EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH TONY STONE

 

 

Back in January, I had the opportunity to interview the VERY talented (and humble) Tony Stone. This man (of God) is takin’ the HHH world by storm.  With his dedication to God, good work ethic & approachable demenor, it’s clear to see why he’s at the top of his game.

 

 

Bro Tony what a privilege it is to interview you! I don’t really know you but your work speaks for itself. I’ll make sure I do your beats justice!  What’s going on up there in VA? There’s lots of dope stuff poppin’ off in VA with lots of talent that’s submitted to Christ.  You have a lot of artists who are taking root and expanding, so it’s real exciting to see.

 

DB: So now that you’ve won HHH producer of the year @ www.Rapzilla.com , what are your plans. Are u going to Disney World? LOL It was an honor to be recognized.  I have no new plans of any sort.  I appreciate these awards, but I know that I continually strive for the real reward, and that is to have my work for the kingdom here on earth count in heaven.

  §      So tell us about Mr. Stone. What made you want to do this production thing?  It’s crazy because growing up, I never wanted to be so active in music even though I enjoyed making beats.  I had my ambitions set on things that, in my eyes, were greater and of higher prestige… I excelled in the academic environment and was pursuing the field of computer science and robotics having all kinds of awards including national ones. All this in my teen years! But it was at that time that God slowed me down and really illuminated His grace on me as I began to read the Bible in depth.  I tell everyone, it was as my walk with God began to really cement and be established that my desire to do music also grew.  I had a lot of support by my mother (and still do) in those early stages that also encouraged me to stay in the music lane, doing it for Christ.

§         What things inspire you as a producer?  What inspires me as a producer- on a pure musical side is anything interesting, creative, or seemingly hard to accomplish.  These types of things challenge me to try harder.  Good writing lyricists also inspire me.  On a spiritual side, my desire to see people understand more about God and serve Him better is my inspiration. 

 §         How long have you been producing? Ever produced on a secular level? If so how is that different from the Gospel side? Who are you working with now?  I’ve been making music since I was a kid… Ever since really getting serious about making music I haven’t produced on a secular level.  I value the fact that Christian brothers and sisters doing music have the benefit of praying with one another and seeking God on the direction of songs- something that you can’t do with unsaved coworkers.  Currently I’m working with a lot of artists.  Trip Lee, Viktory, Braille, and Azriel, just to name a few.  Expect to hear lots of stuff on CMR dropping this year that I worked on.

§         So I know that you are apart of The Yuinon movement. How has it been a blessing to you? What stands out the most?  The Yuinon is a great body of believers, and I think one of the main things that stands out to me from the Yuinon is the heavy drive on bringing practical Biblical applications as the solutions for common problems faced by people in this day and age.  They tackle a lot of the practical things like modesty, the street life, virtue, civil issues- and the answer is always pointed back to Christ.  Maji is a dope brother in Christ and also a dope producer. 

§         How do you use your music as a ministry tool? What types of outreach events have you been a part of? Any events we should be on the lookout for? What’s going down in 2007?  One of the greatest advantages that I find is being able to have 1 on 1 contact with young cats where I’m able to give them CD’s that I’ve worked on after talking with them. Sometimes it’s grown men, neighbors, pastors, etc.  From a church perspective, it’s a great internal ministry because it can be used with the building up of the youth.  One event we had an outreach show and were able to really reach out to the students. I also find that interviews like these and others that I’ve done on local radio stations have been helpful ministry tools, as we discuss weighty issues in the Christian world.  The 2007 GMA’s will likely be a stop for me this year, as I was invited to be a panelist in one of the seminars hosted during the week.

§         Maji from The Yuinon has a slogan on his site “It’s about the prophet, not the profit”, what does that mean to you?  It illuminates the focus should be on spiritual things and not natural things.  It’s a dope play on spelling, very simple, yet effectively distinguishes the mindset of the Yuinon from other secular movements.

§         What artists or producers have inspired your style? Lyrically? I grew up listening to Christian rap… Grits, DC Talk , Cross Movement and others. Musically and stylistically, I have producers that I admire strictly for their ability to create great sounding beats, but I try not to call out too many names… I appreciate them stylistically, but because they are not using their gifts for Christ, I don’t want to appear to be endorsing them.

