Latest Updates: Def Jam, Grammys, Lakewood, Reach Records

Since finishing Marathon and the Grammy Nomination announcements, during which we learned that we are nominated for Best Gospel Album Grammy for our songwriting and production work on Lecrae's Gravity, it has been a madhouse on my end. Def Jam South stepped up and offered me an artist deal, and gave us an insane deadline to get the project done to have it on shelves prior to the Grammys. We've spent the time since then working like crazy to get it all done. Once all the details are resolved, I'll share the full story of how that all came about, but suffice it to say that JayTel and I went to ATL a month ago for other, unrelated business, and walked out with a 7 figure recording contract offer from one of the biggest labels in the world, for a CHRISTIAN album, nonetheless. Shout out to my big bro Rod Anthony, and my publicist and friend Makasha for connecting the dots. God has done it again. The first single, "Enough", which was written, arranged, and produced by thebridge (Ty Steez, Aphillyated, JayTel, and myself) goes to radio this Thursday, and the album is (as of now) scheduled to be released March 5. I know these dates are malleable based upon when the label feels the project has the best chance to impact, but that's what we're looking at now.

The album release party for Marathon will be held in Houston the same week of the album release, with one in ATL tba soon. I'm looking forward to both; the one here in the H, my friends and family can be here to share in what God is doing, and we get to bring a bit of major label glitter to a city that has done without it for far too long (as Def Jam will have reps here for the party as well as street teams around the city promoting the project, and some of the Houston Gospel and Christian artists, radio, and multimedia elite will be in attendance), while the one in Atlanta will be off the chain due to our fam Lecrae, Street. R. Swift (who appears on my album, on the song "Just Because"), and the whole Reach Records fam being there, as well as that being where Def Jam South is headquartered, so who knows what artists from the label may come out to support (quite a few, from what I'm told)? It's an incredible feeling, one I couldn't have imagined in my wildest dreams. For any of you guys who may read this, when this one is announced, you won't wanna miss it, trust me.

We are heading to LA in less than 2 weeks for the 55th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony and festivities, a trip for which I've been waiting and believing God for my whole life. We're up for Best Gospel Album for Gravity, and have a very good chance of winning; this isn't our first award at all, but it will be our first Grammy, and for any kid who grew up like I did, loving music and wanting to be the best at it, a Grammy is a very public validation that you have reached a certain level with your craft. We'll hit the industry parties and spend time with our thebridge teammates, Ty Steez and Big Phil, who live in the area, and celebrate together what God has done and is doing in our lives and careers in advance of Marathon's launch.

I've also been blessed to become a part of the Lakewood Church family, by the Grace of God...God placed me upon the spirit of Lakewood Men's Director Pastor John Bowman, who brought me to the leadership team to help with Outreach (exactly what God called me to do when He called me to pastorship) without ever having met me before, and has taken me under his wings to establish other Divine Connections to assist in doing what God has given me to do. I've been blessed thru his guidance to link with Robert Ortiz III, Associate Pastor Lisa Osteen Coomes, Evangelist Debra George, Rev Antonio Smith, and my sister Reggie Kerr, all people with great hearts who have a tangible passion for the saving of souls and for advancing the Kingdom. I'm glad to be able to count them all as part of my spiritual family, and am looking forward to everything that God is doing by linking me with Lakewood. There will be some major announcements on that front here very soon as well. #SPEAKTHOSETHINGS

Let me digress for a moment, because I feel that this blog may be the most appropriate place to address this:  I've had several of my friends, mainly black Christian friends, make negative comments to me over the last few weeks about their perceptions of "mega-churches", since they've seen me talking on facebook about what God is doing at Lakewood. The most common criticism is that "a church that big isn't a church, it's a business", or that the leadership at the church "must be" disconnected from those who attend. Let me say, once and for all, that this couldn't be farther from the truth. I've spent the past few weeks at the side of the leadership of this church, and have seen, with my own eyes, more heart, more compassion, and more consideration shown by these pastors and leaders than I have in my lifetime at most of the smaller churches I've been a part of. They take out time to get to know those who come into contact with them, and make themselves available thru the various ministries at the church (men's, women's, singles, young adults, etc) for anyone to have access to them and their wisdom. They provide opportunities for those who want to work and grow, and have a zeal for witnessing that you wouldn't believe. There is a warmth and love there that people just don't get to see while watching on television. And I'll say something else, if the criteria for a thriving, Spirit filled church is souls coming to Christ, Lakewood definitely fits that bill as well. Don't believe everything you see on tv or that you hear. Every church isn't for everybody, but for those who are here in Houston or visiting, give it a chance. You might be surprised at what you find.

