Derek Minor Releases Video for his Single "Free" & Tackles The UpRoar : ArtSoulRadio
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Derek Minor Releases Video for his Single “Free” & Tackles The UpRoar

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Award winning hip hop artist Derek Minor released a new visual for his recent single entitled “Free”.  The recent murders of several African-Americans by law enforcement including the killing of Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge, struck a deep chord inside of Minor.  This motivated him to write and produce “Free,” which addresses the violence and disparities in our culture based on race.

“Free,” written, produced, and mastered by Minor within just three hours, conveys the anguish he feels inside, pondering the pain and fear of these experiences and troubling times. The music video for “Free,” which was conceptualized by Minor and directed by Patrick Tohill, was filmed a few days later.

 

Watch The Full Video Below:

 

 

Derek posted the following statement on Twitter (which has since been deleted the platform, but remains on his blog).

“I couldn’t sleep last night so I wrote this song. For the hurt… We shall overcome. God got us. #AltonSterling

 

His statement was followed by an uproar of replies from a few fans who seemed to be unclear on his stance.  In order to give more clarity to those who seemed to misunderstand why he wrote this single, Derek wrote a longer blog post where he shared his heart and explained his perspective and reasons for writing “Free”.

 

Read a portion of that statement here,

“…We’ve seen more content uploaded to the Internet every day. Along with the funny, we’ve also seen some of the darker side of humanity archived on the Internet.  But it was a few weeks ago that I received a very disturbing one.  A friend sends me a link along with a text that said “Not Again.”  It was the video of the death of Alton Sterling.  My heart sank.  I told my wife that I needed to go to the studio.  She knows that’s my safe place.  I just intended on messing around on the keyboard but 3 hours later, the song “FREE” was mastered and on Soundcloud.

Who knew that in the next days we’d see the death of Philando Castille, the death of police officers in Dallas and Baton Rouge, and international terror…”

 

Click here to read the full statement featured on his blog.

 

derek-minor-free

 

Click here to purchase “Free” on iTunes!

All proceeds and contributions connected to this single will be given to The Expectations Project to help end education inequality for students.  Go to http://hopeforstudents.org to get involved in creating positive change in our nation.

ArtSoul Radio is a 24/7, online Christian Radio Station and Entertainment news site promoting new and diverse sounds in Christian music! We highlight both indie and mainstream artists in Contemporary Gospel, Pop, Soul, Hip-Hop, Alternative, and Spoken Word Poetry.

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New Music

116 Releases New Christmas Song, “Silent Night” w/ New Christian AfroBeats Artist Limoblaze:

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Reach Records is kicking off the 2022 holiday, rolling out several 116 singles for your seasonal playlists. First up was “Silent Night (Hush),” featuring Crystal Nicole & Q Parker (112), followed by “Silent Night (Afrobeats),” performed by AfroGospel rising star, Limoblaze, Rehmahz, and Emandiong, with additional vocals by Jordan Dollar. “Silent Night (Afrobeats)” was produced by Happi, Dunnie, Tumeh “DJ Tag” Gailor, and Lasanna “ACE” Harris. Both performances celebrate the birth of Jesus with musical approaches that veer sharply from the classic. 

Since he entered the AfroGospel scene, Limoblaze has blazed the trail globally as one of the leading voices for AfroGospel genre, receiving much industry acclaim and a growing list of accolades! “Limo is the future!” expresses Reach Records’ President & Co-Founder, Lecrae. “He bridges Afrobeats and Gospel! He’s what the industry is missing and what the world needs!”


The Nigerian-born and UK-based musician, singer/songwriter, is a two-time winner of the African Gospel Music and Media Awards (2018, 2019) and received “Best International Act” awards from Premier Gospel (2022) and The Crystals (2019). He recently released a new album, Sunday In Lagos, and announced his signing to US-based label, Reach Records. The album’s first single, “Jireh (My Provider),” was an instant viral hit across all short-form social media platforms resulting in over 110,000 Instagram Reels and over 70,000 Creates on TikTok.

