Da' T.R.U.T.H. www.datruth.net.

I know you have been asked this question a thousand times, why the name Da' T.R.U.T.H.?  In 1995, when I began rapping for Christ, Islam and other ethnocentric religions were pervasive in the African-American community. As a believer however, I was committed to modeling godliness and contending for the veracity of Christianity. However, my faith was shaken by a Hebrew-Israelite, when he showed me some things in the scriptures that were seeming contradictions. Well, that prompted me to study the scriptures more diligently, so that I would be better equipped and not be stumped whenever I was challenged in that way again.

It was when I began to research the scriptures that I said to myself, “Wait a minute.  The theories and theology that they are forwarding are really just a lie wrapped in a shell of the truth." I then decided that I wanted to give people the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.  Not just a generic truth—like one plus one is two—but truth that has eternal weight and significance that’s uniquely embodied in the person of Christ.

Well, Amen to that!  (laughing)  Praise God.  So, The Faith is your second CD and some of the comments that I’ve heard from people regarding this second CD is that they didn’t think you could top your first CD. Unfortunately, I have not had a chance to listen to The Faith, so tell me about it. 

Wow, oh man. The Faith (laughing) has a lot more character than Moment of Truth—my first one.

What do you mean by that?

I think that from a musical perspective this album has more character than the first one. The production alone is a lot more colorful—a lot more musical. Some of the songs have a rock flavor while others are reminiscent of 1970’s soul. So, even the range of music on this project makes it well-rounded and holistic. I grew up playing drums professionally.  I stayed in New York for a while in 1997 playing with a musical.  I recorded with choirs, played in the all-city jazz band, orchestra and concert band.  I even went to Temple University for three years to study music.

I’m a musician at heart and I allowed for more of that to be expressed in this project.  From a musical stand point, I personally love this album and I think that’s what other people are feeling. People seem to like some of the musical risks that I took.

Yeah you did, I did listen to one of the songs and you’ve got a slow jam on there.

Yeah (Laughing) that's called 2 is Better.  I did take musical risk, but based on the general consensus, it worked.

That’s what the Moment of Truth was basically about.

This album is basically my letter the churches.  Since the release of the Moment of Truth the Lord has given me the grace to minister at many different churches. Although I have loved the experiences, I‘ve mourned at the spiritual condition of my generation. One of the key issues is that they don’t have a firm foundation. The teaching of sound doctrine has given way to activities and messages of positivity and it seems that biblical discipleship has become almost obsolete. The purpose of The Faith is to bring us back to the basics. I wanted to emphasize the things that God emphasizes in scripture but seem to have a low priority in the pulpit and in the pew.

Your first album was released the early part of 2004, correct?  Were you working on some of these new songs and lyrics in 2004?  How long have you been working on this CD?

I started working on it in November.

How are you promoting the CD and getting the message out there?  I know you are involved in several back-to-school rallies.

I’m blessed that my record label—Cross Movement Records—and manager oversee the marketing efforts. I don’t handle all of that myself.

I know one of the best ways to promote it is through concerts and I’m blessed in that I’ve been touring non-stop since last July.  So, that’s been excellent.  Specifically, I was on the “Why Hip Hop?” tour this summer with my Cross Movement Records label-mates and then I did my own tour.  It hasn’t stopped.  It really isn’t an official tour, but I call it one ‘cause it has literally seemed like every other day I was traveling.

I recently did a gig with Kirk Franklin in Texas.  He’s been a great help in pushing it too. (He endorsed the album with a quote.)  The day after The Faith’s release (9/14) I was on “Bobby Jones Gospel.” I didn’t see it, but someone told me about it. There are also other things lined up. You said that you are a musician at heart, so let’s talk about the music and the lyrics.  Do you write all of your music?  How does that work?

For the most part I write all of my music.  I tapped my label-mate Flame for one of the songs on the album called Turn You Around.   He is very good with catchy hooks.  I said, “Flame, give me a hook.”  He gave me a hook in like 20 seconds and it’s wonderful. It worked.  So, I may draw on some people to help with a hook or something like that, but for the most part I write all my lyrics.

And when you write your lyrics, I’m trying to get a feel for how you come up with your lyrics? Do you sit down with a pen and pad?

Well, let me tell you this, everybody writes differently or has a different strategy.  For me, I try to have a tape recorder with me everywhere I go.  Often times I get songs in transit. 

