FLAME

Me and my daughter's favorite rapper is FLAME. I listen to his music on a daily basis, in fact as I am typing this his CD, Our World Fallen is blasting from my stereo! I think people about a mile away can hear the music :)

If you don't know who FLAME is you are either old or musically illiterate :)

So let me introduce you to FLAME

FLAME, a.k.a. Marcus T. Williams-Gray, was born in the inner city streets of St. Louis, Missouri where he was influenced by the Hip-Hop culture. His best friend (his grandmother) was a significant person who helped shaped him - teaching him about life and more importantly, Christianity.

At the age of 16, FLAME’s grandmother passed away. As a result of this event, FLAME began attending church where the Holy Spirit convicted him and he began to diligently seek Christ. FLAME continued to grow spiritually and became heavily involved in ministry at his church.

While in a Christian bookstore, FLAME took notice to the music section. Being part of the Hip-Hop culture and having done secular rap for years, he was drawn to the Gospel Rap area and purchased a CD by Cross Movement. Impressed by the artistic quality of their music and the content, FLAME found the lyrics saturated in Scripture being both encouraging and challenging.

FLAME’s desire to spread the Gospel to those influenced by the Hip-Hop culture grew more intense. In 2000, after being edified through Cross Movement’s music, FLAME made his way to one of their concerts in Chicago. He met the group and provided them a demo CD of his own work. Much to his surprise, he received a call back. Cross Movement began building a relationship with FLAME that was fostered over a couple of years. In 2002, FLAME was invited on the Platinum Souls Tour with Cross Movement.

Shortly after, FLAME was signed to Cross Movement Records and released his self-titled debuted CD nationwide on October 2004. He was the first Christian Rap artist from the Midwest to gain national attention. FLAME released his sophomore album in December 2005 titled REWIND with hit tracks No Silence featuring Lecrae, So Sweet, and the Dove Award nominated Gotta Notice.

FLAME appeared back on the scene in 2007 for an interpretation of the bible’s first story of man, simply laid out for the masses. Stemmed from an eye opening conversation with a neighborhood acquaintance who knew nothing about Adam and Eve, the experience served as inspiration for the OUR WORLD CD Series. Laced with his quick and crucial delivery combed with his southern flair, the OUR WORLD CD Series began with his third album, OUR WORLD

FALLEN. FLAME presented realities of mankind’s spiritual poverty and the grave consequences of a sinful lifestyle – on earth and after death. This successful release peaked to #7 on Billboard's Charts and birthed many hit singles such as MySpace, Shinin', Goodness to Repentance, and many more.

Involved in ministry for more than 10 years through music and preaching nationally at churches, events, and conferences, the 2008 Holy Hip Hop Award Honoree and current Biblical Counseling student at Boyce College (Southern Baptist Theological Seminary), FLAME arises to conclude the dramatic epic began in OUR WORLD FALLEN. This time presenting a study of the redemption process through pensive lyricism, OUR WORLD REDEEMED takes us on a victorious driven journey thus encouraging one to exchange thoughts of despair for redemptive thoughts of deliverance. The album peaked to #5 on Billboard's Charts and still receives many great raves and reviews from critics and supportors, alike.

What I think is really cool is this. One his website FLAME has a doctrinal statement that is longer and more sound then most churches have!

Here are a few sections from his doctrinal statement

The Holy Bible was written by men divinely inspired and is God's revelation of Himself to man. It is a perfect treasure of divine instruction. It has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter. Therefore, all Scripture is totally true and trustworthy. It reveals the principles by which God judges us, and therefore is, and will remain to the end of the world, the true center of Christian union, and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and religious opinions should be tried. All Scripture is a testimony to Christ, who is Himself the focus of divine revelation.

Salvation involves the redemption of the whole man, and is offered freely to all who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, who by His own blood obtained eternal redemption for the believer. In its broadest sense salvation includes regeneration, justification, sanctification, and glorification. There is no salvation apart from personal faith in Jesus Christ as Lord.

