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Blog: Hostyle Gospel (The Best Kept Secret)
What if I told you there's a Christian rap group out in the music world that's been in existence for 12 years and has produced four mixtapes, three studio albums, has been at mega churches all across the United States, and has shared the stage with gospel recording artists like KB, Da truth, Flame, MC Jic, Canton Jones, Christon Gray, and many others. But what if I also told you that same group isn't a household name and when anyone refers to this group they only can refer to them as the best kept secret in Christian hip-hop today. Although this group is referred to as a secret in Christian hip-hop today, we feel after this report, no one would refer to them as a secret anymore.
Hostile, is describe as unfriendly, unkind, unsympathetic or rancorous. Often when the word hostile is used we don't associate grace, mercy or peace with it. However this is how the group Hostyle gospel from central Illinois describes themselves. Though they reference the gospel as hostile; hostile is merely the method in which they deliver their message.
Hostyle gospel Ministries originated in 2003 from a local central Illinois men's group call the Elite M.O.C. (Men of Christ). The Elite MOC was a group of seven men from cities around the Central Illinois area. The group focused on building up young Christian men and addressing issues in their communities. The Elite MOC also focused on grooming their members into future ministers, by instructing them how to use their gifts from God, learning about wisdom and teaching them how to orchestrate bible studies from scratch.
The group continued producing, writing and working on their relationship with God. On May 31, 2007 Hostyle Gospel released their first studio album entitled Let Me At Em. Let Me At Em introduced the world into the Hostyle Gospel sound, which is describe as war or battle music. When planning this album, Hostyle Gospel wanted to show Christians that Satan shouldn't be looked upon as a joke, but rather as an adversary out to destroy their lives. The single Let Me At Em was recorded as a song to motivate and directed Christians to strike against Satan on the battlefield beside their Christian brothers and sisters in everyday life situations.
Hostyle Gospel followed Let Me At Em with two more mixtapes in 2008. Jesus Side Rider, the first of the two, was released as an upbeat album; using Billboard Top 20 songs as a focal point for writing their music. The group changed up hooks and lyrics to some of the songs to meet the needs of their music. The second of the mixtapes released in 2008 was entitled Five Star Generals. This mixtape also used instrumentals from the Billboard Top 20; however the mood was much different than Jesus Side Rider. Five Star Generals hooks and lyrics were more forceful and came across as angry in some of their tracks. Although criticized by some for their aggressive lyrics, Hostyle Gospel considered Five Star Generals their best mixtape ever released.
After taking some time off for family life, Hostyle Gospel recorded their second studio album entitled Immortal Combat. The album was released to the public in January 11, 2011. When planning this album Hostyle Gospel tried to express their musical gifts as well as creating a music atmosphere that everyone could relate to. They Inc. praise songs like, Coming Back Again, Calling Out and Glory, battle music like Christian VIP, DHB and Tell Satan It’s On, and they also did some experimentation with poetry letters written in the form of music. In 2012 the group released their four mixtape The Calm. The mixtape returned to its upbeat style that was shown on the Jesus Side Rider mixtape. To this day, it is still their most downloaded mixtape.
In 2013, Hostyle Gospel’s album Desperation was released. The idea behind the album was to demonstrate a broken world and how it was in need of a savior. The album included more family bass situations and more encouraging music for the weak at heart. Desperation produced two music videos, Monsters and Break, which was selected to be on Vevo. Monsters talked about how we as Christians need to conquer our enemies and how we should take control and by putting a stop Satan's plans. While Break prepared Christians to worship and break free of all the bondage that weighs down their lives.
Now, there you have it. Once consider the best kept secret in Christian hip-hop, now no longer a secret anymore. When someone ask you who is Hostyle Gospel? You can reply to them, a group with an impressive past but has the potential for a brighter future.
Find out more at hostylegospel.com
