Lyrycyst
Lyrycyst’s label debut American Dream is a concept album of sorts, designed around a cutting edge combination of rap, hip-hop, pop, and alternative rock, loaded with thematic references to society and spirituality. The Kikstart Records release (which streets October 17 and is distributed nationally through a partnership with Koch Entertainment and Alliant Music Group) is not only an exceptionally ambitious offering, but one that hits home with remarkable relevance for today’s generation and beyond.
“I was up one night during the whole Terri Schiavo situation and was thinking about the state of America,” Lyrycyst remarks, citing that scenario and a post September 11th world as the album’s partial inspiration. “America always seemed to have it so together and appeared so perfect as the place to fulfill your dreams, but in reality, it got swallowed up by all that stuff. Basically, I’m addressing the issues America is facing and want each song to represent a specific issue: poverty, lust, greed, abortion, violence and corruption. It’s more than just clever rhymes and will hopefully give listeners a thought they can take with them.”
The project comes four years after Lyrycyst’s indie disc Broken Chains, which broke out with a bang in the Kansas City area, selling over 3,000 copies and taking the hopeful emcee throughout a whirlwind of local concerts, club dates and collaborations (including regional hero Tech N9NE). And throughout that time (which also included over 100,000 downloads), the singer/songwriter soon saw his distant dreams being conceived in reality, along with all the bells, whistles, bling and green.
“In high school I had pretty low confidence and found hip-hop as a release and way to get ahead,” he admits of a challenged childhood. “I actually first started as a songwriter because I was afraid to get out there and be a white guy rapping, but I worked my butt off and proved to them I could be just as legitimate.”
Despite the eventual success on the outside, Lyrycyst was incredibly desperate on the inside while living with two brothers, his mom (who had him at 15) and her abusive, alcoholic husband. Though she eventually garnered up enough strength to leave the relationship, her family was forced on the run and she turned to dancing to help pay the bills. Though it was fast cash, the night life atmosphere also introduced her to drugs and she soon developed a cocaine addiction.
“Our family was a complete mess and I was already depressed,” he admits. “The good thing was my mom ended up quitting her job dancing and opened up a tanning salon, which became the fastest growing business in the area. But it led to materialism on all of our parts and her drug use got up to a $2,000 a week addiction.”
However, the road to recovery for all parties would soon be in sight thanks to one of Lyrycyst's friends and former classmates who moved a few hours away and invited him for a week long getaway to escape the insanity. Though the two were previous party buddies, Lyrycyst noticed an immediate change in his pal upon the visit, which eventually materialized when Sunday morning rolled around.
“We had a blast all week, but I found it a little strange he didn’t suggest we go out and meet girls or get alcohol,” Lyrycyst recalls. “And then he invited me to church, which seemed really strange, but I figured I’d give it a try since I had nothing left to lose. I went in being completely ignorant because I wasn’t raised in a Christian family and I never even heard about Jesus.”
Even so, his attendance wasn’t just a crash course in Christian education, but the building blocks for a brand new life that came when he accepted the Lord that very Sunday. Lyrycyst quite comically admits not really understanding what an “altar call” was, though he was moved enough by the pastor’s words that day to truly make a silent but active commitment in his heart.
“It literally happened overnight,” Lyrycyst says of his downright deliverance. “I don’t know how, but my faith grew so fast. It was like all I wanted to do was rap for God, get my family on track, and tell others about what I went through. I knew that if I went home, I’d fall back into making beats and hanging with drug dealers, so I actually stayed with Dustin’s family and then moved in with a new youth pastor friend who became a mentor to me.”
Though the complete 24/7 turnaround was a shock for his family and they were skeptical at first, Lyrycyst invited them to his baptism service. His mom and new step dad (a non-Christian, despite growing up as a pastor’s kid) attended as a gesture of support for their son and were visibly moved by his unflinching commitment to Christ. In fact, his example was so strong that they both got saved that day, which in the months to come, produced a domino effect on his brothers.
Such a remarkable testimony, coupled with his seasoned musicianship, quickly landed Lyrycyst a slot on the mission oriented Impact World Tour, which has been showcased in over 40 states and 45 nations across the globe. The newly converted hip-hopper was given the unique opportunity to share his story with thousands on each impact-filled date, while sampling spiritually based selections on appreciative audiences.
“It’s just overwhelming that everything Satan took away, God gave back ten times,” verifies the astounded artist. “I had the most divided family you could ever ask for and we turned out to be loving and inseparable. I was low on confidence and afraid of getting in front of people to the point where I used to lock myself in the bathroom stall to skip school and now I was able to speak and sing in front of thousands with such a major platform. In the past I was horrible relationship-wise, and now I’ve found the love of my life and have gotten married.”
The success kept coming, including first prize placement in the National Christian Artist Talent Search on the Inspiration Network in 2003. From there, a slew of festival and concert appearances popped back up (this time with a decidedly Christian slant) finding Lyrycyst opening for the likes of Relient K, Todd Agnew and Jeremy Camp. And then came the deal with Kikstart Records leading back to the present and providing additional ammunition for the American Dream project. Songs such as “Showbiz,” “New Hit,” “All In Vain” and “So Hard To Love” are sure to resonate with fans of Eminem, Jay-Z, John Reuben and Grits, while the entire album is stacked with culturally applicable examples.
“It just goes to show you that besides my thoughts of the world’s current state, the record also covers a lot of ground that I’ve already walked through first hand,” he relates. “I processed all of those emotions through the idea of people building a house, which always starts with the idea of laying concrete like I did as a new Christian. When I looked back to our concrete roots in America, they were Biblical, which isn’t all that easy to see anymore since we’re fighting so many battles and they all seem to get worse. The problem is every time you remove the original foundation and start filling it in with some other source, the entire house has to fall! I have big dreams for this record and really want kids to know that everything you struggle with and might even blame on God, He can give you back the minute you let Him. He can redeem all the stuff you’ve lost and put the pieces back together again- take it from someone who’s been there before.” |