§         Being apart of the HHH movement is exciting. It’s a fresh & new and a way to really reach a youth & young adults immerged in the hip-hop culture. Have you found a lot of opposition from the church? If so how do you handle that?  Some love it, some are curious about it, some are cautious about it, and some flat out hate it.  I tend to get the hardest opposition from people who are outside of any urban culture, people who have an idea about Christ that ties Him down to one ethnicity (i.e. Eurocentric), or church people who I may confront about questionable behavior- they will say something back to the effect of, I have no right to question them when I do hip-hop….  I’ve heard stories of artists ran off of stages when they started performing because they started rapping, mics cut off, thrown out of churches, etc… The church sometimes looks at us like we’re the street, and the street sometimes looks at us like we’re the church gone hip (ha-ha).  But we are becoming more common, we must keep making disciples- not trying to change people’s style of clothing and dialect, but making men and women who are skilled in the Word and loving Jesus, who are able to go out and reach others.  It’s exciting.

§         What advice would you give to an up & coming producer? What about an artist or someone who aspires to have a career in any form of entertainment? The most fundamental thing is keep Christ first.  Let Him be the center of your ambitions and labor in the Word and prayer.  There are 1000 situations that can happen that would be impossible to address, but if you have those things in order, you are in good shape to make sound decisions.  It’s not about big names or “blowing up”, but it’s about serving Christ.

§         How do you handle success? Do you find yourself having to be more prayerful or do you think you are the same as when you first started out?  What’s funny is I’m usually so busy working on stuff that I don’t have time to really absorb the success factor.  A lot of guys might look at me and desire to be where I’m at, or have a lot of preconceived notions of how I might be living because they hear my name dropped.  I shun it because success has a way of making people get focused on carnal things.  Any success that I have is attributed to Christ and not a business strategy, a gimmick, or anything else.  The same God that makes one successful is the source of success for the next person, so I find that most of the time I’m subconsciously trying to show my fellow workers that I’m just like you- I’m no greater, no less.  You must definitely pray more, and God also has a funny way of keeping us humble.  While I may have a few albums under my belt and have experienced some favor with things like music, there are also things that I don’t have, like a vehicle.  There would have been a time when I would be ashamed to say something like that, but I realize that God gives us all according to His will and in His time, and has funny ways of keeping us humble.

 

§         What do you see in your future music wise? Any artist you are dying to work with?  Futuristically, I see a lot of great things as far as the advancement of HHH as a respectable member of the Christian music sphere, a usable tool for the furtherance of the gospel, and prayerfully my involvement in establishing it even more.  There are lots of people to disciple, lots of souls to reach- all within the context of this music.  Aside from hip-hop, I also and interested in other styles of music, so don’t be surprised if I kick out with some Christian folk music ha-ha.  As far as artists I’d love to work with, probably some cats outside the HHH sphere and into the Christian rock scene… (I’ll leave that one open ended).

§         If someone wanted a beat what would they need to do? Be prepared to give me a testimony of your salvation, a goal for your music, and then show me what you’re coming with lyrically and musically.  Prove to me that you’re serious about Christ and also serious about doing music.  (Then they must jump through 2 flaming hoola hoops, but that’s only if they want a banger. Ha-Ha)

§    What importance does leadership and the church play in your career? Any advice? That’s a really great question.  There is openness to the use of Christian hip-hop where I’m at, so it is always good to have the encouraging support of church headship.  I have not had any problems or conflicts with any pastor that I’ve been under as long as I’ve been doing HHH.  I think that it’s important to have some form of accountability, especially for young cats starting off, I’m just fortunate enough to have had my mother who’s been a pillar of strength in my life there close up.  Many don’t have that OR proper church leadership, but they desire to do something for God.  There can often be mistakes made that didn’t need to if they had someone to direct them.

§  Before I go, I gotta ask this one question. Do you preach?  I’ve seen some of your writing and views on theology! I was blown away. I said “that boy der’ be UP in the Word!!! More than a producer right here! LOL ha-ha, well I frequently find myself in positions where I am proclaiming or teaching God’s Word.  This can be in completely random spots like to a neighbor, at the checkout line at a store, to Mormons coming to my front door… I like to be in the Word and learn about my Lord!  It also equips you for the day to day interaction with people.  I will always view myself as a student of the Word of God! 

Well bro, Thanks so much for your time! I  can’t wait to hear your album! God bless you & we’ll have to sit down again. Maybe when you get a Grammy! Hope to meet you in person soon.  Thanks for the opportunity!

 

Here you have it. Exclusive with my brother in Christ Mr. Tony Stone! Y’all can check brother Stone out on www.tonystonebeats.com