After the successful first international Your Word Project concert, Signs of Hope, done in Manila, Philippines back in November in partnership with Philippine Bible Society, United Bible Societies, and my own thebridgelife, the next scheduled international date for the world tour is January 28th, in Torino, Italy, and will be a joint Night of Worship featuring my Sister, Italian recording artist and songwriter Lidia Genta, and I. Lidia sang the Italian translation of "Your Word," the song that began this entire endeavor, and during her trip to Houston in the fall of 2015 to record the song, we connected over our mutual love for the Word of God and desire to see the Great Commission fulfilled. Lidia's record label, Revive Records, headed by Antonio Fabrizio Caló, worked alongside Anders of UBS, Lidia, the Società Bibbia in Italia, and myself to pull together an event that would be every bit as impactful as Signs of Hope was in Manila, which drew a crowd of thousands, garnered significant mainstream media awareness (including CNN Philippines), and successfully raised the funds to kickstart the first ever Filipino Sign Language Bible. That event will be held this Saturday evening in Torino, and I can't wait.
One thought: many have heard me talk about this Your Word Project for the last year and a half, and I truly believe that this is my life's purpose...not just the Your Word Project, but using my musical gifts and creative talents to help raise funds for and bring awareness to causes such as Bible illiteracy, homelessness, and mental illness and the stigma associated with it (hence my love for and dedication to NAMI as well). I'm not being paid for these concerts around the world, contrary to popular belief, and I have been purchasing my own flights to get to them all, which is very expensive. I'm not doing this tour to get rich, or to become famous. I do it because I believe that God will provide for me if I provide for His people, and because when I die, whenever that may be, I want it to be said by God and man that I lived a life of service to others. I want God to be glorified, and I want the life and influence He has given me to mean something bigger than me. Please keep me lifted up in your prayers as I continue this journey to bring God's Word to every language and people in the world, and if you'd like to help us fulfill the Great Commission thru our efforts, please consider making a donation at PayPal.me/thebridgelife. Every dollar counts.
I'll update this blog throughout the week with pictures and thoughts from my Italian journey, which will go from Rome to Milan (tomorrow) to Torino (Thursday) and back to Rome over the course of the next 9 days. Stay tuned...
Monday, January 23, 2017
Monday, November 14, 2016
Heading to Manila! Your Word Project update
I woke up this AM and God laid on my heart that I needed to get back to posting on this blog, a site that I'd initially created just to share the doors He was opening for our career and to inspire and encourage others who were striving to find success in the music industry. I wasn't walking with Christ when I first started this blog, and I can see the difference when I read back over some of the initial posts. Since it's been two years since my last post, allow me to share with those of you who follow the blog what's going on in my life.
My most recent single, "Give You Jesus" f/Shana, was released in May of 2015 and I was blessed to minister it on the main platform at Lakewood Church with Pastor Lisa Osteen, which was an incredible experience.
Rick Rowe from ABC News in my hometown agreed to do a follow up story on my testimony in support of the success of "Give You Jesus," and Pastor Joel Osteen of Lakewood Church did a segment (view it below) in the interview where he talked about his support of my ministry, and belief that I'm an example to those who have been pushed down by life to know that we can "rise higher and bless others." This interview was seen all over the world, and one of those who saw it was United Bible Societies, who shared the full ABC News interview and allowed me to write a blog post on their Digital Bible site about my journey and what God has done with their more than 9 million Fans on their Facebook page. That post got such a favorable response that my brother Anders Orsander from UBS, whom I'd initially shared the interview with via Digital Bible, reached out that same day for a meeting with me, during which Gunnar Magï, the head of Marketing for UBS, stated that they wanted to extend our relationship to win souls for Lord Jesus.
Immediately following that performance at Lakewood and the success of "Give You Jesus," I wanted to go on a tour to support the record, and organized a radio promo tour across much of the country. At the start of the summer, I went to my parents' home in Shreveport to drop my daughters off so I could go on tour to promote the song, but I felt strongly in my spirit that I was missing something in terms of my purpose. I'd recently forged an alliance with United Bible Societies, which is the world's largest Bible translator, distributor, and publisher, but I honestly wasn't sure how to maximize that relationship. I remember saying that to my Dad, and he told me to go into the War Room (prayer room) at he and my Mom's house to seek God for direction. Although I was supposed to leave the next morning for Atlanta to connect with my bro Willie Moore, Jr., I ended up spending the next three days in that room praying, reading my Bible, and seeking God. I didn't bathe, I didn't change clothes, and my parents can attest, they brought me food in that War Room on trays, I ate, and they came back into the room to get the trays later. I remember reading in the Bible that Jacob told God he would not let go until God blessed him; I wasn't leaving that room until He showed me what I was supposed to be doing. On my third day in that room, He did...God spoke to me clearly and said that I'm a songwriter, and that I was supposed to write a Worship song in honor of His Word, both the Word as the Bible and as Jesus (both are referred to as the Word in the Bible). He reminded me that United Bible Societies translates Bibles into different languages, and told me that I was to have this Worship song translated by Christian singers from other nations into their languages and released around the world; the net proceeds from all of the translations would then go to fund Bible translations for the more than 1800 languages and dialects around the world that had never before had the Bible. He then began giving me the Scriptural foundation for the song, and I wrote the song very quickly. I sent the lyrics to the song and the vision God had given me to UBS, and Gunnar Magï, the head of marketing for the organization, replied very quickly that they would love to work with me to bring this to life. My team, JayTel, JD Karpicke, Sean Torres, Brad Sayles, Ron Charlton, and Paul Yuen, and I then immediately produced the music, arranged the orchestra who played on the song, and we started recording.
