Gospel Elevations: Christian Rapper Young Buddy

Gospel Elevations a free Christian music community for Christian rappers, gospel rhythm and praise singers introduces one of it newest members: Young Buddy; a soldier in real life and also for Jesus Christ.

Darnell Shawn Gatling a young man who overcame a troubled pass. Abandoned at the age of 9 months, Darnell and his two other brothers were forced into the court system and separated into separate foster homes. At the age of four Darnell was placed into a group home where there was six other children who dealt with neglect, molestation, abandonment etc… Many nights he sat alone and cried because there was no one in his life that he could call his own. He often felt there was no hope for him. Out of touch with reality, Darnell would often go into a shell and become very reserved and anti-social.

At the age of 5 Darnell met someone that would soon become very special in his life. This special person was Elise Gatling. Elise was a loving kind hearted woman with a heart for God. Elise always made sure that the kids in the group home felt loved and wanted. However she had a very special place in her heart for Darnell. Darnell begin to form a close bond with her, a very strong relationship. Elise introduced Darnell and the rest of the children to Christ. From then on Darnell would always want to know who Christ was. He began to find joy in his life. At this very tender age he was also filled with the Holy Spirit. Elise said that God spoke to her and said that Darnell was supposed to be your son. A little while after that Darnell asked Elise would she be his mother and she proudly replied “YES”.

At the age of 9 Darnell really started showing interest in music. He would take the large laundry buckets out of the laundry room and use them for drums. He and the other children would often form a band and have what they would call a “Jam Session”. Darnell begin showing a strong interest in the keyboard and singing. Elise let him here a song called “Have you given your life” by Eric Alphonso and she would tell him to sing that song. Darnell would sing his heart out. It was then that Darnell says he knew he was called to the music biz. He began rapping Mike-E song entitled “If you want to learn to rap”. There is where the love for rapping came.

At the Age of 11 is when Elise finally took Darnell out of the Group Home for Good. With a sigh of relief Darnell say “Now life can finally begin”. Darnell wrote his own song called “Give it up to God” and compose the music to it as well. He performed this song for other youth that were in the same position he was. The song provided hope and inspiration to the young kids. Along with his music Darnell was an excellent basketball player. He was offered numerous scholarships and a chance to play overseas for People to People Sports Ambassadors, and also offered a Nike and reebok commercial.

Darnell Always kept the passion for Christ in his heart. He used to tell his mother that one day he wanted to have his own church. At the age of 15 Darnell finally entered into a studio to officially record his first song entitled “Change”. The song was an excellent song that seemed to grab the attention of all. He always reminds people that the words that he writes are not his own but the Word that God has given him to write. Music is something that Darnell says will always be with him and he will always use to glorify Christ.

Now here he is, at the age of 27 Darnell is continuing his music and working on creating his first album. Darnell is now married with 2 beautiful children Lovy and James, and a beautiful wife, Mika Gatling, who is a God fearing woman that loves him truly. Mika is always there to support her husband and his endeavors in music and ministry. Currently Darnell is serving in the military. However due to some unfortunate medical issues he is forced to get out of the military. Diabetes, he says will not get the best of him because Christ has a plan for him and it will be fulfilled. Darnell has numerous songs that you can hear now and will definitely uplift your spirit. Be on the Look for Darnell “Young Buddy” Gatling and upcoming Christian artist who is here to deliver God’s truth.

Gospel Elevations: Gospel Rapper Minister Kaine

Gospel Elevations would like to welcome to it's family Christian rapper, Minister Kaine of Michigan.

