X HOODZ ENTERTAINMENT .::Sound Systems::. .::Dj Academy:..::Recording Studios::.::Lighting::.::Audio Visuals::.::Trussing::.

SPA Fest is an annual arts performing arts competition that seeks to identify, develop and award young peopleâ??s talents with the express aim of developing art talent for sustainable community development. Last year’s SPA Fest had a  Ksh. 210 000/ – award and  a learning experience for the much needed life skills in Dance and the spiritual walk.

2010 SPA Fest  is going to be bigger and better. Some of the Teams involved in this yearâ??s SPA Fest were: FGTz, Ignitaz,Saints,Spartans,Detour,ICED,Incense,Impact,Alpha,,Alabaster,Movers,SIC,Blaze Force 1 e.t.c

One thing that 2009 taught us is that no rapper or label is untouchable. When you hear the names Tonex, Ambassador, and Daâ?? T.R.U.T.H. unfortunately the negative comes to mind before the positive. The issue these men have brought to the forefront is the fact that, overall, the current systems of accountability and, more importantly, pastoral care ministry may be poorly executed within their industry. With so much riding on not just the strength of oneâ??s music, but the character one presents, pastoral care for the artist is essential.

What is pastoral care you may ask? Simply, pastoral care is dealing with the emotional and relational sides of ministry. Just because a person is a good preacher or teacher it doesnâ??t necessarily make him a good pastor. Pastoral care keeps in mind the state of the person while directing him toward Christ in healing, growth, grief, and reflection.

For many laypeople, pastoral care is often identified in the exercise of visiting sick and shut-in parishioners or in marriage counseling. But these are not the only outlets for ministers to assist their flocks in dealing with their emotional needs by using the bible and compassion. Pastoral careâ??s main goal is to have an emotionally and spiritually healthy person. Good pastoral care keeps the social structure of the church in tact.

So why does Christian hip hop (CHH) need pastoral care? We can look at three reasons why CHH artists need to undergo some type of consistent pastoral care.

The first is that the industry is very stressful. Artists are away from family and friends. â??Realâ? life does not go on pause while they are on the road. If there are problems at home, they can transfer to the show and vise versa. While the crowd might not see the inner turmoil, it has an effect on the artist. Add in record label demands, internet personal attacks, and â??lifeâ? in general, and you are looking at people who put a lot on the line to minister through the art of gospel rap.

The thing about stress is that if a person doesnâ??t know how to cope with it, he will go to any outlet for stress release. Some outlets are good. Some are bad. If an artistâ??s stress reliever is sex that can be an issue if his spouse isnâ??t on the road with him. If a person turns to medication (of any form) to cope with stress, that can lead to substance addiction. When we look into the details of stress we find that just because people engage in a stress reliever, it doesnâ??t mean their stress levels are in a healthy zone. Any added stress would only make things worse.

Letâ??s say someoneâ??s stress level is 60 and their line of being â??highly stressedâ? is 50. If a negative behavior only lowers the stress level to 51 the person is still highly stressed. Pre-show or post-show pastoral care, and especially during a tour, is essential so that honest expressions of thought and emotion can be addressed. Not only so that the minister can be aware of any behavior changes or red flags, but also so that countermeasures can be taken.

The second reason why CHH artist should receive pastoral care is that there needs to be someone they can talk to that wonâ??t cost them their job or destroy their image. A good example of this would be the Ambassadorâ??s situation. I think that what he went through could have been avoided if he had someone to talk to outside of his community. Yes, I did say outside of his community.

For anyone of his stature to admit serious character flaws could have strong repercussions. Even the expression of ideas or feelings that seem to border on something serious would cause major ripples. I feel that Ambassador was a victim of his status in that there was no one he could talk to while his issues where still small.

Satan loves isolation because it allows sin to grow unchecked and unrevealed. Just because we are spiritually born again does not mean we are without faults. To an extent the community expects artists to be perfect. The ones that are the most honest about their humanity have the â??controversialâ? or â??Iâ??m praying for themâ? stigmas attached to them. This can cause these artists to feel isolated, which makes getting help in the community almost impossible. The isolation is only magnified when you have an  artist that publicly promotes a viewpoint or moral standard.

