Da' T.R.U.T.H. and FLAME receive 2009 Stellar Award nominations

|PIC1|Cross Movement Records recording artists Da' T.R.U.T.H. and FLAME have been nominated for 2009 Stellar Awards in the "Rap/Hip-Hop Gospel CD of the Year" category, alongside fellow nominees Sho Baraka, Trip Lee and Frontlynaz.

In addition, Da' T.R.U.T.H. has been invited to perform on the 24th Annual Stellar Awards, which will be taped for broadcast at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville, Tennessee on Saturday, January 17, 2009. The show will be hosted by comedian Sinbad and acclaimed gospel recording artist Yolanda Adams.

Don Jackson, CEO of Chicago-based Central City Productions, said the awards show will continue to have first-run broadcast television syndication on more than 100 affiliates around the country in the first quarter of 2009 and will also be shown on cable through a new partnership with the Gospel Music Channel.

Upon learning of his Stellar Award nomination, Da' T.R.U.T.H., nominated for his Open Book project, said, "Congratulations to my fellow co-labourers in this movement to proclaim Christ in the urban mission field who share this nomination with me. When I look at the company I am counted in, it is truly an honor, and yet an even greater responsibility we carry on our shoulders. As God elevates us, we must epitomise His heart and character in every sphere of our ministries."

Da' T.R.U.T.H., winner of the 2007 Stellar Award for "Rap/Hip-Hop Gospel CD of the Year," was named one of the top "Movers and Shakers Under 40" in 2007 by Trumpet Magazine. He scored a 2008 GRAMMY Award nomination for Open Book in the "Best Rock or Rap Gospel Album" category, a 2008 GMA Dove Award nomination in the "Rap/Hip-Hop Recorded Song" category for Open Book's first radio single, "Who Am I?" (featuring Tye Tribbett) and won a 2008 Gospel Music Channel Video Award in the "Best Hip-Hop Video" category for Open Book's video single "Who Am I?" (featuring Tye Tribbett and Kirk Franklin).

The CD set a new record by securing the highest Soundscan/Billboard Chart debut ever for a gospel hip-hop artist when Open Book captured the #2 position on the Billboard Top Gospel Chart. Open Book also debuted at #1 on Soundscan's Christian Hip-Hop Chart, #3 on the iTunes Christian & Gospel Chart and #5 on Billboard's Contemporary Christian Chart.

"It has been awesome to see the response since the release of Our World Redeemed," commented FLAME, nominated for Our World Redeemed. "I am encouraged by the additional support of the Stellar Award nomination and I am excited to hear that my co-laborers who share the same passion for the Lord as I do were also nominated within the same category."

Dove Award nominee FLAME has garnered rave reviews for his two-album series, Our World Fallen (released April 2007) and Our World Redeemed (released March 2008), which together tell the story of a non-believer's journey to faith in Christ, capturing dialogue between FLAME and the non-believer about mankind's spiritual poverty and the grave consequences of a sinful lifestyle. The first Christian hip-hop artist from the Midwest to gain national attention, FLAME released his self-titled debut album on Cross Movement Records in 2004, followed by his sophomore album, Rewind, in 2005. Involved in ministry for more than 10 years, FLAME is currently completing his degree in Biblical Studies at Boyce College in Louisville, and in addition to his role as a national recording artist, he is preaching across the country at churches, events and conferences.

Da' T.R.U.T.H.'s Open Book is available on Cross Movement Records and distributed in the CBA market by Provident-Integrity Distribution and by Sony RED in the general market. For more information on Da' T.R.U.T.H. and his album Open Book, visit www.datruth.net, www.myspace.com/truthonduty or www.crossmovementrecords.com.
FLAME's Our World Redeemed is available on Cross Movement Records and distributed in the CBA market by Provident-Integrity Distribution and by Sony BMG in the general market. For more information on FLAME and his album Our World Redeemed, visit www.crossmovementrecords.com or www.flame314.com.