Free hip-hop beat/instrumental - Celebrating 300k views

A couple of days back, True Vine Productions hit and passed the 300,000 views mark.
That's a big deal to me and I am very grateful.
To some, it might not seem like much, but considering that I have never advertised this blog and do next to nothing to promote it, that's a big deal; I am favoured by God and so is True Vine Productions.

Anyways, I decided to give something back to you guys who keep on coming back to visit.
Some of you might know I'm a rapper, but I'm a producer as well. #ProudlyCanadian

I decided to give away one of my beats that was put up for sale.
So feel free to download it and use if you're a rapper or singer. If you're not one, download it and send it to your rapper or singer friend... or just listen to it till you're tired of it.

The free beat? Pause

Story behind it? Pause is simply me reminiscing God's goodness and kindness to me and this website. I'm grateful. God says in Psalms 46:10 "Be still and know that I'm God and I will be exalted". That's real talk.

Enjoy ;)

Da' T.R.U.T.H gives advice to aspiring full-time artists

Da' T.R.U.T.H posted this on his facebook page.
The update was geared at aspiring rappers, singers, etc who want to do music full-time but cannot at the moment for various reasons.
The post is very encouraging:

Another thing that I want aspiring Christian artist to know:1. Don't leave work prematurely to pursue full time music ministry!!I am no stranger to being at a job that I did not like while having a burning desire to do what I loved ( music ministry). I remember being depressed at work sometimes and frustrated with God because I so desired to be free to serve in a full time capacity. Some of you can relate to this because your cubicle feels like solitary confinement. I want to encourage you to continue to " work diligently with your hands" and serve your master (boss), not with lip service but as unto the Lord (Titus) until God releases you. There was a time when I thought it was time for me to go full time into the music ministry but once I sought counsel about it, I was advised not to do it. Bottom line... I wasn't ready yet!!!This was very discouraging for me at the time but in hindsight, I'm glad I waited because God developed the necessary character in me and put all the right pieces in place while I waited. It wasn't until two years later that I was actually released by God to get busy. In the meantime I worked and served him faithfully in areas that I could. I see too many artist leave their Jobs prematurely. If you really feel called to full time music ministry, before you leave your job I'd recommend you:1.Seek counsel from leadership in your life, not just friends2. Make sure you can sustain yourself financially, not borrowing from people to make ends meet. Embedded in the call there is always provision3. Make sure you have character that runs deep. Don't let talent take you where character can't keep you4. Consider the fact that there is often times a gap between the call( burn, burden,desire) and the going. It was 40 yrs between the call and ministry of Moses, many years of suffering for David between the time he was anointed and actually becoming King. Lastly, Jesus didn't start his ministry until he was 30. 
Be patient my brothers and sisters, "God is good to those that wait on Him". 

Like I said, encouraging words. They were to me at least.

@ViktoryR4 - The Fa Realer (feat. Fedel) Official Video

Hotness all round. "That's really got that authentic feel!". Viktory features Fedel on this hype song.
Yeah we were sinners, Christ, He forgives us, Jesus rules everything around, Tha Fa Realer; That's real 100% authentic.

The Fa Realer is the latest single of the R4 album from Viktory available now on iTunes!
http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/r4-relentless-4ever/id513398901

Viktory - The Fa Realer (feat. Fedel) Official Music Video



Video screenshots

The Golden rule? Where is it in the Bible?

This post is sort of a continuation of my last one.
I want to clear the air and tell the truth the way it is.

There is a golden rule (if you want to call it that) in the Bible, but it is not that "You shall love your neighbour as yourself".

The Golden rule is this: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind."

Proof:
It's in the pudding... I mean Bible:
Matthew 22:37-40
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

So there you have it.

If there's one Golden rule, it is to put God [and His commandments first] then love your fellow humans.
Notice that it says All the law and prophets hang [or are derived or based on] those two commandments? ;)

That is what Jesus Christ actually showed us by sacrificing Himself on our behalf.

