and was quite thorough in the music biz. It came back to my remembrance as he just looked at me and smiled. My point is, because of the humble personality of this next artist (Hansoul) you may tend to forget just how thorough he is regarding the industry having been signed to Epic Records in the mid 90’s. Hansoul has rubbed elbows with some of hip-hops’ heavyweights yet because of his new life and love for the Lord Jesus, he doesn’t boast. His humble character just smiles…

Shine: For the readers who may not know you, why don’t you go ahead and give us your background on how you got started.

Hans: First of all Jesus saves. From a secular standpoint I got started in hip hop from what people would call the Hey Day of hip hop. I guess I became a fan of it in the late 70s and early 80s. I started rapping and signed my first record deal with Epic Records in the 90s and have been apart of the culture a long time. As an emcee doing secular music in ’95, I gave my life to the Lord and of course with the conversion into the Lord I changed the way I did music. So that’s a little of my background.

There’s been a lot of discussion lately regarding the time of Christ’s return. Some have even tried to pinpoint the day and the hour. Holyculture.net sat down to talk with our next artist Beacon Light, who agrees that no man may know the day or the hour, but one thing is guaranteed: He’s coming back “Soon”.

Shine: So how did you get started?

Beacon: Well long story short, I was raised in a Christian home. I went to an urban Christian school in Grand Rapids called Potters House until I was in the 8th grade. I was kind of in and out of the church. My parents had some issues and my mom had different affairs with different guys and stuff like that. My mom actually got pregnant with one of her affairs by an African American guy and my dads white. So that’s not like something you can cover up very easily (Laughs). But my parents decided to work it out but my dad was having a really hard time by having a child from an affair in his house. So they decided to give my little brother up for adoption to a couple in our church who was bi-racial and couldn’t have children. Now the first time I ever rapped, I did a verse to the “Joyful Joyful” song from the Sister Act movie at my church and in high school I got off into free styling my junior and senior year. Then I kind of fell off completely after high school because my mom ended up leaving my dad and got a divorce.

Is there any beauty in War? Illect Recordings artist MuzeOne chops it up with Holyculture.net about keeping the beauty of artistic integrity in his latest project which he entitles Cold War.

Shine: For the readers who may not be familiar with you, how did you get started?

MuzeOne: Well I originally started off in Christian hip hop as part of a group called Redeemed Thought. We were originally from California and we came to Philadelphia as transplants really just testing the waters. We had no clue or idea about the CHH (Christian Hip-Hop) culture in Philly. It was Stephen the Levite and I when we came out here and we got connected with a lot of dude’s because Philly seemed to be popping at the time. We were hanging out with a lot of good solid brothers and that kind of developed us as a group. We put out an album called Truth, Beauty, Goodness which did pretty well.  We were featured on quite a few other artists’ albums such as Cross Movements Higher Definition album, Lecrae’s After the Music Stops and Tru Lifes album as well.  So yeah, that’s how I got started into the CHH realm then eventually Stephen the Levite and I went on solo paths for a season. And that’s pretty much how I got started.

Former front runner of the Grammy nominated group The Cross Movement and now Xist Music artist The Ambassador speaks to HolyCulture.net about his upcoming project Stop the Funeral due out this summer and this new season in his life.

Shine: Let’s just get right into it. What’s the concept behind the new album?

The Ambassador: Well, Stop the Funeral is a new project that’s probably the most meaningful theological truth to me in this season. That is, in the face of death, destruction, dismay, disintegration and even decay, there’s got to be hope. Whenever somebody through their own folly or through circumstances beyond their control is in the face of losing something, especially life itself or freedom, there is this good news that exists, which is actually what our Gospel is all about. That, that death does not have the last say and that there is life and hope beyond it.  So Stop the Funeral is just another way of being able to proclaim and appreciate the Good News of Jesus Christ who came to put an end to sin and death.

The Ambassador: The reason why I say that is because I felt like I brought personally on myself the potential of an early departure, or an early funeral and I cried out to God. And I think I also felt people sort of projecting that the only thing that could result from my own folly or my own sin be an appropriate death. It was then that God let me know even though that may be deserved, it wasn’t the only solution. That’s not the only solution for the person who is in Jesus who puts their hope in Him. I basically have an album called Stop the Funeral because I believe that’s what God did, that’s what He encouraged me with and so that’s my announcement to everyone else.

I first came across Chance when he was featured on Eshon Burgundy’s single “Porcelain” He immediately caught my ear with his unique delivery not heard very much in CHH today. He would later release his own solo project “Come closer” which was later made available as a free download. I was likewise impressed. Chances R, you will be too.

Shine: Why don’t you go ahead and give us a little of your background on how you got started?

Chances R: My father is from Ghana in West Africa and my mother is from America, so musically I’ve always been close to music. Back in the day I had the opportunity to be the cute little kid on the drums (Laughs) and get on stage with my dad from time to time. I obviously developed a love for music and enjoyed the attention I got on stage. I started rapping probably around 12 or 13 years old and very similar to a lot of other Christian rappers I did the secular music first. Then as I came to Christ and started to mature in Christ I decided to give Him my talent and really start to rap about the things He would have me speak on. I’m still currently in a group called Society Park and we had the opportunity to release a full length project called Freedoms Journal Issue #1, (The beginning of change). That was like the first time that I recorded those things that I believe the Lord was telling me to speak about. 

Shine: Who are some of your influences?

Chances R: Well, back in the day it wasn’t a lot Christian rappers per say, so I was always a Nas baby or Buckshot fan. Those were probably like my two favorite artists but as I started to come to the Lord, obviously my influences began to change. I use to listen to HanSoul a lot and I always felt like he was a good emcee as well as just a good brother. I had the opportunity to meet Hansoul very early in my Christian rap career and more than just music, his ministry was phenomenal. I just really appreciated how he just lifted up Christ everywhere.

Shine: What is it like being a Christian artist coming from out of Philly?

Chances R: One of the things I like about Philadelphia music in general is that it has a definite soul to it. Even back in the day with all the other great groups that came out of Philadelphia such as your Teddy Pendergrass, Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes the town in general has a real soul aspect to it. I feel like the Christian music is very similar as well. I do feel like the Christian hip hop that comes out of Philly, due to the fact that we’re right up here with New York, is a lot edgier and harder. Also in Philly there’s really strong Muslim community here as well and I feel like were competing for these young men and women. A lot of times, they already have an idea of what they think a Christian man is like which is often soft and because of that I believe that some of the CHH that comes out of Philly is a little bit more edgy. We have a certain demographic that we’re trying to reach who might be use to a little bit more street edge.