UBS and I then began selecting the artists from around the world who would represent what became known as the Your Word Project; American luminaries such as Cindy Cruse Ratcliff, my Lakewood sister and Dove Award winning Worship leader, Pastor Marcos Witt, a 5 time Latin Grammy Award winning artist, Dr. Beau Williams, my Queen's Dad who also happens to be one of the greatest singers ever, with a Dove Award and Star Search win to his credit, and a host of phenomenal singers from 9 other countries, who have collectively sold more than $800,000,000 worth of music, agreed to record "Your Word." We worked with top translators in each country to translate the song accurately, with my German Sis Sefora Nelson stepping up to help make sure that I got the best translators and artists for each country. UBS began scheduling flights for me to head to each of the countries, but because I was committed on staff as the Youth Pastor at Higher Dimension Church in Houston, I wasn't able to take the time off to fly to all of the countries, so the decision was made to fly the artists in to Houston to record with me instead. Sefora Nelson of Germany, Lidia Genta of Italy, Darina Konchanzhi of Russia, and Thierry Ostrini of France flew in and we became family. We recorded their translations at Wire Road Studios in Houston, which is where luminaries such as Israel Houghton (congrats on your wedding, big bro!!) and Beyonce have recorded hit records, and bonded over our shared love for God and desire to see His Word spread to all nations. 3 time Grammy Award winning audio engineer Ralph Caciurri (OutKast, Bishop TD Jakes, Smokie Norful, and more) mixed the record in Atlanta, and the project came out incredible. Here's a link to see the behind the scenes of the creation of the song.
"Your Word" Recording Behind the Scenes
And here is a link to hear the finished "Your Word" song with all of the different languages on one song:
https://youtu.be/mfkgNWBQgtI
We then began the promotional process; a TBN interview was scheduled in Houston at KETH-14, and Marcos Witt, Cindy Cruse Ratcliff, Dr. Beau Williams and Anders Orsander, the Digital Marketing Officer for UBS (who flew all the way from Sweden to be here) joined me on TBN for a Praise the Lord taping that was supposed to be all about the Your Word Project and promoting Bible translations globally. We taped the show and did a series of anointed interviews that really captured the heart of the project, and Dr. Beau and Cindy sang "Your Word" with me and blew the roof off the place, but KETH ultimately decided not to air the interview, stating that "it was too promotional" for their guidelines. While I was disappointed at their decision, I understand that God doesn't need KETH (or me, for that matter) to do whatever He wants to do. He's still in control.
I then did an interview with Tiara Kennell from my hometown Shreveport Times newspaper talking about the project and our goals for it, and she wrote a phenomenal story that showcased Your Word Project.
That brings us to now:
In two days, I'll be boarding a plane heading to Manila, Philippines to sing and speak at an event we put together called Signs of Hope. This event is a partnership between my thebridgelife ministry, United Bible Societies, and Philippine Bible Society, and the goal is exactly what God spoke to me at my parents' home last summer when He gave me the vision; this event will use music and ministry to fund the first ever complete Filipino Sign Language Bible.
The concert in Manila will be followed by a night of Worship in Jerusalem on December 19th alongside Israel Roytman (who sang "Your Word" in Hebrew) and a night of Worship with myself and Lidia Genta (who sang "Your Word" in Italian) in Torino, Italy on January 28th, and a different country per month for the next ten months, ending with the filming of a documentary in India for the project, directed by my brother Len Wehrung. To say that I'm in awe at God is an understatement; it's one thing to know He's real. It's a whole other thing to SEE His Hand move, or to hear Him tell you something is going to happen and then to SEE it actually happen in such a tangible way. For those of you who know my testimony, God promised me a few things when I was homeless, but the last of those was that "the world will know (your) name, but it will be for (MY) glory, not (your) glory." It's surreal, even after all of the other amazing things He's done, watching Him now fulfill this promise thru this project before my eyes. I'll be traveling to 10 different countries over the next ten months, singing "Your Word" and sharing the vision God gave me, and championing the cause of global Bible literacy. To be honest? I'm nervous. I'm nervous that I won't have the right words to say when I stand in front of all of God's people to speak about a vision He gave me. Me, who didn't deserve any of this. I'm nervous my voice won't come out right when it's time to sing, and I still wonder if I'm good enough or skilled enough for this level of global ministry, even after all my years of singing and preaching. And I'm nervous at whether the reception in these countries of a young black man will be conducive to the magnitude of what we are trying to accomplish....but then God reminded me of Moses, and him being afraid of his stammer, and afraid of Pharaoh not wanting to listen to him, and afraid of his own sin and frailty. Moses looked at his own shortcomings instead of looking at God's power. God reminds me in this moment that, just as He was with Moses, so shall He be with me. And I can smile knowing that any Pharaohs who try to get in the way of God's people getting the Word of God won't have to deal with me; they'll have to deal with my God. Red Sea or plagues, anyone?
I'll close this first post back with an encouragement to all of you who may read this; we all have a purpose in life. God created us with gifts and talents, and with a calling, and it's up to us to find them, hone them, and walk in them. It doesn't matter what you've done wrong, or what mistakes you've made. The only thing that really matters is your submission to God, not just in the area of your gift, but in EVERY area of your life. When you give your life back to Him, He gives you purpose, anointing, and divine favor to walk out your calling in excellence and effectiveness. Don't be afraid to go, Moses...for God will be with you every step of the way. Please keep me lifted up in prayer as I head out on this 10 nation Your Word Project tour to do His will. #thebridgelife
My most recent single, "Give You Jesus" f/Shana, was released in May of 2015 and I was blessed to minister it on the main platform at Lakewood Church with Pastor Lisa Osteen, which was an incredible experience.