Album Cover for my debut Christian album, Marathon

God is doing some amazing things in my life and that of my team. We are now still shoring up funding for some of the things we are seeking to do with Marathon (effective promotion isn't about the product as much as it is the money to let people KNOW about the product), and gearing up for touring once the album is released. We're also working with our Reach family on their future projects (Tedashii, Derek Minor, Lecrae's Church Clothes 2), and have already landed a song we co-produced with my big bro Street Symphony and his Heat Academy team called "Curious" on the debut album from Christian Hip Hop artist Andy Mineo, Heroes For Sale, which drops April 16, 2013. This album is going to be HUGE....another Billboard #1 charting album for us all.

2012 was the year of destiny. 2013 begins the season of prosperity; a season I am believing God will last for generations. To God be all the glory!! #thebridgelife

Gravity Grammy Nomination for Best Gospel Album

In less than 48 hours, we will find out whether our most recent #1 album, Lecrae's Gravity, is nominated for a(t least one) Grammy. We know that we had at least 6 first round ballot nominations, and had the biggest first week sales in Christian Hip Hop history, dominated iTunes and Billboard so thoroughly that Time and Entertainment Weekly magazines rushed to do stories on Lecrae and the album's unprecedented (within Christian music circles) success...and we know that even as I type this, 3 months after the album's Sept 4 release date, we are still #1 on the Billboard Gospel Album Chart (see screenshot below). What we DON'T know, is how the Academy will view that success and the merits of the music itself, which has pushed the negative stereotypes of the typical Christian Hip Hop album (too theological for average listeners, not enough relatability, subpar music production) off a cliff, never to return.

On Wednesday, Dec 5, beginning at 9 PM Central time, LL Cool J and Taylor Swift will host the "Grammy Nominations Concert Live!! - Countdown to Music's Biggest Night" show, during which the nominees in every major category will be announced. I'm assuming, as with the Dove Awards earlier this year (which we were blessed to win with Lecrae's Rehab: The Overdose album), the other categories' nominees will be posted on the Grammy website www.grammy.com immediately after the show. I'm believing God that our project, which has seen so much phenomenal success and touched so many lives, will be among those nominated. Stay tuned to find out with my team thebridge, our Reach Records family, and I.

S/N - WHEN (I'm "speak(ing) those things that be not as though they were" - Rom 4:17) Lecrae's Gravity album does appear in the nominee list, I will be online immediately afterwards looking at prices for plane tix, hotels, and rental cars for my wife and I, and the same I imagine for JayTel and his wife. Our other two thebridge members who will share in the nomination with us, Ty Steez and Aphillyated, already live in Cali. I've always said to JayTel and to my dad, Apostle Billy L. Dorsey, Sr., that I would never attend these types of things unless I was actually nominated for something. I missed the Stellars (which we also won) due to family obligations (baby shower for our youngest daughter, Chloe Marie), attended the Dove Awards show back in April of this year and had the time of my life, and now it looks like God may be about to give me the last promise He made to me when I was homeless years ago. You see, He spoke into my spirit during that dark time that He would bless me to have all of my dreams come true with my music (which He has done and is doing daily), that I would have #1 albums (which He has done twice, first with Rehab: The Overdose, and again now with Gravity), and that I would win Grammys, and told me that He would elevate me in influence among my peers for the expressed purpose of lifting HIM up, and not the elevation of self. Ego and pride are pointless...all good things come from the Lord anyways, not from us. And when this last promise is fulfilled, whether Wednesday or at any other point in my life, it will be because of God's Grace, and because His Word cannot return to Him void.

I've already got my tissue ready for Wednesday :-). Keep my team and I lifted up in prayer...because next up, literally the week of the 2013 Grammy Award Ceremony in LA, is the release date of my debut Christian album (both in English and in Spanish), Marathon on Feb 12, 2013. Will I have two dreams fulfilled that week? God is able. Stay tuned.

Update 12/5/12

The Grammy Awards Nomination Concert kicked off on CBS at 9 PM (Central Time), with Taylor Swift and LL Cool J as hosts.

The first category, Best Pop Vocal Album, consisted of the following nominees:

And the nominees for Best Pop Vocal Album are …
Kelly Clarkson, Stronger
Florence & The Machine, Ceremonials
Fun., Some Nights
Maroon 5, Overexposed
Pink, The Truth About Love

Songs from the nominated albums were actually sung by the announcer, talented young Country artist Hunter Hayes. I love the Maroon 5 album, which had several smash hits ("Moves Like Jagger", "Payphone"), but I think Kelly Clarkson's title song, "Stronger," was by far the most powerful song in this category, and will power her album to the Grammy. My money's on Kelly. (I must say, however, that I am very surprised that Rihanna is not nominated in this category. She had a huge year, with "We Found Love", and the album Talk That Talk. Backlash? Perhaps.)

The second category, Record of the Year, consisted of the following nominees:

The Black Keys, "Lonely Boy"
Kelly Clarkson, "Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)"
Fun. Featuring Janelle Monáe, "We Are Young"
Gotye Featuring Kimbra, "Somebody That I Used To Know"
Frank Ocean, "Thinkin Bout You"
Taylor Swift, "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together"

As much as I love Taylor Swift and "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together," I just believe too strongly in Kelly Clarkson's record "Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)" and feel that this is the song to beat this year. I'm glad to see Frank Ocean get the nom as well, but this is Kelly's to lose.

