GRITS
Encyclopedia
GRITS, also known as G.R.I.T.S., is a Christian Hip Hop
group from Nashville
, Tennessee
. Their name is an acronym
, which stands for "Grammatical Revolution In The Spirit." GRITS is made up of Stacey "Coffee" Jones and Teron "Bonafide" Carter, both of whom were DC Talk
dancers.
Their song "Ooh Aah
" has appeared on the MTV
show My Super Sweet Sixteen. It is also used as the theme song to the new MTV
show The Buried Life and on the soundtracks to The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift
and Big Momma's House 2
. Their song "Tennessee Bwoys" was used on the popular television show, Pimp My Ride
, on MTV. GRITS were also recently involved in !Hero
The Rock Opera. GRITS recorded a remix of professional wrestler A.J. Styles
' entrance music and performed it on the May 28, 2009, episode of TNA Impact!
. GRITS official web site is no longer active. However, their MySpace site is still available. They now own their own record company, Revolution Art.
and Southern
, while several of their songs have pop
influences, thus an occasional pop-rap sound, and their song "We don't play" has a Jamaica
n influence complete with steel drums. They were one of the first acts signed to Gotee Records
, and have released seven albums with Gotee, with an eighth one released by Gotee and AudioGoat. They have appeared at Cornerstone Festival
and Rock the Universe
. In addition their song "Bobbin Bouncin'" was added to the track list in the video-game Project Gotham Racing 4
.
!align="left"|Album information
|-
|align="left"|Mental Releases
|-
|align="left"|Factors of the Seven
|-
|align="left"|Grammatical Revolution
|-
|align="left"|The Art of Translation
|-
|align="left"|Dichotomy A
|-
|align="left"|Dichotomy B
|-
|align="left"|7
|-
|align="left"|Redemption
|-
|align="left"|The Greatest Hits
|-
|align="left"|Reiterate
|-
|align="left"|Quarantine
|-
!align="left"|Album information
|-
|align="left"|Ooh Ahh EP
|-
|align="left"|Heeyy EP
|-
|}
!align="left"|Album information
|-
|align="left"|The Art of Transformation
|-
|}
Dove Awards throughout their career. Their first award was for a song about plagiarism ("Plagiarism" from their album Factors of the Seven). For this, they received the best "Rap/Hip Hop Song" award. The next year they took the same award for "They All Fall Down", from Grammatical Revolution. In 2003 The Art Of Translation won the award for "Rap/Hip Hop Album", and the following year their song "Believe" from the same album took "Rap/Hip Hop Song". They also shared in the "Special Event Album" that year, for their contribution to !Hero The Rock Opera
.
{| class="wikitable"
! width="60px"| Year
! Award
! Result
|-
!rowspan="1"| 2005
| Rap/Hip-Hop Recorded Song of the Year ("Hittin' Curves")
|
|-
!rowspan="2"| 2006
| Rap/Hip-Hop Recorded Song of the Year ("We Don't Play")
|
|-
| Rap/Hip-Hop Album of the Year (Dichotomy B)
|
|-
!rowspan="2"| 2008
| Rap/Hip-Hop Recorded Song of the Year ("Open Bar")
|
|-
| Rap/Hip-Hop Album of the Year (Redemption
)
|
|-
!rowspan="2"| 2009
| Rap/Hip-Hop Recorded Song of the Year ("Beautiful Morning")
|
|-
| Rap/Hip-Hop Album of the Year (Reiterate
)
|
|-
!rowspan="1"| 2010
| Rap/Hip-Hop Album of the Year (Reiterate)
|
|-
|}
Christian hip hop
Christian hip hop is hip hop music characterized by a Christian worldview, with the general purposes of evangelization , edifying members of the church and/or simply entertaining.-History:Since hip-hop started in the 1970s, various hip-hop artists have...
group from Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
. Their name is an acronym
Acronym and initialism
Acronyms and initialisms are abbreviations formed from the initial components in a phrase or a word. These components may be individual letters or parts of words . There is no universal agreement on the precise definition of the various terms , nor on written usage...