While I’m in the movies, stuff is coming to me.  Sometimes, I may just come up with a line that has no connection to anything but somewhere down the line I find somewhere to put it.  Who knows, it may become the focal point of a new song.  So, as far as my writing style or my approach to writing it’s typically in transit.  It’s hard for me to sit down and write. 

As far as the concepts are concerned, I like to fill in the gaps. For instance, many Christian Hip-Hop artists have already tackled the crucifixion of Christ.  So, on my Moment of Truth album I wanted to highlight the resurrection. 

Again, my focus for The Faith was placing necessary emphasis on that which has become low priority in the church but is a high priority in the scriptures.  So, that’s helpful in my writing.  What’s missing, that’s what I like to write about. I'm going to skip around a little bit because I want to touch on something you said about high priority in scripture and not necessarily taught across the pulpit. .

I work with young people and one of the things I find—especially during the back-to-school season—is that young people are facing some very tough issues nowadays.

The ABC’s of school are no longer Reading, Writing and Arithmetic, but when they go to school and walk down the hall ways the A’s represent abortion, the B’s represent bi-sexuality, C represent condoms, confusion, everything.  What do you say to ministers or youth pastors about hitting those real issues that kids are facing when they go to school? 

We see kids go to Back-to-School rallies, they come to mid-week services and church on Sunday and are on fire, but they lose it when they are in school. How do they keep that fire?

I think what we are dealing with are fundamental problems—bedrock issues.  When you list the issues—condoms, abortion and peer pressure—those are obviously valid challenges for our generation.  However, I am utterly convinced that these aren’t the issues.  There are more foundational issues—root causes that are not dealt with.  Everything else is just a branch to that tree.

From a biblical perspective, one of the issues is a failure to make disciples.   There is always a back-to-school rally; there is always a hallelujah party. The word says, go ye therefore and make disciples (Matthew 28:19).  He modeled to the disciples by taking them under His wing and using every opportunity He had to school them by teaching them the patterns, ways, interests and passions of God.  The bible says, teach them to observe my way, because there is a way that seems right to man but the end is death (Proverbs 12:15).  Then there is the way of God.

There is a failure, I think on the part of our leaders to teach our youth the ways of God, the patterns of God, the interest of God, the passions of God, the thoughts of God, the mind of God.  Instead of teaching them that, they throw parties. So, they only provide them with alternatives that satisfy them for a moment.  So, I think this is the number one issue.  We don’t have any disciples.   We don’t have people that are taught to pursue God whole heartedly—taught to research the scriptures and study the bible.  We’re not too young to study the bible. God told parents to brand the scriptures on the souls of their kids, when they rise, during the day, and when going to bed. Back then they had this thing called a phylactery.

This was a black box with the law in it that they would put on every single door in their house. They would tie it around their arms, legs and heads so that they would always have a constant reminder of the law of God impressed on them.

The church has got power; it’s not a recreational facility.  The church is the place where people come—young and old—to fellowship with the people of God, praise God and to know who God is. 
All of our leaders need to equip the saints for the work of the ministry.  That has been lost because we have been coming up with humanly devised ways to keep kids off the streets and we aren’t teaching them who God is or what is required for their righteous living in school or wherever.

Almost two weeks ago I had an opportunity to interview Pastor Jamal Bryant and he almost mimicked the exact same thing you said about making disciples.

You see, that’s confirmation.  I’ve never heard him a day in my life.

You also mentioned you started rapping at the age of 16 years old, who influenced you or was it always in you?

No, it was not in me at all.  Matter of fact (laughing), I have a very funny story.  I didn’t like Christian rap.  I didn’t like rap period.  I was sort of an old soul—into Commissioned.  I grew up in a Christian home so that’s what my parents played—that’s what I liked.  I liked the Winans. I even liked Anita Baker.  I was thirteen, fourteen listening to that stuff.

I didn’t like rap, though I found some aspects of the culture to be cool.  I just didn’t like the art form. It wasn’t my preferred genre.   

At sixteen, I was with my friend TWyse.  We were in my basement making fun of some Christian rappers.  While we were making fun of them, we both started saying to ourselves, “I feel pretty good doing this.”

