Seeing & Hearing The Bigger Picture: Da T.R.U.T.H.'s Latest Album Makes Da Big Splash

Grammy-nominated Christian rapper Emmanuel Lee Lambert Jr., who goes by his nickname/rapper title Da' T.R.U.T.H., is making waves in the contemporary Christian music world with his latest studio release: The Big Picture (July 21, 2009). As one of the least-recognized sects of the Christian music world, Gospel hip-hop and R&B is certainly in need of talented artists with a passion for Jesus Christ and a desire to reach this often-overlooked demographic of Christian music lovers. Da T.R.U.T.H is certainly doing just that.

The acclaimed artist, who has toured and recorded with other well-known names such as Kirk Franklin and Mary, Mary, recently landed the No. 1 spot on the CMTA R&B/Hip Hop Chart, No. 2 on the Billboard Gospel chart, and No. 4 on the Billboard Contemporary Christian chart during his album's debut week (Source: Christian Today: www.christiantoday.com). Interestingly, the project itself is narrated by multi-platinum and Grammy-winning Gospel artist Kirk Franklin, whose musical style has, itself, broken barriers in the Christian music world.

Few Christian hip hop fans are aware of Lambert's unique and highly respectable education background. He is a graduate of Philadelphia Biblical University and the Institute of Jewish Studies. He is also a two-time winner of the Chicago-based Stellar Awards Gospel Music award (2007 and 2009). Ironically, as a youth, Lambert had no passion for rap music, as he listened to popular contemporary Christian tunes of the day. He often recalls, "I had no interest in rap music. As a matter of fact, I was disenchanted with the whole idea of rap." But, as is often the case in God's bigger picture and story, God had other plans. In no time at all, Lambert was writing and free-styling his own Christian rap tunes, having been nicknamed "Da' Truth" by age 19.

The theme of Lambert's latest album, The Big Picture,is all about just that: God's bigger picture, spanning the vastness of the creation story found in Genesis to the redemption of the Cross, finally culminating with the glorious return of Christ in the Book of Revelation. Lambert's challenge to Christians worldwide is one of a continuous embracing of God's eternal story and a call to live like we believe He is coming back. According to an article featured on Christian Today, Lambert's album tackles several culturally controversial issues, including "politics, prejudice, and more in songs like 'My President', 'Great Wall', 'Fantasy', and 'Pain.'"

In promotion of his latest project, Da' T.R.U.T.H. has launched a nationwide Big Picture Live Tour, with stops in cities large and small across the country. Concerts have been said to include highly cinematic elements and one-of-a-kind multimedia worship experiences. Thus far, the tour has already made noteworthy appearances in several acclaimed music ministry venues, including the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association's Rock the River Tour and Gospel artist CeCe Winan's Always Sisters, Forever Brothers Tour.

With countless music artists employing the use of interactive social networking sites such as MySpace, Facebook, and Twitter, it is no surprise to see Da' T.R.U.T.H. hopping on the same bandwagon. However, his use of interactivity with fans and followers via a live, web-based reality show is inherently different from other artists of his genre. During episode broadcasts of Living the Big Picture, Da' T.R.U.T.H. challenges listeners to unite alongside him in showing the world how to live like Jesus Christ; how to live the big picture. You can follow the show, submit your own video blogs, and post responses at: www.ilivethebigpicture.com.

You can find out more about Da' T.R.U.T.H. and his tour schedule at his official website: www.datruth.net.

This article was originally published here: http://theundergroundsite.com/index.php/2009/08/seeing-hearing-the-bigger-picture-da-t-r-u-t-h-s-latest-album-makes/

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