, which stands for "Grammatical Revolution In The Spirit." GRITS is made up of Stacey "Coffee" Jones and Teron "Bonafide" Carter, both of whom were DC Talk
DC Talk
DC Talk is the first studio album released from vocal trio DC Talk. It is the most hip hop-oriented of all of their albums as each later album gradually progressed into a more rock-centered sound. Michael Tait stated that their original goal for the album was to sell 10,000 units. It sold 7,142...
dancers.
Their song "Ooh Aah
Ooh Ahh (GRITS song)
Ooh Ahh is the title of a song recorded by American Christian hip-hop group GRITS featuring tobyMac. It was recorded on their fourth studio album entitled The Art of Translation. It was produced by Ric "DJ Form" Robbins and Otto Price for Incorporated Elements. The song was written by Ric...
" has appeared on the MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
show My Super Sweet Sixteen. It is also used as the theme song to the new MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
show The Buried Life and on the soundtracks to The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift
The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift
The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift is a 2006 street racing action film directed by Justin Lin. It is the third installment in the The Fast and the Furious film series and currently the sixth in terms of series chronology...
and Big Momma's House 2
Big Momma's House 2
Big Momma's House 2 is a 2006 American crime comedy film directed by John Whitesell and written by Don Rhymer. The film is a sequel to Big Momma's House and stars Martin Lawrence reprising his role as FBI agent Malcolm Turner. The film was released theatrically on 27 January 2006, and was...
. Their song "Tennessee Bwoys" was used on the popular television show, Pimp My Ride
Pimp My Ride
Pimp My Ride is a TV show produced by MTV. Each episode consists of taking one car in poor condition and restoring it and customizing it.The original United States version was hosted by rapper Xzibit...
, on MTV. GRITS were also recently involved in !Hero
!Hero
!HERO is a rock opera about Jesus. It is based on the question, "What if Jesus was born in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania?". After the original tour in 2003 ended, it was released on DVD, CD, and was written into a trilogy of novels and series of comic books....
The Rock Opera. GRITS recorded a remix of professional wrestler A.J. Styles
A.J. Styles
Allen Neal Jones , better known by his ring name A.J. Styles is an American professional wrestler currently working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling...
' entrance music and performed it on the May 28, 2009, episode of TNA Impact!
TNA iMPACT!
Impact Wrestling is a professional wrestling television program for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling that currently airs in the United States and Canada on Spike...
. GRITS official web site is no longer active. However, their MySpace site is still available. They now own their own record company, Revolution Art.
Style
Mainly, their style is alternativeAlternative hip hop
Alternative hip hop is a sub-genre of hip hop music. Allmusic defines it as follows: -Origin:...
and Southern
Southern rap
Southern hip hop, also called Southern rap, is a genre of American music influenced by hip hop that emerged from a late-1980s club-oriented vibe in southern U.S...
, while several of their songs have pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
influences, thus an occasional pop-rap sound, and their song "We don't play" has a Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
n influence complete with steel drums. They were one of the first acts signed to Gotee Records
Gotee Records
Gotee Records is a record label founded by dc Talk member Toby McKeehan , Todd Collins, and Joey Elwood...
, and have released seven albums with Gotee, with an eighth one released by Gotee and AudioGoat. They have appeared at Cornerstone Festival
Cornerstone Festival
Cornerstone Festival is a Christian music festival put on by Jesus People USA and held annually around the 4th of July near Bushnell, Illinois. In a given year, many artists that play at Cornerstone also play at other events such as Creation Festival and mainstream festivals and tours such as the...
and Rock the Universe
Rock the Universe
Rock the Universe is an annual Christian rock festival that takes place at Universal Studios Florida. It started in 1998, and it normally takes place in the first or second week of September.The festival has had three main stages over the years...
. In addition their song "Bobbin Bouncin'" was added to the track list in the video-game Project Gotham Racing 4
Project Gotham Racing 4
Project Gotham Racing 4 is the fourth title in the main Project Gotham Racing series, developed by Bizarre Creations and published by Microsoft Game Studios.-Development history:...
.
Studio albums
{| class="wikitable"!align="left"|Album information
|-
|align="left"|Mental Releases
Mental Releases
-Track listing:# Cataclysmic Circles / World Is Round - 5:21# Weigh a Buck 50 - 3:28# Set Ya Mind At Ease - 4:26# 10-A-Cee - 4:10# Universal and Worldwide / Don't Bring Me Down - 4:57# Gettin' Ready - 4:13# Screen Door - 4:08# Jazz - 3:57# Temptations - 4:35...