He went home that night and I went into my basement when he left and I started writing.  As soon as he got home he called me and told me he started writing something and I said, “Dude, me too.”  (laughing) That next day we formed a group.  Our first gig was at a church lawn service and I did the whole thing with my eyes closed.  That was the beginning of what is now a crazy unbelievable ministry. You also mentioned that you grew up in a family that worshipped God.  Tell me about that. My mother and father raised me in the fear and admonition of the Lord.  I wasn’t a big reader when I was younger and I guess my parents knew that and they used to lace me with bible stories on tape—like the story of Jonah, Moses, Abraham, Daniel and the Hebrew boys.  I was intrigued—five years old hearing about three men being thrown into a fire.

I would listen to the tapes every night.  Kids like fantasy.  Kids like the unbelievable.  That was better than watching the Transformers or GI Joe.  I was simultaneously being surrounded and exposed to Christian thought. 

My father was a pastor—so, I was going to church every Wednesday to bible study and Sunday for worship.  My sister and my mom facilitated a women’s fellowship—so, I would see them hosting a bible study. 

Every night, I was expected to know a bible verse at the dinner table.  I had a stack of cards with verses on them.  I would read those and learn them.  By the time I was five, I knew the word and literally knew what I was doing when I asked Christ into my life.

And they named you Emanuel.

Absolutely.  I believe they got saved the year I was born.

You mentioned that you were a pastor's kid, so that brings on a whole different set of issues.  Especially when it comes to school and how PK'S act when they are not around their parents or in church. So, what kind of student were you?
  
I wasn’t a great student.  I didn’t really surrender my life until I was fourteen—my freshman year.  From five to fourteen I felt peer pressure, but the difference between me and a lot of people I talk to today is that I had a sense of the jealousy of God.  Even when I would succumb to peer pressure, I still sensed the hand of God on me.  When I would curse, I was convicted.  I was begging for forgiveness as a kid. 

Even at fourteen it was still that gradual process of sanctification.  I was still wrestling but in my eleventh grade year I was resolved like Daniel “not to eat at the King’s table.”  That’s when I decided to become a model representative of Christ.

My last question is a statistic that I would like to read to you:  8% of thirteen to sixteen year olds have had casual sex.  This is based on a study that was done by NBC and People Magazine a few years ago so I think the number is probably higher.  I believe that this is due to some of the explicit videos that are shown on 106 Park and BET that kids are looking at every single day.  They are watching this every day, going through their eye gates and into their hearts.  So the guys want girls who look like Ciara and dress provocatively.  The girls want the thug-type boyfriends like 50 Cent.  What do you think about this?

I think what you think.  In additional to that, I am not the type of person that rushes to blaming Satan for stuff.  But for this instance, because the scriptures teach that for a season he's the prince and power of the air, he's given distinction for reigning on the earth.  He's in control of this world’s system.  The philosophy of this world, the perspective of this world, the patterns of this world, the preoccupation with business and success—it’s all due to thinking that emanates from the sinful nature. 

One of things that Satan does in using the Jay-Zs, 50s, Bow Wows, Ciaras, Omarions of this world and everybody else is that he paints a glorious picture without showing you the clause in the contract. 
He only shows you the good stuff in the contract.  It is good, because the bible says it.  The bible says sin is what for a moment?  Pleasurable.  Right?  So there is something good about it.  It feels good, tastes good.  For a moment though.  But what it doesn't show you is the clause in the contract.  God exposes it like this, "there is a way that seems right to a man, but the end thereof is death."  They never see the flip side; they only see the glory of it.  They never see the consequences.  At best they experience consequences like pregnancy—but some girls want that.  But of course they don't see their boyfriends leaving them or being cooped up in an apartment by themselves with no support from the man.

But check this out; this is Truth talking, okay.  I don't advocate condoms.  I don't tell Christians to use condoms and say, "If you are going to do it, you might as well use protection."  I don't believe that.  Because at the end of the day, for the Christian, we ought not to be looking for ways to cushion our sin or the consequences of sin. 

At the end of the day, this is about how God views what we are doing.  It's not about whether or not people are going to find out we are doing it when the consequences or the fruit of it shows up.  It's about the fact that God is displeased with it.  I say that to say, for Christians the consequence is more than just getting pregnant, it's more than just contracting a disease.  For the Christian, the consequence is you've broken God’s heart. Because people know you are a saint, you've painted another caricature of Him before people who are looking at you to determine what He looks like. 

Whew... I can go on and on but I pray that God will continue to bless your ministry.  Thank you for taking time out of your schedule to talk with us.

No problem, thank you.