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  Hip hop artist Sean Slaughter writes regularly-appearing column for Gospelflava.com on the wide-ranging topic of Gospel hip hop. June 24, 2004 Welcome to Hip-Hop as I see it. This month, I holla'd at K-Drama, the fire spittin' MC from the group out of Cincinnati call T.H.I.S CLICK. They've just released there new album entitled Certified Street Bangers...Underground of Underground (see album review) Sean Slaughter: Where you from homey? K-Drama: Cin-City, Ohio —also known as Cincinnati!  Sean Slaughter: What's the name of your click and what does that stand for?K-Drama: T.H.I.S. Click Records. The acronym stands for, "This Holy Inspirational Society." We believe in this rap game by being holy, we will Inspire a Society to be in 1 Click (The body of Christ). Of course every Christian cannot be on T.H.I.S. Click Records. It's impossible. Despite that, only five people (one new addition to our label being announced soon) are on the label, we promote that if you are in the body of Christ, you are a part of T.H.I.S. Click. Sean Slaughter: What are the age ranges of the group? K-Drama: 14-19 years of age. Sean Slaughter: How did T.H.I.S CLICK form? K-Drama:After I got saved, on November 22nd, 1998, I told God that I didn't just want to be a bump on a log. That's what the average Christian seems to be once they are redeemed. However, I did not want to sit on the sidelines when I could be in the game. Pastor Lott of Victory Outreach Church took me and a few other teens to a youth retreat in Pennsylvania. One night, one of the pastors preaching invited the Holy Ghost in the house and we could feel the power of God. As he was leading us in worship, the pastor told us to ask God not to send us to our cities the same way we left. As I cried out to God, I received the Holy Spirit. I felt a change in my life and course of life. I wanted to become a huge basketball star, but God had changed my plans. My associate Brandon asked me to write a rap to a song that he was going to sing in the talent show that would be held at the retreat. I agreed and also had in mind to buy Snoop Dogg's, "Woof," instrumental from Wal-Mart and write a song to it (despite that, I've never rapped in my life except once in Health class!) However, both plans fell. Well, Friday night, one of the guys in the talent show was a Christian rapper. In fact, he used the "Woof" instrumental to accompany his rhymes. It was so shocking to me and I thought his song was so tight. It was called, "Let's Ride." After I heard that song, I had an idea when I go home to see what kind of song I would have written to that same beat. I got home and started writing. I took some favorite verses from old secular songs I use to give rotation and wrote Christian versions of them. Then I recorded it on my Aunt Dianne's Magnavox boom box and with another boom box playing the instrumental while I sat in the middle.  Then I took that song, and 16 other songs from various artists from Grapetree Records like Prime Minister, Nuwine, DCP, LG Wise, Antonious and more, and made evangelistic tapes to pass out to kids on the street in my neighborhood. When I got feedback from the tapes, they said that they liked the tape I gave them. When I asked them what song was their favorite, they would always say, "Track 3." Well, track 3 was my song. I started a basketball team in a Spring league and pulled kids off the street so that they can do something positive for a change. I would give the tapes to the kids on the team. During the midst of that episode in my life, I had a school assignment in my 8th grade English class to study my career. Well, after I got saved, my career in basketball went out the door (because that wasn't His plan for my life). The Holy Spirit led me to study on a career of business because you can apply any gift or talent to business. While doing this project, I would submit my demo to Grapetree Records, Eternal Funk Records, and other labels and would get no feedback. Although I wasn't ready to get signed to a label, nobody gave me feedback. After doing that assignment, it made me realize that I can start my own independent label. Positive feedback and encouragement from my peers and God's implantation of purpose in my life lead me to start T.H.I.S. Click Records in August of 99.Sean Slaughter: Your new album is called Certified Street Bangers...Underground of Underground. Is this your 1st Official release?] K-Drama:No. This is our 6th release. We have released K-Drama, Threat 2 Society, B.I.G. S.T.E.V.E., Soulchasin, T.H.I.S. Click Records compilation, Next N' Line (which featured Life Row Boys and Street Sweepers), K-Drama with Non-Fiction B.I.G. S.T.E.V.E. with Bout My Ministry and the newest release, Certified Streetbangers: Underground of Underground. Sean Slaughter: Your album has a midwest and slightly East coast feel to it. How would you describe the T.H.I.S CLICK sound? K-Drama:Hmmmmm. The T.H.I.S. Click sound is a combination of Midwest, East coast, & Dirty South along with it's sub genres in each sub-genre. Dirty South rap is subgenre of hip-hop. However, Outkast and Lil Jon have 2 totally different sounds (and their both claiming ATL). I like all genres of music. So I bring all those influences into one pot and that's our recipe to our TCR sound. Sean Slaughter: Did you record in a home studio or pro studio? K-Drama:We use to record in a professional studio until we discovered a home studio that brought a better sound than the so called, "professionals." It doesn't matter  how expensive your rent is and the equipment resting in it. But what really matters is the engineer and how well is his ear as well as how acquainted with his equipment he is.Sean Slaughter: What kind of equipment did you use? K-Drama:For beats, me and Jay Tha Kid use a MPC 2000, Korg Triton, Fruity Loops, various computer programs that we can't reveal to the public (ha ha), a Mackie Mixer, Kenwood Turntable, and our brain which is influenced by 1 Corinthians 12. Sean Slaughter: Who will benefit from your music more, churched kids or street kids? K-Drama:Both, because we subliminally hit both worlds at the same time. I have a passion for newborns because a lot of people get saved and then wonder, "what's next?" I want to help people see what's next by showing them my life on audio. Street kids love our music because we bring the truth of Christ as well as let our flaws be known. Too many Christians are perfect and superheros in their lives, when we all are born in sin and nobody is perfect. The streets just want the truth. They want you to be real. Sean Slaughter: Name 2 secular musical influences and 2 Christian musical influences? K-Drama:My 2 secular influences are No Limit Records (The old no limit records, not the corny New No Limit) and Bone Thugz N Harmony. Bone had great music and P was just hard with it back in the day. He also had tremendous business skills. Just because somebody is secular doesn't make him or her whack because God doesn't dish out whack gifts. However, they are using their gift and talent for the wrong purpose and that's what makes their music whack. I give honor when honor is due. My 2 Christian influences are Mr. Real and Mars ILL. Sean Slaughter: How can Christian hip-hop artist make more of an impact with their music? K-Drama:Making better quality music by learning more about mixing, sampling, and just having an ear for good music. Their are a lot of whack emcees out right now in the Christian industry just like theirs double the amount in the secular industry. But I seem to hear the garbage more than the diamonds. Understanding the audience that we preach to will help us evangelist precisely. Quit competing against each other. We are 1 unit, 1 click, 1 body. I don't want to be the best. I just want to be in the top 10 :). Sean Slaughter: Where do you and T.H.I.S CLICK see itself in 5 years? K-Drama:T.H.I.S. Click envisions prosperity in our ministry and label. Everybody closer to one another and even closer to God. I'll be married in the 5th year. Trust me on that. Our music will be available nationwide on CD (no blue or black on the back). We see ourselves more evolved, but never conforming to the ways of this world. Jesus for eternity.
June 24, 2004 June 2003, July 2003, September 2003, October 2003, January 2004 February 2004 |
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