Selah

Agree With The President??? GAY MARRIAGE @PWILLIE1 @truevined

If you've been on True Vine Productions before, you've seen my other posts on homosexuality. My stance has not changed on that, which means that as much as I like President Barack Obama and respect him, I don't agree with his stance on marriage; Marriage is between a man and woman only.

Pray for the president.

Here's a video, funny but real, addressing the same issue:

Agree With The President??? GAY MARRIAGE

Download Lecrae's new mixtape "Church Clothes" now

Lecrae's first mixtape ever "Church Clothes" is scheduled for release today, May 10, 2012.
You can listen to it below by streaming it or downloading it (via datpiff).
Many believe this will be a game-changer within our circles, others anticipate hearing Lecrae go hard while others are on the fence.

Check the tracklist & album artwork below: DOWNLOAD "CHURCH CLOTHES" NOW.

Tracklist:
1. Co-Sign (Prod by Heat Academy)
2. APB ft. Thi'sl (Prod. by Charlie Heat/Sarah J)
3. Church Clothes (Prod. by Wit)
4. Cold World ft. Tasha Catour (Prod. by Street Symphony)
5. Welcome To H-Town ft. Tedashii & Dre Murray (Prod. by Wit)
6. Inspiration (Prod. by Wit)
7. Rise (Prod. by 9th Wonder)
8. Darkest Hour ft. No Malice (Prod. by ThaInnaCircle)
9. Black Rose (Prod. by Tyshane)
10. The Price of Life ft. Andy Mineo & Co Campbell (Prod. by Symbolyc One "S1")
11. Special ft. Lester "L2" Shaw (Prod. by ThaInnaCircle)
12. No Regrets ft. Suzy Rock (Prod. by Big Juice/Street Symphony)
13. Gimme A Second (Prod. by Boi-1da)
14. Long Time Coming ft. Swoope (Prod. by 9th Wonder)
15. Misconception ft. Propaganda, Braille, & Odd Thomas (Prod. by Courtland Urbano)
16. Spazz (Prod. by Charlie Heat/Sarah J)
17. Sacrifice (Prod. by Red On The Beat/Sarah J)
18. Rejects (Prod. by Tha Kracken!)

Trip Lee - Fallin Ft. J. Paul OFFICIAL VIDEO (@triplee116 @reachrecords)

Reach Records does it again. Here's the official music video for Trip Lee's second single for his new album "The Good Life" feat. J. Paul called "Fallin".

One word: Fantasy.
Second word: Grace.
Third Word: God.

Watch the video, and you'll see why I chose those 3 words ;) The quality of this video is just wow!!

Trip Lee - Fallin Ft. J. Paul OFFICIAL VIDEO (@triplee116 @reachrecords)

Lecrae - Church Clothes - OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO (@lecrae)

Here's the official music video for Lecrae's song "Church Clothes", the title-track and lead single for his mixtape coming out in a few days "Church Clothes".

The mixtape features production from heavyweights like 9th Wonder, Boi-1da, and Street Symphony and will feature Tedashii, Andy Mineo and No Malice (Formally Malice of the Clipse).

Mark your calendars; May 10th is the date.

City on a hill - T-shirt - Please vote for an awesome concept

Hey regular readers and visitors of True Vine Productions,
I entered a t-shirt design for a contest; it could eventually be on www.c28.com so I'll need as many of you as possible who read this to please go vote for it. See the design below.

The message is good: From Matthew 5:14 - You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.
Click here to vote (http://www.canvasthreads.com/DesignDetails.aspx?id=9312). Thanks a lot.

You can preferably create an account to vote for the design (a high number means you like it and vice versa) or click the facebook "Like" button on the page/link ;)

Here's the t-shirt design:

Here are some color variations for the t-shirt; the final version could be on any of these colors.

"Church Clothes" - Title track (Single) from Lecrae's new mixtape

Here's the title-track "Church Clothes" from Lecrae's new mixtape "Church Clothes".

Here's what Lecrae said about the mixtape:
“This mixtape is aimed at the mainstream and is raw uncut hip-hop,” states Lecrae. “This is totally different from my past releases and I hope can build a bridge between my current fans and create new ones.”

