Chicago artists

The Endurer talks life, pain and faith in new album “The Journey”

Published

6 years ago

October 3, 2018

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Chicago based artist Tony Briscoe AKA The Endurer is a youth minister, award winning spoken word artist, emcee, technologist, and proud husband and father. In preparation for the upcoming debut of his new album entitled The Journey, we got a chance to ask The Endurer about inspiration behind this LP and what we can expect to hear.

ASR: What is the theme of The Journey album?

E: The theme of the album is a heavy focus on sharing my life and victories that always follow a struggle, while at the same time addresses some issues pertinent to our current community and political climate.

ASR: Tell us about the process of putting together the album; any collaborations?

E: The process is a life time of work, but specifically once my wife encouraged me to follow my dreams and don’t worry about failure, it was a three-year process. The main collaboration on this album is the song “Soul Restoration” with the wonderful Alicia “Restore” Spikes. She also designed the CD and cover art for the album.

Tony Briscoe, The Endurer, The Journey album

ASR: You cover some heavy themes in this album, what was your motivation to make songs like “He Loves Me” and “Deliverer”?

E: In “Deliverer,” there’s a line that addresses watching my mother get brutalized in my early childhood. I remember her being beat so bad one night that she couldn’t even put on sunglasses to hide how swollen her face was. That’s [also] the driving force behind “He Loves Me.” “Deliverer” was inspired by Eminem’s “Cleaning Out My Closet.” I was in a really dark place with family at the time; the re-emergence of my biological parents in my adult life and the sibling challenges that often arise in those relationships.

“The Lord gave me a gift of the pen and ‘Deliverer’ is part of that expression and keen insight into who I am.

ASR: Do you have a favorite track on this album?

E: “Soul Restoration” is my favorite because it shares [that] without Jesus Christ I am nothing. Every victory, every failure, everything done to me, everything I’ve done to hurt someone else, the Lord has loved and forgiven. His grace, peace, and mercy have covered me. Without Him, I don’t exist and neither does this album.

ASR: What do you want listeners to get from this album?

E: I want them to get a few things: I want them to see that childhood pain and past mistakes do not have to dictate your future. I want them to see that Christ lives and you can have fun, a craft, and a gift and still be a Christian. I want them to walk away with a sense of seriousness about the issues faced [from] childhood abuse, depression, societal problems, [also] a sense of hip hop that is designed to make your heart think as opposed to making [your] legs dance.

ASR: How do you describe the genre of music that your work is in?

E: That’s a very good question. I have it listed into the Christian Hip Hop category because that’s the core of me. I’m not confined to speak on one issue over the other. People who know my life understand that my faith walk is everything to me. For people that are exposed to my music I want them to know and feel that this guy isn’t just spiritual—he’s a Christian and he makes quality music that will provoke thought and light a fire inside them to expose darkness that has kept them bound.

Indeed The Endurer’s tracks on The Journey album are thought provoking and stirring. The transparency in his lyrics take the listener on a journey of self reflection of what God has brought them through in life.

The Journey album is now available on iTunes!

Listen to The Journey Here

Chicago artists

ArtSoul Radio Reviews CW Allen’s The Dream Baby Part II

Published

5 years ago

August 7, 2019

Al-Yejo Asoboyejo

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The Cleveland, Ohio native that has relocated to Chicago, Illinois has put out a new EP that is a continuation of “The Dream Baby” series. In the first Dream Baby EP, we had a chance to learn about CW’s perspective of the Christian HipHop Community, his love for God, and also his continued abundant love for his wife. CW has never shied away from giving his fans a taste of his personal life and inner thoughts. This is exactly what he delivers once again in “The Dream Baby Part II.

Listening to the new EP you will automatically be consumed by beats that will hit you right in the soul, lyrics that are honest, and an overall message that shares the heartbeat of CW Allen and his current life.

Recently CW and his wife got news that they were having a baby girl and just like any other great artist CW, decided to cherish the moment with a song called Everything. This is a song that you will enjoy because CW gets very intimate with us on his thoughts of having a baby girl and not a baby boy.

