I.D.O.L. King is a veteran west coast duo returning to the shelves this week with a new CD entitled Not By Might, and God’s Army is a Detroit based posse whose debut Mission Not Impossible has been out a few months. In separate interviews they respond to a few questions we lobbed at them. Enjoy. God’s Army is a Detroit based crew (of six) that has been doing Kingdom work locally for years, like Jabez, God has expanded their borders. The Yuinon finally caught up with them to see how things have been since the release of their debut CD, Mission Not Impossible.

GOD's ARMY

The Yuinon - Explain the relationships within God’s Army and how you guys came together

GA - The Gods Army that you see now was initially two separate groups heading in the same direction. God's Army consisted of The Rhodes Scholar and Bro. M-Warlike, who is no longer with the group. Then you had a more rugged and younger Blood Washed Soldiers, which was also a gospel hip-hop group consisting of the Godchild, the Visionaire and the Temple. Seeing that we were headed along the same path ministry-wise the groups merged in 1997 forming 1 group called God's Army, where you have Blood Washed Soldiers-rap artists, TBOP (The Body of Praize), B.A.D (Born Again Dancers), and our Producer and vocalist Maestro of Peace came along around 1999. In the group we have grown to be like family having ministered together for about 7 years. We have been as large as 16 members and have seen faces come and go, but it is still all love when we see any of our former members.

The Yuinon - What has the response been like for Mission Not Impossible since its release?

GA - Mission Not Impossible has received mixed responses, as of course the album is not for everyone. For the most part our listeners have received us with such positive response that it is overwhelming. We definitely credit God for that, because it is evident that nothing but His favor that has carried us this far. Here and there we have critics who dislike our style of ministry. I recall a particular review that we received not long ago that was so brutal you would think he was listening to another album. All in all, We have been received by people of all ages from grandchildren to grandparents.

The Yuinon - What kind of new opportunities have resulted from the album?

GA - One of the many opportunities that have come as a result of the release of this album is the distribution deal that we received, allowing us to reach international venues. This gives us a vehicle that allows our voice to be heard all around the world. There are certain doors that are difficult to enter unless you have a project in hand. Any artist can attest to that. The project has given us the opportunity to strategically map out a touring course based on the radio response that we get in different areas. We’ve also had the opportunity to minister in places as far as Jamaica, on what is now becoming a regular basis.

The Yuinon - With a group that has six members (including a husband and wife), what is the creative process like as far as songs ideas and what not?

GA - We all have different ways we vibe in terms of song writing and such, because we all have different flavas that compliment each other. We vibe off of one another with no competition. Lokee, is not trying to write a better song than the Rhodes Scholar or anything like that. When we come up with ideas, we bring them to the table and if it is effective with respect to the time and audience, we use it, if not, we save it for another time. Even if certain songs never make a God’s Army CD, you can look for it on future solo projects that are birthed from God’s Army. Sometimes we’ll kick around a song title for a while and then go from there, whether each member writes their own verse or one member writes the whole song. If it’s a hit, it’s a hit.

The Yuinon - How do you handle any disputes within the group if/when they arise?

GA - There have been members in the past who had to deal with personal issues that have been allowed time to get their personal affairs together. There have been a couple of occasions where a person’s lifestyle conflicted with the characteristics of a person in ministry. Again they have been given the opportunity to deal with these issues outside of the ministry. While we understand that we all fall short, the desire should be to live the “right” way. Regarding “group” affairs, when disputes arise, we generally meet and discuss the issues. There is a general consensus taken upon the issue and we move on. If it becomes a matter that a majority can’t agree to, the final decision resides with the longest tenured member (Rhodes Scholar). Fortunately, we usually come to a mutual agreement, reserving the right to approve albeit grudgingly. Ultimately what’s best for the group is taken into consideration.

The Yuinon - Do you all discuss long-term plans for God’s Army? If so, what are a couple of them?

GA - “The” plan has always been (and continues to be) getting this gospel to the world. We discuss the “means” on a regular basis, whether it be recording, upcoming events, fund raising, clothing lines, or starting our own holy hip hop club. TBOP (The Body of Praize, the lone sista holding it down in the group) has currently implemented discussion at every rehearsal regarding what God’s Army has on its plate.

Peep the Detroit News’ review of Mission Not Impossible, available at stores like Best Buy and Sam Goody.

I.D.O.L. KING

Industry veterans I.D.O.L. King return to the shelves this week with a new CD entitled Not By Might. We thought it’d be a good idea to catch up with this west coast duo of C.O. and Slack (as in Cut no Slack).

The Yuinon - Now, yall know with whatever press yall do for this album, the first question is probably gonna be, what took so long between releases? But before yall respond to that, cause this is like a re-introduction in a lot of ways, familiarize those unaware with your previous efforts.

IK: Our first CD was released in 1991 entitled Explosion and our sophomore release was 1996 entitled Hell? No! Not by Might is our third release. And to tell you the truth we never left holy hip hop we've always been around just in different capacities i.e.: evangelism, discipling new heads into the fold, strengthening our inner-man, involved in our local church, (areas which I'm sure you would agree cultivate lyrics long before they lace a track). For us, Holy Hip Hop is and should be more than just the music...it's a way of life.