The third category, Best New Artist, consisted of the following nominees:

Alabama Shakes
Fun.
Hunter Hayes
The Lumineers
Frank Ocean

I don't know enough about all of the bands in this category to say who I feel has the best legitimate chance of winning this award. I am a fan of Frank Ocean's music and think he is a phenomenal songwriter, but can't say who would win this one.

The fourth category, Country Solo Performance, consisted of the following nominees:

Dierks Bentley, "Home"
Eric Church, "Springsteen"
Ronnie Dunn, "Cost Of Livin'"
Hunter Hayes, "Wanted"
Blake Shelton, "Over"
Carrie Underwood, "Blown Away"

If I had to guess, my money would be on Carrie Underwood. Not my primary music genre, so again, I'm not as knowledgeable as I would need to be to make an educated guess.

The fifth category, Album of the Year, consisted of the following nominees:

The Black Keys, El Camino

Fun., Some Nights

Mumford & Sons, Babel

Frank Ocean, Channel Orange

Jack White, Blunderbuss

The clear winner in this category is Mumford & Sons, in my opinion. They had a huge year, saleswise, and were commercial darlings of the industry as well. While I salute Frank Ocean's success as well, I do not believe he will pull this one out either.

With this category, the show ended. I immediately ran to grammy.com to see the full list of nominees, and, as my heart pounded in my chest, I scrolled down the list of nominees until I got to the Gospel Album of the Year category, where I saw that we GOT THE NOMINATION (see screenshot below)!!!! My hands are shaking as I type this....but I know what God spoke into my spirit, and so I am beyond excited, but not at all surprised. Faith is the substance of things, hoped for, and the evidence of things not seen. I trusted God even before this announcement, and all this process is doing is strengthening my faith even more.

I'm about to start looking for plane tix and hotels in Beverly Hills now. This is going to be my first Grammys ceremony that I'll be attending, and I can't wait. I'll have my wife Shaunta' with me, and my best friend JayTel and his wife, my sister and stylist Merakal, along with our thebridge brothers Phil and Ty Steez, and be there with the entire Reach team on the biggest night in music. I can't wait to see what God does there, but regardless of an actual win on Feb 10, 2013, we have already won.

Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised!!

Screenshot from Grammy.Com showing our Grammy nomination for Best Gospel Album. The last promise God made to me when I was homeless years ago is within my grasp. Have Your way, Lord!

The latest Billboard chart, which shows Lecrae's Gravity still at #1 on the Gospel Album chart, 3 months to the day from its release on September 4.

the-grammy-nominations-concert-live-set-for-dec-5

#IMPECCABLEGRIND

My First Music Video, "Highest Praise"

Tomorrow morning, God is blessing me to realize another lifelong dream of mine; we will be filming, with a full production, the very first video for "Highest Praise," the Contemporary Christian Music single from my debut album Marathon. The song and video will also feature the phenomenally talented Mayra V. Alvarez, who I was introduced to by Seth Perez, of rock band The White Flags (and brother of my friend Happy Perez, the Grammy Award winning producer of stars such as Kanye West, Miguel, and Frank Ocean). Seth showed me YouTube footage of Mayra singing at Lakewood Church, and I was blown away by the beauty and control of her vocals. When I reached out to her about being a part of the song, she was out of town leading worship for her church, Grace Community, but she didn't hesitate to let me know that she would love to be a part of the song and couldn't wait to hear it.

What she didn't know, was at the time I was reaching out to her about being a part of the song, we hadn't even recorded it yet. Truth be told, I hadn't even finished writing the song yet. When my team thebridge (Ty Steez, Aphillyated, JayTel) and I began working on Marathon once we'd completed our work on my big bro Lecrae's Gravity album, we started by getting all the tracks together. I had maybe 20 tracks that we'd produced that I selected initially, expecting to do a 12-13 song album. JayTel and I then went thru all the ones I'd selected, listening based on what God had said the concept for the album needed to be (see Marathon previous post), and pared it down to about 15 tracks, several of which we came up with basic melody lines for. Finally, I would sit down every morning in prayer with my Bible on the side of me, and ask God for direction, for what to write, for what to say, for what concepts to base the songs on. I then selected 11 tracks that I knew said what God had charged me to say.

