A gospel hip-hop 411
By Chris King Of the St. Louis American
“When they invite you to go praise in a club, don’t always say no,” Praiz’ was saying to Slugger Roo.
“That’s why I call my thing ‘Parking Lot Praiz Beats.’ We do it in the street or in the church. I hate to sing ‘Deliver Me’ in the church – that’s just preaching to the choir.”
Slugger Roo was really taking that in and nodding, in gradual agreement.
“We’ve got to represent who we are,” Praiz’ said.
“I’m going to take what you said to heart,” Slugger Roo said.
“I’m way too confident in who I am as a Christian to worry about walking into a club,” Praiz’ continued. “If 50 Cent walked into your church, he’s still going to be 50 Cent, right? If you and me can get on Extreme Bling, let’s go!”
Slugger Roo laughed with Praiz, then said, “That makes it all so clear.”
They were sitting across from each other at a restaurant bar, drinking soda, with me in between them, enjoying a beer.
Praiz’ – whose pop gospel single “Deliver Me” tore up St. Louis as an independent, on the strength of its Quiet Storm feel and simple message (“Oh Lord, deliver me from myself”) – was visiting this past weekend from Tallahassee, where he is musical director for a young church.
Slugger Roo had driven over from the East Side to meet Praiz’ while he was in town. I consider him the heir apparent to Praiz’ for local gospel hip-hop (putting aside Marcus T. Flame, whose game is national). I wanted to put them together, see them connect.
Slugger Roo is a self-confessed former gangbanger, who still has a certain swagger from the streets, not to mention gold in his mouth, some bling on his fingers and shiny tips on his braids.
Praiz’, on the other hand, looks like the laid-back, hard-to-impress family man that he is. But he has been grinding on pop gospel for years and has experienced success at a level that Slugger Roo only has begun to glimpse.
“The best thing,” Praiz’ said, “is the women who come up to you after you have performed and say, “The Lord told me you’re my husband. And I say, ‘Did he tell you about my wife, too?’”
Slugger Roo was on fire with Christ and the urgent need to testify – but he also seemed a little agitated about the surprisingly competitive gospel music scene and how hard it can be to break into it.
“I could care less about competition,” Praiz’ said. “If I can’t be on stage, then I don’t need to be on stage. Right now, it seems like I’ve got something to say, so He’s using me.”
Slugger Roo nodded, taking it in, knowing that in one weekend Praiz’ had just been on every major gospel stage on both sides of the river. Now he was going to go back home to Tallahassee, lay low, lead worship services, raise his four kids.
The veteran and the relative newcomer talked shop on CD manufacturers, iTunes, CD Baby, logos, T-shirts.
Slugger Roo had brought Praiz’ a copy of his new CD, and Praiz’ was impressed that dude had done his own logo and graphic design. Slug, on the other hand, was impressed that Praiz’ made many of his own beats. It looked like an unofficial beat-for-logo exchange might be worked out down the road, and who knows what else. They programmed each other’s cell phone numbers into their phones.
Above all, Praiz’ cautioned a fellow independent against the industry side of gospel music.
“The longer you can keep doing it by yourself, the better,” Praiz’ said. “The longer you can keep spending your own money, you’re good.”
Slugger Roo will perform from his new CD, Testimony of Slugger Roo, at 4:30 p.m. Saturday, May 19 at Vintage Vinyl. Check out www.myspace.com/sluggerrooent or www.sluggerroo.com/.
Praiz is at www.myspace.com/praiz and plpb.net.