Biography Born outside of Detroit, Michigan, Minister Kaine (MK) found himself at an early age using and selling drugs, and involving himself in street gangs. He feared he would never escape the grim reality of his hood. His deep desire to free himself of that environment led him to expressing his pains and struggles through his music and lyrics. A turning point in MK's life was when the manager of "Tribe Called Quest" advised him to further pursue a career in music. But MK knew he would need more than himself to turn his life around, so he turned to spirituality. He added "Minister" in front of his street hustler name, "Kaine." MK delivers an intelligent and street savvy reflection on the often flawed world we live in, without using profanity in any of his rhymes. MK thinks profanity is the easy way out for a lyricist. MK's music is ghetto street savvy, spiritually conscious and politically and socially aware with a commercially viable delivery. On stage MK is a dynamic and energetic performer. Minister Kaine proudly announces his fourth album, "The Dead Hood Scrolls," which includes the song "Real Out Here" featuring a verse from The Game.

Placements
1. First winner for Hip-hop category www.meermusic.com, abcradionetworks.com
2. the movie painting shadows soundtrack with young buck
3. Mtv Cribs
4. MTV, Laguana Beach
5. MTV, My Sweet 16 (Episode Audrey)
6. MTV, My Sweet 16 (Episode Ebony)
7. MTV, True Crimes
8. MTV, Made
9. Motorcycle Magazine dvd www.severeracing.com in Australia
10. Two song placements in the Movie “Carts”
11. Song placement on Deep Distro (ying yang twins), (lil flip), (Mannie Fresh)
12. Music placements from wacbiz.com
13. Fame Games radio played and placed in Europe
14. Placement MTV EUROPE
15. A&E series “The Squad”
16. Music placements in Australia by SjD Music
17. Won placement from sonicbids for Aids Rock Ohio, at the Buckeyes college
18. Numerous mixtape projects
19. Song with “The Game” “Real” placed on Mixtape with The Presidentz.
20. Terriers FX, A&E
21. The Grind
Just to name a few

The main purpose of Gospel Elevations is to exalt Jesus Christ. Gospel Elevations is a community which serves as a marketing and networking tool for christian artist such as rappers, christian song writers, beats or track makers, and gospel singers of various music genre. It’s about promoting the Kingdom of God through music and more. This site is ideal for Independent Artist, or artist wanting more exposure. Hear christian artist from around the world. Whether you like gospel rap, contemporary gospel, gospel rock, traditional gospel or etc; we have a little bit of everything. 

Gospel Elevations: A Gospel Rappers and Gospel Singers Christian Community

Gospel Elevations is going on 10 years old. Thousands have viewed this web site which offers free exposure for gospel rappers, christian rappers or holy hip hop artist.

This month, February 2013, Gospel Elevations has launched it's new look. Not only does Gospel Elevations have a new look, it has extended it outreach to all musical artist who would place themselves under the Christian music genre.

As an early GE family member, you will be able to:
  • Create an account
  • Create a profile picture
  • Join Groups
  • Join Forum
  • Create Events
  • Create Public Annoucements
  • Add friends
  • upload your own mp3 files
  • upload your photos
  • and etc

Gospel Elevations in no longer mainly focused on Christian rap, other Christian music genres are welcome.


To join today go here: http://www.gospelelevations.net/join/

Be sure to spread the word about this FREE service to the bless the body of Christ.

Yours in Christ. Be sure to connect with us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/

Out of the Mouth of Babes: Young Christian Rapper Ministers to Community

Young Christian rapper Seanessee "Young Rig" West was so impacted by a missions trip he took with Word of Life Family Church of Burlington, NC that he held a fundraising concert.

“I remember how they blessed me and I want to bless others,” West, 15, said in a recent phone interview. “I felt differently after I came back. I learned a lot. I was humbled by the experience.”

That act of kindness, West said, inspired him to do something to help others. The result is a fundraising concert called “A Star is Born, Young Rig in Concert,” featuring West, a Christian rapper, aka “Young Rig;” local alternative band, The JC Project; Jadda Jeffries, aka “Jadda J;” Little T, an 11-year-old gospel rap artist; Reveal, a female gospel rap artist; The GGT Boys (God-given talent), an R&B hip-hop duo; Lauren Edwards and dancers and the Vertical Student Ministries drama team.

The concert was held at the Paramount Theater, 128 E. Front St., Burlington. Half of the proceeds from the ticket sales and all of the proceeds from the concessions were donated to the Vertical Student Ministries youth group at Word Of Life Family Church.

