It will be Essence Music Festival meets Miami Carnival meets big tent revival when the Urban Gospel Fest takes place Saturday at Oasis Church Miami in North Miami.
The free event celebrates a genre of music that remains unrecognized by the world and shunned by the church that gave it birth, according to promoters.
Presented by Soul Movement Crew, in association with Oasis Church, NEWD Magazine, F-N-F Live and Vision Music, the outdoor community festival and high-energy block party promises to showcase and celebrate the pioneering artists of the Urban Gospel genre.
Urban Gospel Music, drawn from the streets of The Bronx, Miami, San Juan, Kingston and Havana, among other places, is an umbrella genre comprising diverse styles, linking urban communities around the world.
The festival promoters describe it as the popular music of youth who have been redeemed yet still feel the rhythms of their ’hoods, barrios and garrisons.
It will feature the sounds of hip-hop, reggaeton, dancehall, soca, merengue and R&B being used in Christian ministry. Also to be featured are dance styles, graffiti, live deejaying and videos and publications of the nations representing Urban Gospel music and culture from around the world.
Artists who perform in the genre will give live performances and talk about how their music is changing their communities for Christ.
Those who are billed to appear at Urban Gospel Fest include former Soca King Nigel Lewis of Trinidad and Tobago, Dre Marshall of New York, Mark Lee of Fort Lauderdale, Kristine Alicia of Jamaica, Rey King of the Dominican Republic, CUDS Music of Miami, LaVie of Haiti, Eddie Corona of Port St. Lucie, Sekajipo of Liberia, West Africa, Troy Genius of Jamaica, Paul Morris of Jamaica and Mr. E of Colombia.
Others will heat up the stage with live performances and testimonies about how their music is revolutionizing their communities for Christ.
The main sponsor of the festival, Soul Movement Crew, is the Christian-owned multimedia and entertainment services branch of MRYS International.
For more information, visit www.soulmovementcrew.com
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