In late April, I interviewed a Christian rap group called Broken Vesselz. Here is the story.
Christian Rap- Sounds like an oxymoron to me. Surprisingly, it isn't. Christian rap has been a part of the music scence since the late 80's. Artists like Yolanda Adams contribute religious lyrics pertaining only to Christians, but a trio of three who go by the name of "Broken Vesselz" has broken that barrier by using the word of Christ to reach everyone through their contemporary melodies. From Philadelphia , Pennsylvania , the group consists of two lyricists, Dante "Sotog" (Servant of the One God), 21 and Ricky "Renewed Life," 19 and one vocalist, Liana Gomez, 20.
Fairly new, the group has been performing together since early 2007. Liana and Ricky (who are siblings) met Dante through a mutual friend and noticed their similarities in both Christ and music. They got their break from creating a mix tape of eighteen songs devoted to their awareness campaign "Project 215" relating to gun violence and the crime rate in Philadelphia . Not technically signed as of yet, the group has many supporters behind them. For example, their manager, Steve J, who promotes them strategically, the people of their campaign "Project 215" and their fans.
With inspiration from artists like Mos Def, Common, Lauryn Hill and Jackie Valsquez the group strives to produce empowering music for today's generation. "Foolishness inspires me to do better," says Sotog, who refers to the new hip hop artists. Broken Vesselz feels that hip hop emulates the artists to be center, instead of the music. The glorification of materialistic things you'll never have is an aspect of hip hop Broken Vesslez intends to exclude from their music. With all three of them contributing to the writing, they to bring the "lyrical content back into hip hop."
They are doing so with the recording of their first studio album. They have producers Teddy P, Boots and Eric Green pulling tracks for them. Presently, they're promoting a sample EP with three tracks to preview the album. Their performances consist of those tracks and others. They perform mostly in Philadelphia (where there's a hive of Christian rap groups) Ohio , Massachusetts and on weekend retreats in other parts of Pennsylvania .
The group is currently recording their album, but that's not all they're doing. Broken Vesselz is heavily involved in their community by feeding the homeless, speaking to youth groups and donating to charity. Liana, whose dream growing up was to sing, is now using her popularity to inspire young girls. Growing up in a rural neighborhoodin Philadelphia , she knows the struggles and intends to open a community center to assist teens with job employment, recreational activities and to give the kids of Philadelphia a home away from home.
These three youngsters are not only musicians; they're strong believers- of Christ. Liana and Ricky came from religious backgrounds, but like many teens they were not really involved in religion. Dante, who was saved three years prior, was raised in a secular environment. He found Christianity through a friend. All three experienced something that reinforced their faith. Now, it has blossomed into a successful career. Broken Vesselz has talent and much is in store for them. You can check them out at brokenvesslez.com or myspace.com/brokenvesselzministries.
Christian Rap- Sounds like an oxymoron to me. Surprisingly, it isn't. Christian rap has been a part of the music scence since the late 80's. Artists like Yolanda Adams contribute religious lyrics pertaining only to Christians, but a trio of three who go by the name of "Broken Vesselz" has broken that barrier by using the word of Christ to reach everyone through their contemporary melodies. From Philadelphia , Pennsylvania , the group consists of two lyricists, Dante "Sotog" (Servant of the One God), 21 and Ricky "Renewed Life," 19 and one vocalist, Liana Gomez, 20.
Fairly new, the group has been performing together since early 2007. Liana and Ricky (who are siblings) met Dante through a mutual friend and noticed their similarities in both Christ and music. They got their break from creating a mix tape of eighteen songs devoted to their awareness campaign "Project 215" relating to gun violence and the crime rate in Philadelphia . Not technically signed as of yet, the group has many supporters behind them. For example, their manager, Steve J, who promotes them strategically, the people of their campaign "Project 215" and their fans.
With inspiration from artists like Mos Def, Common, Lauryn Hill and Jackie Valsquez the group strives to produce empowering music for today's generation. "Foolishness inspires me to do better," says Sotog, who refers to the new hip hop artists. Broken Vesselz feels that hip hop emulates the artists to be center, instead of the music. The glorification of materialistic things you'll never have is an aspect of hip hop Broken Vesslez intends to exclude from their music. With all three of them contributing to the writing, they to bring the "lyrical content back into hip hop."
They are doing so with the recording of their first studio album. They have producers Teddy P, Boots and Eric Green pulling tracks for them. Presently, they're promoting a sample EP with three tracks to preview the album. Their performances consist of those tracks and others. They perform mostly in Philadelphia (where there's a hive of Christian rap groups) Ohio , Massachusetts and on weekend retreats in other parts of Pennsylvania .
The group is currently recording their album, but that's not all they're doing. Broken Vesselz is heavily involved in their community by feeding the homeless, speaking to youth groups and donating to charity. Liana, whose dream growing up was to sing, is now using her popularity to inspire young girls. Growing up in a rural neighborhoodin Philadelphia , she knows the struggles and intends to open a community center to assist teens with job employment, recreational activities and to give the kids of Philadelphia a home away from home.
These three youngsters are not only musicians; they're strong believers- of Christ. Liana and Ricky came from religious backgrounds, but like many teens they were not really involved in religion. Dante, who was saved three years prior, was raised in a secular environment. He found Christianity through a friend. All three experienced something that reinforced their faith. Now, it has blossomed into a successful career. Broken Vesselz has talent and much is in store for them. You can check them out at brokenvesslez.com or myspace.com/brokenvesselzministries.
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