?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 ain?t 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, I?m
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 D?Apostle.
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.

Ms. L.E. Nichols
Urban Gospel Connection Magazine
ugc-bayarea@...

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