- Released: August 1, 1995
- Label: Gotee
- Videos: "Set Ya Mind At Ease"
|-
|align="left"|Factors of the Seven
- Released: November 3, 1998
- Label:Gotee
- Videos: "Plagiarism", "What Be Goin Down / Hopes and Dreams"
|-
|align="left"|Grammatical Revolution
Grammatical Revolution
GRITS's album Grammatical Revolution was released in 1999 on Gotee Records. The song "They All Fall Down" won a Dove Award for "Rap/Hip Hop Recorded Song" in 2000.-Track listing:#"Lil' man intro"#"Ima Showem"#"They All Fall Down"#"Strugglin'"...
- Released: May 18, 1999
- Label:Gotee
- Videos: "They All Fall Down"
|-
|align="left"|The Art of Translation
The Art of Translation
GRITS's The Art of Translation was released in 2002 on Gotee Records. In 2003 the album earned the honor of the Dove Award for "Rap/Hip Hop Album of the Year." And was also nominated for a Grammy Award in 2003.-Track listing:#"Here We Go" - 3:19...
- Released: August 27, 2002
- Singles: "Here We Go", "Ooh Ahh"
- Videos: "Here We Go"
|-
|align="left"|Dichotomy A
- Released: June 29, 2004
- Label:Gotee
- Videos: "Hittin' Curves", "High / If I"
|-
|align="left"|Dichotomy B
- Released: November 2, 2004
- Label: Gotee
|-
|align="left"|7
GRITS 7
GRITS 7, the musical group GRITS's Seventh CD was released on Gotee Records in 2006. The majority of the songs come from previously released albums, heavily from the Dichotomy albums, but there are three new songs: "Changes", "I Try", and "Time to Pray"....
- Released: March 7, 2006
- Label: Gotee
|-
|align="left"|Redemption
Redemption (GRITS album)
Redemption is the eighth studio album released by American Southern rap duo Grits for the CCM market. It was co-produced by Grits.- Track listing :- Reception :...
- Released: November 21, 2006
- Label: Gotee/5E
- Singles: "Open Bar", "Heeyy", "We Workin'"
- Videos: "Open Bar / Tight Wit These"
|-
|align="left"|The Greatest Hits
The Greatest Hits (GRITS album)
The Greatest Hits is an album by GRITS. Released on August 28, 2007, it is a double-disc album with 15 greatest hits and another 15 rare and unreleased tracks, which were later released on October 2, 2007, as a separate album titled A Second Serving....
- Released: 2007
- Label: Gotee
|-
|align="left"|Reiterate
Reiterate
Reiterate is the eighth full length album from the Christian Rap group GRITS. It was released on September 16, 2008, and is the GRITS first release on their newly formed Revolution Art label.-Track listing:# Sky May Fall# Walking My Way# Fly Away...
- Released: September 16, 2008
- Label: Revolution Art
- Videos: "Beautiful Morning", "Fly Away"
|-
|align="left"|Quarantine
Quarantine (GRITS album)
Quarantine is the eleventh studio album from the group GRITS.-Track listing:# "Fresh"# "Do It Again"# "New Life" # "Neverland" # "Nuance Music"# "We All We Got"...
- Released: August 10, 2010
- Label: Revolution Art
|-
LPs
{| class="wikitable"!align="left"|Album information
|-
|align="left"|Ooh Ahh EP
Ooh Ahh EP
Ooh Ahh EP is Christian Rap duo GRITS' second EP. The EP features the hit song "Ooh, Ahh" and "Ooh, Ahh " as well as the single "Open Bar" from Redemption...
- Released: 2003
- Label: Gotee
|-
|align="left"|Heeyy EP
Heeyy EP
-Track listing:# Heeyy # They All Fall Down # Ima Showem...
- Released: 2006
- Label: Gotee
|-
|}
Remix albums
{| class="wikitable"!align="left"|Album information
|-
|align="left"|The Art of Transformation
- Released: January 1, 2004
- Label: Gotee/AudioGoat
|-
|}
Other songs
- With or Without YouWith or Without You"With or Without You" is a song by Irish rock band U2. It is the third track from their 1987 album, The Joshua Tree, and was released as the album's first single on 21 March 1987...
