Flame: Well, I’m from St. Louis and I’ve been doing hip-hop for the Lord since I was 16. I’m 23 now. My name comes from the passion the Lord put inside of me after the passing of my grandmother. She was like my best friend. He used her passing to give me a “God consciousness” and then drew me to Himself.

The Yuinon: So you started out rappin’ for the Lord?

Flame: No, I had a crew at first, since like 5th grade. We went through multiple name changes, we rapped out the “regular stuff” most cats rap about. We were wildin’ out, getting’ high, you know. But God showed me how temporary life was after my grandmother’s passing and it started to affect me. I wanted to part ways with them, but it was hard cause these weren’t just regular homies; these were lifelong friends that I’d grown up with. I started praying for God to give me a sign as to whether I should part ways with them and that’s when we entered this local talent show. Man, the whole thing turned out to be a hoax. I looked at that as my sign, like this wasn’t gonna really lead to anything. So I chose to part ways with them.

The Yuinon: How did they handle that?

Flame: They didn’t take to it too kindly

The Yuinon: What happened after that?

Flame: I started writing to the Lord you know, just kept writing. I didn’t even know that there was an outlet for the stuff I was writing. It was just to the Lord. I had remembered hearing about “gospel rap” on the underground tip. I heard Gospel Gangstaz, but I really wasn’t feelin’ them, I was still unsaved then. So I’d just kept writing. I knew some guys from my church who sang and did a ‘lil rappin sometimes and I let them hear a song I had wrote. They liked it, and encouraged me and what not. They even invited me to do a show with them, but I backed down. I kept praying a seeking the Lord whether this was something I should do or not.

The Yuinon: About how long was that?

Flame: About a year and a half.

The Yuinon: Did you let your “old friends” hear it?

Flame: Yeah, they liked it. I think they may have been more impressed with the artistry than the ministry aspect though.

The Yuinon: So, you were kinda “stagnant” for a minute?

Flame: Yeah, so I started going to Christian bookstores. I wanted to see if Gospel Gangstaz were still around. One day me and JR, JR was a friend from my church, he’d stopped doing secular music too, we were in this bookstore and I remembered hearing something about this group called Cross Movement. JR. was like here’s their CD right here. It was the House of Reps CD.

So I put it in at the lil’ listening station they had, JR went to look at some books or something, and man, I went bananas! I was blown away, it was east coast and grimy! I was like these brothas is for real. They had to quiet me down in the store. I borrowed the money from my aunt and came back and copped the CD. I started keeping up with CM via their website and began praying for them and telling other people about them. It inspired me in my writing, I hadn’t heard anything, so I didn’t know what you should or shouldn’t say, you know what I mean, they gave me a standard content wise. So I followed the other releases they put out, Christology, (my mans called me and played a joint off the internet for me, I went and copped that) Human Emergency, “Know Me” (Huh What) really tripped us out because it had more of a southern feel to it, so that was different.

The Yuinon: So how did you actually link up with CM?

Flame: I had just come back from Detroit and I heard about this CM concert in Chicago. I asked my boys if they wanted to go and we just drove up, it was like six of us. I hadn’t even changed clothes. We got lost and everything, got there late, but CM was just taking the stage. It was my first Christian hip-hop concert and man, it was like one big family, we were all reciting their rhymes, it was crazy. I was blown away too at the ministry aspect. You know they did their spills and lots of people came to the Lord, or at least made professions of faith that night. So they announced that CM would be hanging around afterwards, just kickin’ it you know. We were like cool. Now mind you, JR and I had formed SoHot Productions and we had this lil’ pre-production studio. I’d made a four song CD and my homie encouraged me to give them a CD. I was like word, you think I should? He was like yeah, I was like ok, and so we went to the truck and got a couple. So I asked Life, if it would be out of order to give them a CD, he was like naw, so I gave him one. Then I met Wells and I told him, I’d already gave Life a CD and if it was okay if I gave him one too.

[Yuinon sidebar: I’m not sure how common Flame’s approach is, but it struck me as rather humble. I’ve seen cats just shove their CDs into the face or hands of other artists without asking or considering how many other MCs probably do the same]

Flame: I didn’t really have any expectations from that point honestly. I was just trippin’ on the fact that CM had my CD. Now I don’t put any emphasis on dreams, but weeks later I had a dream that they called me, in the dream the CM logo was on my caller id. When I woke up Wells had really called, it said, Cross Movement Records. He said they liked my stuff and wanted to keep in touch. So over a year and half, we kept in touch, they kept me encouraged. they kinda mentored me from a distance.

I didn’t know it at the time but they were feeling me out, asking questions about my beliefs, church stuff, secular music, and tryin’ to see if my heart was still chasin’ the secular. Then one day Wells called me and asked if I wanted to be on their Platinum Souls Tour with Corey Red and Precise. Again, I was blown away. I was like it’d be a privilege and honor. Man, that was an experience. I met Red and Precise and Truth for the first time; everyone was sharing their testimonies on the bus.

On the tour, there was talk about me being on CM’s label, but nothing was solidified until later. I had to leave the tour early because of school, (I was going to Missouri Baptist University where I majored in theology) but JR and I kept sending them songs, 12 here, 15 there. I think they were impressed with our diligence. One day Wells called and was like we’re gonna be doin’ some new things with Provident, you wanna be down? Again, I was like it’d be an honor. No Midwest artists in Christian hip-hop have really gone national, there have been some locals, so I felt like it was a privilege.

The Yuinon: What was the recording process like?

Flame: It was new. The whole mixing and mastering process and what not, 12 hour stints in the studio

The Yuinon: Tell us about the album, what is it like?

Flame: Its self-titled. They agreed that we shouldn’t do a concept because like you said, its like I just came “out the blue”, so we just self-titled it. I’m pleased with it, I feel it is a good balance of stuff for the Body and non-believers, but I did have the church in mind. I wanted them to be able to endorse me and not feel like I ignored them. The established fan base can identify with me on a personal tip and at the same time say “I agree with him, I trust this dude, I can give his CD to people.”

The Yuinon: Do you have a favorite track?

Flame: Right now it would be a track called Give Us The Truth, which is a personal testimony that I wrote when I got off tour with CM

The Yuinon: What would you do (or recommend be done) to increase the visibility of music like yours?

Flame: To help HHH, this project and others, I think if we could have street teams in other states with sample CDs and flats, I know it costs, but it doesn’t have to be elaborate, but I think that could help create a buzz and let people know when a product is out.

Flame’s on, get lit today!

-Filed by “vessel”
Yuinon Local 313