Word has it that Tonex is releasing a new album, entitled Circus, on November 17th.  The project will be available on iTunes.

He’s apparently had them for about a decade now, waiting for the best time to release ‘em.  They’re really great tracks with awesome vocals and creative concepts!

You can listen to some of the tracks for the upcoming project on his MySpace page by clicking here.

By now, you’ve undoubtedly heard about Lexi’s hit show on The Word Network.  She’s a hard-hitting journalist, asking tough questions and getting honest answers.

I recently got the chance to catch up with Lexi, to ask about her show, her explosive interview with Tonex and the backlash from it, and her take on her role as a journalist.

I’m now an even BIGGER support of this woman of God (oh, and today’s her birthday, so HAPPY BIRTHDAY!).  I think you’ll enjoy our chat, too.  Here’s Lexi… 

*     *     *

EJ:  Hi, how are you?

Lexi:  I’m good.  How are you?

EJ:  I’m good, thank ya.  I want to, first, thank you for chatting with me. I’m sure you’re pretty busy.

Lexi:  A lil’ bit. *laughs*

EJ:  I know it!  Well, let’s get right to it… I wanna chat about your show.  You have, of course, been successful as a vocalist in the gospel industry, but journalism also seems to be such a natural fit for you– have you always had aspirations to do this?

Lexi:  No.  No, I didn’t even know that this is what I wanted to do.  I had no clue at all.  I kinda just fell into it.

EJ:  How did The Lexi Show come about?

Lexi:  Through a relationship with Lewis Gibbs (of The Word Network).  My late husband and I had done a jingle for The Word Network and that opened the door.

I was watching The Word Network after that, and I saw someone interview Karen Clark-Sheard and he kept calling her “Karen Clark,” and she kept saying “I’m Karen Clark-SHEARD.” *laughing*

EJ:  Wow. *laughing*

Lexi:  And I was asking myself “why doesn’t this person know who she is?!  Why is interviewing her and he doesn’t know his stats?”  You know?  It just made me angry.  So I called Lewis and I said “listen, there’s somebody on your network that is interviewing these artists, these friends and peers of mine, and they don’t know their stuff.”

And it made me angry because, you know, I always use the example of sportscasters on ESPN.  They know the stats of these athletes, they know the players, they know the teams… and why is this guy not giving the same respect to gospel artists?!

EJ:  Right.

Lexi:  So, I said “you know what?  Give me an opportunity to do it.  I’ll be at the Bobby Jones retreat, it won’t cost you a dime… just give me a chance to do it.”  He said “have you ever done TV?”  And I said “no, but I can do better than THAT guy!”

EJ: *laughs* Basically!

Lexi:  And he said “we’ll see.”  We got down there and he allowed me to do a couple of interviews and they were fantastic because they were my FRIENDS, so it just kinda flowed.  The interviews were better than they had been, so he was like “oh okay!”

So, the guy who had been doing them, he got a little jealous.  He was supposed to do the 4pm-6pm timeslot of interviews and he just didn’t show up.

EJ:  Nooooooooo!  Are you serious?!

Lexi:  Yeah, he got really P.O.’ed.  So, he didn’t show up.  They called me in my hotel room, and my husband and I were taking a nap cuz it had been a long day.  And something TOLD me not take my make-up off… *laughs*

EJ:  *laughing*

Lexi:  And I hate to sleep in make-up.  But something told me “don’t take it off.”  And Lewis Gibbs called me and said “are ya busy?”  I said “takin’ a nap with my hubby.”  He said “can you come back down?”  And my husband said “uh huh… this is where it starts.”

EJ:  Wow.

Lexi:  After that, shortly after that, my husband passed and it changed my life.  I was depressed and on medication… I’m not ashamed to say it.  I was taking PILLS… anything to get this pain off of me.

EJ:  Sure.

Lexi:  I was really messed up and depressed, wouldn’t leave my home… One day, Lewis called me and asked what I was doing.  I said “absolutely NOTHING.”  He asked if I could cover the backstage area of the Stellar Awards and I said “I might as well.”

It gave me the chance to get out of the house and do something different.  I did it, they thought it was good, and that started it.  After that, I did a couple of things for them and I said “you know, one day, you guys are gonna give me my own show.”

EJ:  *laughs*

Lexi:  He laughed because The Word Network doesn’t do that.  They don’t do original programming– they just air ministries.  They don’t put money into that… into developing original programming.  But a year later, he gave me the opportunity.  He said “we’re not gonna pay for any of it, do it on your own, but you’ve got 30 minutes of free airtime.”

They gave it to me on a Saturday, when no one watches. *laughing*

EJ:  And you did it on your own budget?

Lexi:  With my own money.  Yeah!  And he said “air what you wanna air, and do YOU.”  I didn’t know what to do with it, exactly, but I knew a couple of camera people, took my own money, said “this is what I can pay y’all,” and it started.

I didn’t know what direction to take, I just knew I wanted to talk to people.  I didn’t want to be the next “Oprah,” I had no intentions of doing anything similar to that.  But I love people and everybody has a story.  If you talk to them long enough, anybody over 30… they can tell you SOMETHING.  Whatever it is– and it’s not always as sensational as the latest stories that I’ve done, but PEOPLE are sensational.

