Although he had the entire weekend to pinch himself, there was still plenty of “wow” left in the voice of St. Louis native Marcus Gray, a.k.a. Flame, as he talked about his 2008 Grammy nomination for his Christian hip-hop album Our World Redeemed.
“I’m just excited about it,” Flame said. “The odds were super slim. I didn’t even think in that direction when I was working on the album.”
Buzz and awe have followed him throughout his journey as a faith-based hip-hop artist. But that pales in comparison to the buzz of his phone as he received a text from his manager informing him he had received his first Grammy Award nomination.
Along with Flame, Christian Rock artists After Edmund, tobyMac, Superchick, and Sanctus Real are vying for the coveted award in the Best Rock or Rap Gospel Album category.
“Surreal and unbelievable n those are the words that I would use to describe my feelings right now,” Flame said. “It’s the biggest organization in music n it’s crazy and it’s an experience that barely happens.”
The nod for his fourth studio album changes the game entirely. He now stands alongside superstar Nelly to represent the entire category of local rappers to receive such an honor.
Faith vs. secular aside, the styles of Nelly and Flame couldn’t be more different. Their night-and-day contrast in sound should offer hope to the diverse St. Louis hip-hop community.
“It shows we are being represented on both fronts,” Flame said. “St. Louis cats have a voice in mainstream and Christian hip-hop.”
The true reward for Flame comes in knowing he didn’t have to sacrifice his faith or sell his soul to make his dreams as a rapper come true.
Flame gave his life to Christ at age 16, but admits that he wasn’t so eager to embrace the holy hip-hop scene of the time.
“Before I started doing Christian rap, I disliked it,” Flame said. “I thought the message was tight but I couldn’t get with it artistically.”
According to Flame, years of working on the style and gifted producers who have stepped the game up have improved the genre.
“Christians do have a voice in this industry, and are trying to raise the standard from the stereotype that we usually get,” Flame said.
The genre remains far behind its secular counterpart in record sales and overall popularity. But Flame’s label Cross Movement Records is working to be to Christian Hip-hop what Def Jam was to mainstream rap.
“It happened from a love for music and trying to perfect that gift,” Flame said. “You can’t be whack. The music is parallel with the standard of good hip-hop, period, but positive, hopeful and filled with good news, the news of Jesus Christ.”
The weight of his nomination brings a sobering sense of responsibility.
“It shows that people are listening, and there is a sense of responsibility that comes with the mic,” Flame said. “When you have this mic in your hand and whatever you say, people are listening and they are going to believe what you say to be true. And if you have one thing you have to say, what would it be?”
Two for Long
Flame’s Grammy-nominated album Our World Redeemed was recorded, mixed and mastered by local studio ace Adam Long, who recorded the first St. Lunatics recording and many hundreds of local projects in many genres since.
Remarkably, another album that Long recorded, mixed and mastered also has been nominated for a 2008 Grammy: Gypsy: The Original Broadway Cast Recording. “Nobody deserves that kind of national recognition more than Adam Long,” said local hip-hop and R&B producer Orlando “Pretty Boy” Watson, who worked with Long on 1 Dime and other projects.
The 51st Annual Grammy Awards will air on CBS at 7 p.m. Feb. 8, 2009. For a full listing of the nominees for the 51st Annual Grammy Awards visit www.grammy.com.
For more information on FLAME, visit www.flame314.com, www.myspace.com/flame314 or www.crossmovementrecords.com
