Legacy the lyrical prophet

Gospel Hip-hop’s newest breakout artist Legacy, the Lyrical Prophet is making his independent debut with The Making of a Legacy hitting the streets September 1st.



Legacy_CD Cover

Legacy_CD Cover

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PRLog (Press Release) – Aug 18, 2009 – PENSACOLA– Gospel Hip-hop’s newest breakout artist Legacy, the Lyrical Prophet is making his independent debut with The Making of a Legacy. The CD is scheduled to hit the streets on September 1st. The first single “Ride or Die” is already receiving a lot of plays on his Myspace and rave reviews from his live performances.

On September 1st, The Making of a Legacy will be available for purchase online via his website at http://www.legacylp.net.

“Altogether, this project offers hope, guidance, and most importantly, the gospel of Jesus Christ,” says Legacy, the Lyrical Prophet (aka government name – Michael Ward). The Making of a Legacy is a 12-track CD that features a range of music that deals with topics from a biblical and practical perspective. He touches such subjects as rejection, broken relationships, convictions, faith, and touching the heart of God. His first single, “Ride or Die” has already stirring a buzz with its uncompromising message. Songs such as “Heirs of the Kingdom” and “Saved 4 Real” continue to share importance of being unashamed and real about his faith in God. Legacy, the Lyrical Prophet also showcases his soulful vocals on such tracks as “The Same Way” and “To Be Loved.”

Legacy, the Lyrical Prophet has already gained praise in Pensacola and surrounding areas for his electrifying and powerful performances. He was recently featured in an Artist Showcase at the 9th Annual Praise, Worship and the Word Conference presented by 3-time Stellar Award nominee, Jai Reed, also in Pensacola, FL. He is also the featured guest at the Gulf Coast Young People Conference on August 21st at Word of Life Community Church in Mobile, AL. He is also gearing up for his CD Release Concert and DVD taping tentatively scheduled for late September 2009. - Twanna Powell-House-Diamond Media Relations

PENSACOLA - Gospel hip-hop artist Legacy, the Lyrical Prophet is making his independent debut with "The Making of a Legacy."

The CD is a collection of original songs featuring the rhymes of the Pensacola-based artist and production of Ramar Baker of Stormtrak Studios. The first single, "Ride or Die," is receiving a lot of play on his Myspace page.

"Altogether, this project offers hope, guidance, and most importantly, the gospel of Jesus Christ," says Legacy, the Lyrical Prophet (also known as Michael Ward).

One distinction of Legacy, the Lyrical Prophet is that he is first a worshipper, then a songwriter, musician, and minister. He uses his biblical education (bachelor's degree in theology) and personal experience to create a thought-provoking lyrical flow in his songs.

"The music that I have to offer is a mix of hip-hop, R&B, and contemporary feels that uplift the name of Jesus! It is saturated with the Word of God as the preaching style of a pastor meets the flow styles of the street," he says.

"The Making of a Legacy" is a 12-track CD that features a range of music that deals with topics from a biblical and practicalperspective. He touches such subjects as rejection, broken relationships, convictions, and faith.

Songs such as "Heirs of the Kingdom" and "Saved 4 Real" share the importance of being unashamed and real about his faith in God. His soulful vocals are showcased on such tracks as "The Same Way" and "To Be Loved."

He will be a special guest today at the Ambassadors of Christ Young Adult Conference in Pensacola. On May 23, he will be featured in an Artist Showcase at the 9th Annual Praise, Worship and the Word Conference being presented by three-time Stellar Award nominee, Jai Reed, also in Pensacola.For more information and to listen to tracks from "The Making of a Legacy," visit the Web site at myspace.com/legacythemusic. - North West Florida Daily News

Gospel hip-hop artist Michael Ward, also known as Legacy the Lyrical Prophet, is busy promoting his debut album, "The Making of a Legacy," to be released by the end of August. The album, which has taken Ward about two years to complete is a broad range of music, mixing rap, R & B and contemporary music styles, giving his listeners a taste of something different with every track."I've taken my time on (the CD) and I've put a lot into it," he said. "The music is very honest. Every song has a story behind it. It's very true, it's part of me, it's what I think, it's how I feel and how I've overcome certain obstacles in life. I'm coming at it through a positive standpoint because I want to put some positive music out there. The kids and adults alike can glean something from it. I don't want it to be a bunch of same old, same old stuff that really has no meaning or has a bad message."

The 12-track CD features Ward singing all the vocals, backup vocals, harmonies and beats completely by himself. It was an idea he tried first with his song "The Same Way" and he was so pleased with the way it turned out, he recorded every song in the same manner.

Ward's first single, "Ride or Die," was the first song he wrote and "it kind of evolved from dealing with my inner struggles to, by the end of the song, how I deal with it; kind of the answer to the question."

"I was just sitting with a pen and paper on the couch and I was battling my own weaknesses, you know, where you're kind of looking at yourself in the mirror," he said. "I just started writing and the lyrics kind of came out as a poem. And then when read it back, it started really hitting home with me, but, man, it makes me transparent at the same time. Someone could really use this. Someone could really be encouraged by some of the things I was really saying."

Ward has been traveling across the Gulf Coast and will perform at the Stomp the Yard event at 11 a.m. Saturday at the Houston Avery Park in Atmore, Ala. He has back-to back performances on July 31, making an appearance at the youth jam at Deliverance Ministries at 6 p.m. and then heading down to Life Changing Experience Worship Center, 2120 W. Jackson St., at 7 p.m.
"I'm staying busy so far, but it's the kind of thing I love to do," Ward said. "I don't mind staying busy; I don't mind traveling. I can't be too busy for music, put it that way. I'm really focused when it comes to that."Ward has wanted to be a musician since the days when adults used to ask him, "what do you want to be when you grow up?" He grew up singing in church choirs, and eventually moved from the chorus to be a soloist. He earned a bachelor's degree in theology at the Christian Life School of Theology, Pensacola branch, and was ordained a minister about nine years ago.

He is ministering at the Heirs of Kingdom Church International on North Davis Highway. Although playing an active leadership role has taken a back seat to his music, Ward is still free to move around to different ministries as he travels to promote his new CD.

When Ward knew it was time to start working on his project, he was not alone. His friend of 16 years, Twanna Green decided to open a public relations company, Diamond Media Relations, taking Ward on as her first client. Ward thought, "Who better to trust than my best friend?"

"I just kind of give (artists) an idea of what to do because sometimes in the beginning, they make poor decisions because they just don't know," Green said. "Fortunately for Legacy, he's very open-minded to the guidance that I've given him. I also have a team that's working with him as well, called Team Legacy — someone who does marketing and someone who does the Web. So I'm just helping him put his best foot out there."

Ward is already looking into the future at his next project.

"I'm coming in at a different approach, having even more a variety of different styles on the next project," he said. "There's a lot of rap on this one, heavy R&B, a little contemporary. I'm going to mix it up a little more for my next project, have a little more diversity, so the audience gets more than just the same old, same old. I want to keep the intention of a broader audience. I don't want to narrow it down to just one set of people. I want as many people as I can to enjoy what I have to offer." - Meagan Outzen- Pensacola News Journal