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!
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
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.
Monday, January 21, 2013
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.
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
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.
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| Album Cover for my debut Christian album, Marathon |
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
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
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!!
the-grammy-nominations-concert-live-set-for-dec-5
#IMPECCABLEGRIND
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 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
Thursday, November 29, 2012
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.
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
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)
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| collage of pics of myself and Mayra V. Alvarez on set (pics courtesy of Mayra's husband Melqui) |
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| Instagram photo of us ministering in the video |
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| The original color scheme for the video prior to the director seeing my outfit on shoot day, at the beautiful Grace Community Church |
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| ...and the color the first scene was changed to based upon my wardrobe. Kudos to my stylist, Merakal Birmingham. |
#IMPECCABLEGRIND
Monday, November 26, 2012
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
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
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