The final reason why CHH needs pastoral care is that the current model of accountability focus has failed. It has been stated in various ways that Cross Movement Records has the most ministry involvement with their artists than any other label. There have been protocols and such that have been attributed to them to stop certain things that can happen on the road. The main thing that gets emphasized is the accountability model.

The accountability model is assistance in the form of a deterrent. The person doesnâ??t want to do the actions because they have to confess to their group. The idea that is promoted is to imagine the destruction to your home and your ministry if you fall into temptation. To an extent fear is used as method of inspiration. But this is a rational response that only helps in situations in which the person is fully thinking about the situation. On top of that, if the personâ??s emotional or rational scales are out of balance, then the recognition of the destruction is not enough. This method has now been publicly proven to not work, not once, but twice (via Ambassador and Daâ?? T.R.U.T.H. â?? two of CMRâ??s most high-profile artists).

One might say Iâ??m taking cheap shots. But letâ??s look at the reality of the situation. The bastion of moral standards has had a wall blown down by enemy. Pretending the front gate is secure is foolish and delusional. In all honesty I wish the pure accountability model were effective because it is friendly on both time and economic fronts. But the system is broke and it needs to be replaced.

If the accountability model failed CHH with such a small exposure and small following, what will happen when the exposure and following gets even bigger? What will happen when the pressure to turn to vices is 10 to 20 times stronger? What will happen to CHH community when it faces an artist who commits suicide due to excessive stress and isolation?

Yes, God is good. Yes, Christ heals. But there needs to be interaction that goes beyond a close group of accountability partners. The sad thing with accountability partners is that over time they have a hard time seeing past the good in people. But often we forget what Jesus said in Mark 10:18 â??No one is good except the father alone.â?

So how can CHH effectively implement pastoral care? First of all, there needs to be a trusted minister or counseling agency that the artist can go to that doesnâ??t affect their economic or social status at the label. Many high stress jobs have hotlines for employees to call if they are overstressed or suicidal. These companies do not notify the employer that the employee called. And many times it is even the employer that encourages the employee to call the support number. The same applies here. Labels need to realize that at the end of the day, all the money they spent on the promotion of an artist will be wasted if they have a mental or moral breakdown. There is no way for a label to be aware of the internal issues of an artist, but having a pastoral care agent will allow someone else to help out the situation.

The second thing that can be done is for the industry to have some public talk about ministry to artists. This needs to extend past life on the road. What needs to be looked at are the emotional effects of life in the industry and the major causes of stress of males and females – both married and single. Each of those categories or mixtures has different stressors. Then look at practical means and currently implemented measures to prevent or minimize negative or destructive behaviors.

I also feel that any form of internal ministry to artist that a label presents should be shared among peers, artists, and labels for the betterment of the industry. Even measures independent artist take to protect themselves may revolutionize CHH moral maintenance requirements.

We are facing a new year and a new page in Christian hip hop. As the artist exposure and quality grows, so will the challenges. We must be wise and see that if we are to stand on morals then we need to change how we defend them. If we donâ??t, we will look like every other Christian hypocrite the world sees.

ABOUT ADELLE:

AT THE TENDER AGE OF 13 YEARS, ADELLE BEGUN WRITING POEMS AS A HOBBY WHILST IN HIGH SCHOOL IN BOTSWANA. AFTER SHOWING HER FIRST POEM TO HER ENGLISH TEACHER, THAT POEM GOT PUBLISHED IN THE SCHOOLâ??S YEARBOOK. THIS WAS THE CONCEPTION OF THIS YOUNG POETâ??S POETIC JOURNEY TO SUCCESS. UPON HER RETURN TO KENYA IN 2005, SHE RECOMMENCED WRITING POETRY BUT WOULD ONLY SHARE HER PIECES WITH CLOSE FRIENDS. IT WAS WHEN SHE JOINED THE UNITED STATES INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY THAT SHE CAME INTO CONTACT WITH THE POETRY CLUB CALLED FIKIRA. THROUGH FIKIRA, ADELLE NETWORKED WITH OTHER POETS, EXCHANGED IDEAS BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY GAINED THE CONFIDENCE IN HER POETRY THAT SHE NEEDED TO BE ABLE TO SHARE HER TALENT WITH THE WORLD. IT WAS THEN, THAT IN 2009, ADELLE BEGUN PERFORMING AT VARIOUS CORPRATE FUNCTIONS AND POETRY NIGHTS.

