Who is Gibrann?

Mark the name.

Gibraan has done guest spots on many albums from Unity Klan’s Big J to Kelli Williams to Jah Word to underground holy hip hop masters such as RedCloud and Reality. He was featured on the MSS Dynasty Hostile Takeover project from 2001.

If you’ve seen Tonéx on stage, you’ve no doubt seen Gibraan, as he’s one of the artist’s dancers.

Now Gibraan is slinging us his own stuff, solo style. So who is this guy, and what is his mission?

"My vision is to revolutionize the culture of hip hop. I just want to bring the pure word of God to it, and my vision is to do it through Mockinbyrd Slang."

"It’s not just about the MCing, not totally about lyrical talent or production, but about the whole presentation and how everything comes to the people. Everything that I ever received I received through through audio and visual, like it is for most young people. It is so subtle."

"So that’s what I’m trying to do with Gibraan (General Infinite Beyond Rhymes and Any Nonsense). I’m bringing the anointing and the Word into people’s lives so they can understand."

"Hip Hop is not the only place where I want to advance the kingdom, but I will start through this music."

"Mockingbyrd Slang is a dictionary for the albums [which will follow]. The rest of the albums are total concept albums, purposed in God. I am trying to revolutionize the genre of music whether it’s Gospel or Hip Hop period."

"I’m tired of getting picked up and people are blasting Jay-Z. I’m not hating on him, but I can’t really worship at church when the person that drove me to church is listening to “Jigga jigga that, jigga this”."

"I’m trying to be the alternative for people to listening to. Even if they are drawn to T-Boy’s tracks [on my project], that’s fine."

"At the same time, it’s all Word and Spirit. Whether it’s a slow process or immediate, I think that it’s going to bring glory to God."

How did you hook up with T-Boy?

"That’s all God how we hooked up. I met T-Boy in I-Hop after I had just got saved, like in 98'. When I was in the world, we met through this hip hop function called the Underground Improv, and he came and did a set."

"He just came into a secular event in the worst area and put it down. When I saw him at I-Hop, I told him that my boy Reality is on his label (see album review), and I appreciated what he did at the Improv. That was it."

"When Reality was doing True Knights, it wasn’t for his own CD, but for the MSS Dynasty album before it even materialized. Tonéx took the track and asked us to flip it."

Mockingbyrd Slang

Ministry is ever-present on Mockinbyrd Slang, with such songs as the rapture-themed, “Lonely Christmas”. Over a nice slow "boom bip", Gibraan tells a vivid story of what it would be like if he were to be left behind. Tonéx lends his voice to the track and gives us his best impression of some Clark Sisters runs.... Click on the above album cover to connect with the full review.

"I also got a chance to write on Reality’s album. That was the first time that I worked with T-Boy, and it just flowed. After that, he called me to work on Kelli Williams’ album. He had someone pick me up and take me to the studio, and I did my verse in like ten minutes. We worked good together."

"T-boy then called me to work on Big J’s album, whom I was best friends with in 7th and 8th grades. We really got tight when Tonéx did a movie called, To Each His Own. I believe that To Each His Own should be released simultaneously with Tonéx' O2 album, it should really be released on DVD."

Lay down some stories for us on what it’s like working with T-Boy.

"If ya’ll knew Tonéx/T-boy’s catalogue and how many albums that he had, you would trip out. O2 is only his second release."

"He has no ritual that he goes through [for songwriting]. We might go get something to eat and come back. He’ll get up and leave the room. Once he’s gone for like ten minutes, you know that he’s working on a track."

"He’ll have his headphones on. Once he gets his basic drum pattern down, he’ll throw the head phones off and he’ll play it out loud."

"I’ll ask him what’s that for. He’ll tell me that 'it’s for you, Gibraan', or 'it’s for Zsa Zsa'."

"Tonéx has crazy vision. Once it’s starts flowing, it never stops. We did 6 tracks for my album in one night, as far as productions goes. He had already completed “Lonely Christmas” and wanted me to do a story to it."

Albums With Gibraan Cameos

Click on the above album covers to connect with the respective reviews. Each project features Gibraan in some capacity.

"Once he completed that song, he was like, ‘Let’s make another one.'"

"I believes that he taps into Eternity. It’s huh. It’s bananas to see the Spirit of Creativity flowing through T-Boy like that. It’s nothing to him, it’s like breathing for him."

"Even if he’s working on another project, he’ll ask me what I think about a song. I tell him to do his thing. It’s been a blessing to be able to build and learn from him."

