–as ‘Gospel Hip Hop’ goes to Cliff Anderson’s

GUYANESE were last Saturday night reminded that God is indeed alive as they rocked out to the sounds of internationally-acclaimed hip hop artiste, Richie Righteous, backed by an impressive line-up of local gospel artistes at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall tarmac.
The cornrowed brethren made it out to the stage just after 22:00hrs, and got the crowd hyped up with an opening skit portraying the devil being defeated. Then it was time for the music.

Though a few chairs were available, and persons were seated earlier, when Richie came out, ain’t nobody had time for that! They were all too busy jumping, waving, dancing and screaming their lungs out as Richie belted out several of his hit songs, including “Who You Represent”, and the endearing “Proverbs 31 Girl”, which latter number seemingly struck a chord with several of the young couples present, as they could be seen holding hands as they sang along.

‘I was a bit nervous because of the type of music I do, and what the response would’ve been like. And so far, it’s been great; I’ve been loving it; enjoying the people. “The concerts are great, but meeting the people; seeing some faces that knew me and knew my parents when I grew up, it’s been great’ –Guyanese-born Gospel Hip Hop artiste ‘Richie Righteous’

MONEY’S WORTH
The crowd was, quite surprisingly, a mix of both the young and the old, and people of all different races; and everyone seemed to be enjoying their money’s worth.
Richie, who had toured a few churches a few days prior to the concert, really connected with his audience. He even threw a few dancing instructions into the mix, as he had the crowd hooked on his every word. Noting the big support from Linden, a few Lindeners, on invitation, got to share the stage with Richie for a brief dancing session.

Though it was not his first time performing in Guyana, it was Richie’s first time performing on such a big scale; and when The Buzz caught up with the Guyanese-born singer in the wings, just before he took to he stage, he disclosed that he was somewhat sceptical as to how well his music would be received, believing that Guyanese were not all that into Gospel Hip Hop. Boy, was he wrong! The crowd loved every moment of it! And he, of course, could not resist loving the vibe he was getting from the Guyanese people.
“I was a bit nervous because of the type of music I do, and what the response would’ve been like. And so far, it’s been great; I’ve been loving it; enjoying the people. “The concerts are great, but meeting the people; seeing some faces that knew me and knew my parents when I grew up, it’s been great,” Richie told The Buzz as he sat with popular local artiste, Kester D, both waiting their turn to perform.
Nonetheless, he promised: “I’mma be authentic to the music, and I’m hoping to give them a genuine New York Hip Hop experience.”
Kester D had his moment, performing just prior to Richie’s entrance, and he, too, was getting in on some of that Christian Guyanese love from the audience. Other local artistes on the roster included well known acts such as Solid Youth, Radikal 1, Shawn English, Philip Barton, Disi, Ryan Patterson and Allan Petty. And, of course, no local gospel concert worth its salt can go on without the performance of psalmist, Samuel Medas. They were all well received, naturally, but it was acts like Solid Youth, Medas and Shawn English that really had the crowd animated.

TESTIMONIALS
The event was chaired by Deputy Mayor, Sherod Duncan, and Ruimveldt Life Improvement Centre’s Jasmine Harris. Sherod took the opportunity to share his testimony of going from being just another simple Richard Ishmael student to becoming the Deputy Mayor of Georgetown, challenging those in the audience to remember not to let their starting circumstances define just how great they could be.
The night was also punctuated by a number of other testimonies; including one from the ‘Righteous’ man himself.
Richie spoke of witnessing his family’s lives being threatened by thieves when he was just a young boy still living in Guyana. The thieves apparently thought that because Richie’s father was a pastor, he had money, presuming that he harboured his church’s offerings and tithes; but the disappointed thieves left almost empty handed.
He also spoke of battling, and overcoming, his own temptations and sexual immorality, and touched on other controversial issues facing the church, such as abortion and homosexuality.
Earlier in the night, during Kester D’s performance, the organisers were left scrambling to figure out what was wrong when technical difficulties descended, and the stage lost power. But these pumped-up prayer warriors were having none of it! One woman began to vehemently pray against the works of the devil; others called for Samuel to be brought back on stage in the interlude. And, “In the Mighty name of Jesus”, the electricity was restored amidst screams and shouts of jubilation.
Richie Righteous T-shirts and CDs were on sale, and at the end of the concert, patrons flocked to secure a purchase. Many patrons could be heard saying how satisfied they were with the concert as they made their exit.
Last Saturday’s concert marked a string of gospel concerts popping up over the next few weeks as the Christmas season draws nigh.
For instance, yesterday saw the return of Jamaican Reggae Gospel artiste, DJ Nicholas, among others, at the “Way Up Yes To Life” concert, also slated for the Sports Hall. And, Guyanese will also get the opportunity to see the return of beloved local gospel singer, Eddie Neblett. Then, on December 3, the Comfort Zone Entertainment puts on “The Reveal Album Launch and Live Concert”.