- In The Name Of Love: Artists United For AfricaIn the Name of Love: Artists United for AfricaIn the Name of Love: Artists United for Africa is a benefit album, recorded by Christian bands, with a portion of the proceeds going to help cure the AIDS pandemic in Africa... - Wedding Celebration - !Hero!Hero!HERO is a rock opera about Jesus. It is based on the question, "What if Jesus was born in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania?". After the original tour in 2003 ended, it was released on DVD, CD, and was written into a trilogy of novels and series of comic books....
Music videos
Vinyl
- The Art of Translation (Single) (2002)
- They All Fall Down (Redneck Remix) (Single) (2002)
- They Al Fall Down (Ruff Nation Remix) (Single) (2002)
- Ima Showem (Single) (1999)
- Instrumentals 1 (1999)
- Instrumentals 2 (1999)
- Instrumentals 3 (1999)
- They All Fall Down (Original) (Single) (1999)
- Factors of the Seven (song) (1997)
Guest Artists
----- ManCHILDManCHILDmanCHILD is a Christian hip hop rapper and an avid contributor to alternative hip hop. His real full name is Gregory Lamar Owens...
- "We Don't Play" - Jennifer KnappJennifer KnappJennifer Lynn Knapp is an American-Australian folk rock, and formerly contemporary Christian musician. She is best known for her first single "Undo Me" from her debut album Kansas , and the song "A Little More" from her Grammy Award-nominated album Lay It Down . The Way I Am , was also nominated...
- "Believe" (Dove Award winning Rap/Hip Hop song of the year) - TobyMacTobyMacToby McKeehan , better known by his stage name TobyMac , is a Christian recording artist, music producer, hip-hop/pop artist, singer-songwriter, and author....
- "Ooh Aah"Ooh Ahh (GRITS song)Ooh Ahh is the title of a song recorded by American Christian hip-hop group GRITS featuring tobyMac. It was recorded on their fourth studio album entitled The Art of Translation. It was produced by Ric "DJ Form" Robbins and Otto Price for Incorporated Elements. The song was written by Ric...
; "Say Goodbye"; "Don't Bring Me Down"; "Hey Now" - Syntyst- "Hittin Curves"
- Pettidee- "I Be"
- Jason Eskridge- "I Try"
- Antonio Phelon- "Love Child"
- Lisa Kimmey- "It Takes Love"; "Shawty"; "Time To Pray"
- IzIZIZ may mean:*IATA code for Arkia Israel Airlines*NATO country code and Federal Information Processing Standard 10-4 country code for Iraq*International zone, a type of extraterritoriality governed by international law...
- "Jay Mumbles Mega Mix" - Pigeon JohnPigeon JohnPigeon John is an American hip hop rapper raised in Hawthorne, California and based in Los Angeles, California.-Biography:Pigeon John is a Los Angeles area rapper who has recorded four studio albums as a solo artist, as well as several others as a member of the groups like L.A. Symphony and...
- "Open Bar"; "You Said" - CanibusCanibusGermaine Williams , better known by his stage name Canibus, is a Jamaican-born American rapper. He is a part of supergroup The HRSMN. Canibus rose to fame in the mid-nineties...
- "Ambitions" - KJ52 - "Integrity"
- Mac PowellMac PowellJohnny Mac Powell , originally from Clanton, Alabama, is an American singer-songwriter and producer who formed the Christian rock band Third Day with guitarist Mark Lee...
- "Fly Away" - Michael TaitMichael TaitMichael DeWayne Tait is a Contemporary Christian Music artist. Michael Tait met Toby McKeehan and Kevin Max while attending Liberty University in the late 1980s, and formed four-time grammy winning band DC Talk, with whom he released 5 acclaimed studio albums...
- "Fly Away (Remix)" - VerbsVerbs (rapper)Verbs is a Christian hip hop artist who has achieved respect in the industry. Knowdaverbs has recorded for the Gotee label, home to GRITS and affiliated with dc Talk.-Background:...