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| Lakewood Associate Pastor Lisa Osteen and I on the main platform after I sang "Give You Jesus" at Lakewood Church in May 2015. My parents are in the front row on the right side, along with my Queen and her Mom (just off camera). |
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| The single cover artwork for "Give You Jesus", designed by Robert B Fresh and Jeff Hernandez. Jeff died in a car accident two days before this single was released and shot up the Gospel and Christian charts. |
| Pastor Joel Osteen of Lakewood Church sharing his support for my ministry on ABC News. This interview directly led to the forging of my relationship with United Bible Societies, and opened the door for the Your Word Project to happen. I love Pastor Joel and Lakewood dearly and hope they're proud of what God is doing thru this Your Word Project. Footage appears courtesy of Lakewood Church. |
Immediately following that performance at Lakewood and the success of "Give You Jesus," I wanted to go on a tour to support the record, and organized a radio promo tour across much of the country. At the start of the summer, I went to my parents' home in Shreveport to drop my daughters off so I could go on tour to promote the song, but I felt strongly in my spirit that I was missing something in terms of my purpose. I'd recently forged an alliance with United Bible Societies, which is the world's largest Bible translator, distributor, and publisher, but I honestly wasn't sure how to maximize that relationship. I remember saying that to my Dad, and he told me to go into the War Room (prayer room) at he and my Mom's house to seek God for direction. Although I was supposed to leave the next morning for Atlanta to connect with my bro Willie Moore, Jr., I ended up spending the next three days in that room praying, reading my Bible, and seeking God. I didn't bathe, I didn't change clothes, and my parents can attest, they brought me food in that War Room on trays, I ate, and they came back into the room to get the trays later. I remember reading in the Bible that Jacob told God he would not let go until God blessed him; I wasn't leaving that room until He showed me what I was supposed to be doing. On my third day in that room, He did...God spoke to me clearly and said that I'm a songwriter, and that I was supposed to write a Worship song in honor of His Word, both the Word as the Bible and as Jesus (both are referred to as the Word in the Bible). He reminded me that United Bible Societies translates Bibles into different languages, and told me that I was to have this Worship song translated by Christian singers from other nations into their languages and released around the world; the net proceeds from all of the translations would then go to fund Bible translations for the more than 1800 languages and dialects around the world that had never before had the Bible. He then began giving me the Scriptural foundation for the song, and I wrote the song very quickly. I sent the lyrics to the song and the vision God had given me to UBS, and Gunnar Magï, the head of marketing for the organization, replied very quickly that they would love to work with me to bring this to life. My team, JayTel, JD Karpicke, Sean Torres, Brad Sayles, Ron Charlton, and Paul Yuen, and I then immediately produced the music, arranged the orchestra who played on the song, and we started recording.
UBS and I then began selecting the artists from around the world who would represent what became known as the Your Word Project; American luminaries such as Cindy Cruse Ratcliff, my Lakewood sister and Dove Award winning Worship leader, Pastor Marcos Witt, a 5 time Latin Grammy Award winning artist, Dr. Beau Williams, my Queen's Dad who also happens to be one of the greatest singers ever, with a Dove Award and Star Search win to his credit, and a host of phenomenal singers from 9 other countries, who have collectively sold more than $800,000,000 worth of music, agreed to record "Your Word." We worked with top translators in each country to translate the song accurately, with my German Sis Sefora Nelson stepping up to help make sure that I got the best translators and artists for each country. UBS began scheduling flights for me to head to each of the countries, but because I was committed on staff as the Youth Pastor at Higher Dimension Church in Houston, I wasn't able to take the time off to fly to all of the countries, so the decision was made to fly the artists in to Houston to record with me instead. Sefora Nelson of Germany, Lidia Genta of Italy, Darina Konchanzhi of Russia, and Thierry Ostrini of France flew in and we became family. We recorded their translations at Wire Road Studios in Houston, which is where luminaries such as Israel Houghton (congrats on your wedding, big bro!!) and Beyonce have recorded hit records, and bonded over our shared love for God and desire to see His Word spread to all nations. 3 time Grammy Award winning audio engineer Ralph Caciurri (OutKast, Bishop TD Jakes, Smokie Norful, and more) mixed the record in Atlanta, and the project came out incredible. Here's a link to see the behind the scenes of the creation of the song.
"Your Word" Recording Behind the Scenes
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| (From left) Lidia Genta (Italy), Sefora Nelson (Germany), Darina Konchanzhi (Russia), Evangelist Debra George, Thierry Ostrini (France), myself, and Telford "JayTel" Birmingham II, my production partner, at Lakewood Church in Houston. This was immediately following recording sessions for "Your Word" at Wire Road Studios in Houston, TX. |
https://youtu.be/mfkgNWBQgtI
We then began the promotional process; a TBN interview was scheduled in Houston at KETH-14, and Marcos Witt, Cindy Cruse Ratcliff, Dr. Beau Williams and Anders Orsander, the Digital Marketing Officer for UBS (who flew all the way from Sweden to be here) joined me on TBN for a Praise the Lord taping that was supposed to be all about the Your Word Project and promoting Bible translations globally. We taped the show and did a series of anointed interviews that really captured the heart of the project, and Dr. Beau and Cindy sang "Your Word" with me and blew the roof off the place, but KETH ultimately decided not to air the interview, stating that "it was too promotional" for their guidelines. While I was disappointed at their decision, I understand that God doesn't need KETH (or me, for that matter) to do whatever He wants to do. He's still in control.
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| (From left) Joshua Jackson, Praise the Lord host Matthew Bismark, Marcos Witt, Cindy Cruse Ratcliff, Anders Orsander of UBS, myself, Dr. Beau Williams, and Shana Dorsey on set at KETH-14, the local TBN affiliate. |
I then did an interview with Tiara Kennell from my hometown Shreveport Times newspaper talking about the project and our goals for it, and she wrote a phenomenal story that showcased Your Word Project.
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| Article in my hometown newspaper, the Shreveport Times, about the tour and the Your Word Project. |
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| Shreveport Times website with the Your Word Project article |
That brings us to now:
In two days, I'll be boarding a plane heading to Manila, Philippines to sing and speak at an event we put together called Signs of Hope. This event is a partnership between my thebridgelife ministry, United Bible Societies, and Philippine Bible Society, and the goal is exactly what God spoke to me at my parents' home last summer when He gave me the vision; this event will use music and ministry to fund the first ever complete Filipino Sign Language Bible.
