Dream In Soul

Word is that Gospel trio 21:03 is in the studio working on their next album. In a recent UStream broadcast they predicted the album would drop in late Spring, so look out for it. Check out a sneak peek of one of their songs “Favor”, and some clips of them in the studio with PAJAM making the song “I Wanna Hear Your Voice” by clicking below.

On SOAR, we want to represent the voices of not only people who are older, who can give wisdom to youth, but also young people whom are experiencing the world each day and can share their testimonies. Samuel Glass is a 14-year-old student who decided a few years ago to begin using his passion for rapping to be a role model to other kids, and to glorify God. He goes by the stage name God’s Prodigy, and in this interview he tells us how he addresses the hardships young people are facing today, especially in the inner-city:

SOAR: Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and where you’re from.

Samuel (God’s Prodigy): I would describe myself as a humble down to earth type of guy. I am outgoing and like to have fun. This year I am entering into the ninth grade. Where I grew up wasn’t the best city to grow up in, which was Montgomery, Alabama it had quite a bit of crime and I would have to say some of the friends I had there weren’t the best and did not have the greatest influences on my life.

SOAR: When did you begin getting passionate about God, and how has that journey been?

GP: I would have to say around the end of my seventh grade year when I was transferred to Christian Fellowship Academy. Since then my journey has been quite hard. For instance people who I thought were good friends have now turned their back on me. They expected me to be the same person I was before and to do the same things. I have to resist the temptations of turning to the ways of the world again and participate in the things my peers are often doing.

SOAR: When did you begin rapping and why did you decide to use your passion for God?

GP: I began in the 3rd or 4th grade. It was at the end of my seventh grade year, I decided rapping for God would be a way to glorify him. It would also allow me to reach out and interact with the youth, and show them that rap does not have to always be about sex, gangs, drugs, violence and degrading females. I have always been passionate about rapping and music in general and I knew that God would be pleased because I was uplifting Him and not me.

SOAR: What are some of the things you see urban youth facing today, or you yourself have faced? What type of message do you want to bring to the youth of today?

GP: I see a lot of people dealing with lust, anger, depression and heartache, because if you look at the latest research conducted, it shows that teen pregnancy is on the rise again, the use of drugs, as well as teenage suicides. It is because of this my message to the youth is basically to just come to God and let Him solve all of your problems of depression and anger. Let Him cast the lustful spirits out of you, because there is nothing too big for God to handle, and that we should not let the devil take this nation to hell in a hand basket.

SOAR: You said before it’s not about being cool because your friends aren’t your judge. Tell us a little bit about that motto, how have you faced peer pressure?

GP: The way that motto came about was because people started trying to pick on me and call me a church boy and telling me I need to start back doing my old things. So I had to resist the temptation by remembering that they don’t have a heaven or hell to put me in. That motto has helped me face peer pressure because it has allowed me to remember that I can’t let my friends dictate my decisions. The things they define as cool are the same things that kept me in trouble. Things I knew GOD was not pleased with.

Click Here to Continue Reading Youth Voices: Repping With Purpose – Interview with God’s Prodigy

For our first SOAR interview, DreaminSoul.com welcomes an “ordinary kid with an extraordinary gift” in music, who is using it for the Lord. 13-year-old Donovan Owens has been singing for a quite while now, and has shared the stage with Gospel artists like Kirk Franklin, Dorinda Clark Cole, J.Moss and 21:03. Donovan recently released his debut album, “All That I Have,” and in the interview he talks about being both a regular kid and Gospel artist…

Listen to a clip from the interview in the video below & click here to read the entire interview on SOAR.

Click here to read the entire interview with Donovan Owens on SOAR.