WHEN ASKED WHERE SHE DRAWS HER INSPIRATION THE   TALENTED POET REPLIES: â??I AM INSPIRED BY LIFE. I WRITE ABOUT  EVERYTHING I HAVE GONE THROUGH AND WHAT I HAVE SEEN  PEOPLE AROUND ME GO THROUGH. I WRITE PIECES THAT  INSPIRE BLACK WOMEN TO FEEL PROUD OF THEIR ETHNICITY  AND SEXUALITY AND PIECES THAT EMPHASIZE THE IMPORTANCE  OF SPIRITUALITY.  MOST IMPORTANTLY THOUGH, I WRITE PIECES  THAT HOLD THE SOLUTIONS TO SOCIAL PROBLEMS WITHIN  THEM. I FEEL LIKE POETRY POSSESSES THE POWER NOT ONLY TO  ENTERTAIN BUT ALSO PROMOTE SOCIAL CHANGE. I WANT MY  POEMS TO INSPIRE PEOPLE TO BE THE BEST VERSIONS OF  THEMSELVES!â??

Black Girl, Black Sparrow

I let my imagination run wild in the plains of my mind

A young black girl cups a black sparrow; thatâ??s what it finds

Sheâ??s engrossed and hypnotized by its thick smudge feathers

Itâ??s loving her attention but yearning to flap its feathers

She is scared to let it go, let it fly

Because if she does, will that mean that companionship dies

Will she be able to scurry after it; she thinks, she sighs

She clutches it closer and walks to the corner of the plain

Thoughts bouncing in her head; she yearns for silence, to be sane

There is a rock thatâ??s littered with green moss

She climbs up; she sits, she thinks of her impending loss

All sheâ??s ever known is her sparrow

The love she had for it was deep; it was narrow

And at this moment my imagination engulfs her

Her thoughts become more, more vivid, some even taunt her

They flutter in her mind, control her brain

She feels different; an insane sane

Black wants black to flutter, to fly

Black wants black to let that love die

Black wants black to explore within

Black wants black to lose so she can win

The young black girl opens up her hands slowly

The black sparrow drifts out gently

Confused first it chooses not to fly

Looks back at her, as though saying goodbye

Then hops, then runs, then up it goes

She tears, she smiles, her love it pours

Still imaginationâ??s captive she begins to think

That perhaps she should explore the she within

She had nothing to lose as sheâ??d set it free

So she lay back on the rock and decided to fall in love with she

She closed her eyes and traversed the plains of she

She explored, defined and then loved she

She had found her new drug, obsessed with her she

Itâ??s a new kind of high, sheâ??s her latest drug

She was the jewel she yearned, she thought with a smug

Right then, she fell in love

Her love for she was a raging fire

Whose tongues licked every corner of her desires

Whose heat burned the love for the sparrow; her fear

Whose heat dried up the past; no tears

And after her loveâ??s arson, one thought attacked:

Black left black so that Black could be, love and know Black.