West’s dad, Rod “Fatal” West, is a rapper and nicknamed his son, Original (“Rig” for short).

“We do songs together,” he said.

Clezelle Poteat, Seanessee’s mom, said the youth group has had such a positive influence not only on her son’s life, but others in the neighborhood. Seventy-five young people currently participate in the group and Vertical Student Ministries has its own church service on Sunday nights.

“They do community outreach — visit rest homes and have arranged Easter egg hunts for the neighborhoods,” she said. “There are some young people who simply can’t afford to go on these mission trips and this is why Seanessee felt let to do this.”

The difference between Young Rig’s music and the rap you may hear on the radio, he said, is that “every other word they say is a curse word. But I feel that you don’t have to glorify guns, cars and women to rap. You can glorify God.”

The youth group visited a homeless shelter in Vero Beach, Fla. Young Rig not only performed, but a homeless man shared his own rap tune with the young man, too.

“I felt real honored,” West said. “My music is positive, inspirational and motivational. I hope it moves the audience.”

At Gospel Elevations, we are proud of Young Rig. He represent youth who love God and are doing positive things in his community. Hopefully we can get some of his music on the web site.

Milwauwee Has a Legacy That's Christian

Legacy Musik is not your ordinary rapper though. Legacy is what some may call a "Christian Rapper" or as he descibes it as a "positively-influencing Hip-Hop artist, with the word of God at his foundation". This kid oozes positivety from his pores.

Legacy feels that music is in his blood. His mother (Rhoda Burgos) sang and played in a band. He took advantage of the downtime during her rehearsals to bang on the drums or yell in the microphones. Towards the end of his senior year, Legacy realized he had an ability to compose poetry, which evolved into creating original songs. He believes that he possess an inherent fearlessness, which is why sharing what he has written, in front of people, never intimidated him.

When asked about the labels of Christian rapper or Gospel Rapper, Legacy is not fond of them.

He states, “labels carry connotations, both good and bad. Labels foster stereotypes. Labels discriminate. Labels take away the chance for people to determine, on their own, who an artist really is, and what they represent.”

He continues saying, “labeling someone is the coward’s way out of taking the time necessary to get to know someone. Once you’ve labeled them, based on either their beliefs, or the color of their skin, you’ve denied every individual member of that particular “group” any originality.”

His current project took over a year to complete. It took a lot of work but Legacy feels that it was worth it.

When asked about the message that he was trying to get across in his music, Legacy stated, “I want my music to empower people who have chosen to do the right thing, who have chosen to be who they were created to be. I want them to know that their past, regardless of the opposition, or the challenges that come their way, will not determine, and should not determine, who they have the potential to be in their future.

Finally, I want my music, and the message within my music, to both motivate and encourage those who’ve made wrong decisions in life, who’ve made mistakes, that it’s not too late to make things right.”

At Gospel Elevations, we are in agreement with Legacy when he says his ministry is not just about a “Christian” rapping behind the microphone, or a religious person writing some lyrics, it’s about a message of hope that inspires people. It’s about a message of encouragement. That’s what resonates with people regardless of their age, their socioeconomic background, or their religious beliefs.

In order to stay up-to-date with what’s going on with Legacy, log on to www.LegacyMusik.com.

Original story was not written by Gospel Elevations. It was modified to fit our page. Original article was written y Damon "Jank" Joy, Special to the Journal Sentinel

Hip Hop Feeding the Body and Soul

Bobby “Tre9″ Herring arrived in downtown Houston one Friday night, prepared for a grand entrance. He had taken a limousine to what should have been a Christian rap concert for the homeless to celebrate the 17th release from Much Luvv Records, the record company he owns.

He arrived to find that city police had insisted his volunteers move the concert/party to another spot that didn’t have enough electrical outlets for the lights and music and sound equipment.

So Herring and his wife, Amanda, who started the Feed a Friend homeless ministry a year ago, stuck to their usual evening routine: providing food and fellowship to 125 men and women who have nothing and no place else to go.

