NAIROBI - Gospel artistes Mr T and X-po have declined nominations in the upcoming 2011 Groove Awards revealing the discontent among a section of the artiste community. Mr T was the first to disassociate himself through a Facebook post he made on Wednesday 20th April 2011 reading (verbatim) "after much consultation, prayers and mentorship i here by decline the nomination with groove awards i have nothing against the awards but just heeding to the voice of my father sorry for any inconviniences God bless you all". Incidentally, Mr T was present at the Groove Gala held on 29th March where nominees were announced.

X-po then posted this a few hours later (verbatim) "Ladies and gentlemen: I Dennis a.k.a X-po withdraw my nomination from Groove Awards 2011, Hip-hop song of the year, Altar Ego code 8b. This decision comes as an act of prudence, on my part, to ensure that God's perfect will for this ministry is safeguarded, phil 2:12-13. I have consulted widely with a representative of the organisers as well as my disciplers and teachers. (1 cor 9:27, James 3:1 and phil 1:26)"

Mr T has 2 nominations for Video of the Year and Collabo of the Year for his song Hitho with Allan Aaron. Many of their friends expressed support on their stand while others were of a different opinion. Here's an excerpt from Warle Maina.

(Verbatim) "I don't know how many of us were awarded degrees diplomas or certficates in college. .. did we accept these ...did we not do exams desiring to excel, studying hard, in good competition with fellow classmates... did not ppo reap what they sowed? are we now saying that examinations and awards are a world system... does not God reward even thru these natural systems... is not a salary or a wage a reward for labour.... is excellence in art is not to be rewarded in the church? ..what of music fests and drama, games and sports that even paul refers to... do not those that run have their eyes on the prize... is it only heavenly? even as ministers, do u work and expect no pay coz the reward is in heaven, paul asks, he sowed spiritual seed among the corinthians, is it too much to reap physical things....2 cor 9.11 nonetheless not at the expense of the ministry...as long as this did not become a hinderAnce..... truly is the quality of all gospel music the same. .. i must say it is not....is not the awarding criteria multifaceted ... production stds, voice, songwritin, character or walk of musician... i think this is what my friend mr. alovi is alluding to... or shall we be content with mediocrity... have u seen a man diligent in his gift, he shall stand before kings and not obscure men... then his level of character will sustain him there... consider my friends, consider that we do not use the word without balance to justify a stand we took prematurely against all that are of a different opinion.. we kinda all acknowledge xpo and what God is doing thru him among the youth... another bro will come here and entirely dismiss us all sayin contemporary gospel music such as rap, reggae or even lingalla as worldly.... conclusion, let him who eats do so unto the Lord, let Him who does not eat also do so unto the Lord... are they not both justfied before God... lets be temperate... moderate...avoiding extremes.. respect...boom"

Here's another exerpt from Dennis Sauke

(Verbatim) "Warle... i have several concerns with this. Lets start with the most obvious one. Pride. Being a celebrated anything, whether its sports, education and even work, makes it extremely hard for someone to remain humble. It also tends to take the shine of the Christ...
The entertainment industry as am sure you are aware, is very glamorous. Wasnt Satan in charge of a similar field when he tripped and fell because of pride and ambition? Isnt it a very real danger? i would like to know, how do you guard the heart? I get the excellence vibe, and shunning mediocrity, but then, how do you guard from doing songs in order to win awards? Is this why we are in this? A career? The thing for working for pay, is a contradiction in ministry. Paul would have preached the Gospel regardless of physical or not. Taking care of the Kingdom gets us taken care of, but we dont take care of the Kingdom, in order to be taken care off... that would be an insult to the numerous number of martyrs who gave their lives for their ministry --> i am seriously still trying to find scriptural precedence/criteria for award shows/ceremonies. Look at the Heroes of the Faith in Hebrews, didnt get anything for all they put in here... because of their eternal mindset. Listen to Paul talking about finishing the race and fighting the good fight. Listen to Jesus explaining in the parable of the talents how the Master returns and then gives his rewards. Watch Him in the book of Revelation, coming back with His Reward!

Still on the question of rewards, where do we draw the line? Where are the awards for the best preachers? Best prophets? The best givers? How about the best church goers? Impacters of society? Maybe an award for the one who got the most number of people saved in the past year? Then... also how do we know for sure that the person we are awarding is truly the best? Not my intention to sound judgmental or condescending, but what if the most talented, is also the one with the most questionable lifestyle? hasnt this happened before to the joy of the secular world and God hating people?

There's so much i can say, like for instance, how much is it to set up the whole Groove awards? from ads to venue to smses to the event itself? that money, no matter how it was sourced, i think can be used more creatively to spread the Kingdom! how about a setting up studios where artists who cant afford but are talented can record for free and maybe even be trained from the veterans in the craft! How about having an annual thing where Godly music, that might otherwise be inaccessible, from around the world, be given out to people- for FREE? coz the money paid for it already?

Award ceremonies are well meaning and many of my personal friends have been nominated and i dont think any less of them. But i do believe they bring several issues that are a slippery slope both for the individual and the Kingdom as a whole. In a competition, there is always a winner and a loser. In a competition, rivalries, intended or not, always tend to crop up. In Scripture, i recall being told to hang to the end, and to finish the race, not WIN it! I do remember though, being told to preach the Gospel, and here in lies my biggest bone of contention. We are ALL to Preach the Gospel. The Great Commission is clear. It is for everyone. Even more so for those who dare call themselves GOSPEL artists! Gospel is the Good News. Of the Kingdom. You cannot be a Gospel Artiste who is doing music not for ministry. That is a misnomer. It is better you do like some people have done before and clearly declared that they are not Gospel artistes. Because once one declares themselves to be Gospel Artistes, they irrevocably bind themselves to Yahweh God, in the eyes of the world especially. And that is how you will be judged. A Gospel artiste teaches the good news and is in ministry work and lives according to the dictates of the Holy Bible. There is no middle ground. You are either hot or cold.

Mad Love to everyone! Yahweh Bless"

The Groove Awards with Skiza take place on Sat 30th April 2011 at the KICC starting at 2pm. We will stream the Groove Awards live on KenyanGospel.com