Iâ??M ETHNOCENTRIC

The light in my brightest days is black

A color whose history is interesting to track

Iâ??m oblivious to the talk about black being whack

In my world those are just whispers from my black pride they try to distract

ME

But nevertheless Iâ??ll always see myself as that black queen

No fear in admitting that Iâ??m ethnocentric

They say that term leads to the negative just so that I may abandon black and embrace weak

They see the success in my color and try and cloud me with tricks

Tricks that those at the top  fail to speak

Of coz they have forgotten their people and now think black is a stain, a dirty streak

And so in our schools we learn about their history

Forget ours and embrace their story

We know their economyâ??s inventory

But know not about our forefathersâ?? glory

Kids know of Hitlerâ??s plans but not those of Shaka Zulu

They know of Churchill and Roosevelt forget Kenyatta and Mboya too

They know of the SS but not the Mau Mau

They learn of the American dream but doesnâ??t black have a dream too?

We watch Cruise and Clooney but our local theatres weâ??ve never stepped into

Doesnâ??t black deserve your time too?

Dismiss our cultural gowns as being backward

Forgetting that without the back, thereâ??d be no forward

Drop the lesso and pick up the Arafat

Donâ??t buy the local, youâ??d rather get some baby phat

Local music mirrors the lils, the biggys and the rock stars too

With themes ranging from the money, the booty and things that our cultureâ??s not used to

And so I ask you

When will you shed off their kaleidoscope of colors

And stop treating black with such callous

Realize that itâ??s the light in the dark

The morals you lack

The story you should track

When will you love your color for your peopleâ??s sake?

When will you let the ethnocentric in you awake?

Welcome to Nairobi

Where my legacy was conceived and now lives

I stroll through the streets and no I donâ??t believe

All the beggars on their knees reaching out to me

Telling me â??Siste help me reach my destinyâ??

â??Aunty all I need is a mbao not a G

Not even a sok, Iâ??m not trying to bring you down like meâ??

So I reach down in my purse and grab a couple of coins

The sight of this old beggar stopped my feet from going

And as I touched his dry cracked palms I pledged to alleviate him through my poems

Change it through my rich dictionary

Welcome to Nairobi

Where my legacy was conceived and now lives

Where a well known thug though he used to be

Placed his hands on a bible and now at Kencom he preaches to me

Tells me to cut off my dreads

Wear skirts not tight threads

It canâ??t penetrate his head

Because his intelligence is dead

That thereâ??s more to me than the shell he sees

As he raises his bible and asks to pray for me

I pledge to fight this religious hypocrisy

Change it through my sacred dictionary

Welcome to Nairobi

Where my legacy was conceived and now lives

And at the junction between two famous streets

A young man walks up to me

Says heâ??s trying to get to Thika but his walletâ??s been stole

Said heâ??s tried calling his cousin but all he hears in Mteja on his phone

Young man thinks Iâ??m a fool but this story Iâ??d been told

I think this con is getting pretty old

So I let him down gently â??Sina do on meâ??

And as I walk away amidst appeals from him

I pledge to right the wrong so these conmen cease to be

Change it with my truth yaani my dictionary

Welcome to Nairobi

Where my legacy was conceived and now lives

Where the party scene is vibrant and the place to be

But also where you can lose yourself; forget who you want and ought to be

While some dance to a drunk choreography

Others converse in the car with their bodies, you see

Boys torturing their necks with imitated bling

Hoping that the gleam will her heart win

And just when I think she houses morals in her being

She locks her arm around his; off to the automobile

Leaving me chanting a prayer that he puts a cap on his thing

Welcome to Nairobi

A place thatâ??s home to me

But I have to change it with my rich, true and sacred dictionary

Before my kin comes to be.

Siste â?? sister

Mbao â?? Ksh20

Sok â?? Ksh100

Kencom â?? Major bus stop in Nairobi city centre

Mteja â?? refers to a recorded message that plays when the person you are callingâ??s phone is off

Thika â?? A town in Kenya

â??Sina doâ?? â?? Slang for, I have no money

Yaani â?? as in/meaning

Submit Your Poems Below

[contact-form 5 “Submit Poem”]

(or just post your poems to info@x-hoodz.com)

X-HOODZ ENT and C.C.I(Christian Church International) Miracle Valley brings you the Post Easter Fest: a youth event to be held on the 18th of April from 1:30pm to 6pm at the C.C.I Happy Valley Church,landless Thika.Artist to be step up to the microphone will be Eko dyda, Masoja and other surprise artists!