The concert in Manila will be followed by a night of Worship in Jerusalem on December 19th alongside Israel Roytman (who sang "Your Word" in Hebrew) and a night of Worship with myself and Lidia Genta (who sang "Your Word" in Italian) in Torino, Italy on January 28th, and a different country per month for the next ten months, ending with the filming of a documentary in India for the project, directed by my brother Len Wehrung. To say that I'm in awe at God is an understatement; it's one thing to know He's real. It's a whole other thing to SEE His Hand move, or to hear Him tell you something is going to happen and then to SEE it actually happen in such a tangible way. For those of you who know my testimony, God promised me a few things when I was homeless, but the last of those was that "the world will know (your) name, but it will be for (MY) glory, not (your) glory." It's surreal, even after all of the other amazing things He's done, watching Him now fulfill this promise thru this project before my eyes. I'll be traveling to 10 different countries over the next ten months, singing "Your Word" and sharing the vision God gave me, and championing the cause of global Bible literacy. To be honest? I'm nervous. I'm nervous that I won't have the right words to say when I stand in front of all of God's people to speak about a vision He gave me. Me, who didn't deserve any of this. I'm nervous my voice won't come out right when it's time to sing, and I still wonder if I'm good enough or skilled enough for this level of global ministry, even after all my years of singing and preaching. And I'm nervous at whether the reception in these countries of a young black man will be conducive to the magnitude of what we are trying to accomplish....but then God reminded me of Moses, and him being afraid of his stammer, and afraid of Pharaoh not wanting to listen to him, and afraid of his own sin and frailty. Moses looked at his own shortcomings instead of looking at God's power. God reminds me in this moment that, just as He was with Moses, so shall He be with me. And I can smile knowing that any Pharaohs who try to get in the way of God's people getting the Word of God won't have to deal with me; they'll have to deal with my God. Red Sea or plagues, anyone?
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| Your Word Project, all completed translations, available now via iTunes, Amazon Music, etc. Net proceeds from all sales go to fund Bible translations globally. |
I'll close this first post back with an encouragement to all of you who may read this; we all have a purpose in life. God created us with gifts and talents, and with a calling, and it's up to us to find them, hone them, and walk in them. It doesn't matter what you've done wrong, or what mistakes you've made. The only thing that really matters is your submission to God, not just in the area of your gift, but in EVERY area of your life. When you give your life back to Him, He gives you purpose, anointing, and divine favor to walk out your calling in excellence and effectiveness. Don't be afraid to go, Moses...for God will be with you every step of the way. Please keep me lifted up in prayer as I head out on this 10 nation Your Word Project tour to do His will. #thebridgelife
Monday, March 24, 2014
Impeccable Grind, Unstoppable Dreams: What's Happening Now
Impeccable Grind, Unstoppable Dreams: What's Happening Now: In the (nearly a) year since my last post, God has done so many absolutely incredible things that I've got to update everyone on...where...
What's Happening Now
In the (nearly a) year since my last post, God has done so many absolutely incredible things that I've got to update everyone on...where to begin?
My album Marathon dropped on iTunes on April 16, 2013, and hit the top 40 on the Christian and Gospel Album charts in less than 3 hours after release (peaking at #39), and the success of the album prompted major press to cover my story and music, such as a cover story in the Houston Chronicle (see pic below), ABC News (with the awesome Rick Rowe from my hometown of Shreveport/Bossier City, who included my parents in a phenomenal interview), and Fox26 News in Houston with news superhero Isiah Carey (links below). I was then named one of the top Houston artists of 2013, AND one of the artists to watch for 2014 in the Houston Chronicle, a series of huge honors for which I've got to express my love and thanks to my brother, Joey Guerra, who wrote my Houston Chronicle cover story and who selected me for the other honors as well.
5 songs off the album were then debuted live on the air on Magic 102 in Houston, with my Big Sis Nzinga Rideaux, while my Bro JayTel sat in on the interview, an almost unheard of honor for a new artist at one of the largest stations in the US. I had the opportunity to share with Nzinga how God inspired the album, my team thebridge's (Ty Steez, Aphillyated, JayTel, and myself) creative process when making the album, and our goals for the future, all of which God has already exceeded. Pics below.
The success of the album opened the opportunity for me to go on my first ever tour, named the Marathon Tour, which started in May 2013 at Bishop TD Jakes' church The Potter's House, and ended two weeks ago in Orlando, FL at The SoulFunny Radio Show Third Anniversary concert. Several of the dates of the tour were either sold out or standing room only, and I had the opportunity to minister songs from my album Marathon and lead Worship before thousands of people throughout the past year (millions if you include my performance on the world famous Bobby Jones Gospel Show). Pics from some of the dates are below as well.
I was then blessed to sign my first endorsement deal, with Sikk Shades by Eddie Bauer, Jr, and am now getting ready to shoot my first ever ad campaign with the new merchandise. As much as I love shades, this was a perfect fit, and I cannot thank my Marketing guru and Brother Andy Valadez enough for pulling it together for me. The sky is the limit for this deal. Now, I just need a Jordan Brand endorsement and I'll be good lol (#SPEAKTHOSETHINGS).
I also was blessed to just sign a contract with one of the largest Christian websites to promote the video for the big pop single from Marathon, "Perfect Love" (which we'll be shooting soon), and will also be producing some original content exclusively for the site. I'll announce more details once Andy and I get the press release done and approved by the execs at the site, but suffice it to say that it will be groundbreaking for Christian artists, and I'm beyond excited about it.
And most amazingly of all, I'm now blessed to be mapping out a film, called Marathon, that we're shooting based on my life story, of God delivering me from homelessness nearly 13 years ago to now winning major awards with our team and the Reach Records family, and having chart topping albums and songs. We are filming a live concert in Accra, Ghana, at El Wak Stadium, and are shooting the live concert video for "Dancing in Heaven," the first official single from the film soundtrack in Ghana as well. My album Marathon, with new material added, will become the soundtrack to the film, and I've been blessed with the opportunity to write my first book as an accompaniment to the film.
When I started this blog, it was when JayTel and I were first discovered by Nick Velo and Beluga Heights in Beverly Hills and began this journey towards our dreams....While I believed that we would be successful, I'd be lying if I told you that I thought it would all happen like this. God's faithfulness cannot be overstated, and seeing all the wonderful things that, even today, continue to unfold, is overwhelming and awe-inspiring for me.
There is much more to share, but I'll be posting as things happen from here on out now that the Marathon Tour is over and we've got a couple months till my next tour starts. For now, just know that God is faithful, and He honors His promises. I'm excited about what the future holds, and know that if God has done these wonderful things in my life, He can and will do wonderful things in yours as well. If there is something you're believing for God to do in your life, feel free to share in the comments below so that I can be praying with you and standing in agreement with you for His blessings to be poured out upon your life.
