Q & A with Christian Rapper FLAME

By Bob Marovich for The Black Gospel Blog.

Christian rapper FLAME saw his latest CD, The 6th, debut at the number one spot on Billboard‘s Top Gospel Albums chart immediately after its release March 6. 

FLAME talked with TBGB about The 6th and his life in Christian rap and hip hop.

FLAME: After a few tragic events in my life, including almost dying in an accident, losing my grandmother, and getting kicked out of school, I heard the gospel at the West End Mount Carmel Full Gospel Baptist Church in St. Louis, where the Senior Pastor is Bishop George White, Jr. I became a Christian and wanted to commit everything I was to the Lord Jesus.

At sixteen years old, I started writing music to God as a personal devotion. At that point, I had no plans to put out a CD. I just decided to give my music to my new love: my newfound experience in Christ.

TBGB: Who were your musical inspirations along the way?

FLAME: I was really influenced by Tupac, Biggie [Smalls], Nas, Bone Thugs n Harmony, Slick Rick, Busta Rhymes. Those were the guys that shaped my style, even as a Christian rap artist.

TBGB: What was the “tipping point” at which you knew that Christian rap and hip hop was going to be your life’s work?

FLAME: When I was around 16 or 17 years old, I went to a youth night at my church and for the first time, I saw a group, Du Czon [pron. due season], doing Christian rap publicly. I didn’t know that that type of thing existed. It influenced me, so I thought maybe I could go public with what I was doing [in music] and influence others.

TBGB: Talk about Captured. It shot up the Billboard chart with a bullet. What was it about that CD that resonated with listeners?

FLAME: It was a more devotional style album, calling people to introspection and to be focused on God rather than on competing ambitions. Once the album hit the charts, it was definitely a blessing for my wife and I because we had just started our own record label, Clear Sight Music, and it was the first album we released under our own brand. It encouraged us to continue.

TBGB: The 6th followed in Captured’s footsteps in terms of leaping onto the charts.

FLAME: I wanted to do an album that was not the same as Captured, and so I took a lot of risks to do something different sonically, content-wise, and conceptually. It took about five to six months to put The 6th together. We worked hard on it and hoped it would connect with people, but to see the way it shot to the top of the charts was really a surprise. It was an exciting surprise!

TBGB: It seems as if The 6th is about living your life in acknowledgement of being a child of God.

FLAME: Fundamentally, that’s it. The 6th explores the day God created man and mankind: the 6th day. It speaks through anthropology: who we are, who God created us to be, some of our weaknesses, some of our accomplishments, and how Christ was the perfect man. Through Him, we can return to God’s original intentions and purposes for us. Basically, it calls people to live the way God intended.

TBGB: What are your favorite tracks on The 6th?

FLAME: We will be traveling to promote the new CD and releasing a couple of videos, including “Let Go,” featuring DecembeRadio. We’ll be really busy supporting the record.

TBGB: What is the most challenging part of being a Christian hip hop artist, with regard to the music industry?

FLAME: You have a passion to reach people but you also have a busy workload that can keep you from your passion. You have to find a way to navigate through that. A second challenge is to break into the radio scene and get more Christian rap music embraced by radio. We’re forever trying to build and establish relationships with radio and bring creative songs to the table that can fit a broader format. So far, I think it’s going well. We’re being educated by radio and learning. We really appreciate it when [a song is picked up by radio].

TBGB: It seems as if many Christian rappers and hip hop artists are involved in outreach.

FLAME: Coming from the hip hop culture, and unfortunately when you come from an inner-city community, you see some people at their worst. It breaks your heart. Once you become a Christian, you tend to look at the music as a means to an end, instead of an end unto itself. You want to use it to connect with people and watch them overcome struggles and obstacles. So outreach is common in the Christian rap circle.

TBGB: After you earn your master’s degree, do you plan to stay in the music business?

FLAME: I want to stay in the music business and bring the two worlds together: bring the classroom into the music and reach people with some of the basic practical elements and principles of Biblical learning. I’d like to branch out into local church ministry, pastoral counseling, writing, conferences. Just walk with people and encourage them, help them to process things they’ve experienced or offer preventative measures to keep them from experiencing some [negative] things.

TBGB: What would you say to new Christian rap artists who want to get into the business?

FLAME: I would encourage them to not be afraid to maximize their time in their own city, their local church. Embrace the idea that God may want you to minister locally. Also learn the music business as well as you can, continue to hone your craft, and be content with whatever level of exposure God gives you. You’ll find much joy in that mindset.

For more information, visit http://www.clearsightmusic.com/.