A. Regeneration, or the new birth, is a work of God's grace whereby believers become new creatures in Christ Jesus. It is a change of heart wrought by the Holy Spirit through conviction of sin, to which the sinner responds in repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Repentance and faith are inseparable experiences of grace.
Repentance is a genuine turning from sin toward God. Faith is the acceptance of Jesus Christ and commitment of the entire personality to Him as Lord and Saviour.

B. Justification is God's gracious and full acquittal upon principles of His righteousness of all sinners who repent and believe in Christ. Justification brings the believer unto a relationship of peace and favor with God.

C. Sanctification is the experience, beginning in regeneration, by which the believer is set apart to God's purposes, and is enabled to progress toward moral and spiritual maturity through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in him. Growth in grace should continue throughout the regenerate person's life.

D. Glorification is the culmination of salvation and is the final blessed and abiding state of the redeemed.


God's Purpose of Grace

Election is the gracious purpose of God, according to which He regenerates, justifies, sanctifies, and glorifies sinners. It is consistent with the free agency of man, and comprehends all the means in connection with the end. It is the glorious display of God's sovereign goodness, and is infinitely wise, holy, and unchangeable. It excludes boasting and promotes humility.

All true believers endure to the end. Those whom God has accepted in Christ, and sanctified by His Spirit, will never fall away from the state of grace, but shall persevere to the end. Believers may fall into sin through neglect and temptation, whereby they grieve the Spirit, impair their graces and comforts, and bring reproach on the cause of Christ and temporal judgments on themselves; yet they shall be kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation.

Maybe some churches could take the time to read and study a rappers doctrinal statement of faith!

FLAME has put out two albums that everyone should know about

After setting Christian Hip Hop ablaze with his debut self-titled album “FLAME” and his sophomore release “Rewind,” the gritty Midwest Christian Rap artist is back with what promises to be his most engaging project to date! “Our World: Fallen” is the first of a two-CD project to be released by FLAME. “Our World: Fallen” tells the story of a non-believer’s journey to faith in Christ. The story begins when FLAME meets a non-believer at an outreach event and they begin to talk about the message in FLAME’s raps and spills.

The album chronicles their discussions of life’s issues in a fallen world from a Christian worldview as the two become friends. Each song points to a part of the story as FLAME’s fictional friend wrestles with his own confusion and frustration about Christianity. A death in his family causes him to wonder about life after death and to struggle more deeply with the knowledge of his own sinful condition and the hope offered in Jesus. At this point in “Our World: Fallen,” FLAME’s friend begins to ask questions about heaven and hell, and the album ends with his cry for Christ Jesus to be his Savior.

Appealing to the world to receive healing and freedom by Christ Jesus from their weariness and heavy-laden sinful lifestyle and world, “Our World: Fallen” exposes man’s spiritual poverty and the grave consequences of a sinful lifestyle both here on earth and after death. Through songs that express the desires of a seeking soul, the listener vicariously experiences a true search for purpose and meaning in life, and is exhorted to respond to the message of the gospel and come to right thinking about God.

The two-CD project, “Our World: Fallen” and “Our World: Redeemed”, encourages the listener to embrace Christ and go on to live out the Christian faith while learning to apply biblical principles with the ultimate goal of evangelizing and making disciples for Him.

Last year, the lyrical torch bearer FLAME achieved a successful release of OUR WORLD FALLEN – the first of a two-part series. And so the saga continues….

In the sequel OUR WORLD REDEEMED, FLAME concludes the dramatic epic began in OUR WORLD FALLEN, as he presents a study of the redemption process through pensive lyricism while taking us on a victorious driven journey that will exchange the thoughts of despair for redemptive thoughts of deliverance.

OUR WORLD REDEEMED exudes bright, explosive energy with production from Tony Stone, Official and So Hot Productions, along with appearances by Lecrae, shai linne, Iz-Real (from Everyday Process), Trip Lee and Json.

Reinforcing the dire need to accept Jesus Christ as the Way, the Truth and the Life, FLAME ignites his listeners with a passion to live out their purpose according to God’s plan, as believers celebrate the finished work of Christ on the cross and the redemptive work of Christ within a fallen world as we see OUR WORLD REDEEMED.