The internet success led to a surge of streams, placing the song on Billboard’s US Afrobeat Song Chart, peaking at #31; Billboard’s Hot Christian Songs chart peaking at #41; Billboard’s Gospel Song Chart peaking at #15. In addition, “Jireh (My Provider) also placed on Spotify’s Top Viral 50 – Nigeria Playlist. On Friday, December 16th, Lecrae and Limoblaze will co-headline Nigeria’s RockFest 2.0 Christian music festival experience to be held at the prestigious Muri Okunola Park in Lagos. The star-studded lineup of performers includes the gifted voices of Ada Ehi, Mercy Chinwo, Frank Edwards, Nosa, Gaise Baba, and more. 

Follow Limoblaze on Social Media:
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/limoblaze_

Facebook.com https://www.facebook.com/limoblaze

Click here to stream “Silent Night.”Click here to stream Sunday In Lagos https://limoblaze.ffm.to/sunday

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ArtSoul Spotlight

Reach Records Signs Rising Christian Afro Beats Artist Limoblaze

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Reach Records recently announced their newest artist Limoblaze! While Reach Records primarily focuses on Hip Hop, they seem to have stepped into a new sound with the signing of this rising Christian Afro Beats artist.

In just a short span, Nigerian born, UK based award-winning musician, singer songwriter, Limoblaze (born Samuel Onwubiko) has received much industry acclaim and is now signing with Reach Records. He is a two-time winner of the African Gospel Music and Media Awards (2018, 2019), Crystal Awards Best International Act Award Winner (2019), and Premier Gospel Awards’ Best International Act winner.

With several bodies of work over the years, including 5 albums: Blind (2016), Before Now (2018), Afrobeats Rap and Jesus (2019), Bridges (2020), and God’s Favourite Baby (2021), Limoblaze has also collaborated with Christian music staples such as Lecrae, Travis Greene, Ada Ehi, and Da’ T.R.U.T.H..

His new EP, Sunday In Lagos, showcases his unique flow over colorful sonics, giving listeners a taste of what it is like to be in Lagos, Nigeria’s capital city, on a day of celebration.

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New Music

WHATUPRG Welcomes You To A New Hollywood with his new KIDS single!

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Millennials and Gen Zs are terms used to describe the people of a certain time. The new generation, coming of age today, isn’t waiting for a tagline. They are emerging into a digital age, during a pandemic, and with World War III looming, redefining themselves.


Today’s generation has grown up with Uber/Lift, Airbnb, YouTube, Instagram, Tik Tok, Snapchat and more. Music, movies, and entertainment are available to them anytime and anywhere. They have always had food delivery, digital map directions, videos and music, and a cloud full of information always at their fingertips. They were raised talking into devices, accessing apps, posting pictures, videos, and music. Everything in this time is new! Even Hollywood is changing and the new Hollywood is about diversification!


Bringing something new and diverse to music is Reach Records artist WHATUPRG, whose name is synonymous with innovation and authenticity. His trademark combination of Latin rhythms, trap hip-hop, flawless lyricism, and captivating storytelling has enshrined him as an elite amongst his peers. When hip-hop artists express their faith, they’re often confined to the CHH genre. RG’s art is prolific, progressive, and challenges the culture in a way too eclectic way for any subgenre’s limitations. “KIDS,” the first from his forthcoming album, New Hollywood, is about setting new standards. He punches over 808 drums and haunting synths while chanting the album’s theme, “We don’t pretend more” and “kids don’t die we go up high.” In this case, high means higher to God, an exalted level. 


Releasing music at one of the wildest, unpredictable times in history, RG has been processing his coming of age while battling depression. Despite personal struggles, he is determined to create beautiful music that shifts the culture. His previous EP’s Pleasant Hill and the self-titled Raul have proven his capability to channel his personal experiences and journey through faith to offer something substantial to the zeitgeist.

RG says of his forthcoming album,
“If people want to call it CHH, then this album is the gospel, according to WHATUPRG. New Hollywood is a place where you don’t have to box yourself in. You can just be yourself. Being yourself is enough.”


Through his lyrics, listeners will find a creative powerhouse who is putting himself in the context of a new generation questioning the role Christianity must play in finding personal and world peace. To all who are weary and heavy burdened, welcome to New Hollywood! 

STREAM THE SINGLE “KIDS” BELOW:


Follow this artist on social media: @WHATUPRG

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