Another heavy hitting song on CW’s latest EP is Bad Dreams. In Bad Dreams we get an opportunity to walk with CW as he navigates dealing with the loss of a close family member. The music video illustrates what took place and how his younger cousin passed away so suddenly.

Watch Bad Dreams Music Video Here :

Need More Dream Baby Part II?

You can stream and listen to the complete project on all major digital music platforms. If this review has inspired you to take a listen to CW’s latest work leave us a comment below so we can hear about your experience.

Highlighted Lyrics :

So much death in my view I don’t know where to start. I just take it all in but really it tars me apart.

Stay updated on CW Allen here :

Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Website

Chicago artists

Aasha Marie drops new song “Punch”

Published

5 years ago

July 26, 2019

Al-Yejo Asoboyejo

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The sweet sounds that ooze out of this summer time hit is incredible! From the bouncing subtle bassline to the free flowing piano keys. This song possesses so much beauty it’s unbelievable. Aasha Marie, the Chicago born rapper, songwriter, musician, and producer really took charge when adding another classic to her blossoming collection.

The premise of her song “Punch,” is to illustrate the frustrations she battles at her full time day job. Being an independent artist can be very tasking. Having to be your own manager, creative director, booking agent, investor, and sometimes even promoter can definitely pile up on one artist. Most independent artists like Aasha Marie, have to work a day job to pay not only personal bills, but for studio time, beats, recording sessions, photoshoots, music videos, and artwork for each musical project.

Even though it is a lot of work in the beginning stages, the artists who make it big are the ones who remain consistent and keep pumping out quality music. Pretty soon we will be saying the same thing about Aasha, as she continues to chase her dream of being a full time artist.

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” -Dr.Martin Luther King , Jr.

What matters to Aasha is her music and how people are impacted by it. She wants to point her audience to Jesus and also share her testimonies with the world. Lately she has been at venues like SoFar Sounds Chicago, Legacy Conference, The Woodlawn , 3:16 City Youth Church, and Wheaton College.

Watch Aasha Marie Perform Punch Live

If you are looking to get this song on your playlist for a nice vacation with loved ones or to play on your commute to work. You can stream and download “Punch,” on all major digital music platforms.

Highlighted Lyrics :

“Punch the clock, get off, get the bag, get in the lab, push pen to the pad, after I, Punch. “

Connect with Aasha Marie Here :

Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Website

Chicago artists

Justin Martyr Speaks Out On White Man’s Religion

Published

5 years ago

June 16, 2019

Al-Yejo Asoboyejo

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The assumptions and stereotypes of thinking about the “White Man’s Religion” can vary depending on who you speak to. Now when you have the creativity and boldness to speak truth into this topic you start to see those assumptions and stereotypes die out. This is what Chicago based Christian Hip Hop Artist Justin Martyr, has executed in his latest song titled White Man’s Religion. This is the 2nd song he has released leading up into his upcoming project called, NNSM (New Name Same Mission).

In his upcoming project NNSM, you should be expecting a unique blend of genres from boom bap, reggae, and gospel. The first song that was released to kick off this project was Rain Down. The Rain Down music video has hit over 20 thousand views on youtube; while the White Man’s Religion music video is sitting at a nice 11 thousand views currently.

The love and appreciation of Justin Martyrs’ work is not just for show, he truly embodies a man that is running after God’s heart. A quote from his mentor The Ambassador, really helped shape his ministry as a young artist to the seasoned veteran we all are privileged to see today.

The Ambassadors’ Quote : “You want to point people to the one who really is incredible.”

One of many reasons Justin Martyr, stepped into the Christian Hip Hop Community was because of the explicit Christian content he heard from The Ambassador, DA Truth, Flame, Cross Movement, and Lecrae. Hearing the music from these guys inspired him to do the same thing. You can see this is definitely the case while you listen to White Man’s Religion.