Listen to "Church Clothes" below:

Produced by: Wit

What are your thoughts on the single? Beat and lyrics too.

Lecrae - Church Clothes - Official Mixtape Cover released

Reach Records has released the official cover for Lecrae's mixtape "Church Clothes" coming out May 10, 2012. Check it out #Wow

More Details:
 It will be hosted by DJ Don Cannon and will feature guest appearances from No Malice (Formally Malice of the Clipse) plus heavyweight production from 9th Wonder, Boi-1da, and Street Symphony. It will serve as the warm up for his new full length album Gravity which will drop this fall.

Source: Dasouth

KJ-52 - They Like Me ft. Lecrae - Official Music Video

It's finally here.
The music video for a collab years in the making, between two of Christian hip-hop's biggest artists - KJ-52 and Lecrae. They Like Me from KJ-52's album "Dangerous" featuring Lecrae was an awesome song to hear.
The video does not disappoint either; We love love love it. Enjoy ;)

KJ-52 - They Like Me ft. Lecrae - Official Music Video 

A healthy take on Trayvon Martin and George Zimmerman

I will be saying some things that may offend some people; black, white, Christian and non-Christians.
I will be speaking the truth. Let's get it into it.

THE STORY:
The death of Trayvon Martin, who I believe (although I cannot say for certain because I wasn't there and am not God either) was murdered by George Zimmerman has brought to light a heart condition. A heart condition that we all try to believe (and sometimes lie to ourselves) is non-existent.

But first things first, I'll say this: I do not hate George Zimmerman.
It would be easy to; I am black. And I'm not psycho either; it's not alright to murder someone.

Yes, George Zimmerman was wrong and he disregarded authorities telling him to stop following Trayvon.
The right thing to do will be to lock him up and throw away the key right? Yes? I beg to differ.

Why are we "perfect people" first to condemn a man who's imperfection is now in the public eye?
Even better, why are "Christians" acting out in hate towards a man they don't know... and even to an entire race in general (this applies to all human races)?
We seem to have forgotten that we were saved from condemnation for something much worse than what Zimmerman did.

You see, Trayvon Martin's death has shed a bright light on our hearts concerning one another. Many of us have not truly forgiven someone, or maybe an entire race.
- Have we truly forgiven the people whose ancestors were racist?
- Have we forgiven ourselves for being racist or feeling guilty because our ancestors were racist?
- Can we truly forgive someone for hurting us?

If someone truly has been saved from sin and truly knows the extent of this great mercy of salvation, that person will not kill. That person will not hate anyone from any race.


This post is not about Racism. I'm talking about sin: an evil heart condition in man that wants to go against everything God wants. Sin makes people kill. Sin makes people hate other people; to be racist.

If you're truly saved, you cannot hate your fellow man. And the Bible says hate is as bad as murder (Matthew 5:21-22).


Yes, it is a lot easier to forgive a man who didn't murder someone I remotely know off, but I pray for grace to forgive this easily and even more so when needed.

A HEALTHY TAKE ON IT:
Don't hate Trayvon or George Zimmerman.
Forgive George Zimmerman if you need to. Pray for him; we all need to.
Pray for Trayvon's family. We all should.
If George Zimmerman asks God for forgiveness, God will forgive him. God might even let him get off scot-free and we should all be cool with that.

KJ-52 "They Like Me" Ft. Lecrae - Official Music Video Teaser

Click here to watch the Video


I didn't see this coming. KJ-52 is shooting a music video for his song with Lecrae.
I mean, first the song that's been anticipated for years by fans was finally done on Dangerous, now to add more sugar to the honey, a video for the song too? AAaaahhh :D
I'm excited to say the least.
Check back here on the 25th of April, 2012 to see the full video.

APRIL 25th, 2012 - Spread the word.

Ladies... Break Up Music...Let it GO!!! @Pwillie1

Willie Moore Jr strikes again with another video for the ladies.
He basically is challenging ladies to control what they let into their ears and hearts through music.
The wrong kind of music (music that doesn't glorify God) can desensitize us from the bad things we should hate as Christians.