X-HOODZ Dj Priesty & Dj vigorelle denver Proof will be on the decks!

Damage is 80bob for advaned tickets and 100bob at the gate.Tickets are available at Miracle Valley Church and Triotech Cyber,1st Floor, Thika Arcade & the X-HOODZ Studio at Witeithie Hs. 1st floor.

For enquiries call or sms 0720104163 Or 0720919594

Check out the pictures on facebook in our group X-HOODZ ENTERTAINMENT

Hits this month and counting.We really didnt think we would come this far.Dreams do come true.

Well,The journey began in the year 2004 with Royal priesthood Inc that currently handles all Gospel gigs.Denis Priesty better known to the public as Dj priesty was the steward at the time.Years

Fast forward,X-hoodz Entertainment a sister company to Royal Priesthood is born with the studio,Dj Academy,Music School and the Website www.x-hoodz.com at hand.

Today we celebrate 1 year after reloading the website and opening of our X-hoodz studio.

Our ever dedicated team listed below are more than willing to deliver through this new year.

X-hoodz Producers

1.Dannie

2.Sam

Dj’s

1.Dj Priesty

2.Dj Proof

3.Dj Doxa

Web Developers

1.Victor

2.Kagiri

3.Louis

4.Isaac

Prayer,consistence,passion and skills are some of the aspects of life or rather character traits that have kept us going and most definitely we still pushing on to deliver nothing but the best uncompromised X-hoodz material.

Watch out for the Okay Radio show and the Mellow Xundays shows that will soon be here with us.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO OUR FANS & FAMILY

Easter Musical And Poetry Night Review

Well Easter came early this year.Yes I said it.The Easter Musical and Poetry night was held last weekend at the thika community chapel.And mayne did those boys and girls represent and deliver the true meaning of Easter.The musical kicked off immediately at 7pm and surprisingly majority were seated and were enjoying the candle lit ambiance at the chapel and whispering to each other as they reflected on the day.I must say i was impressed.

On the keys was our main man ‘the seven fingers’ Danny,The slamPoet Mantu,The Narrator Nellex,The vocalists Faith, Arthur  & Josephine,The Hiphoppers X-nolix & Daniel kye.

Dannie playing those keys of life.

You should trying listening to this guy via an Mp3 player or an I-pod mmmmmmmm,

Gifted and talented i Say,A young Isaiah Katumwa in the making.(Aaron rimbui should look out for this guy)

Faith,Dan and Mantu push on into the evening making sure that the musical was well delivered.

The crowd looks on,one can tell really tell that they didnt want to loose track of a single narration as the perfomance

pressed onto the night.If you really are kin you might just spot on of our official editors in the crowd(Some homework for you)

7:45pm:Faith delivers a wonderful solo perfomance about Easter with dannie on the keyboard

Mantu leads the way with His Up Up into the air act out.For sho Jesus rose again from the dead.

The crowd loves it and joins in.

If you look into the below pic try an spot nellex in the green top

(Nellex just had to pose and exhibit his shagzmodoz swag , and pose for the camera instead of joining in the jig)

The spoken word checked in at exactly 8:05pm with Dan & Dannie on the guitar

Faith presses on with a solo Kiswahili  perfomance about the Love of Christ

Well most definitely we would not leave out the ambience,we had to take this snap and

make sure that you caught a glimpse of how it looked like through the naked eye.Impressive I say “Well lit”

Dannie and X-nolics present the wonderful hiphop jazz act.I just coulnt stop bobbing my head,for a minute there i thought i was a hiphopper.

X-nolics hold it down for the hiphop heads

The crowd savors the soulful sounds

8:15pm Members of Bgp’s(well we thought they could only dance,think again!They can sing to,and SING VERY WELL)

8:20pm Nellex delivers his narration as He brings the musical to a beautiful end,this guy should try applying for a job at CNN,i must say his diction was on point.