#thebridgelife
My album Marathon dropped on iTunes on April 16, 2013, and hit the top 40 on the Christian and Gospel Album charts in less than 3 hours after release (peaking at #39), and the success of the album prompted major press to cover my story and music, such as a cover story in the Houston Chronicle (see pic below), ABC News (with the awesome Rick Rowe from my hometown of Shreveport/Bossier City, who included my parents in a phenomenal interview), and Fox26 News in Houston with news superhero Isiah Carey (links below). I was then named one of the top Houston artists of 2013, AND one of the artists to watch for 2014 in the Houston Chronicle, a series of huge honors for which I've got to express my love and thanks to my brother, Joey Guerra, who wrote my Houston Chronicle cover story and who selected me for the other honors as well.
5 songs off the album were then debuted live on the air on Magic 102 in Houston, with my Big Sis Nzinga Rideaux, while my Bro JayTel sat in on the interview, an almost unheard of honor for a new artist at one of the largest stations in the US. I had the opportunity to share with Nzinga how God inspired the album, my team thebridge's (Ty Steez, Aphillyated, JayTel, and myself) creative process when making the album, and our goals for the future, all of which God has already exceeded. Pics below.
The success of the album opened the opportunity for me to go on my first ever tour, named the Marathon Tour, which started in May 2013 at Bishop TD Jakes' church The Potter's House, and ended two weeks ago in Orlando, FL at The SoulFunny Radio Show Third Anniversary concert. Several of the dates of the tour were either sold out or standing room only, and I had the opportunity to minister songs from my album Marathon and lead Worship before thousands of people throughout the past year (millions if you include my performance on the world famous Bobby Jones Gospel Show). Pics from some of the dates are below as well.
I was then blessed to sign my first endorsement deal, with Sikk Shades by Eddie Bauer, Jr, and am now getting ready to shoot my first ever ad campaign with the new merchandise. As much as I love shades, this was a perfect fit, and I cannot thank my Marketing guru and Brother Andy Valadez enough for pulling it together for me. The sky is the limit for this deal. Now, I just need a Jordan Brand endorsement and I'll be good lol (#SPEAKTHOSETHINGS).
I also was blessed to just sign a contract with one of the largest Christian websites to promote the video for the big pop single from Marathon, "Perfect Love" (which we'll be shooting soon), and will also be producing some original content exclusively for the site. I'll announce more details once Andy and I get the press release done and approved by the execs at the site, but suffice it to say that it will be groundbreaking for Christian artists, and I'm beyond excited about it.
And most amazingly of all, I'm now blessed to be mapping out a film, called Marathon, that we're shooting based on my life story, of God delivering me from homelessness nearly 13 years ago to now winning major awards with our team and the Reach Records family, and having chart topping albums and songs. We are filming a live concert in Accra, Ghana, at El Wak Stadium, and are shooting the live concert video for "Dancing in Heaven," the first official single from the film soundtrack in Ghana as well. My album Marathon, with new material added, will become the soundtrack to the film, and I've been blessed with the opportunity to write my first book as an accompaniment to the film.
When I started this blog, it was when JayTel and I were first discovered by Nick Velo and Beluga Heights in Beverly Hills and began this journey towards our dreams....While I believed that we would be successful, I'd be lying if I told you that I thought it would all happen like this. God's faithfulness cannot be overstated, and seeing all the wonderful things that, even today, continue to unfold, is overwhelming and awe-inspiring for me.
There is much more to share, but I'll be posting as things happen from here on out now that the Marathon Tour is over and we've got a couple months till my next tour starts. For now, just know that God is faithful, and He honors His promises. I'm excited about what the future holds, and know that if God has done these wonderful things in my life, He can and will do wonderful things in yours as well. If there is something you're believing for God to do in your life, feel free to share in the comments below so that I can be praying with you and standing in agreement with you for His blessings to be poured out upon your life.
#thebridgelife
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| Leading Worship for my first Easter Outreach with Lakewood Church, 2013 |
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| Just wrapping up my interview with Nzinga at Majic 102.1 in Houston, where all of the singles from my album Marathon were played live on the air for the first time |
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| My parents, Apostle Billy L. Dorsey, Sr., and Pastor Patricia Dorsey and I doing our tv interview at Lakewood Church with host (and my Big Sis) Reggie Kerr |
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| My first ever major newspaper cover story, for the Houston Chronicle (courtesy of my bro Joey Guerra) |
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| The first date (after Lakewood Church all of last March) on the Marathon Tour, at Bishop TD Jakes' The Potter's House church in Dallas |
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| My debut album Marathon hitting the Top 40 on the Christian and Gospel Album charts within 3 hours of release, peaking (so far) at #39 |
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| Shooting my cover story pic for the Houston Chronicle |
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| Shooting the "Enough" music video in ATL with director AJ from Def Jam South/DTP |
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| In Bryan/College Station at the local CW affiliate to promote Marathon |
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| Just wrapping up my first ever Fox News interview with Isiah Carey in Houston for Fox26 News discussing my testimony of God delivering me from homelessness, the Grammy win with Lecrae and my album Marathon |
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| The first time a song from my album Marathon played on XM Satellite radio, "Highest Praise" |
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| Leading Worship at Church of the Redeemer in Baldwin Park, CA (courtesy of my Spiritual Dad, Pastor Elias Flores) |
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| My mom, Pastor Patricia Dorsey, filming her segment of our interview on Shreveport's ABC News affiliate with host Rick Rowe filming |
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| My Bro JayTel and I in Lucky Run Studios in Richmond, TX producing a record for the debut solo album of my Big Sis Da'Dra Crawford Greathouse, Worship Leader for Lakewood Church |
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| Wrapping up my interview with Dr. Bobby Jones after ministering "Highest Praise" live on the show, seen by millions on the Impact Network after multiple airings...such an honor to meet a man I've watched on tv since I was a kid! |
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| The pics of all the artists named Houston's top artists of 2013 in the Houston Chronicle...such a huge honor! |
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| Singing at my co-headlining concert in Nashville, TN for the Dove Awards last year with my Bro Everett Drake of Bobby Jones Gospel fame |
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| The Houston Chronicle article naming me as one of the top artists of 2013 |
