Published: 08:45 AM, Mon Aug 30, 2010
Listen Up: Rottis B's not your typical Christian rapper
By Jessica De Vault
Staff Writer
Rottis Bryant's unassuming demeanor and Christian lyrics mean he sometimes doesn't come off as a traditional rapper.
But once the mic is in hand, people start paying attention.
"When you look at me, they say, 'He's not a rapper. How is he a rapper?' But when I grab a mic, I'm so beasty with it," he said. "They say I'm simple, but I'm complicated. When I grab the mic, I'll complicate your whole life."
The lyricist, who goes by the stage name Rottis B, is a Louisville, Ky., transplant who has signed to Wrighteous Entertainment. He's been seen at several events recently, including the Soul Summer Music Festival in July.
While Christian hip-hop has gotten a bad rep for being a watered-down version of mainstream rap music, Bryant said his lyrical style is one to be reckoned with. All he needs is a few minutes to grasp the listener, he said
"It's not what you do in the little bit of time you have, it's how effective you are," he said. "So I'm trying to help as many people as I can in that five minutes. I just want it to be a lifetime. "
And with an album on the way, he's confident that more people will hear the spiritual message he's trying to spread. He expects his debut will be released later this year. In the meantime, he is promoting his current singles, "Standing Strong" and "Get To Clappin.'"
He chatted with the Weekender Street Edition about his music, his aspirations and his upcoming album.
Weekender: How did you get involved in Christian rap music?
Bryant: You know, I've always been in church my whole life. But I'm a rebel. You got to show me. So for a while, I was in church but still trying to find my way and understand my life. I was writing songs for other people and staying in the background, and they were like, "Why don't you get out there and do it?" Once I did it, I really enjoyed it. I was able to express myself with it. So I had to make a decision. It was like God, either I'm going to go hard for you and go 110 percent or not go hard at all. So I made the cold-hard choice to go hard for him. I figured that I'd get more trusting God than not trusting him.
And I've been doing it for almost nine years now, and I can say I'm one of the coldest rappers out, bar none. Because I tell people about life and be real with them. Jesus can help you through your life.
Weekender: Were you into writing before you delved into music?
Bryant: I started writing poems when I was 10. I finally started letting people listen and read my stuff around 17. And I had stacks of books. This one lady asked to read it, and she started crying and bawling hard. She was like, "Do you understand how deep this is?" But it was just a poem.
And now, I love what I do with a passion. You can call me hyper when it comes to music. I don't care what's going on. I call music my wife. No matter what, my wife is going to keep me happy and I'm good at all times.
Weekender: Did you start off as a solo artist?
Bryant: Well, I was with a group in Louisville, and we had done a couple of things. I wrote all of the stuff for them. I tried to push them in the front and I stayed in the back, but it always came out that I was in the front. Then we had some group issues, and I had to decide whether I'm going to stop them or keep going. And in less than two weeks, I wrote eight songs. And I went in the studios in two days and finished my demo and put it out. And in the first day, I sold 150 of them.
Weekender: You just signed with Wrighteous Entertainment. What's next for you?
Bryant: I got two new singles coming out, "Get To Clappin''' and "Standing Strong." Both of them are two different songs. "Get to Clappin'" is a feel-good type of record. "Standing Strong" is when your life feels like you're going to lose it and you got a choice to either let go or stand strong.
Weekender: Where do you see your career in the next year or so?
Bryant: I look back and say, "Lord you have really allowed me to grind." Because, I'm serious about what I do, I'm so serious. My whole goal is I want my kids to be straight and my kids' kids to be good. I want to leave a legacy, and I already know that I plan to be at the BET Awards next year. I'm grinding hard to let them know that Jesus is in the building. I'm doing my best to do what I'm supposed to do in life before it's all over.
Staff writer Jessica De Vault can be reached at devaultj@fayobserver.com or 609-0649.