But, for some reason, the track that became "Highest Praise", I wasn't sold on. I knew God had tasked me with writing a big worship song, that could cross racial and denominational divides to unite His people in praising Him, but something about this track we'd produced just didn't sit well with me. I remember when my wife Shaunta heard it the first time, she quickly said "NOPE! Next track!" (lol) Even JayTel and I, when we listened to it together again, weren't sold on it. I even told the team we needed to come up with another worship record, and we did...but for some reason I couldn't let that beat go. I prayed the next morning during my daily devotion time that if it was meant for me to write a great song to that beat, that God would give me the song. I then felt led to go to Psalms 3:3, which King David begins by saying, "You are a shield about us, O Lord..." Once I read that, the rest of the lyrics flowed thru, as though God had opened a musical spigot inside my heart..."You are the shield about us...delivering us from harm...though ten thousand fall at our right hand, we find safety in Your Arms..." Within maybe 20 minutes from the time God gave me the first line, the entire song was done, verses, chorus, core melody, everything. And I can't take credit for writing it, as I'd never written a song in this style before, ever. It was all God.

When JayTel came back to thebridge studio, I played and sang him the song, and he was tripped out that THIS song came out of THAT track. When everyone else hears the song, it sounds like the music and song were a perfect fit, but in truth, God made that all possible. We recorded my verse and all my backgrounds, and sent the rough over to Mayra, who replied that she loved the song and couldn't wait to come by to sing it. Boy, did she sing it!! When she dropped by my studio a week later with her husband Melqui and got in the booth to lay her lead vocals down, we had no idea what to expect. We knew she could sing from the YouTube videos, but had no clue as to the true depth of her talent. Once she got in the booth, JayTel hit record, and in her first take, she blew us all away. She was so humble, however, that even after leaving us with our jaws on the floor, she then came out of the booth, nervously, and asked us if we thought that was "Ok." OK? That was absolutely amazing. I'm not easily impressed when it comes to singers, as I have been around great singing most of my career and worked with some of the most gifted singers in the industry, but Mayra?? Wow.

As JayTel was the vocal producer for the session (and for all of Marathon), he had her go back in the booth to lay her adlibs. She laid 3 or 4 different comp takes (which means different feels and adlibs that we could then go back later and pick and choose from to make a final take), and it fell to me to finish my adlibs. We knocked the song out, and sent it to a few industry ears to check out, and they all unanimously loved the song and thought it had the potential to be a big record.

Tomorrow, at 7:30 AM, we begin the process of bringing this song to life visually. I am blessed to have a film director at the helm, with a full production crew, and as I type this, I am preparing my portion of the Call Sheet for the shoot tomorrow, with names and emails of every creative person involved in the video. I have spent the past couple weeks shopping with my stylist for the shoot, Merakal Birmingham, and have only last night officially decided what I will be wearing (I am passionately opposed to shopping of any kind, unless it involves bookstores lol), and am extremely excited (and, admittedly, a little nervous) about the opportunity God has blessed me to have with this project.

I'll post plenty of pics from the set tomorrow, and will likely blog details once the shoot is wrapped. Once the crew has finished the video, I'll post it on YouTube and put a link to it here on the blog for everyone to see, as we begin the promotional campaign to launch the album. Stay tuned.

Update, 12/3/12

The video shoot was an amazing experience, even better than I imagined it would be. Although I was the last one to the set Friday morning due to getting my oldest daughter on the school bus and having to fight traffic across town to get to Grace Community Church, I walked in to the crew having set up much faster than I anticipated, and already running thru the lighting sequences with Andre, Grace's lighting technician. I said my quick hellos and walked to the dressing room area, where Mayra was in the mirror applying her makeup. After a quick talk thru the plan for the beginning of the shoot, she headed out so that I could get in wardrobe. Once that was done, I walked out on set to my mark in front of the camera, and when I did, the entire cast said a collective "wow" as they saw the way the outfit my stylist, Merakal Crawford-Birmingham, popped on camera. The director, Dallas, ran up on stage and immediately commented on how much he loved the colors I was wearing, and proceeded to change the color of the lighting for the intro scene of the video from blue/green to yellow/orange, which blended even more beautifully with the colors of my wardrobe (I was initially going to wear an entirely different style of outfit, and color scheme, and the original color of the set was based upon that). Once he did that, and after Mayra's husband Melqui snapped what has to be one of the most beautiful pictures I've ever been in of me in profile from a distance on set with the yellow/orange lights beaming from behind (see below), it was time to get to work.

We began the shoot by running thru the intro sequence, which leads directly into my verse. The director was looking for me to be serious, and for the scene to be an intimate worship moment...eyes closed, non-pretentious, and wanted me to end my verse with a smile that would bring in the pre-chorus energy and showcase the warmth of the song. All this, in my first scene. It took us a while to nail the angles and for me to nail the exact range of emotion and depth of feeling he was looking for, but when we nailed it, it felt perfect. We watched the playback of the sequence on the side monitors, and it looked, unedited, every bit as beautiful and crystal clear (we shot on a Red Epic camera, a $70-100K + 5x 1080p definition camera, which was the same camera Peter Jackson shot The Hobbit on, if that tells you anything of the quality we were blessed to work with) as any video I've ever seen on MTV, BET, or VH1.