Let’s talk about some of your songs on Mockingbyrd Slang.

"I like to provoke thought and have people stop and think about situations. Like in “Lonely Christmas”. If the rapture was to take place in that situation, just snap out of yourself and take a look at it. It will make you appreciate your days more."

"'Beyond Rhymes' was originally titled 'Beyond the Veil', but I wanted to draw people’s attention to the title of the song. It’s about intimacy and true worship. When we did that track, we wanted to do a straight praise and worship track."

"I’ve experienced seasons of rhyming and doing it in the local church, but it was a hard thing because people don’t understand hip hop, the culture and rap music. I’ve been told that it’s not of God. So I wanted to do that song to show that you can praise and worship through hip hop. It’s an anointing on that song."

"When T-boy made the track, we worshiped for over an hour. I sometimes have to skip the song because it causes me to go in. I never had a hip hop song do that for me. I thank God that He allowed me to be free in the spirit when I recorded that track."

What’s the reasoning behind the naming “Afghan Borders and Bloodstained Banners”?

"It’s focusing on current events, and saying don’t worry about wars. It all boils down to the kingdom of God. Let’s focus on the kingdom."

"The chorus says that ‘they might want to, but they can’t bang with us’. It’s not necessarily saying that the Afghans can’t bang with us. It’s like, things can’t take place in the natural before it takes place in the spiritual. We are above these principalities and powers."

"I’m filled with a promise, so what can you do? Just for His name’s sake alone, I’m covered. We are operating on Kingdom time. I wrote the first verse on September 10, 2001."

What about the slang that’s used throughout the album? Drop us some schooling on that.

"Ninjaz is adopted from Northern Cali. E-40 and Saafir uses Ninjaz, we borrowed it from Pac and say it to mean ‘Not Ignorant In Jesus Approaching Zion”. Me and my boys have head bands that say “N.I.N.J.A.Z.’ on it. It’s just a fun click that anybody can hang out with."

"The young people are misunderstood by the old people in the church, but they are not rebellious. They are submitted to authority. N.I.N.J.A.Z. is also a good substitute for the word, ‘nigga’."

"Do your thizzle is “Do you thing”. I use the slang to hide the Spirit in the song. I can say “in the streets why everybody’s po. Everyone can identify with that. There is a lot of broke people."

"Then, ‘Chrome tippy toed’ That’s like Daytons on a 84 Cadillac. Now I got everyone’s attention that is familiar with what I just said. The people that I am supposed to reach, I know that they will listen to and what they will not listen to."

"Then I say, “The light shines on…’. Who’s the Light? Jesus Christ. I can’t go to a gang banger and tell them that something that they might say is not edifying. They don’t know about edification or about church ordinances. They need to understand that God loves them and they can be redeemed."

"Then, they can understand the abundance that they will have once they are reconciled to Christ. You don’t want to push people away. I’m not trying to water anything down, but at the same time I’m not going to lose in trying to be some holy rider and saying ‘you’re not riding right. The slang is an attention getter."

"Nobody preached at me when I got saved. Someone invited me to a bible study and I had just I finished drinking Alaze. I got suited up like I was going to see some girls. Everyone was lifting their hands. I played along. Then I saw manifestations in people who I know were some of the worst gang bangers."

"Then I asked Jesus to help me. It was the true Spirit of God and love that drew me to repentance and kept me in sound mind long enough to give my life to God. I pray that when cats see me, they see the characteristics of God, so His Spirit can draw them."

"That’s what I am trying to do in my music. I’m not trying to be this super Christian on the microphone. That’s not me."

How did you get hooked up with Syntax Records?

"There’s a local function called ChristJam, put on by DJ Psalms 150. We go to the same church, New Birth Christian Fellowship, and they threw functions there. People from Syntax Records would come around and do their thing."

"I was real big on the underground scene. A couple guys on their label was saying that they need to get with me and make an album. At the time, I didn’t know what I was going to do. MSS was folding, and Nureau Ink was being established. I was rolling with Tonéx and he told me to go ahead and do something. So I have a good one album deal with Syntax. I’m not even on contract anymore. That’s a blessing that they received the album."

"I wanted to put out Passion and Honey. I want to do the production myself, but I put that back and did Mockinbyrd Slang instead."


There you have it. It looks like we will be hearing a lot more from Gibraan and Nureau Ink. Stay tuned for the Mockinbyrd Projects.