C-SCRIPTURE: Just To Let You Know - Release Set For SATURDAY

First and foremost, here is the track-list to “Just To Let You Know”, feast your eyes:

1. Intro

2. Outside

3. Just To Let You Know ft. Jeremiah

4. 60 Barz

5. Tell 'em [Fire] ft. Perfect Marvel

6. Changes

7. Come Back ft. Jeremiah

8. Step It Up ft. Omri

9. Twilight_Bonus Track

            If you have not heard of Omri, then maybe you might be more familiar with Shai Linne’s album “Attributes of God” in which there is a single titled “The Omni’s” also featuring Andy Mineo and Giano. I think this is a very good feature and it does our Malawian music scene very well. As yet, ephsix11 seems to be doing very well and working hard in stretching its tent across the globe in featuring a variety of international artists. To check out more about Omri please see http://www.isix5.com.

The Single That You Have NOT Heard (THIS SINGLE WILL BE RELEASED ON FRIDAY):

            Just To Let You Know ft. Jeremiah: I won’t talk about the production aspects to this track because I was given an unmixed copy of it – one of the perks of being a reviewer is getting a first listen to many unreleased singles and only hope that by the time the track comes out for the public it will be a healthy mix. But I can talk about other technical issues: the song has two well-rounded verses by C-Scripture; it always amazes me that his delivery is as strong as it is. He keeps up in both verses without slacking but I prefer his first verse more than his second. I think he is a rapper who tries to bring you into his thoughts as opposed to bringing his thoughts out to you – there is a difference because it affects how the artist will choose to communicate himself, as a result, the second verse is a little trickier to understand because of his style. Or better explained: it is as though he gives you pieces to a puzzle and lets you arrange them into order instead of giving you an already arranged puzzle. Secondly, am glad that Jeremiah’s contribution to this track was restricted to the hooks. The hook is really addictive and addictive and addictive. It almost feels as though the song production was tailored around the hook because they complement each other very nicely. Bottom line: the title track is good!

The Single That You Have Heard:

            Tell Em’ (Fire) ft. Perfect Marvel: At first I was a little apprehensive at the feature but now I am a firm believer: the boy can hold his own! What you have on this track is today’s generation mixing it up with tomorrow’s mouthpiece and the dawn is almost upon us. C-Scripture has been busy indeed, to have acquired lyrical back-up of this caliber (and the Omri feature) is no small effort. I hope that many more artists in Malawi can pick up on this work ethic and do more to establish themselves. “Tell Em’” is such a sucker punch and after having heard two singles I am eagerly expectant of what is in store. I personally am waiting for the Omri feature, and “60 Barz” – if it is what I think it is then it should be an indicator as to C-Scripture’s lyrical capabilities.

            The project will be released on the 29^th of December, check out ALL social media for download links. You can also catch C-Scripture as he ministers at BBC (Blantyre Baptist Church) for Youth-fest 2012 on the same day.

For more on C-Scripture please see www.reverbnation.com/cscripture or www.soundclick.com/cscripture for an alternative link

To download “Tell em’ (fire) ft. Perfect Marvel see http://www.reverbnation.com/open_graph/song/155955496

Follow on twitter:

Rowland Masi @rowmasi

Micheal C-Scipture Chipwanya @scripture39

For more on Malawi music please see http://www.elevationmg.net/arts/

Sharp Iron: GOSPLE'S V-DAY 12-12-12

Sharp Iron: GOSPLE'S V-DAY 12-12-12: V oila: in this re V iew, a V eteran un V eils the V isage off his V ery latest to V i V ify and to V anquish all fears in- V ain that...

GOSPLE'S V-DAY 12-12-12

Voila: in this reView, a Veteran unVeils the Visage off his Very latest to ViVify and to Vanquish all fears in-Vain that his Vacancy in the country has left a Vacuum so Void that only he could Validate. Vanished but Valued for his Verbose, this artist has transformed like water into Vapor, inVariably his Venture has allowed him Variety beyond our ViVid imaginations. The Vault has been opened and the Valuables have been released. Veins Varicose and eVen the Ventricular shall rupture when the Verbs, Verbals, Verbalism, and Verbalizations reVerberate Verdantly into our ears. Vertebrates hang Vertically, unable to lie flat, too Vexed to wait for what is a Viable Vibe. “Victors and not Victims” is the message of the promo Video; a Versus battle in a Vietnamese enVironment, and to View it is a pleasure. A story of Vigilance over the Villain to Vindicate; a story enVisioned by the Vine through the branch. Roses are red, Violets are not; Violence leaves red, but Virtue is Vital. I Vow that this single will be good like Vitamins. You may call it Volcanic, not Vulgar; able to transfer Volts in Volumes. You may call it many things but just call it “V”!