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| My parents, wife Shaunta', and oldest daughter Ashia with Pastor Joel Osteen at Lakewood Church before we filmed our tv interview with Reggie Kerr at Lakewood Singles |
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| My Big Bro Lecrae and I after my concert at the Dove Awards Prayer Breakfast and before the actual awards in Nashville. We won our second consecutive Dove Award for Rap/Hip Hop Gospel CD of the Year for Gravity, on which my team produced "Higher" f/Tenth Avenue North |
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| Filming the video for my second single "Second Wind" at the place where I lived when I was homeless in 5th Ward, Houston, TX |
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| Lakewood Christmas Outreach in 5th Ward, with my Big Sis Debra George, Bro Rickie "II Crunk" Bradford, Pastor Lisa Osteen Comes, and I |
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| The place where I lived when homeless, a recording studio that became a drug house, is now a church....on set at the "Second Wind" video shoot |
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| Filming my "I Thirst" testimony video in San Antonio, TX with the team of Hungry Fish and the kids of the area who filmed the interview, edited the video, and shared some of their own powerful testimonies as well |
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| My birthday this year was spent with my family at the Latin American Bible Institute (LABI) doing a concert for their annual Concert Days event...God moved in such a powerful way during this event! |
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| Sharing my testimony with some of the area youth at El Tab in Houston, TX |
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| Doing a live interview in Orlando, FL at Bishop TD Jakes' Pastors and Leadership Conference with The SoulFunny Radio Show with hosts Stephan Vann and Carla Martin |
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| Leading Worship at El Tab in Houston, TX in support of my Bro, Dr. Luke Holter |
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| The Expand Conference coming up this April 11-13 in Itasca, TX with Dr. Luke Holter, Pastor Elias Flores, Pastor Peter De Jesus, myself, and Latin Grammy winning producer Sergio Gonzalez...power packed!! |
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| My brother Emmanuel, Bro JayTel, drummer Mike, myself, and my sister Shana live in concert at Lakewood Church last year |
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| Myself and Pastor Joel Osteen after a meeting discussing the Marathon movie we're now working on |
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| Live in concert in Honolulu, Hawaii last October at His Highest Praise with the Yuen family |
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| On the red carpet with the Hungry Fish team and my Marketing Director Andy Valadez at the "I Thirst" video premiere in San Antonio, TX |
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| Leading Worship at LABI in San Antonio, TX on February 28, 2014 |
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| Singing at the Dove Awards Prayer Breakfast |
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| Myself and Pastors Elias Flores and Noe Gonzalez in Itasca, TX in advance of the Expand Conference coming in April |
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Marathon album launch
On Saturday, March 2nd, God answered my oldest childhood dream, which was to release my own album, by allowing my Christian debut album Marathon to be released at Lakewood Church. I was invited to lead Worship at Lakewood Church every Saturday in the month of March as my mentor Jesse Cooper teaches on his series "Actionable You", so we decided to correlate the physical launch of the album with the first date of the series.
We ordered 2500 copies to begin with from Disc Makers, going thru the usual channels that everyone goes thru, and on Friday, March 1, I sat at home waiting for the UPS truck to deliver all of the boxes. When the truck finally pulled up out front (after what seemed like the longest wait ever), I walked out to help the driver unload all of the boxes, and then headed out to a meeting across town.
Come launch day, I had a meeting with my dear friend Nathalie Farinola, from Fiat/Ferrari, who is putting together a European tour for Marathon to Italy, Spain, and France, this summer. We met at Coffee & Cars, an expo they have monthly here in Houston at Victory Park off 249 and Louetta, where luxury and vintage car owners gather and talk cars, while literally hundreds of spectators line up outside to take pics of the vehicles. After leaving the Coffee & Cars expo, I met Nathalie at Lamborghini Houston, where I met the entire team there and was proposed the idea to tie my tour in Italy to the 50th anniversary of Lamborghini in Bologna, Italy, to which I readily agreed, as it is a huge branding opportunity for me and an honor, as Italy is not normally a country that hosts Gospel music. After taking some dope pics with the various staff and various cars, I headed out.
After running to Sharpstown Mall to get a quick haircut and to the mall to grab a fly outfit, it was time to run home, where I barely had enough time to greet my sister Shana, my mom, Pastor Patricia Dorsey, my youngest brother Miguel, and my nieces and nephew who had all driven in from Shreveport to support me at Lakewood, before loading up my family and heading to church.
We arrived at Lakewood 15 minutes before 8, while Pastor Joel was up preaching in the main sanctuary, and headed to the Loft to set up the table and for what we believed to be a sound check before Worship. We had no sound guy, so we ended up starting the first song, "Marathon", with the sound horribly low, to the point where I couldn't hear the backing tracks. My wife Shaunta ended up running over to the sound booth to tell someone to turn the music up once she realized that I was off due to not hearing the music, and they turned it up just in time for Jeremy McCraw, who is on the Lakewood Worship Team, and I to sing "Chasing After You", our duet on my debut album Marathon. The Anointing fell, and the song was incredible! Afterwards, the speaker, my big bro Jesse Cooper, called me over to share my testimony about the Grammy win and everything that God has done since I was homeless over 11 years ago...I began to share my testimony and was overcome with emotion...tears began to flow, and before I knew it, most of the room was wiping tears from their eyes right along with me. God has brought JayTel and I thru so much to get here...and we're HERE now. It still feels unreal to think about it. Grammy winners...Dove winners...Stellar winners...#1 albums...so much just since I started this blog, but all of it was promised by God, and all of it, He has kept.
My wife, my mom, and my Aunt Sheila sat at the table where the Marathon album was for sale, and every time I looked over, people were lined up in front of the table buying copies of the album. Two of my friends, Dr. David and Melise Hannaford from Australia here visiting the Osteens, bought 6 copies and then gave us 5 back, saying that they wanted us to give them to some troubled youth who may be blessed by the album. God blessed us to sell a significant number of copies just that first night, but even more importantly, the responses of impact from those in attendance were powerful and immediate. God used the first night of Actionable You to touch those who were there, to provide a fitting launch for this project. To God be the glory!
We ordered 2500 copies to begin with from Disc Makers, going thru the usual channels that everyone goes thru, and on Friday, March 1, I sat at home waiting for the UPS truck to deliver all of the boxes. When the truck finally pulled up out front (after what seemed like the longest wait ever), I walked out to help the driver unload all of the boxes, and then headed out to a meeting across town.