Music, like Willie says, is the soundtrack to your life. So make sure you're playing the right ones.
Don't be afraid to get rid of the crap on your iPod, computer or mp3 player; I did some years back and have changed for the better... flat out. :D

Ladies... Break Up Music...Let it GO!!! @Pwillie1

Tupac Hologram - What's the big deal?

Facts about 2Pac (Tupac):
Tupac was an icon in his time.
Tupac helped put hip-hop on the map.
Tupac was talented.
Tupac, though dead, still sells more albums than many rappers today.
Tupac was not a role model.
Tupac was not a good man.

I've definitely hit some nerves saying that. Feel free to lash out publicly in the comments, or privately on twitter.
But the truth remains and is this: That Tupac as well as almost any other hip-hop legend [like Biggie and co.] were bad influences on both the young and old.
I love hip-hop; I am a rapper, but I am not (and by God's grace will never be) a fan of hip-hop that promotes evil.
Tupac's music almost always promotes evil in one way or another, and except you're crazy insane, you will agree that we don't need more evil influences in our society. #ExcuseMyHonesty

What is evil?
Hate. Murder. Immorality. Lack of self control, etc.

We already have enough artists doing this in 2012. We don't need a money-hungry company to fake-resurrect a dead rapper and feed more filth into the heads of my generation. Yes, I said filth... or do you prefer garbage?

What's the big deal? It's just one rapper.
Now if you think for one second that the company behind this (Digital Domain Media Group Inc.) will be satisfied with fake-resurrecting Tupac, sorry madam/fella, you're deluding yourself.
It's being said that they've bought the rights to use this same technology for Elvis, Kurt Cobain, Biggie, Johnny Cash, Hendrix, and young Bob Dylan.

Here's the bad news: It won't stop there.

I can see this technology being used for crazy evil. 

Like what?

Think Hitler, delivering his hate-infused speeches in 2015 or even earlier.

It is very possible.

And just as every other thing authored by the devil is, these holograms are fake.

They are neither the real person or even video-shots of the real person; what these 2D-holograms are, are actors who look the same physically (body wise) + some very good 3D animation.

What to do?

My [peaceful] rant does nothing but inform you of what you probably already know.

What we can do is pray that this comes to nothing.

But in this all, God's good and perfect Will will be done.

This is creepy to say the least, and I love technology... like a lot.

Finally here's a picture of Tupac at Coachella; The 2D animation (that everyone including me is referring to as a hologram) performed with Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre.

Agree or Disagrrree? Blast away in the comments.

737 - Beauty for Ashes (Official Video) @J737

This has gotta be the cutest hip-hop video ever. 737 captures the story of someone dear to his heart in this beautiful CCM (Contemporary Christian Music) looking video.

Good story of God's redemption.
Celebrates family the way God intended; between a man and wife.
Authentically hip-hop.
5/5 stars.

737 - Beauty for Ashes (Official Music Video) 

Trip Lee - I'm Good ft. Lecrae - Official Music Video

The official music video for one of the singles from Trip Lee's new album "The Good Life".

The music video shows what life in places where Christians are physically persecuted looks like and leaves the resounding reminder to pray for our brothers and sisters in these places.

Get "The Good Life" on iTunes now.
Visit http://www.persecution.com to learn more about what is going on.

Trip Lee "I'm Good" ft. Lecrae.

theBREAX - Get Better (@thebreax @rapzilla)

Check out this fun new video from theBREAX.
I like the idea of doing whatever to get better.
Do not confuse the statement "I will do whatever to get better" as that your works alone will get you better [in your Christian walk, etc]; I believe it means that it means this: being aware of God's grace, you will want to work hard to get yourself right with Him. Always rely on God's ever-sufficient grace.

theBREAX - Get Better (Official Music Video)

Trip Lee's new album "The Good Life" now available

Trip Lee's new album "The Good Life" is now available on iTunes featuring Lecrae, KB, Andy Mineo, Sho Baraka, Suzy Rock, Jimmy Needham, Chris Lee, J Paul, Leah Smith and his wife.

This album is Trip Lee's best work till date and God willing will change lives.
Get it on iTunes now.