Among the many Christian gangsta rap artists that popped up in the late '90s, Str8 Young Gangstaz came out of South Central with a sound that was heavily reminiscent of Dr. Dre's early-'90s work for Death Row Records. Put together by rapper Big Tone for his G-Like Records, Str8 Young Gangstaz were born out of Tone's conversion to Christianity in... [+] Read More

Among the many Christian gangsta rap artists that popped up in the late '90s, Str8 Young Gangstaz came out of South Central with a sound that was heavily reminiscent of Dr. Dre's early-'90s work for Death Row Records. Put together by rapper Big Tone for his G-Like Records, Str8 Young Gangstaz were born out of Tone's conversion to Christianity in the spring of 1991. It was in church that he met many of his future collaborators, who also came out of South Central looking for an alternative to the murder- and money-oriented lyrics of their nationally infamous rap scene. As his associates began to start groups in the area, Tone turned to rappers Low-Key and Duv Mac to help him spread his message. Purposefully aping Dre's production style in order to appeal to fans of the genre, Str8 Young Gangstaz released Tha Movement in the fall of 1999, followed by a string of appearances at Christian music festivals over the next few years. ~ Bradley Torreano, All Music Guide [-] Hide

The Gospel Gangstaz comprised DJ Dove, Chilly Chill, Tic Toc, and Mr. Solo, all onetime Los Angeles gang-bangers who later spread the Lord's message via the hard beats and gritty rhymes of the West Coast rap sound. Debuting in 1994 with Gang Affiliated, the group returned two years later with Do or Die; I Can See Clearly Now followed in 1999. ~...

The Gospel Gangstaz comprised DJ Dove, Chilly Chill, Tic Toc, and Mr. Solo, all onetime Los Angeles gang-bangers who later spread the Lord's message via the hard beats and gritty rhymes of the West Coast rap sound. Debuting in 1994 with Gang Affiliated, the group returned two years later with Do or Die; I Can See Clearly Now followed in 1999. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide [-] Hide

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The California duo of Dave Portillo and Eddie Sierra began rapping in 1985 under the name of Deity, later changing it to 12th Tribe. Influenced by soul and heavy metal, they liked the rap of Kool Moe Dee, Whodini, and the Fat Boys. They took their name from the 12th tribe of Israel -- the Benjamites, mighty warriors -- and released an album in... [+] Read More

The California duo of Dave Portillo and Eddie Sierra began rapping in 1985 under the name of Deity, later changing it to 12th Tribe. Influenced by soul and heavy metal, they liked the rap of Kool Moe Dee, Whodini, and the Fat Boys. They took their name from the 12th tribe of Israel -- the Benjamites, mighty warriors -- and released an album in 1991 for Frontline. They portrayed a tougher image than most Christian rap artists and had a comparatively hard street rap sound. ~ Bil Carpenter, All Music Guide [-] Hide

The first gospel act to incorporate hip-hop influences (though the trio rarely departs from standard pop/rock), dc Talk became one of the most popular groups in Christian contemporary music during the mid-'90s, when their fourth album, Jesus Freak, made the highest debut for a gospel act on Billboard's album charts. Formed in Washington, D.C.,... [+] Read More

The first gospel act to incorporate hip-hop influences (though the trio rarely departs from standard pop/rock), dc Talk became one of the most popular groups in Christian contemporary music during the mid-'90s, when their fourth album, Jesus Freak, made the highest debut for a gospel act on Billboard's album charts. Formed in Washington, D.C., during the late '80s, the group first comprised Toby McKeehan and Michael Tait. Adding Kevin Max Smith to the lineup soon after, the group added elements of hip-hop to their self-titled debut album, which appeared in 1988 on the ForeFront label. Neither McKeehan, Tait, nor Smith were comfortable playing instruments on their recordings, so each recorded only vocals by the time of 1991's Nu Thang. After the release of Free at Last just one year later, dc Talk concentrated on touring for several years, during which a change of image resulted in the group's resemblance to a grunge band. Indeed, 1995's Jesus Freak featured more raging guitars, though within the medium of harmonic pop/rock. Upon its release, Jesus Freak sold more copies than any gospel album in history and eventually moved over one million copies. Supernatural followed in 1998. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide [-] Hide

Knowledge Is the Tribe of Life, the 12th Tribe debut, was produced, engineered, and mixed by master urban dance musician Scott Blackwell, who easily moves into the hard, funky side of Christian rap here. There are 15 rhymes on war, peace, and knowing God. The sound is very Black, very hard, with a few metal elements; a good set though not overly... [+] Read More

Knowledge Is the Tribe of Life, the 12th Tribe debut, was produced, engineered, and mixed by master urban dance musician Scott Blackwell, who easily moves into the hard, funky side of Christian rap here. There are 15 rhymes on war, peace, and knowing God. The sound is very Black, very hard, with a few metal elements; a good set though not overly original outside of the gospel music industry. ~ Bil Carpenter, All Music Guide [-] Hide

After building a dedicated following with three albums of Christian hip-hop, dc Talk make a play for crossover success with Jesus Freak. As the title indicates, the group members haven't abandoned their religious base. What they have done is expand their musical palette. Retaining a solid hip-hop foundation, the trio add elements of soul,... [+] Read More

After building a dedicated following with three albums of Christian hip-hop, dc Talk make a play for crossover success with Jesus Freak. As the title indicates, the group members haven't abandoned their religious base. What they have done is expand their musical palette. Retaining a solid hip-hop foundation, the trio add elements of soul, psychedelic rock, and pop, making Jesus Freak their most ambitious album to date. It also happens to be their best. dc Talk fuse their diverse influences together with style and grace, making the music sound seamless. The lyrics frequently avoid standard cliches, managing to celebrate Christianity without sounding preachy. With its musical diversity and well-crafted lyrics, Jesus Freak is the album that will convince secular listeners that dc Talk is worth a listen. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide [-] Hide

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The concept of "God's gangstas" might seem bizarre to some, but that's exactly what you'll find on Tha Movement, the second album by the South Central L.A. Christian rap group Str8 Young Gangstaz. The album follows the common Christian-music approach of aping popular secular styles and simply substituting Christian lyrical content. This approach... [+] Read More

The concept of "God's gangstas" might seem bizarre to some, but that's exactly what you'll find on Tha Movement, the second album by the South Central L.A. Christian rap group Str8 Young Gangstaz. The album follows the common Christian-music approach of aping popular secular styles and simply substituting Christian lyrical content. This approach makes for a juxtaposition that's even stranger than usual when you consider the subject matter of 2Pac and the Dr. Dre-era Death Row Records stable, two influences on the S.Y.G.z' sound so dominant as to make the G-funk grooves, George Clinton samples, and vocal deliveries sound like slavish imitations. That's perfect if you're a Christian listener who greatly enjoys the West Coast rap sound, but can't stomach the hard-edged, sometimes amoral hedonism of the artists who pioneered it; it also might appeal to some secular rap fans who like the sound more than the lyrical content (although it's more difficult to imagine that to be true for this style of music than it would be for other genres). Outsiders may find the album further confirmation of most Christian music's essentially reactionary nature -- calculatedly packaging the message in pre-existing popular sounds and making sure to incorporate "insider" themes and language for credibility, rather than creating new forms of expression a la classic African-American gospel -- but this music isn't aimed at that audience, so it doesn't really matter in the end. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide [-] Hide

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