Come launch day, I had a meeting with my dear friend Nathalie Farinola, from Fiat/Ferrari, who is putting together a European tour for Marathon to Italy, Spain, and France, this summer. We met at Coffee & Cars, an expo they have monthly here in Houston at Victory Park off 249 and Louetta, where luxury and vintage car owners gather and talk cars, while literally hundreds of spectators line up outside to take pics of the vehicles. After leaving the Coffee & Cars expo, I met Nathalie at Lamborghini Houston, where I met the entire team there and was proposed the idea to tie my tour in Italy to the 50th anniversary of Lamborghini in Bologna, Italy, to which I readily agreed, as it is a huge branding opportunity for me and an honor, as Italy is not normally a country that hosts Gospel music. After taking some dope pics with the various staff and various cars, I headed out.
After running to Sharpstown Mall to get a quick haircut and to the mall to grab a fly outfit, it was time to run home, where I barely had enough time to greet my sister Shana, my mom, Pastor Patricia Dorsey, my youngest brother Miguel, and my nieces and nephew who had all driven in from Shreveport to support me at Lakewood, before loading up my family and heading to church.
We arrived at Lakewood 15 minutes before 8, while Pastor Joel was up preaching in the main sanctuary, and headed to the Loft to set up the table and for what we believed to be a sound check before Worship. We had no sound guy, so we ended up starting the first song, "Marathon", with the sound horribly low, to the point where I couldn't hear the backing tracks. My wife Shaunta ended up running over to the sound booth to tell someone to turn the music up once she realized that I was off due to not hearing the music, and they turned it up just in time for Jeremy McCraw, who is on the Lakewood Worship Team, and I to sing "Chasing After You", our duet on my debut album Marathon. The Anointing fell, and the song was incredible! Afterwards, the speaker, my big bro Jesse Cooper, called me over to share my testimony about the Grammy win and everything that God has done since I was homeless over 11 years ago...I began to share my testimony and was overcome with emotion...tears began to flow, and before I knew it, most of the room was wiping tears from their eyes right along with me. God has brought JayTel and I thru so much to get here...and we're HERE now. It still feels unreal to think about it. Grammy winners...Dove winners...Stellar winners...#1 albums...so much just since I started this blog, but all of it was promised by God, and all of it, He has kept.
My wife, my mom, and my Aunt Sheila sat at the table where the Marathon album was for sale, and every time I looked over, people were lined up in front of the table buying copies of the album. Two of my friends, Dr. David and Melise Hannaford from Australia here visiting the Osteens, bought 6 copies and then gave us 5 back, saying that they wanted us to give them to some troubled youth who may be blessed by the album. God blessed us to sell a significant number of copies just that first night, but even more importantly, the responses of impact from those in attendance were powerful and immediate. God used the first night of Actionable You to touch those who were there, to provide a fitting launch for this project. To God be the glory!
Marathon: the autobiography
I was offered last night the opportunity to write my autobiography, creating the opportunity for people the world over to hear the testimony that God has given me in the process of taking me from being homeless to (now) a Grammy Award winning songwriter and producer, and I immediately began writing my story. For those who read my blog, I've actually included here the intro to the book for you guys to read. Comment here, or on facebook, or on my twitter, and let me know your thoughts, and keep me lifted up in prayer as God continues to create avenues for me to tell the world of His goodness and mercy in my life. #thebridgelife
Marathon
by Billy Dorsey
It was a night like all others before in 5th Ward, Houston, TX, at 2929 Des Chaumes, in the wee hours of the morning, with the smells of mold and old marijuana smoke hanging in the stale air. Tellas, his wife Michelle, and the rest of the Down 2 Long crew were in the front room of the studio, playing Grand Theft Auto on PS2, or watching some sporting event on the big screen tv they orbited frequently when it wasn't their turn to record, while I sat in my usual black leather chair in the studio control room, just down the hall. Big Dwight, a mountain of a man, sat in the back room of the studio, a makeshift bedroom that reeked of rat urine and old dog feces (and hosted the sometimes-operational security camera monitors), counting the money from his latest hustle. Keetron, a gravel voiced young rapper from southern Louisiana who'd recently become affiliated with Down 2 Long, was in the recording booth, a huge padded room with a large glass window cut into the wall directly facing me, spitting a verse for the compilation album Tellas had paid me (handsomely) to produce and engineer, and, as Keetron was a gifted artist but still learning to lock in his timing on the mic, we'd settled in for a long night of recording.
However, around 3 AM, hours from wrapping our session (we usually recorded until the sun came up, and then slept much of the next day until time to return to the studio after nightfall, like musical vampires), I saw the door to the booth swing open, inside the room with Keetron, to his right (my left). The next few events unfolded as in slow motion; Keetron glancing at the door, then doing a double take...him raising his hands in the air and backing away from the door as a silver .45 came into view pointed at his chest, and the rest of the person holding the gun walking into view, ski mask on, and looking directly at me. Now, guns in this studio were nothing new; pretty much every artist who came thru the doors to work with me was a drug dealer, many of whom hustled alongside the owner of the studio, and as such, I'd become inured to the sight of people with guns tucked in waistbands, guns in pockets, guns everywhere. I can even recall on the night of 9/11/01, one of the rappers, J.T., high on marijuana dipped in formaldehyde and pistol in hand, walking into the studio control room where I sat, running a session, as he screamed out, "I'ma KILL him!!" Since he said, "him," and not, "you", I relaxed, just a bit, and asked him who exactly it was that he intended to kill, thinking that someone in the front room of the studio had ticked him off or something. He replied, still high out of his mind, "Bin Laden!!! I'ma KILL him!" It appears that the news channel on the big screen tv in the front room of the studio was incessantly showing footage of the planes crashing into the Twin Towers, and so J.T. took it upon himself, in his drug induced haze, to hunt down Bin Laden.