Next, it was time to do the scene leading into the first chorus, where Mayra is introduced to the camera, as we sing the choruses together on the song (each alternating leads). I had the chance to learn a few new camera tricks for the next video I direct (my last directing job was for my artist Rudy Peyrani's single "Wish You Were Here", which is up on youtube, and in which I play a small role as a military officer assigned with telling someone their loved one passed away in the line of duty), and had fun with Mayra, who has so much energy and talent that working with her is always a joy. We nailed the first prechorus, hook, and instrumental break before her verse, in fairly short order. Watching the footage back, I'd have thought we spent much more time working on it than we did.

When it was time for Mayra to do her verse and adlibs, I had to leave the church to go pick my 5 year old daughter, Taylor, up from the bus stop, and come back to the set. I anticipated the trip taking 45 minutes to an hour, tops. What I didn't anticipate, as I never drive on that side of town at all, was the traffic I'd run into off the Beltway and 45S near the church. It took us nearly 2 and a half hours to get back to the church, and the last 30 minutes of that time, we spent in non-moving traffic on the feeder directly across the freeway from the church, before we even got to the u-turn to go back to the church. Once we got back to the set, I knocked out a solo scene all the way thru, and then it was time for Mayra and I to do some shots of the "lullaby" section, as so many people call it. I call it the singalong portion of the song, which we created to be the part where everyone in the church can put their hands in the air and give God the "Highest Praise" regardless of whether they are able to sing or not, and I'd envisioned this section of the video being Mayra and I waving our hands as though we were leading worship in a packed church. We ended up shooting exactly that, and it's (without having seen the entire video) the most energetic part of the video.

The director called my 5 year old daughter Taylor up to the director's chair to take a look at a scene we'd just shot, so he could ask her if she liked it or not. Once she watched it, she cocked her head to the side (the same way my wife does when she doesn't like something but isn't sure how quite to say it without hurting someone's feelings lol), and I asked her if she liked it. She looked at me, and said "No!" When I asked her why (as the entire crew, Mayra, and her husband Melqui looked on for the reason), she smiled her big beautiful, mischievous smile, and said, "Because you're ugly!" Everyone, including me, fell out laughing! My child is a mess...and I love her little silly self. I said, still laughing, "Get your butt back over to your seat, little girl!" and she walked back to her front row seat with a big grin on her face. Score? Taylor 1, Daddy 0.

Mayra and I finished our last scene together with a laugh at the end of the video, and the director said, "That's a wrap!" to cheers from us as well as from the crew. The entire shoot, from beginning to end, took just shy of 12 hours. I should see the first rough cut of the video this Wednesday, and absolutely cannot wait. Everything about the shoot was beautiful, from the lighting, to the wardrobe, to the skill, organization, and efficiency of the crew. My last video that I shot, the camera crew showed up hours late, and didn't seem to care about protocol or professionalism. Although that video came out amazing, it was in spite of the crew, rather than because of them. I thank God that my first video shoot for my own album was nothing at all like that.

Below, I've included, as promised, pics from the set, as well as a video clip showing one of the takes of my first verse. The clip was given to me by the director Dallas, and he asked me to make sure that I state that the clip was unedited and from him. I think it's beautiful, even without any edits at this point. Definitely let me know your thoughts in the comments once you've had a chance to see it.

Unedited Clip of "Highest Praise" video (per director Dallas)

collage of pics of myself and Mayra V. Alvarez on set (pics courtesy of Mayra's husband Melqui)

Instagram photo of us ministering in the video

The original color scheme for the video prior to the director seeing my outfit on shoot day, at the beautiful Grace Community Church

...and the color the first scene was changed to based upon my wardrobe. Kudos to my stylist, Merakal Birmingham.

Stay tuned. My next update on this blog will be, Lord willing, a link to the finished video, just before the song, my first CCM single from Marathon "Highest Praise" f/Mayra V. Alvarez, is released commercially.

#IMPECCABLEGRIND

The Cypher's Den Interview

I was blessed last night to have the second radio interview last night in support of my upcoming album Marathon with The Cyphers Den, a blogtalk radio show out of Atlanta, GA, which was sent to me by my publicist Makasha. She sent over the series of questions that they would likely ask while I was on the air, and as usual, I immediately began working on going over the answers. I prefer to be prepared, and then be able to speak off the cuff if necessary beyond my written answers.

At 6 PM Central Time last night, I called in to the show, and the host Tari immediately began talking with me regarding the topic of the night, which was whether it was a good idea or not for the states who have petitioned the US to be able to leave the Union. I gave my thoughts, and then she moved on to the first guest on the show, a spoken word poet from Atlanta (who was good, by the way). Once the first guest was done, it was my turn (My interview section began at 27:00, for those who may want to hear that portion).

