Bridging The Gap Gospel Hip Hop Conference Review

Official review of Bridging The Gap Gospel Hip Hop Conference by Urban Gospel Connection Magazine

Bridging The Gap" Gospel Hip-Hop Conference 2003 was a true success. In spite of the many distractions and obstacles that came about days before the conference, the Urban Gospel Alliance (UGA) debuted the 1st Annual BTG conference on June 12, 2003.This three day conference hosted some of the finest Holy Hip-Hop Artists from throughout the United States, Canada, and believe it or not, the Bahamas. Each session of the conference was carefully planned. With topics such as "Maintaining Sexual Purity In Your Ministry" and "Artist Development and Management," conference attendees walked away from the first of the conference workshops with a breadth of useful information to aide in expanding their ministries.

Day 1 - We came together in the auditorium of Shiloh Christian Fellowship, which was more like a large theatre with a huge stage. Phillip Ferrell jump-started the conference by leading the praise & worship service. With hands lifted high and eyes closed, we experienced an awesome moment as the presence of the Lord began to rest upon us and the atmosphere was set
Following an anointed praise & worship service, Jah Word opened up the conference with a powerful prayer, and from there, holy hip hop artist Mark J. performed, followed by Divine Praise, three beautiful ladies from the Bahamas who performed a selection which is also featured on the Underground Vol.1 CD (available for free online at www.gzemporium.com ).

Bro. Steve Harris, V.P. of the Southern California Gospel Announcer's Guild, introduced himself, and touched on Marketing & Promotion where he answered questions from audience members who expressed a strong sense of wanting to know, or should I say a "yearning for revelation" about this industry of talented ministers.
From there, it was off to the workshops. Pastor Derick Guyton of First Missionary Baptist Church, Marin City, California,, taught Embracing Hip-Hop for Your Outreach Ministries, which was well received by many local pastors and ministers.
After the workshops, we were again directed to the auditorium where the panel discussion Is There a Gap in Traditional Church would take place. This panel included Pastor Beverly J. Jones, CAC International; Pastor Derick Guyton, First Missionary Baptist Church; Madeline Wilson, Radio Announcer; Curtis Parker, Roc Diamond Records; David Gough, CEO of Dorohn Records/Gospel Music Hall of Fame; JahWord, Holy Hip-Hop Artist; Brondon Rheems, Center of Hope Community Church; DJ Lady Grace, Mobile DJ/Announcer; Charlene E. Moore, Gospel Artist; C.O. of Idol King, Holy Hip-Hop Artist; and Modavador g, Pioneer/Holy Hip-Hop Artist.
The discussion was very interesting. Everyone was eager to give their own opinion, however, it seemed that God had his way, because minds were opened, and feelings were taken into consideration. In the end, everyone had developed a broader understanding of what they thought Gospel Hip-Hop represented. There was an interesting discussion on whether Gospel or Holy Hip-Hop was for the church or for the streets.
I recall in the Bible where Jesus appointed Paul to go out and teach the church, whereas he appointed Peter to go out and teach the gentiles. We all have our own place where God has appointed us to minister. If God has called you to preach to the masses outside of the church "we ain't knockin you," and if God has called you to preach to the church "we aint knockin you either". What is evident is that Holy Hip Hop is a form of ministry. To reach the masses, young, old, and in-between, we can no longer confine God to a box. We all have our own calling.

WHAT HAPPENED AT THE CONCERT? (Thursday June 12, 2003) 
That evening, our bellies full from the rib lunch, we hung around, networked, and visited other booths where vendors had set up their items/products/cd's, to sell to make money to get back home..(nah, Im kidding).Anyway, we went back into the auditorium, and were introduced to our MC for the night, gospel comedian J Red who introduced Bay Area dance troupe New Destiny, who performed to a jam by Tonex. Next up was Minister Larry Austin, who brought his own slamming mix of hard core gospel hip-hop to start things off, followed by, Boo Ray, Esq, who came forth with a touch of gospel hip-hop and whose performance provided additional subject matter for the following days panels. Promise D' Apostle graced the stage with an energetic performance, and from there came Gideon, who showed love with more gospel rap to add to the plate. Next up was Oakland, California's very own Maine Attraction, comprised of a husband and wife team, they got on stage and hit us with some of that hard core street gospel rap flava, with a ministry flip side that had the audience screamin' "...like wwwaaattttt???". Prophet X let everyone in the audience know that he was "here to testify" performing another featured song on the GZ Underground Vol. 1 Cd entitled "Testify". These artists were really rippin', and I was running out of rolls of film fast.
Who would've known? Appointed & Mic Won got on stage and ripped! They were a surprise; they had us all fooled, but their ballads and combination of lyrics/hard-core beats gave them a boost despite some problems with the sound system. After a performance like that, I was exhausted; my palms were sweatin from holding my camera so tight. Divine Praise got up on stage immediately after that with their colorful outfits, looking like they just stepped off of the islands.... oh my bad, they did just come in from the Bahamas. They sang track #13, from the GZ Underground Vol. 1 CD. We were ministered to by Ohio's Warriors of the Cross and L.A.'s The Visionaire who performed their gospel rap selection, and following them was 8-year holy hip hop veteran, Majestic who spit some tight rhymes and closed the night.
What a day, what a day. I've seen enough skills in one room to last me a lifetime. Jesus said that when 2 or more are gathered together in My name, I am in the midst. It was obvious that the Lord had showed up, because everyone had the glow of someone who had just been fed some good "soul" food. All the events that had taken place that night were enough to make everyone remember this first annual event, but it wasn't over yet

