Da Truth

Philadelphia’s Emanuel Lee Lambert, Jr. a/k/a Da' T.R.U.T.H. is the forerunning artist in Christian Rap. This Cross Movement protégé is an urban missionary who is decorated with honors and accolades in music, an educated teacher of the Word and a continually evolving entity with an enthralling desire to impact a generation with the truth. Receiving Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior at a very young age, Da’ T.R.U.T.H. listened to contemporary Christian music but never had an interest in rap music although finding elements of the culture appealing. He began playing drums as a teen and discovered a natural deft for rhyming when stumbling into free-style rap. This innate skill led to Da’ T.R.U.T.H. co-founding a Christian Hip Hop group NIV and acquiring the first moniker of Truth. From there the urban missionary was birthed. A graduate of Philadelphia Biblical University and The Institute of Jewish Studies, the vanguard rapper received a 2007 Stellar Award for Rap/Hip Hop Gospel CD of the Year for THE FAITH. That album was highlighted by Da’ T.R.U.T.H. co-producing and even playing keyboards and drums accentuating his credence that “artistry should never be place on the altar for the sake of the message – instead, it should heighten it potency.” 2009 brought about a Stellar Award and Grammy nomination for OPEN BOOK. Continuing this impressive streak, he captured a 2010 Stellar Award for THE BIG PICTURE which also reaped Grammy and Dove Award nominations. THE BIG PICTURE was the first Christian Hip Hop CD to debut in the #1 spot on the iTunes Christian and Gospel chart and Da Truth’s second debut at #2 on the Billboard Gospel Charts. Da’ T.R.U.T.H. continued to establish his place as a hit maker being featured on two top 10 singles (Radio and Records Christian Rhythmic Chart) with label-mates The Ambassador (“Feels Good”) and Flame (“LADIES”). Featured on Kirk Franklins “Hero” world tour alongside duo Mary Mary, Da’ T.R.U.T.H. has toured extensively making appearances at Bishop T.D. Jakes’ MegaFest, Christian Music’s premiere music festival Creation Fest, Rap Fest, Flavor Fest and many others. He also garnered television appearances and performances on the 24th Annual Stellar Awards, MTV’s My Super Sweet 16, BET’s Lift Every Voice, TBN, Daystar and Gospel Music Channel. Now comes the time for THE WHOLE TRUTH and nuthin but it! Da’ T.R.U.T.H. has produced a musical expedition chronicling a period of brokenness to wholeness, emphasizing that throughout this journey, God has made him whole. The project also irrefutably delivers the Word, pointing listeners to Jesus who embodies the Whole Truth. This marks Da’ T.R.U.T.H.’s first CD release with his new label home Xist Music. THE WHOLE TRUTH takes the listener through Da’ T.R.U.T.H.’s personal passage over the last two years divulging every imaginable twist and turn. “People can expect to hear many of the things that I’ve learned about God and myself over the course of this journey,” Da’ T.R.U.T.H. shares. “On my last CD The Big Picture, I focused on ‘THE’ redemptive story, while on THE WHOLE TRUTH the attention is given to ‘MY’ redemptive story.” Throughout THE WHOLE TRUTH Da’ T.R.U.T.H. lyrically paints his recent life experiences on a canvas coated in thematic simplicity which exposes the pain in his heart, strength in his spirit and layers to his character. “I intentionally fixated on the basics because it was the fundamental reality of Godʼs love, grace, truth and forgiveness that sustained me through it all,” he explains. “Beyond that, I wanted to keep it relatively simple so that it could resonate with a range of listeners—Christian and Non-Christian alike.” The first single and title cut “The Whole Truth” features the soothing vocals of Hillsong Music songstress Mia Fieldes. THE WHOLE TRUTH stand out tracks are “Without God”, “God is Good”, and “Alive” featuring the UK’s Jahaziel and the rock-infused title track to the 2011Misfit Tour “GO, MISFIT, GO!” featuring The Ambassador, Sean Simmonds, Mali Music and Efrain. Adding a gentle touch to the record, Da’ T.R.U.T.H. duets with CeCe Winans on “Cherished”, a song dedicated to his wife and theme song for the book Cherished. “When I was in the dark season of my life, I said many hurtful things to my wife and I wanted to replace those things with words of life in something that she could have forever,” Da’ T.R.U.T.H. expresses. “And, I grew up listening to CeCe, so having her on the record is almost surreal. I am totally humbled and honored.” THE WHOLE TRUTH merges the innovativeness of hip hop music and pure ministry into a collection that will continue to assist in harvesting positive and global exposure for the Christian Hip Hop community. “The heartbeat of the Christian rapper is to provide people with a positive alternative and a godly antidote for the poison of secularism found in pop culture,” says Da’T.R.U.T.H. “My prayer is that as a community we all grow together in genuine love and fellowship with one another and focus on the things that matter most.” He continues, “I represent many things for the genre right now – most importantly, I represent hope! After everything that I’ve been through, I’m still standing, my family is restored, I’m back on the frontline performing and proclaiming Gods love.” Although decorated with awards and honors and a respected catalog of hit singles and records, the real fruit of Da’ T.R.U.T.H.’s labor is in the lives of the people who have been exposed to his ministry. “Having witnessed everything from salvation to restored marriages, my desire is really just to see more of the same,” Da’ T.R.U.T.H. expounds. “I’d like to see this album expand my reach, creating greater opportunities for me to share good music and minister the heart of God to the world.”