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In 1997 a young gospel singer from San Diego released his third CD. Recorded in his home and distributed out of the back of his car "pronounced toe-nay" instantly became one of the most talked about (and argued over) CDs in contemporary gospel music. Filled with honest lyrics, an unwavering faith in God and grooves that fused hip-hop to R&B to funk, "pronounced toe-nay" straddled the gulf between old school and new school gospel, both delighting and enraging the gospel community.
With his dynamic sound and a live show that drew comparisons to Prince, Michael Jackson, D'Angelo, and Kirk Franklin, Tonex reigned as an anointed warrior of hip-hop and R&B who used his music to not only touch the faithful but to take gospel music to a new audience.
Now three years after "pronounced toe-nay" made him a star, earned him fans like Missy Elliot and Timbaland, and became an underground classic, Verity Records is bringing those who haven't heard a most holy and soulful noise in the form of it's re-release.
"I feel like my record was a classic of it's time," Tonex offers, "and even now, I think it sounds fresh and contemporary. I mean there has been this buzz over the past three years so, I wanted to give people what they wanted."
What the people wanted is a brand of gospel that Tonex describes as eccentric and unique. "pronounced toe-nay" is a complete musical vision, starting off with hip-hop and segueing into electro funk, sliding in some laid back mellow grooves and then ending up with old time gospel/soul. One listen and it's clear that Tonex, who wrote and produced the whole album, has the chops to crossover but he is firmly dedicated to his beliefs and that devotion shines throughout the CD.
"I had many offers to do pop and R&B," Tonex offers modestly "but I never went through with it. There are a lot of people who do similar things to what I do in R&B but I wanted to use gospel lyrics. I address issues that many other Christian artists don't' address. For instance in a sexual context, I don't sing about what I'm going to do to a woman. I sing about what I've already experienced and the pain that it caused me. So, on a song like "Taxi," I'm talking about the downside of premarital sex, but it's still a pop song."
On the sizzling "One Good Reason" Tonex sings about those who question his faith. "As a child I was spared from a lot of sadness because of the faith my parents instilled in me, and so I say in the song give me one good reason why, I can't praise God. I mean there are people my age dying of AIDS and honestly if it hadn't been for God's mercy it could have been me. I could be another black brother statistic... in jail or on crack. So how you gonna hare on me when I'm doing what I do, for the right reasons?"
Another song close to Tonex's soul and also tinged with controversy is "Real With You", "Sometimes with Christianity, people are so busy trying to convince others that they are saved that they do not deal with the real issues that happen when you leave church. I don't want to do this because it looks right, I wanna do this because it is right but I need God to help me and that's what the song speaks about."
Tonex was born into musical family. His father played saxophone for James Brown and Jackie Wilson and his mother sang in various girl groups. "I'm the youngest of six boys," Tonex laughs, "so I guess if I had been born with our talent my folks would have been like what's wrong with him?" Along with music, Tonex's life was shaped by faith. Both his parents are ministers and head up the Truth Apostolic Community Church in California.
Although his parents beliefs deterred Tonex from listening to much secular music (although Tonex admits he did check out his older brother's funk records on the low), Tonex's father made sure that his children had a knowledge and appreciation of genres other than traditional gospel. "Although I'm sure he didn't like the messages in some songs, he made sure I was open to classical, jazz... and music in general."
When Tonex was 10 he recorded a gospel record with his family and when he turned 13 he decided to venture out on his own. Dubbing himself Tonex he began to hone his craft, working on songs in his family's basement. By the time Tonex was 18 he he'd released his independent debut "Silent X 516: the Self Confrontation." The following year he released "Damage," also an independent release.
Then, two short years following the release of "Damage," Tonex would release his third CD "pronounced toe-nay" and the buzz would grow to such an audible level that it was only a matter of time before this exciting performer was signed to a major label.
In an age where music often doesn't represent anything much more than good times and materialism, it's refreshing to hear songs that work on the mind, body and spirit.
Those are the songs contained on "pronounced toe-nay" and bringing faith and funk to the masses is Tonex's mission. This, his Verity Records debut, this musical prodigy accomplishes that mission. Ask Tonex what he wants fans to derive from his music and he is characteristically open.
"I'm not flawless. I'm not trying to be some daily scripture. I'm trying to be real with people and I have no intention of only preaching to the converted, so to speak. Why heal the sick if they are already healed? If people wanna get into my music cause it has a dope beat... cool. "Cause eventually you will listen to what I have to say. The beat is the bait but the words will hook you in."
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