We never meant for there to be so much time between our releases. We wanted to come out sooner and did everything possible to make that a reality. Sometimes our efforts may have been hindered by Satan via unbelievers other times the delay may have had to do with Satan via believers within the church and the HHH industry. And of course, there were those times when we just felt like giving up. Also, the industry (that is, its players, movers, shakers, artists, etc.) have become so clique-ish, political, bureaucratic, capitalistic, and market-driven over the years, so that groups that really have something to say are pushed to the side for more superficial artists. So we just got tired of all that drama and just decided to do it ourselves and that takes time. Nevertheless, timing is ultimately in the hands of God and we believe the entire struggle and waiting has both prepared us in ways we couldn’t imagine and has made us stronger, ”Not by Might”, to God be the glory!!!

The Yuinon- Given some of the challenges I.D.O.L. King has faced, did yawl ever contemplate just not recording again?

IK: Yes!!!!!

The Yuinon – I’m not sure if newer heads to our genre, realize how far back you guys go, I mean you were in the same circles as cats like Mack 10, Ice Cube, Cypress Hill, Coolio, etc. right? Who were some of your peers recording hip-hop with the same intentions as you guys back then?

IK: SFC (Soldiers For Christ), PID (Preachers In Disguise), Apocalypse, Freedom of Soul, Dynamic Twins, ETW (End Time Warriors), DOC (Disciples of Christ), and LPG (Living Proof of Grace). Some of these groups don’t exist anymore; some the industry has discouraged; some have turned down their salt to advance their careers economically; some don’t consider themselves HHH anymore unless its convenient; and some have moved on to the next calling of God for their lives.

The Yuinon - What are your thoughts about the evolution of the genre?

IK: Positively:
The quality of HHH music has improved; HHH’s audience has broadened; it’s gaining more visibility and becoming more respected as a genre.

Negatively:
The church has embraced a lot of pseudo-Christian artists and Christian themes by secular artists due to its increasingly lack of discernment. Many secular artist are not the blame because they to desire to reverence God (even though they don’t really know Him) for what He has done for them or for what they believe to be his stamp of approval on their lewd lyrics. Unfortunately, as Forrest Gump so eloquently put it, stupid is as stupid does, sinners do what sinners do. We expect unbelievers to be hypocritical and inconsistent. However, for HHH and the church to give secular artist their thumps up, all under the guise of entertainment or acceptance or not wanting to offend these artists, is a big problem! What message are we sending secular artists? That its okay to sin willfully and habitually so long as you atone for your sins by including at least one song about God on your CD or by doing a collabo with a Christian artist. Perish the thought. Bottom line it causes confusion.

4. If all believers knew, understood, and communicated the gospel

The Yuinon - What can people expect on the new CD? Any collabos? If so, how’d you go about choosing with whom you wanted to work?

IK: The songs cover a wide variety of topics - from an apologetic defense of the Trinity, the Bible, the Deity and Resurrection of Christ, to witnessing the Gospel, homosexuality, the dangers of pornography, finding identity only in Christ, prayer, father/son relationships, keeping integrity in the Gospel/Christian music industry, sexual exploitation of women, and being rescued from gang-banging, etc.

Collabos: Todd Bangz, Jahword, Lanee, Pigeon John, Truth, Wayne Stoddard ¦and more

Choosing who to work with: The people that turned us down, we just went to others that didn’t

The Yuinon - Where can people get the CD?

IK: The CD can be purchased at Christian bookstores on 9/21/04 and at: www.idolking.org

The Yuinon - As you know, new artists are always emerging, if you could offer them one piece of advice, what would it be?

IK: As artist they should ask themselves these questions:
Why are you in HHH?
What is the purpose of HHH?

Other advice:
Be open for God’s direction Get good discipleship from veterans within the industry/genre including artist Respect the architects, especially those that are still laboring on behalf of Christ and you. Hone your craft (Be the best that you can be to bring God glory) Realize and recognize that HHH is a vehicle only not a substitute for one-on-one evangelism

As Christian they should:
Get in a healthy well-balanced church
Get some good discipleship

As Christians this is the ultimate question to ask themselves:
Why didn’t God kill you after He saved you? Because He desires you to evangelize the lost, disciple new believers, encourage old believers, and to live for Him, this ultimately brings Him glory!

Mini-review – Not By Might is a consistent album that truly does present the gospel. Highlights include Some Do, Some Don’t (featuring Todd Bangz and Rayza) and Hope (the most thorough and on point treatment to date on the subject of homosexuality). The album is a bit long, but I guess the brothers had a lot to say after being away so long Respect the Architects indeed!

I.D.O.L. King is an acronym that stands for in dedication of Louis King, a fallen brother dear to the group. The CD can be purchased at Christian bookstores on 9/21/04 and at: www.idolking.org

Article filed by vessel
Yuinon Local 313

October 4 2004