Tony Cummings spoke to seminal rappers Noel and Robbie Arthurton, otherwise known as the DYNAMIC TWINS about their years in hip-hop
Tony: The Dynamic Twins really were pioneers of the whole Christian rap thing with groundbreaking albums like 'Word 2 The Wise' and 'No Room 2 Breathe'. Looking at the modern Christian rap scene are you pleased or disappointed with the way it's developed?
Yes we are very pleased to see others using their gifts to reach the
lost.
Tony: You guys seemed to fall off the map
after 'Above The Ground'. Did you retire or were you still
gigging?
We never stop gigging. We hooked up with Rocket Ismail the wide
receiver from the Dallas Cowboys and formed a group called 3 Sons Of
Thunder and made a record. We started gigging under that name, and put
DII/Dynamic Twins on
the back burner. But now we're back on the set ready to spit fire,
bring the Word like a two edged sword and speak life to the
spiritually dead.
Tony: There are some very
interesting themes on 'It's Not Done'. What primary messages are you
trying to communicate to the Church and to the unchurched?
To the Church, the theme on this album comes from Acts 20: 24, "But
none of these things move me neither count I my life dear unto myself,
so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry which I
received from the Lord Jesus, to testify the Gospel of the grace of
God." Though it seems we were gone off the scene, we were ministering
in other avenues. Our job here on earth as Christians is not done, and
it will never be done until the Lord returns. When Jesus died on the
cross and was buried, the people thought he was finished. All the
miracles and this so-called talk of everlasting life was finished, all
his work was done. But when he rose from the dead everyone knew it was
not done, it was the beginning. To the unchurched; there is still
hope. Jesus died, was buried and rose from the dead for you. He's
coming back for you.
Tony: There still seems to
be a huge lack of radio exposure for Christian hip-hop. Why do you
think that is so?
Well if you think about it, who are the ones that financially support most Christian radio? It's the adults. Most Christian adults listen to contemporary music and most teens listen to rock or rap music. We all know that most teenagers are not going to send money to support Christian radio, they struggle to earn money in the first place. A few years ago I went to several Christian radio stations and asked the station manager, "Why don't you play rock and rap, or why did you stop playing rock and rap, or why don't you play more or rock and rap?" Their reply was, "Well, we just don't get enough support for it; or it just doesn't fit in our format." That is why most of our Christian teens and some adults still listen to secular radio, because they can't get their musical preference from Christian radio.
The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.