The crowd right outside the chapel

8:45 pm All good things have a good and beautiful end,Mary right outside the chapel takes a snap with the reknown Mantu the poet “looking Good”

Well the show had ended but this fans just had to stay on and take a snap

The technical team of x-hoodz just had to steal the show.

from left Dannie “music maestro”,Sam Kan-x(music producer) Dj Priesty (X-hoodz CEO),Doxa (Dj)

Excellent show,excellent performance.We believe this is just the beginning of wonderful shows to come  where Christ is the center piece.We pray and believe that people will get to know about the love of Christ.HAPPY EASTER!

Well done

Jay-Zâ??s clothing line â??Rocawearâ? has incorporated obvious occult symbols in its designs. Some are so blatantly Masonic that he probably couldnâ??t get away with it if he wasnâ??t effectively implicated with them. In interviews, Jay-Z has said to be actively involved in the choices of designs of his clothing line. Here are some examples:

All-Seeing Eye in Triangle

The logo above is designed to look like the Eye of Horus below.

Kanye wearing a shirt with the head of Baphomet

Prodigyâ??s Crusade

Rapper Prodigy from the mythical group Mobb Deep has occasionally denounced Jay-Zâ??s affiliation with the Illuminati in the last years. Hereâ??s an URB article on the subject.

Prodigyâ??s ainâ??t down with that crap

Like he does in his monthly blog on Vibe.com, the incarcerated Prodigy recently spewed more of his conspiracy theories via a handwritten letter to URB. This time, he reveals the moment his eyes were opened to the sham he calls â??the government, religions, politics, the Federal Reserve, and I.R.S.â? According to P, in 1996, after reading a book by Dr. Malichi Z. York titled Leviathan 666, he was moved so much, he cried, and that was his â??moment of clarity.â?

â??I was crying for all of humanity, but mostly for my black people â??cause I then realized it was all a sham,â? Prodigy writes in his letter to URB. â??The government, religions, politics, the Federal Reserve, the I.R.S., and everything that we believe and live by is a joke.â? Even worse, the rapper says that many popular rappers are aware of these society secrets, but choose not to speak on it for fear of not being accepted by corporate America. One, in particular, is Jay-Z.

Occult Secrets of Jay Z, Kanye & Nas

â??J.Z. knows the truth, but he chose sides with evil in order  to be accepted in the corporate world. J.Z. conceals the truth from the black community and the world, and promotes the lifestyle of the beast instead,â? he wrote. Prodigy says that Jay grew up grew up in Dr. Yorkâ??s â??Nuwabianâ? community in Brooklyn as a kid, and is â??awareâ? of these evils â?? rogue government, elitists running the country, etc.

Because of Jayâ??z refusal to speak on the topics Prodigy has been doing so since his incarceration, he will make it a point to wage war against him.
â??J.Z is a God damn lie. I have so much fire in my heart that I will relentlessly attack J.Z, Illuminati, and any-every other evil that exists until my lights are put out,â? P writes. â??This negativity I speak of is an actual living entity that uses us as food. We must sever ties with it in order to see things for what they really are. This negative energy is created and harnessed by the Illuminati secret government and they will make you spread this energy without you even knowing it. But people like J.Z. are very well aware. He was schooled by Dr. York,â? he continued.

Real talk.

To Conclude

So, the least we can say is that Jay-Z has â??affinitiesâ? with occultism and secret societies. â??Run This Townâ? only adds to the suspicions surrounding him due to the symbolism and philosophy displayed in the video. In light of those facts, some questions arise: has Jay-Z sided with the elite to succeed in the corporate world? Is he used to promote NWO agenda? Or is this an act to fuel rumors and to add a little â??mystiqueâ? around his persona? Maybe itâ??s all of the above. Maybe heâ??s doing this to get people like me writing and to generate buzz around his latest album. If this article has promoted Jay-Z, so be it.  At least people will know what the the hell theyâ??re saluting when theyâ??re throwing up that Roc sign.