“I guess God had other plans,” Bobby Herring said. “You know what though? It’s a good reminder that this isn’t about us.”

Instead, it’s about people like Patch, Storm, Fernando and Juan. Some have been living on the streets for a bit more than a year. Others feel like it’s been most of their lives. They camp out on concrete and quickly learn what services are available for them to stay clean and get fed.

Tim Jones, 32, has been without a roof for more than 15 months. He said he lost everything he owned in a house fire that occurred while he was on an out-of-town fishing trip. With no insurance and a broken-down vehicle, he moved from Waller to Houston hoping to take advantage of the public transportation system to look for a job.

He gets up early each day and goes to local labor halls looking for day work and, eventually, full-time employment.

When money is tight, Jones said, he depends on services such as Feed a Friend for an evening meal. And through it, he’s also found friendship.

“I’m very thankful for what they do,” Jones said. “Amanda and Tre have given me a lot. I know I can talk to them, and they treat us like real people.”

Amanda Herring said that’s definitely the goal of her ministry — “to make every individual feel significant and experience the love of Christ.”

Bobby Herring’s ministry, Hip Hop Hope Missions, is part of his own spiritual growth. He was writing hip-hop music in high school and shifted his lyrics after becoming a Christian.

His music is Southern-style Christian rap, and his most recent album, The Farmer, thematically played off both his country roots and the parable of the sower that Jesus shared in the gospels.

His stage shows in support of that record often found him in hip-hop clothing modeled after John Deere’s color scheme and branding.

She said Feed a Friend’s growth has been purely organic and is evidence that God’s hand is in it. It began last November when she noticed an abundance of food left over from her previous employer’s two-week auction event. She said the business brought in catered meals each night and would throw away what did not get eaten. Herring said she asked her bosses for permission to take those remains and use them to feed the homeless.

It started with a street corner. She simply showed up and asked who needed help – even waking up people sleeping on the sidewalk and telling them they needed to eat. She did it again the next night and the night after.
As the giving spirit of the holidays neared, her donations and supplies snowballed. Soon she, her mother and teenage daughter were visiting there regularly and trying to find enough storage to hold the clothes, blankets and food that were being donated.

Today, Feed a Friend has more than 50 volunteers and regular donations from businesses and organizations including Bethel’s Heavenly Hands, Glazier Foods, Kroger and Factory Builders Stores.

Feed a Friend isn’t affiliated with any church, yet every night someone from Feed a Friend goes downtown to fill plates and cups, shake hands, pray for the needs of the homeless and do what he or she can to bring a smile to people who often feel invisible.

Another way the Herrings do that is by involving their homeless friends in their lives. The night Bobby proposed to Amanda is one they still talk about today.

“It was like a movie,” Amanda Herring recalled.

Bobby Herring had arranged for 12 of the people they regularly serve to give a rose to Amanda as they passed through the food line. She thought it was just a token of their appreciation.

Then Bobby came around the corner in a horse-drawn carriage and knelt on a rose-petal-covered street to ask Amanda to be his wife.

“It just felt right to make them a part of that,” Bobby Herring said. “They’ve really become a part of us.”

Bangin Christian Hip Hop Video Site

Rapzilla's goal is to ensure that Christian Hip Hop is curated, chronicled, and cultivated to enable Christians that like hip hop to have an alternative to the garbage that is pushed out in the mainstream. Additionally, we want to provide a better platform for artists that are looking to gain some notoriety.


The first project that we are unveiling to achieve those goals is ChristianHipHop.tv! ChristianHipHop.tv will provide an outlet for viewers that want to quickly see all of the latest Christian Hip Hop videos as well as provide artists the outlet to have their videos curated, cultivated, and chronicled.

Your video may already be live on ChristianHipHop.tv, however if it isn’t, please submit a link to your video giving ChristianHipHop.tv & Rapzilla.com permission to upload the video to their YouTube channels and they will do their best to post it on the site.