Free Praiz’ if ya want it
Budding gospel rap star set to rock Harris-Stowe Saturday
By Meliqueica Meadows
Of the St. Louis American
With his single “Deliver Me” in heavy rotation on several of the most popular stations in the city and across the country, local gospel hip-hop artist Praiz’ has a lot to be thankful for these days. Even more importantly, his music and the message behind it are touching lives. Praiz’ said the support for his music has been overwhelming and he has scheduled a special performance just to thank the hometown crowd.
The free concert – to be held at Harris-Stowe State University’s Emerson Theater Saturday, October 1 – will feature Praiz’ accompanied by a live band with praise dancers and other local holy hip-hop acts. Special guest hosts for the evening will be Ebony “The Haleluyah Gurl” Walker, “The Hype Man” D. Stone and Warner.
“This is my way of thanking the people of St. Louis for the support they’ve given me with the song ‘Deliver Me’ and the CD orders,” he said.
Undoubtedly, most will turn out to hear the single “Deliver Me,” which is in heavy rotation on several local and national radio stations, but Praiz’ has a little something for everyone. His debut effort, The Take Over, is a blend of holy hip-hop lyrics, trunk-rattling beats and infectious hooks. “The CD speaks different languages,” Praiz’ said. “It has the praise and worship feel, the contemporary feel and it has the street feel.”
The Take Over continues to grow in popularity locally. It is one of the freshest projects to come out of the Lou since you know who, but Praiz’ said he doesn’t mind the musical comparisons to Nelly.
“They call me a rapper even though I’m a singer, but I don’t complain,” he said. “That’s how they relate to what I do, and that’s how they interpret what I do.”
What Praiz’ cares about is that listeners get more than entertainment from his work.
“I tell you my life story and what I’ve been through,” Praiz’ said. “I tell you who I’m representing, who I’m serving and hopefully you will see the light inside what I’m doing.”
Growing up in a musical family, Praiz’ said he gets inspiration from everything around him. He wrote his first song, “Kaboom,” while watching Batman cartoons as a young teen. Now, his songs have a more personal message.
“I started writing, singing and making music all at the same time. It just happened,” he said. “Now, first thing when I wake up in the morning, I’m just hearing music, music and music. I don’t know how it ended up being that way.”
His process for writing “Deliver Me” was as mysterious.
“By the time I started singing ‘Deliver Me,’ it was written in my head already,” Praiz’ said. “The song is like a prayer that I put a melody to: ‘Lord, deliver me from myself. Help me to turn from sin and help me to reach my friends.'”
Now he wins friends and fans with brutal honesty about his past, which includes drinking, smoking and even incarceration. He said when he first started, Christian elders advised him to edit those less desirable facts out of his testimony, but he refused.
“I got to tell it regardless, because somebody out there has been through that or done that and feel like there’s no hope for them,” he said. “It gives them more hope and encouragement and lets them know that they can do it.”
Praiz’ said his musical ministry has not been accepted by everyone in the church community.
“Some people just don’t like rap music, period, but just because you don’t have a personal preference for it doesn’t mean it’s of the devil,” he said.
“If you’re not going to support it, just leave it alone because you don’t know how God is moving. I know certain big pastors have spoken out against the music that we do, but they could really be hindering someone’s ministry. Music is a universal language, and all we’re doing is speaking a different language.”
Praiz’s Oct. 1 concert at Harris-Stowe is free and open to the public. Doors open at 5 p.m. and the concert begins promptly at 6 p.m. For more information, call (314) 488-8360 or visit www.parkinglotpraizbeats.com.
