Harboring no delusions of grandeur ("People tend to wanna remind me that I've only got one hit, but I know that"), Carlisle sees the "Butterfly" breakthrough as not so much a vote for him personally as a wake-up call from a more mature audience: "I think there's a sleeping giant out there, honestly, that isn't being sung to — adults, 30 to 50, who are busy with careers and responsibility and don't spend weekends in clubs dancing or keep track of the latest trends. Music is accompaniment to our lives...and these people need their lives accompanied as well."

The group God's Property, on the other hand, is firmly aimed at a young demographic. Record executive Claude Lataillade founded B-Rite Music as a joint venture with Interscope (heretofore best known for choristers Snoop, Tupac, and Manson) to create gospel for a more "urban" audience. "We want to broaden the definition of gospel beyond worship music, to music that speaks to everyday issues of life," offers Lataillade. "People say about gangsta rap, 'It speaks to real issues.' But there are other real experiences going on, too, that are not all negative."

One reason Interscope leapt to link with B-Rite was the latter's production deal with Franklin, who produces and guest-stars on the groove-heavy God's Property. "If you want to reach the whole man, you can't just reach the head and not take care of the legs," Franklin says. He hopes to offer an alternative to hip-hop's violence and sexuality. "It ought to make mama feel good to relax and say, 'My baby is bumpin' something in her truck that's talking about Jesus, not listening to some [man]telling her to give up something.'" As Constantine would say: Let's give it up for God.

Originally posted Jul 25, 1997 Published in issue #389 Jul 25, 1997 Order article reprints
Page 1 2

Add your comment

The rules: Keep it clean, and stay on the subject or we might delete your comment. If you see inappropriate language, e-mail us. An asterisk * indicates a required field.

500 characters remaining