So pistols were commonplace for me by this particular night, but what was not commonplace was the ski mask. When the masked intruder looked at me, I tried to slide down in my seat, but with the large glass window separating the control room from the recording booth, there was nowhere for me to hide. He motioned to someone I could not yet see in the hallway leading from the booth to the control room, and I knew I'd run out of time. I had, earlier that day, been paid by South Park Mexican, a prominent artist in the Houston Hip Hop scene who regularly purchased tracks from not only me but several up and coming producers in the city every Tuesday and Thursday. This money was enough to pay 2 months of my rent (which was behind at that time), as well as utilities, and I tried to hide it under the old cloth covering of the seat next to mine; unfortunately for me, as soon as I tried, the door to the control room burst open, and another two armed intruders with masks on ran in, looked around, and, upon finding me, pointed their guns at me, telling me to get my hands in the air. Rather than appear to be reaching for a weapon and getting myself shot, I did as instructed, and watched in horror as one of the intruders grabbed not only the wad of cash I'd earned from South Park Mexican, but my box of disks which contained all of my music production files, and stuffed them into his pocket as they motioned me back out to the hallway.
Upon stepping down out of the control room into the hallway and being pushed towards the front of the studio to the tv area, I noticed at least 3 other gunmen herding everyone else in the studio to the same area, and forcing them, with gun muzzles pressed to the back of everyone's heads, to lie face down on the floor. I heard the sounds of a struggle from the back bedroom area, where two other gunmen were trying, unsuccessfully, to break the door down into the area where Big Dwight was holed up with his money and likely a stash of dope, but due to Big Dwight's size, they were making no progress in their efforts and ultimately gave up, heading back down towards me. Next thing I knew, the gunman whose pistol was pressed against the back of my skull told me to put my nose on the floor, as did the other gunmen with all of the others in the studio lying on the floor, and I instantly knew that we were all dead. My first thought was of my mom, who I knew was somewhere in Shreveport praying for me, and of the fact that I would never get to tell her how much I loved her, and my next thought was of the fact that I would never have any kids to carry on my name. I said a prayer to ask God to forgive me for all of my sins, so that when the bullet tore thru my brain, I'd be with Him in Heaven...
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Grammy Award win for Gravity
On Feb 10, 2013, at 4:22 PM, God answered the last unfulfilled promise He made to me when I was homeless 11 years ago by blessing Lecrae, and my team thebridge as producers and songwriters, to win Best Gospel Album at the 55th Annual Grammy Awards during the Pre-Show telecast. When Lecrae's name was called as the winner of the Grammy, he was outside on the red carpet waiting to take a picture with 2 Chainz and Nas, and missed the opportunity to give what I'm sure would have been an eloquent and inspirational accceptance speech; instead, my big bro, Reach Records Head of A&R Torrance "Street Symphony" Esmond and Reach Records co-CEO Ben Washer raced up to the podium and accepted the award in his stead. History was made yet again as Lecrae was the first Christian Hip Hop artist to be nominated for or win a Best Gospel Album Grammy (he is not, however, the first Christian rapper to ever win a Grammy; that honor goes to dc talk, who won back in 1994). Suffice it to say that when we won, I have never felt a feeling like that in my whole life. Tears were shed and praises were given to the Most High God for this amazing thing that He saw fit to do on our behalf.
I spoke with Def Jam A&R Rod Anthony, who brought me to the label, immediately after our win, and he said that he'd already let the label know we won, and that they are ready to move forward with the launch of my debut Christian album, Marathon, whenever my team thebridge and I are ready...it's almost time.
We (Reach Records and my team thebridge) are now anxiously awaiting the debut album of the next Christian Hip Hop megawatt artist, Andy Mineo, whose project Heroes For Sale drops April 16, 2013. My team thebridge co-produced the record "Curious" with my bro Steeet Symphony's Heat Academy team, and the record is fire. Commercially, Andy has the potential to eclipse even Gravity's sales impact, and provide another landmark album for the CHH community; undoubtedly, this will be our next Billboard and iTunes #1 charting album. We are also now getting back to work on records for Tedashii, a Dove Award nominated phenomenal artist on Reach, and for the homie Derek Minor, who is not only a great rapper but a superb record producer in his own right.
Stay tuned, as the next major post on this blog will be tied to the release of my own album Marathon, which we believe has the power to be to the R&B world the same thing that Gravity has been to the Hip Hop world (a viable, quality, well produced Christian alternative), but have an even greater impact due to the forces God has aligned to support my team and I in our efforts. I was told by the label yesterday that we will likely have a couple of multi-platinum stars featuring on two of the key records from the album, which is extremely exciting for me and will serve to further validate what we already believe to be a phenomenal album.
The craziest thing to me is that, for the rest of our lives, when people in the media or industry refer to us from now on, they will preface it with "Grammy Award winning". That is a dream come true, and an incredible honor, one I don't take lightly. God has done just what He said He would...now it's time to take this platform He's given my team and I and take the Gospel to the ends of the world. Get ready for the Marathon.
#thebridgelife
I spoke with Def Jam A&R Rod Anthony, who brought me to the label, immediately after our win, and he said that he'd already let the label know we won, and that they are ready to move forward with the launch of my debut Christian album, Marathon, whenever my team thebridge and I are ready...it's almost time.
We (Reach Records and my team thebridge) are now anxiously awaiting the debut album of the next Christian Hip Hop megawatt artist, Andy Mineo, whose project Heroes For Sale drops April 16, 2013. My team thebridge co-produced the record "Curious" with my bro Steeet Symphony's Heat Academy team, and the record is fire. Commercially, Andy has the potential to eclipse even Gravity's sales impact, and provide another landmark album for the CHH community; undoubtedly, this will be our next Billboard and iTunes #1 charting album. We are also now getting back to work on records for Tedashii, a Dove Award nominated phenomenal artist on Reach, and for the homie Derek Minor, who is not only a great rapper but a superb record producer in his own right.
Stay tuned, as the next major post on this blog will be tied to the release of my own album Marathon, which we believe has the power to be to the R&B world the same thing that Gravity has been to the Hip Hop world (a viable, quality, well produced Christian alternative), but have an even greater impact due to the forces God has aligned to support my team and I in our efforts. I was told by the label yesterday that we will likely have a couple of multi-platinum stars featuring on two of the key records from the album, which is extremely exciting for me and will serve to further validate what we already believe to be a phenomenal album.
The craziest thing to me is that, for the rest of our lives, when people in the media or industry refer to us from now on, they will preface it with "Grammy Award winning". That is a dream come true, and an incredible honor, one I don't take lightly. God has done just what He said He would...now it's time to take this platform He's given my team and I and take the Gospel to the ends of the world. Get ready for the Marathon.
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