HERE IS THE VIDEO: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F06aoIUTTPc

enjoy!!!

Email: thagosple@gmail.com

Website: www.gosple.net

Twitter: @thagosple

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Gosple/193400657517?fref=ts

Reverbnation: www.reverbnation.com/thagosple99

ephSIX11 RELEASES PRESS STATEMENT FOR GOSPLE'S "V"

       
Gosple’s Single and Video Release “V” 
NEW SINGLE RELEASE – On 12.12.12 at 12pm Gosple releases his single “V” from the forth coming album titled “V”. thagosple@gmail.com, www.gosple.net
Africa is getting ready to make its mark in Christian HipHop and one of the artists to lead this movement is Malawi’s Gosple. After opening for Lecrae and the 116 Crew and touring with the UK’s Xist Music artist Jahaziel and Tru2daname, Gosple is getting ready to release his FIFTH album starting with a single and video and the album to follow in 2013.
Gosple (God’s Own Servant Presenting Lyrical Evangelism), one of the most well- known African Christian MCs is set to release his 5th album “V”.  This album follows the 2011 release of “The Spokesman” which supported Reach Records Unashamed Tour in Malawi featuring UK’s and Xist Music Recording artist Jahaziel and Preacherboy’s Tru2daname.  Known by many as G.O (God’s own) Gosple has always brought a fresh sound without taking away the seriousness of his message. His discography includes the 2003 release titled The Death That Gave Life, in 2008 his second album, Krossed Out and in 2010 his third album, Time Such As This. The fifth album titled “V” is set to reach all of Africa and as well as other international scenes with many collaborations.
The first single to be released is the album title song “V” which was recorded and filmed in London, UK. The song is Gosple’s reflection of being a Christian for such a long time and recalling the many highs and lows that we go through in the Faith. After 10 years of being a Christian and everyday feeling like a new one and going through failure and triumph, it’s amazing to know that God still maintains my strong stand.
“My name is Gosple from Malawi/ First rapped back in the day when they released Atari/ In ministry riding on Streets like a Harley/ They say they rap like animals, we bring the whole safari” lyrics from the new single, V. 
For more information, promo requests or to set up an interview with Gosple please contact:   Email: thagosple@gmail.com Website: www.gosple.net Twitter: @thagosple Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Gosple/193400657517?fref=ts
Our Faith Our Culture



Tomorrow Sharp Iron Review will release a "V" Exclusive of its own by 9am so wait for that!

ARTIST INTERVIEW: C-SCRIPTURE "WANTS TO LET YOU KNOW"

Michael “C-Scripture” Chiphwanya (@scripture39) was born 5 June 1994 in Blantyre, Malawi. Having grown up in a rich musical environment, music was never too far from his ears…or his fingertips because he would start to write at the tender age of 8. Growing up, Michael would face one of the most critical times of his life: the death of his grandmother in 2009 with whom he was closest to. It was during this time that the young Michael would turn to alcohol and even attempted suicide to relieve his hurt. It is in these most trying of situations that more often than not God can be seen behind the heavy clouds of depression and sure enough, as a baby in the faith, Michael witnessed the grace of God – his suicide attempt failed and he saw this as God reaching out to him in love. Later that same year, Michael would be introduced to the Christian record label “Ephsix11”. Michael recalls: “I was first told about ephsix11 late in 2009 by Lusayo Mhango and was asked to consider rolling with them brothers, 3 months later is when I finally joined them…” The label, founded in 2006 by Aubrey and Alice Mvula means that C-Scripture is label mates with Gosple, Just Alice, Sayo, and Duwa. With a new project, “Just To Let You Know”, set to be released on the 29^th of December 2012, no wonder I had an acute interest in the 18 year old rapper from Blantyre. With a single out for the project titled "Come back" featuring Jeremiah, C-Scripture's up-coming project promises to be a hit! He has shown he can hold his own with the best of them having opened stages for the U.K’s Jahaziel Elliot and Christian “True2daName” Gabriel whilst on tour in Malawi for Gosple’s “Spokesman” Tour. The release of the project (which he calls neither an e.p or a mix-tape but a preview) will entirely be online so look out for the links to be put out on all social media. I only hope that there will be download options that allow for wholesale downloads (via mediafire, for example). I have listened to Michael’s earlier work, his delivery is sharp and his content is a reflection of discipleship and Christian fellowship – I hope that production will be more diverse though. I particularly like his voice projection and his vocal range. This project shall show whether or not ephsix11 can manage the young rapper because most of his earlier work has flown over people’s heads due to poor promo and proper public dissemination. Also, if this project delivers what it is promising then it should be packaged into CD’s, it is expensive but it communicates seriousness about the craft and the ministry. Whilst doing my homework on C-Scripture, I found an insightful look into the album written by C-Scripture himself, please see http://www.reverbnation.com/page_object/page_object_blogs/artist_1365411?blog_id=6865539 Here is an exclusive interview that I hope you will enjoy:

How Did You Get Your Rap-Name?