Find out more about Donovan & hear more of his music on:
His Website: www.donovanowensmusic.com

Myspace: www.myspace.com/donovanowensmusic

Youtube: www.youtube.com/user/DonovanOwensMusic

Rising high in their passion for God and following a heavenly beat, Group 1 Crew inspires generations to live and dream for the Kingdom. "Movin’" is a track from their latest album "Ordinary Dreamers," that won the 2009 Dove Award Winner for Best Rap Hip Hop Album. The song is motivating and upbeat, and the video is just as energetic:

"On your mark, get set, here we go
Time to make your future unfold
And put aside what’s killing your growth
You know what’s best for ya so let’s go
Holla back if you really feel me
Holla back now if you are with me,
No time to waste the clock is tickin’
Enough wishin the walls out of commission, ain’t no superstition
No need to make your own prediction
Your destiny is in your possession
How bad you want it is the question …"

- Group 1 Crew From "Movin’"

Check out these interviews with the members of Group 1 Crew below about their vision, advice for inspiring young artists, and defining moments:

Manwell on what G1C is trying to do for this generation:

"When you put on our pair of sunglasses which is Group 1, you just get a different facet of who God is… Our whole goal is to get people to stop, to look and to fall in love like we did." - Manwell

Blanca gives advice to young artists starting out:

"Stay focused and know that it takes alot of hard work… Know that God knows what’s best for you and He has everything under control, and at the right moment at the right time He will open that right door…" - Blanca

Pablo on a defining moment in his walk with God:

"I developed a passion to want to know just how just God speaks, how Christ walks… I just fell in love with this God and our Savior…" - Pablo

Interview Courtesy of Vimeo and Music Compass.

"…God gave us a new dream that was birth in the idea that our dreams truly are for other peoples dreams to come true. If group 1 sells millions of records and wins a bunch of awards but doesn’t inspire a single person to dream for themselves, then our music meant nothing! Our dream is your dream!!! Success is never fulfilling unless you have someone to share it with…" Manwell in an interview with StereoTruth.net

Connect with Group 1 Crew and share your own dreams with them on their official website, www.group1crew.com and on Myspace at www.myspace.com/groupone.

Group One Crew Bio (From Website)

A self-professed entertainer, a pop diva, and a bona fide producer: that’s the makeup of breakout urban sensation Group 1 Crew, three everyday Latinos who rose above their circumstances and the middle-of the-road to become one of the most exciting aggregates in faith-based music.

Ordinary Dreamers, the trio’s anticipated second album for Fervent Records, shatters any and all preconceptions created by their out-of-the-box, Dove-winning debut, Group 1 Crew, to position itself as one of the most unordinary offerings of the moment—an amalgam of rhythm and rhyme that takes the best of urban pop and hip-hop and turns them upside down.

Continue Reading »

You may have first heard this young talent on Kirk Franklin’s latest album “The Fight of My Life” on the track "A Whole Nation." He was 11-years-old at the time and truly brought the song to life with his powerful vocals, singing about the importance of fathers raising their children.

Now 12-year-old Donovan Owens is releasing an album of his own, and he’s ready to minister to the whole nation with his amazing God-given gifts. Donovan’s debut album “All That I Have” will be released online Saturday, June 20th, by Diversity Records.

On the album Donovan sings about life as a young person, and the difference in his stride: “If I don’t go to every party, and I don’t hang with everybody is that wrong,” he sings on the single “I’ll Be That.” He continues the song standing his ground for God: “I know you’re thinking that its strange that I choose to be this way, when everybody else has gone astray… they can say anything about me, but you’re never gonna break me down.” The song has a cool R&B flavor and a catchy beat, and people of any age can relate to the lyrics. Donovan delivers smooth vocals throughout the album and shows that he’s not new the scene, having performed alongside Gospel greats such as Dorinda Clark-Cole.

On June 20th Donovan will also host an album release concert in his hometown of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, at the Christian Faith Fellowship Church. The concert will include performances by Serita Campbell and Mark Anthony Harris. For full concert details click here.

Visit Donvan’s official website, www.donovanowensmusic.com to pre-order the album, and visit him on Myspace at www.myspace.com/donovanowensmusic to hear the single.

Make sure to show your support for this young artist, as he inspires us that you’re never too young to use your creativity for the Kingdom!