I had the opportunity to speak on my musical influences and people who inspired me as an artist and producer, such as Fred Hammond and Prince, Jodeci, and Marvin Sapp, and was able to speak on some of my experiences with great artists, my greatest obstacles to success, and they also played three of the songs from my debut Christian album Marathon, "Enough", the first mainstream single, "Go", the 3rd single, and "Put Up With Me", the most personal song on the album, which I wrote for my great aunt Mama Ruth (Margaret Ruth James), who passed away from cancer July 26, 2002, but was one of the major influences on my life and someone who loved, supported, and prayed for me to be in the position I'm now in and to be the man that I've finally become.

I truly enjoyed the entire show, and am grateful to the hosts Tari and Quon for their joy and hospitality. Some hosts are lifeless and dull, and that was NOT the case last night. I had fun. I've posted a link to the interview now for you guys to check it out if you like. Enjoy!!

(Note, if you just want to hear the songs from the album, they played them at the following times:
"Enough" - 34:10
"Go" - 115:50
"Put Up With Me" - 151:30)

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/thecyphersden/2012/11/26/the-cyphers-den

#IMPECCABLEGRIND

Pastor Billy Dorsey, Jr.

I've known my whole life that God called me for something...for a purpose, and I knew that the gifts God gave me, including my music, were instilled in me to fulfill a higher calling. I spent my entire youth being called out by pastors and prophets in various churches, who all uniformly told me some variation of the fact that God called me to preach. I knew they were right, but I did NOT want to do it. I had in my mind that most preachers were fake and didn't live the lives they preached about, and sadly, most of them confirmed my thoughts on this during the course of my getting to know them or being around them. I knew my own flaws, and my hidden sins...the things we all have that we pray no one ever finds out about...and I knew that I didn't want to be a preacher as long as I wasn't living a life that lined up with God's Word.

However, even before JayTel, Ty, Phil and I formed thebridge and began working on Gravity, God had already begun working on ME. I first noticed it as a hunger for the Word of God...I'd wake up, spend my days, and go to sleep either reading the Word or meditating on it, and I couldn't get enough. Next, I noticed that my tastes in music changed. I still love the same music I have always loved, but I found myself wanting to hear less and less secular music, and more and more worship (Kari Jobe, etc) and spiritually uplifting music. I didn't fight it, but I made note of it. I have always been able to hear God's voice clearly, even when I was fighting like crazy to get away from my calling, but I noticed that as I began to focus more and more on consecrating myself, I could hear direction from the Holy Spirit that much more clearly.

I began asking God to show me myself, and open my eyes to who I really had become. Certain situations in my life were as negative as my music career was positive, and I knew that all blame didn't fall with the other people involved in those situations, and so I asked God to let me see me so that I knew what to pray that He would change. Boy....did He. He allowed me to see me as those around me saw me clearly for the first time, and it sickened me. I was selfish, inconsiderate and stubborn, and only acknowledged others' feelings and opinions as it related to my life when it served my purposes. I had allowed myself to become bitter and cold, whereas I had always been thoughtful and compassionate, if not overly gregarious, before. And I had allowed my attitude to be governed by how those around me treated me, rather than remaining in control of my own thoughts, my own feelings. So when God showed me my shortcomings and how they caused those around me to suffer, I asked Him to change me. To deliver me. To remake and renew me. He answered the prayer, and I started to see my attitude get better, bit by bit. People would curse, scream, and rage around me, and I began to retain my peace despite them. And past situations that once held me hostage to my own guilt and shame began to lose their hold on my joy.

All of us are imperfect. All of us have sinned. All of us have "issues". The one who tells you otherwise either is lying to you, or lying to themselves. And I saw all of my issues clearly, and because of my upbringing, I understood that I couldn't fix any one of them in my own strength. So I did the only thing I could do; I yielded my will to His. Once I did that, He began to move the things around me to fit His purposes for my life. We nailed "Higher" on Gravity, per God's instructions. We finished Marathon, per God's instructions. And once those things were done, He spoke to my spirit and said, very clearly, it's time to accept the mantle of Pastor and walk in my calling, which is to lead the lost to Him using the gifts He so graciously chose to impart upon me from birth. I immediately said yes, despite my misgivings about pastorship, because I'd always said that I would go whenever He said go, with no hesitation.

One of my musical heroes, Al Green, was also called to preach and pastor, and like me, he also ran from his calling. But he ran for too long, and God allowed a lover of his to scald him with a pot of steaming hot grits before taking her own life. He has said more than once that this horrific event was God's way of getting his attention, and needless to say, it worked. That stuck with me from a very young age once I'd read this part of his story, and I always said that I never wanted God to have to burn me with any grits for me to obey when He called me (lol)! No, no "Grits" Green for me. So when God finally said "Go", I went.