            It came up at bible study because I never allowed an argument that was not based on scripture.

 

How Did You Come Up With The Title of Your Project?

            The title “JUST TO LET YOU KNOW” was inspired by my family and some of the problems we have gone through, the ill-health of my dad and the frustrations that followed at the time. So its “just to let you know” what my life is like.

 

How Would You describe Your Music? And Why Should People Listen To You?

My music can be described as my journey in the faith and my life because from the first day I wrote a rhyme it has always been my life that I portray. I write so my listener can relate to my most hidden thoughts so that they may find a way to express their own thoughts and pour ‘em out to God honestly and not putting up a 'Christian' act and pretending it’s all good knowing deep down it aint. I say people got listen and walk out their comfort zone and face reality, God's reality.

Explain Your Project…

My project is a “summing-up” of a picture of a grim reality and my faith in it,
a step into my life; the first chapter in the series of ALL OF GRACE and SCATTERED SCARS.

Who Would You Say Has Influenced You Musically? And What Role Has Discipleship Played In Your Music Ministry?

My music has a great influence from Perfect Marvel, David, Braille & Odd Thomas.
Discipleship has taught me to be real with God not a plastic fake living for other people; discipleship taught me that the measure of one's character, whether it is true or deceptive is between them and God but I gotta examine myself regardless, and build with God on a personal basis.

 

For more on C-Scripture please see www.reverbnation.com/cscripture or www.soundclick.com/cscripture for an alternative link

 

Follow on twitter @rowmasi

ARTHUR PHIRI's "A WORD TO THE WISE"

                Today on Sharp Iron, Arthur takes over and shares his heart, check it out!

 

To young cats who just got saved and have this amazing gift of writing music and rapping: don’t rush to get on wax before you have been discipled, grown and matured enough to know the word of God and present it in a way that won’t eisegete (take it out of context in application). People are listening to your stuff and following you and if what we give them isn’t the accurate word of God we will lead them astray. At the same time I know how hip hop is full of pride and those who do it have a sort of ‘’swag” and are seen as cool, and Holy hip-hop is not exempt. Through discipleship you will learn obedience, humility and gain an understanding that it’s not about the music or the gift but about God. Watch your gifting carefully and take care that it doesn’t take the place of God. I have a heart for discipleship and teaching and I have seen the importance of it and that’s why I will always stress this: ‘’GROWTH’’.

Secondly to the Pioneers who have been there, we have such a great responsibility to preserve the movement and guide the youngen’s coming behind us. We ought to be teachers and leaders and demonstrate the maturity and life of Christ for all to see. I was pleased to hear David’s song, ‘’as you grow’’, which for me captured my heart and the way I am feeling right now but what I was most glad about was the fact that a pioneer stood up to address the areas where we have lost it. Some might not like it but it is necessary and I think more should be said and done.

Thirdly, to the entire movement: I will borrow some lines from Lecrae’s song “after the music stops”, ‘’after the show/after the sets/after the music stops, what’s next…?’’. In everything we do I hope we are not just focused on the shows and outreaches but we actually are doing more beyond these things. For me, being of service at my church home (Kairos) where I am an elder in training and teaching membership class as well as leading a home cell group is far more important than the 5 minutes I spend on stage. You see, off the stage it’s about life on life and spending more time with people. So as people with the gift of music I hope we have fully submitted ourselves to God and our churches and we are also serving in church. I hope the music will only make 10% of your life and the 90% is spent serving God in the church and ministering to people’s needs. Stop trying to be all cool and “swagged out” and die a little and walk with that cross on your back and the humility of Christ, people are going to hell every day. Think them, not you!