- "U.S. Open"; "Hopes and Dreams"; "Gospel Rap; Parables"; "Strugglin'"; "C2K"; "Video Girl"; "Different Drum" - Dan HaseltineDan HaseltineDaniel Paul "Dan" Haseltine is an American singer best known as lead vocalist for Christian alternative folk rock group Jars of Clay. Haseltine has performed vocals, piano, accordion, percussion and most recently, melodica, while with Jars of Clay...
- "Sky May Fall" - Jade Harrell-"Turn it Up"; "Say Goodbye"; "Neverland"
GMA Dove Awards
They have received several Gospel Music AssociationGospel Music Association
The Gospel Music Association was founded in 1964 for the purpose of supporting and promoting the development of all forms of Gospel music. There are currently about 4,000 members worldwide...
Dove Awards throughout their career. Their first award was for a song about plagiarism ("Plagiarism" from their album Factors of the Seven). For this, they received the best "Rap/Hip Hop Song" award. The next year they took the same award for "They All Fall Down", from Grammatical Revolution. In 2003 The Art Of Translation won the award for "Rap/Hip Hop Album", and the following year their song "Believe" from the same album took "Rap/Hip Hop Song". They also shared in the "Special Event Album" that year, for their contribution to !Hero The Rock Opera
!Hero (album)
!Hero is an album featuring the songs from the rock opera, !Hero. It is based on the question, "What if Jesus was born in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania?" The rock opera modernizes Jesus' last two years on earth and features a cast of many well-known Christian artists with Michael Tait, Rebecca St...
.
{| class="wikitable"
! width="60px"| Year
! Award
! Result
|-
!rowspan="1"| 2005
Dove Awards of 2005
The 36th Annual GMA Dove Awards, also called the 36th Annual GMA Music Awards, were held on April 13, 2005 recognizing accomplishments of musicians for the year 2004. The show was held at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville, Tennessee and was hosted by Steven Curtis Chapman, CeCe Winans, Rebecca St...
| Rap/Hip-Hop Recorded Song of the Year ("Hittin' Curves")
|
|-
!rowspan="2"| 2006
Dove Awards of 2006
The 37th Annual GMA Dove Awards, also called the 37th Annual GMA Music Awards, were held on April 5, 2006 recognizing accomplishments of Christian musicians for the year 2005. The show was held at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville, Tennessee, and was hosted by Rebecca St. James and Kirk Franklin...
| Rap/Hip-Hop Recorded Song of the Year ("We Don't Play")
|
|-
| Rap/Hip-Hop Album of the Year (Dichotomy B)
|
|-
!rowspan="2"| 2008
Dove Awards of 2008
The 39th Annual GMA Dove Awards were held on April 23, 2008 recognizing accomplishments of musicians for the year 2007. The show was held at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville, Tennessee.Nominations were announced on February 14, 2008 by singer Michael W...
| Rap/Hip-Hop Recorded Song of the Year ("Open Bar")
|
|-
| Rap/Hip-Hop Album of the Year (Redemption
Redemption (GRITS album)
Redemption is the eighth studio album released by American Southern rap duo Grits for the CCM market. It was co-produced by Grits.- Track listing :- Reception :...
)
|
|-
!rowspan="2"| 2009
Dove Awards of 2009
The 40th Annual GMA Dove Awards were held on April 23, 2009 recognizing accomplishments of musicians for the year 2008. The show was held at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville, Tennessee, and was hosted by Rebecca St...
| Rap/Hip-Hop Recorded Song of the Year ("Beautiful Morning")
|
|-
| Rap/Hip-Hop Album of the Year (Reiterate
Reiterate
Reiterate is the eighth full length album from the Christian Rap group GRITS. It was released on September 16, 2008, and is the GRITS first release on their newly formed Revolution Art label.-Track listing:# Sky May Fall# Walking My Way# Fly Away...
)
|
|-
!rowspan="1"| 2010
| Rap/Hip-Hop Album of the Year (Reiterate)
|
|-
|}
Other Awards
They were nominated for Rap/Hip Hop Performer of the Year at the 2009 Visionary Awards Show (held at the First Baptist Church in Frisco, Texas). However, instead, the award went to the Christian rap duo "Word of Mouth"External links
- Grits Exclusive Interview November 2006
- Revolution Art Website