Day 2 - Following opening praise and worship, we jumped into panel discussions on How Important Is It To The Artist To Be Accepted By The Church?" and Embracing Hip-Hop in the Church!" Pastor Guyton continued his workshop from the previous day, this time focusing on the Hip Hop artist. Being one of the first pastors to host a Holy Hip-Hop church in California, he provided insight relating to the times we live in as well as what influences today's generation.The afternoon panel discussion was moderated by TheGospelZone.com marketing/administrative director, Evelyn Mack (who is also program director at San Francisco State University and is developing a new program in gospel music education). On the panel were marketing and promotions expert,. Bro. Steve Harris, local video personality Dr. Madelyn Peterson, David Gough, Marcus and Carol Curd of G-Praize internet radio, and Bishop Sam Williams. All provided tremendous insight and inspiration on topics ranging from artist management, marketing, to the best way to get your music heard on gospel radio. The audience was very receptive and involved, asking many questions.
After a short break, Bishop Sam Williams continued to moderate the main discussion on bridging the gap, which again proved to be a lively discussion. .
I should note that many sessions went over time as the audience continued to ask questions and remain involved in each discussion. It was also interesting to see FOG Wear (Followers of God) showcase their latest Christian clothing styles, giving away over 300 shirts to conference attendees. When asked why they chose to give away so many shirts, their response was, when you are a blessing, you'll be blessed. Well alright now; tell it FOG.!

WHAT HAPPENED AT THE CONCERT? (Friday June 13, 2003) 
That evening, gospel hip hop artist Easop was the MC. This was the first time I had ever seen this guy up close, and I must say that you can tell that the anointing of God flows right out this mans finger-tips, and onto the microphone which he confidently uses to minister to the audience. A new artist named Phia was introduced and without hesitation she dominated the mic with a soulful style that could be compared to a Mary J. Blige. Positive and motivational lyrics are what came from this artist's mouth. Immediately following her, was big man XROSS (pronounced Cross) who came representin all the way from Minnesota. More artists performed that night, and the crowd seemed to grow by more than a couple of hundred from the previous night.
The highlight of both showcases was definitely my man Promise DApostle. Remember that name. His crew drove 72 hrs straight from Toronto Canada to rock the house to the delight of all conference and concert attendees. After his performance we all rushed to meet this cat.Day 3 - The block party hosted artists like Prophet X, Jah Word, Catch2, MOP (Men of Praise) and others. People hung out, and again spent some time networking, enjoying the sun and music. A press conference was held with reps of magazines, radio, and television media who were introduced to the Urban Gospel Alliance, the urban gospel networking brainchild of TheGospelZone.com, CEO, Curtis Jermany, which to date has 10 newly formed chapters with another five under consideration. Also introduced at the press conference was Evelyn Mack's Gospel Music Education program in development at San Francisco State University's Extended Learning program.

Resulting from the conference was the creation of an official definition of Holy Hip Hop, supported by key industry reps of both traditional and hip-hop gospel.
The spirit was ushered into the finale concert, which was broadcast live on KECG radio from 7-10pm, by Vital Stylz' Chris & Chubby. With artists such as Tre 9, Mark J, Truth, Agerman and Jah Word, they were spitting real game...in the name of Jesus. It was pumped! The concert was well received by an audience that was obviously feeling the moment, many of whom had had never experienced gospel hip-hop at this level.

The Conclusion:
All attendees believed The Bridging the Gap conference was truly an overall success. It laid the foundation of the importance, relevance and purpose of Holy Hip-Hop. Attendees left the conference with a deeper appreciation of the number one goal in the HHH movement, to reach the lost and minister to the world through a non-traditional yet truly influential way.

"Bridging The Gap - Gospel Hip-Hop Conference 2003 was a true blessing. The fact that God allows individuals to use their talents to minister to the world in ways that can influence the world - has sparked a new revolution and attracted a new generation influenced in the now considered Joshua Inspiration.