On October 14 of this year, after completing my Pastoral Training, I was appointed as an Elder, and simultaneously was appointed as Pastor, by my dad, Apostle Billy L. Dorsey, Sr. My charge is to obey God in creating Bridge of Hope in Houston, TX, which I've already begun the work of doing. The vision that God gave me for the ministry here is to not focus on building a church edifice, but to take it back to what Jesus and the disciples did. They actually went out to the people, meeting needs and performing miracles where they were, rather than sequestering themselves in sanctuaries and having people have to come to them for the deliverance they needed. My heart is open to instruction from the Lord on the way to do this, and I'm not leading as much as being led in it all. This is a new thing for me, and I have to be mindful more than ever of the things I say and do to make sure that people see and hear Christ when they see and hear me. I am thankful for the positive role models I've been blessed to have along the way, like my parents, who are both pastors, and Pastor Steve Jamison of Maranatha Faith Center in Columbus, MS, along with Elder Larry Traylor, who was our pastor when I was 7 years old in Germany. All of these people actually strive to live what they preach, and allowed me to see from a young age that, while none of them are perfect, it is possible to live a life that is pleasing to God and be a minister.

I'm on the road now. I still fight some of the same battles, and the enemy still attacks me as always. I have even more incentive to overcome now. I have the conviction of my beliefs, and the knowledge that "I can do all things thru Christ who strengthens me", which gives me the endurance to run on when I'm tired, and to get up when I fall. I never want to be one of those pastors or men of God who portrays that they're better than others or that they've "got it all together." The Word says "for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God," and I'm no different. I am just a sinner saved by Grace. I'm working to repair the damage of the past, and honestly want to be a man after God's own heart, as King David was.

Please keep my family and I lifted up in prayer as we walk down this road, striving to live for Christ in this music industry. The enemy is not pleased with this decision, but I have to do what God has decreed over my life; as such, I know he is going to work overtime to knock me off track from where God wants me to be. Not so. "Greater is He that is within me than he that is in the world." Indeed.

#thebridgelife

Myself, my dad, Apostle Billy L. Dorsey, Sr, and my mom, Pastor Patricia Dorsey, at my Ordination Ceremony. We were laughing at the fact that my clergy collar was so tight I could barely breathe (lol)

My dad, Apostle Billy L. Dorsey, Sr., myself, my mom, Pastor Patricia Dorsey, and my brother, Pastor Emmanuel Williams. I'm holding my Pastoral Appointment and Ordination certificates from my Ordination ceremony.

Gravity Album Release Party

On Friday, September 28, 2012, Lecrae and the entire Reach Records family (minus Tedashii and Trip Lee) descended upon Houston for the 3rd of 3 release parties for Gravity (the first was held in Manchester, UK, and the second on September 27 in Denver, Colorado). Phillip Guillory of my production and songwriting team, thebridge, flew in from Cali to be a part of the festivities.

Phil and I got there early to make sure the tickets were squared away for the rest of the team, and waited outside until JayTel and his wife Merakal arrived. Thanks to my bro Jimmy who handles booking for Reach Records, we were squared away quickly, and once JayTel got there, we entered Warehouse Live where the concert was held. I invited OJ Toks, one of the Youth Pastors at Lakewood Church, to meet Lecrae and Street, as we are working on putting together (we being myself, Lakewood Men's Pastor John Bowman, and my agent and brother, Jesse Cooper) something wonderful thru Lakewood for the Houston youth community with Lecrae and Reach in the next few months. I went out to meet OJ and his fiancee', and got them squared away as well. Two of my voice students, Jimmy Duran, and Gracie Smith, surprised me by coming to the concert to support my team, as they knew we had a song on the album. Wonderful surprise!

Once my crew (minus my wife Shaunta, who was en route but had to drop our daughters off with her sister first) was inside, I reached out to Street and Cheese to see where they were so we could all link up. Tera, the head of booking for Reach Records, advised me after a warm greeting that the crew was all backstage in devotion, and that Street would come scoop me once they'd finished. True to his word, once the team finished praying, Street came out to the floor to grab me and show me where the rest of the team was. I got backstage, and saw Andy Mineo, Derek Minor (formerly known as PRo), Sho Baraka (who I'd just been speaking with via twitter two days earlier about thebridge doing some work with him on his album dropping in January), and my big bro Cheese, who introduced JayTel and I to the whole Reach movement. After pounds to everyone, I ran back to grab Phil, JayTel, and his wife to bring them all backstage. The food smelled wonderful, but having just had one of my wisdom teeth cut out of my mouth three days earlier, I couldn't even eat it. Sucks...but Phil didn't have the same problem and was tearing that food up lol! After a few minutes, Lecrae came out of the dressing room, somewhat subdued, and gave us all a pound. He said he was pleased with how "Higher" had come out, and said we had more work to do, to which I replied, "Yessir!" I learned a few minutes later that his father in law had just passed away earlier that day...and I'd ask that anyone who reads this post send up prayers for he and his lovely wife Darragh and their family in this time of bereavement.

