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Guest Post: Exclusive Interview with Christian Rap Group Hostyle Gospel

Big Job Talks Going Viral on Facebook
by Elna Govendor

Known as the investors of Christian Battle Music, the Illinois-based rap trio Hostyle Gospel has been "aggressively advancing hope" since 2003. They've performed on the Bobby Jones Gospel show, and collaborated with the likes of John Givez and Gemstones.


Recently, Hostyle Gospel went viral on Facebook with a mere soundclip of their forthcoming single, "I Am Not The One". Throngs of Christian Hip Hop fans were speculating on the timing of the group's next release.

So, I reached out to Big Job. With "I Am Not The One" on the way, we spoke about the group's past, present and future; their advice for aspiring Christian artists; their favorite pieces of scripture; the possibility of a Hostyle Gospel book; the impact of the Flame versus Katy Perry copyright case; and more.

Our exclusive conversation follows.


1. So, we heard the new track! When's it dropping? And how are you guys? 

We are doing great! All of us are really busy. Yeah, we are definitely releasing that track this year. In fact, it should drop this fall.

2. I loved the collaboration with Gemstones on your single “Clap”. In the future, are you guys planning to work with any other artists? 

Thank you for the love. We had so much fun working with John Givez and Gemstones on our last album. We are currently talking with Shope and 1k Phew about possible future collaborations. 

3. When should we expect a tour?

We are putting together shows in different cities, but as far as a tour goes, we haven’t set one up yet. It’s mostly because of proximity. We all live with our families in different cities from each other and can’t take every church gig that's offered to us. We would like to, but we would be on the road every day of the year, and we don’t think that would be fair to our families. 

4. I heard your interview on Rapzilla about winning awards, and how you don’t think they aren’t necessary for a group to be successful. Why do you guys feel this way? If you were invited to a show, would you attend? 

Award shows are for people, not God. At award shows, people are expected to judge individuals on their art, which they put their blood, sweat and tears into — all to get praise from others, whose opinions shouldn’t matter anyway. John 12:43 informed us: “For they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God.” Don’t get me wrong, it’s good that fans get to see their favorite artists win awards for their hard work, but, for the most part, the award scene isn’t for us and will not be on our to-do list in the foreseeable future. 

5. Which scriptures are you guys currently reading?

I don’t know about the other group members, but most of the time I stay reading The Four Gospels. One of my favorite scriptures is from Luke 12:32 NIV: “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.”

6. What else can we expect from Hostyle Gospel in the future? 

The usual artist stuff — press release photos, maybe some touring, updating on social media pages... One thing we are trying to pursue is writing a book. 

7. Exciting! What would the book be about?

The book would be about the daily grind of being Christian rappers in a non-Christian world.  

EDITOR'S NOTE: We think Praverb (RIP) would've LOVED this idea!

8. Why do you guys feel that there's a need for this type of book?

After reading about the Flame and Katy Perry "Dark Horse" copyright case, we felt that people should be informed about the struggles that Christian artists endure to get fair treatment in the music industry.

9. How do you think the outcome of Flame’s copyright case will affect the music industry?

I don’t think it will have any effect on the music industry. Christian performers have always been treated like they were a plague to the music industry. If you tell someone that you are a Christian artist, people usually say something like, “good for you.” It’s like they don’t care or they think our music isn’t important enough to be considered good music.  

10. That's so unfortunate. What advice would you give other Christian artists?

Keep it real; stop trying to sound like everyone else; keep your message holy; and stay focused on the Lord.



About the Interviewer and Interview

Elna Govendor is a 26-year-old theology student in the College of Bible & Church Ministries at Maranatha Baptist University in Watertown, WI. She is minoring in Journalism and has been writing for seven years. Her favorite musical genre is rap.

At Maranatha Baptist University, all Juniors and Seniors are required to complete a Christian Life, Leadership and Evangelism course, for which there is an assignment to interview a company, sports figure, politician or performer about Christian life, leadership and/or Evangelism, and place the interview with an online or print publisher.

A fan of Praverb.net, Elna reached out to us about posting her interview. We graciously accepted. 

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