Much Love,

                                             Arthur

  

S.A' s JAY and CHRISTER: BACK 2 HIGHSKOOL - THE INTERVIEW

                Hip-hop has produced many collabs, some good and others not-so-good. When you hear a collaborative effort in a song you keep an ear out for “who did better than the other”, even listeners of "holy" hip-hop weigh artists in the same way (others will consider my statement as counter-productive due to the nature of the music; some will say “it’s supposed to be complimentary and the message is what is more important – and I will agree). However, we tend to listen to holy hip hop with “that” type of ear regardless of the fact that it is “holy” hip-hop. More often than not, collab efforts will leave you feeling as though one rapper contributed better than another and instead of denying the reality it is better to accept it and encourage our rappers towards improvement and constructive growth. So when Jay and Christer announced they would be releasing a collaborative project my first reaction was "who would sound the most...different?" I AM GLAD TO ANNOUNCE THAT THIS MIX-TAPE HAS DELIVERED A CONSISTANT COLLAB EFFORT! Both Jay and Christer gave their best and at times I confused the two – but Jay has a deeper toned voice – they both have a great style of delivery and lyrical ability; they were cut from the same clothe having grown up together and both sharing a passion to make Christ known to the masses. The mix-tape was released digitally on 1 December 2012 (here are the links: http://www.chekadigital.co.za/the-hangout-presents-back-2-highskool-mixtape/ and my favorite link: http://www.mediafire.com/?7ydy2fale0dq127 . Before its release, Jay and Christer leaked the "Oh Snap" single which did its job to create anticipation for the mix-tape; straight up head-banger with some chop-and-screw on the hook, this song was a public declaration announcing their presence in the game - go hard or go home! Bottom line, these two play off each other creatively very nicely.
                 Something that Malawi could learn here about the digital release process for this mix-tape is that “Back to Highskool” could (and still can) be downloaded as a whole at one time. It was uploaded as a zip folder; this was very convenient because I didn’t have to download a track at a time which is time consuming (perhaps that would be more feasible for mobile users so t have the option for both would be perfect). Here is the interview which is LONG overdue, please expect the mix-tape review later titled “BACK 2 HIGHSKOOL – THE VERDICT!” Finally, I would like for Malawi to embrace holy music from the rest of Africa so that we can grow our ministries and our platform may increase to ears that have never heard the gospel before. Enjoy the interview and be informed.

 

Introduce yourselves and tell us how y'all met…

Christer: My name is Christer kobedi. Jay and I basically grew up together. I have known him since I opened my eyes. He is the one that got me interested in rap; he has been rapping since I was 10! (@ItsChrister)

Jay: Hey! Am Kenneth "Jay" Makopo. I started rapping at around the age of 12, 13 but I stopped when I turned 16 because I focused on dancing during that time. I only started getting serious about music last year. I'm currently 21 and Christer is 18. We are both solo artists but we come from a group called "The Hangout" a.k.a Trill Mobb. We're hoping to see Christer drop an album next year, if not then the year after that. I've been in Australia for 2 years in Hillsong International Leadership College studying youth ministry. My studies come to an end this year and then I'm going to work for my church full-time and work on music! (@JayMakopo)

 

What is the “Hangout”? Trill Mobb? And explain “Back 2 Highskool”?

Christer: The hangout, that's the crew. #TrillMob is the movement. Trill/Treal is a combination of true and real. We wanna do music that glorifies God and relates to mainstream fans. We just wanna keep it true and keep it real yet at the end of the day we glorify God.
So at the hangout, it's just young people who come together and "hang out" with each other and that is just where real life happens...We are true and real with each other.
So back to high school is a mix-tape, the heart behind it is to just stay young and real! Remember that you can have fun in Christ, we are called to be upright, but not uptight... So even though we walking the faith, we don't HAVE to be acting weird to be considered holy. We can still be ourselves and have a great time in Christ! "Oh snap" is also just a fun track! But at the end of the day it's about us saying that we are here and we about to go HARD for The Lord. One way of relating to folks who are not Christian is actually just simply having a great time and being human!
So we just keep it true, keep it real! #TrillMob.

 

Should the listening community consider you two as a rap duo?

Christer: We are not a rap duo at all. We just felt we should do a collab project together coz we share the same heart and vision, still not sure what God has in store for the future but we are not a crew... Individually, I write songs, produce, and rap. I started playing keyboard at the age of 12 then went on to production at the age of 15, and started rapping at 16  

 

Do you have discography outside of the “Back to Highskool” mix-tape?

Jay: Sure thing, Christer has a mix-tape titled “I am Christer” which was released in November of 2011.Here is the link: http://christermusic.tumblr.com/post/16654879974/i-am-christer-mixtape-tracklisting-free

For work by me see the following links: HazzadasMove remix : http://www.mediafire.com/?y9i97t5vx0czold and Jaylousy remix: http://www.mediafire.com/?w6c2cq8w8w3dl38

 

@rowmasi
for other international reviews and interviews see this blog
for more on Malawi music see http://www.elevationmg.net/arts/