Shortly after we got situated backstage and began talking with all the artists and Cheese, the show began. My wife Shaunta arrived, so I went out to see her inside safely, and we watched the beginning of the performances from within the crowd, starting with Andy and Derek Minor's. I always enjoy seeing how the young kids who attend the concerts react to the performances; they know all the songs, wear all their Rehab and 116 t-shirts, and do the "Reach Dance" (you'd have to see it to understand, but there is definitely a move that all the Reach artists do while on stage). This night was no different, although Lecrae early into the show mentioned that some of the kids in the crowd may not have been familiar with Christian Hip Hop due to the energy level flagging a bit. My observation was, due to the success of Gravity, many people may have just come out to the show due to the hype of the album, rather than actually understanding what the Reach movement is truly all about. Lecrae ended up going out on stage and letting everyone know that he doesn't care about being famous or selling a million records, but that his concern is ministry, and seeing souls come into the kingdom.

As the concert progressed, we saw Ashthon Jones from American Idol come out to sing her hook on Mayday, the third single from Gravity, and once Crae started performing the new album, the energy in the venue shot up noticeably. Backstage, I was sharing with the artists how I was brought into the Christian Hip Hop world after avoiding it for so long (because I thought the rappers who were out when I first tried to listen to it years ago all sucked lol) to laughter from Derek Minor and Sho, and was able to talk with them all about how long they'd been in the industry and what drew them to Christian Hip Hop to begin with. The answers I got from them all were illuminating, and gave me new respect for each of them. We all then laughed again, because, as we were talking backstage, "Background" by Lecrae came on, and Lecrae was on stage spitting his rhymes. The only problem was, Andy Mineo sings the hook on that song, but was still backstage talking with us, until Sho Baraka and Derek Minor pointed out to him that he might want to head out to the stage for his song! We laughed even harder as he tried to figure out at which point he'd be able to come out on stage since the song was already going on for quite a while before he noticed.

As the concert drew to a close, I noticed a commotion backstage, and saw security coming to clear the green room. As we tried to figure out what was going on, I saw former New York Knicks sensation and newest Houston Rocket, Jeremy Lin, walk in via the security entrance. Can't say I was surprised at all...Jeremy was very vocal in the media of his love for Lecrae's music and ministry prior to Gravity dropping, and since he now resides in Houston, it made sense for them to link. The Reach crew took pics with Jeremy and he and Lecrae had a warm conversation. I ran out to get OJ Toks and his fiancee' to bring them back to meet Lecrae or Street regarding the Reach/Lakewood connection, but as Crae was caught up with Jeremy and Street was helping to get the artists ready to hit the bus back to the hotel, I ended up (at the behest of Ben Washer, the pastor who created Reach Records with Lecrae 8 years ago) introducing OJ to Tera, who would have been the one we'd follow up with to secure the date more than likely anyways.  They exchanged information, and the night ended with me driving my big bro Street and his lovely wife Leilani back to their hotel.

There were some other details of the night, some of which may prove to be tremendous for my thebridge team, and for my family, but I'll keep them close to the vest until they're finalized. Just suffice it to say that God is definitely up to something amazing, and I can't wait to see how everything plays out over the next couple of weeks. I have a saying, and it's the name of this blog: "Impeccable Grind, Unstoppable Dreams"...and I do believe that at this point, with God in my corner, my dreams truly are unstoppable. Faith without works is dead, and we've been working at this a long time. I thank the Father that He has decreed our years of work to not be in vain. If God be for me, who can be against me? Stay tuned...He's not thru with me yet.

#IMPECCABLEGRIND

The Bridge Your Dreams Contest

About three days ago, God woke me up (from my GOOD sleep, nonetheless lol) just before 5 AM, and said to get up and start taking notes, as He began imparting into my spirit the next undertaking for thebridge, as we have now completed our writing, arranging, and production work on my album Marathon, which is about to begin the mixing/mastering process, and for which I have a photo shoot coming up in the next month with PDL Studios to nail down the cover and artwork for the album. I'd been praying for direction, and boy, did He give it.

From that morning of listening and taking notes, my team and I are now beginning to plan what will be called The Bridge Your Dreams Contest. Essentially, this contest will provide an opportunity for my team thebridge to extend to every talented Christian singer, rapper, and band in the country, whether CCM, Gospel, Inspirational, or Christian Hip Hop, the chance to have their recording artist dreams realized via the infrastructure that God has allowed me to put into place over the last two years, with Impeccable Music Group and thebridge music production and songwriting, as well as some of the key industry relationships I've been blessed to solidify.

I'll keep this blog updated as things progress, but I expect that we'll get the ball rolling within the next week or two, and will have information regarding details of the contest out on various social media networks, and some of the biggest Christian, Gospel, and Christian Hip Hop blogsites. For anyone who reads this and has wondered, "How do I get into the industry?" This contest will provide a definitive answer for you. In all that God has placed before my team and I to do thus far, we've striven to perform them all with a spirit of excellence; in this endeavor, we will do no less. Stay tuned.

#IMPECCABLEGRIND