Rhyme Minister Chris

The Holy Spirit is in the midst of a world-wide revival within the most influential music art form in the world. God continues to call out His Army of musicians, DJ's and apostolic MC's to share and express the message of His Love, His Omnipotence, and His Son, Christ Jesus. Christopher Timothy Norwood a.k.a. Rhyme Minister Chris (RMC) is known by many San Francisco Bay Area Hip Hop aficionados as the legendary, ground breaking emcee Chris from Chris & Ray.

"Before I became an artist, I was a fan of hip hop and its founders. I believed in their purpose, mission and vision. With the Chris & Ray Show, I ran around the San Francisco Bay Area with a mind full of battle raps, a fierce DJ and dance crew promoting our material, hip hop shows and concerts. But when the body count started increasing at the parties, gangsta rap became the norm and most importantly I lost my right hand and crew by listening to the wrong voice(s), I found myself in the wilderness on a new journey, searching for my true identity. While on my wilderness journey, I imitated a culture I had only seen on television and at the movies. And try as I might, I could not consistently use foul language, write material that did not have meaning in my heart or that would stand the test of time. More importantly, I couldn't produce music that my mom or grandmother couldn't listen to without slapping me in the back of my head first chance they got. Truth be told, gangsta rap exposed and continues to expose a side of a global pandemic that only few wanted to hear about. Some may disagree, but Gansta rap has its place and purpose –but it wasn't for me. And for those who know the Bible in context, they can tell you, it isn't all healing and miracles. It has detailed episodes of fame, fortune, murder, genocide, polygamy, player hating, war, incest, poverty, struggle, famine, disease, adultery and disobedience.

The idea of Christian rap crossed my mind a long time ago, but I didn't have the spiritual or biblical maturity to get the job done and stand up to ministerial scrutiny. To address those needs, I became a member of Jubilee Christian Center of San Jose to establish a spiritual covering. I then attended and graduated from William Jessup University (a.k.a. San Jose Christian College) and obtained a B.S. Degree in Christian Leadership and Biblical Theology. . Today, while still in many respects I'm still the Chris Norwood most people knew, I am truly humbled to be "born again in Christ" as well as in the hip hop industry. I am even more hopeful that my lyrics will be an agent for Christ in these last days for my family, friends and the culture that now dominates planet Earth.

The new album "The Chronicles of Isaiah 40:31" has been a lyrical journey 5+ years in the making. The title of the album is based on the scripture and inspired by the creator of the artwork shown - LaRoyce Jones. The message of Christ is cleverly prevalent within each track while international flavored hip hop beats dominate. Each track on the album is part historical, part testimonial, and part prophetic. Youth pastors, worship leaders and music industry critics have stated this project can be considered ETERNAL LIFE THERAPY FOR THE HIP HOP SOUL.

Must hear tracks; "Everything's Gonna Be Alright", "Nursery Rhymes", "Holy Hip Hop Anthem". RMC's favorite tracks: "Forgive My Sins", "Key2Life", "Keep Movin".