I love Christian Hip Hop concerts. Simple as that. The ability to not just attend a CHH concert, but also be apart of it was amazing. Add in the ability to interview the headliners and you have an unforgettable experience. For those who don’t know, Young Noah and Plain James are touring across the country for their “Trap Theology Fan Appreciation Tour.” What differentiates this tour from their regular tours is that both these artists were accepting bookings for $500 flat fee. This is a dream come true and an answered prayer for small churches or individuals. For one individual in Louisville this was literally the case. My friend and brother in Christ Christopher Owens AKA 4Sight has been following Dirty Work Ministries (Plain James and Young Noah) for about 5 years and literally had prayed that one day they would make their way to the city of Louisville and minister through their music. Be careful what you ask for Chris.
Once Chris saw the video he reached out to Noah and got the ball rolling for the concert. He then reached out to a Louisville CHH page and told the members (your truly included) about what he was trying to accomplish. He reached out to several of the artists and added us to the lineup. He told me he wanted me to do a poem in line with the theme of “Trap Theology” and I told him I was down. Fast forward to March 11th the day of the concert. Young Noah and Plain James as well as Chris were at the local Gospel Radio Station to get on air and promote the concert around noonish. Chris having footed almost the entire $500 payment told me he was going to be at the church at 4:30pm to move the chairs. I told him I’d roll up and help him move chairs. All that was left was to wait for the artists to arrive and go through soundcheck.
When Noah and James arrived the first thing I noticed was just how tall Plain James was! I told him he looks way taller in real life than he does on his videos. The second thing I noticed is just how much Noah and James looked alike. The old folks say that when you spend a lot of time around someone, you begin to look like each other, and that was definitely true in this case. The Dirty Work Ministries artists walked in with all smile, greeted everyone, got their merch unloaded and set up. They walked around the stage to get a feel for the stage and then got right to work figuring out the sound for the concert. It took quite awhile, but Noah was very patient with the operator on the boards and they got the sound under control.
Next up was my interview and it was fantastic! I may have listened to the playback at least 5 times since the day of that event. Young Noah and Plain James were refreshingly honest and gave great answers, which made for great conversation. I got the feeling that they were just two regular guys who had a burning passion to make the name of Jesus Christ known. We had laughs and good conversation, it made me feel like I was really friends with these guys. The actual concert was an amazing experience and made me an instant fan of both of these artists. They performed their songs and had great energy and some teaching went forth. Noah and James talked to the crowd in between their songs, but never to the point that you got bored. Young Noah was so honest and vulnerable about his struggles and his passion for the body of Christ to just talk honestly and openly about their sins and structures. Noah cut his last song short to get everyone present to crowd close to the altar and pray. He prayed that the Holy Spirit would fill each and everyone present and make Himself known, not in a charismatic or spooky way but in a real and tangible way. Powerful is an understatement.
In conclusion, I believe that this may be my best experience at a CHH concert ever. Two artists that I was kind of familiar with and kind of dismissed suddenly rose in stock and value to me. This Tour, which was geared towards small churches and small wallets had a big impact on me and prayerfully on the rest of their tour dates. I believe that God has His hand on Young Noah and Plain James. They really love the Lord, and you are doing yourself a great disservice if you don’t book them. In their promo video for the tour they said they were only taking twenty dates but they told me they have 40 confirmed dates and 20 dates that have yet to be confirmed. When you put the mission of Christ first, don’t be surprised when he blesses it. Their name may be Dirty Work Ministries but it looks to me that they have some clean fruit. Taste and see for yourself.
Stay Tuned for the audio of Plain James and Young Noah interview coming soon.