EJ:  Absolutely.  While we’re talking about “sensational,” lemme tell you– your new season premiered last month and you stepped onto the scene so ferociously! *laughing*

Lexi:  *laughs* Oh Lordy!

EJ:  I want to ask you about what has become one of the most explosive pieces of journalism we’ve seen in gospel in a very long time– your interview with Tonex.

Lexi:  Yeah.

EJ:  Many people have seen it by now, it was on TV, on the web… Tonex was very candid and honest with you about his artistry, his motivations and, perhaps most widely discussed, his sexuality.  As you interviewed him, and you heard him say things that you KNEW would cause the industry to give him the side-eye, what ran through your mind?

Lexi:  Umm… I was as shocked as everybody else was.

EJ:  No.  Really?  Well, you maintained your composure.

Lexi:  I had to!  You don’t see journalists on Dateline and 20/20 fallin’ over chairs, like we know how to do… like, “awww, Laawwwwd!”  That was going on inside.

I’ve known Tonex for years and we always keep it real.  I don’t plan my interviews at all.  I had a couple of things in mind that I wanted to ask.  And I told him “we’re going to talk about the rumors about your divorce, and about your dad, and about the mental breakdown.”  THAT’S what we were gonna talk about.

EJ:  Right.

Lexi:  And I thought we were gonna have a little tit-for-tat because I know him.  And we like to do this witty banter together.

EJ: *laughing*

Lexi:  Yeah, I thought we were gonna have this creative witty banter and talk about the wigs and platform heels, dah dah dah… I was going to ask questions about homosexuality and ask what he thinks about that.

Because we’ve talked about it before and he said “people are making me mad because they accuse me of being gay” and he seemed to deny it then.  So, I thought he was gonna do the same thing.  But, he didn’t do it.

EJ:  RIGHT!

Lexi:  So, when he said “I don’t struggle”… WHOA!  Wait a minute.  And I caught that and thought “lemme ask it another way.”  And I said “do you sleep with men?”  And he said “I don’t SLEEP… with MEN…”  I said “whoa, where is this kat going…”

EJ:  *laughing*

Lexi:  And so I said “do you practice homosexuality,” and he said “what, like a piano?”  So, I thought “okay, witty banter… we’re there.”  So, I went for it and asked if he was attracted to men, and that’s when he went there.  And the whole thing changed.

I didn’t know we were going there.  I’m still surprised now. *laughs* And we did that months ago.

EJ:  Sure.  And now, it’s big news.

Lexi:  I’ve gotten a lot of hate mail.  Hate mail has come in from the SAINTS.  I’ve been called a “fat b****”…

EJ:  WHAT?!

Lexi:  Oh yeah.  Yeah, I’ve been cussed out.  People are saying I have a Jezebel spirit, that I’m allowing the devil to use me for the gay agenda… umm… oh yeah, the hate mail is coming in by the droves.

EJ:  From the good ol’ Christians?

Lexi:  The good ol’ Christians.  Gotta love ‘em.  And I’m hitting them back, saying “I’m a journalist.  I’m not gonna sit up there and debate with anybody about what they believe.  I’m going to allow them to tell their story.”

And the Bible says we PERISH because of a lack of knowledge.  You never would’ve known this had I not done the interview.  So, what are you going to do with it?  Are you going to continue to write me letters, or are you going to get on your knees and PRAY about something that you think should be prayed about?

EJ:  Wow.

Lexi:  Handle it.  And stop writing me, because when it’s your time and it’s “One-On-One with Ben” or “One-On-One with Sarah,” then you can do your own show.  But until then, I’m going to continue to do what I do.

Well, why did I do that?!  They hit me back with “oh, you are HORRIBLE.  I will NEVER watch… dah dah dah.”  I hit ‘em back with two words “don’t agree.”

EJ:  Sure.  I wrote a post about that, too… about how we, as a Body of Believers, sometimes use hate-filled words to push the agenda of holiness.  I’m all for holding up the blood-stained banner, but you can’t do it hatefully.

Lexi:  No, you can’t.  And that’s what I’m trying to say.  But some people aren’t feelin’ that.  And I keep telling people– I’m the right person for this job.  Because I’m THIS CLOSE to cussing you out.

EJ: *laughs*

Lexi:  *laughing* But I won’t do it because it’ll be all over everything and I’ll lose my credibility.  I love Jesus, but that’s one of my things.  Some people smoke and drink, hey… I liked to cuss.  That’s my thing.  You know?  That’s my thing and so I have to really watch myself.

I don’t do the hate thing.  And Jesus never did that.  He NEVER did that, so where are we getting that?  But when I say that, it’s “you’re advocating!”  Whatever.  I’m over you.  NEXT!

EJ:  Basically. 

Lexi:  And here’s what folks forget– you forget what YOU did.  You mean to tell me you haven’t done anything?  See, I know what I do.  If I knew you a little better, we could talk. *laughing*

EJ:  *laughing*

Lexi:  So, I just don’t judge because I need SO much mercy, SO much grace every single day.  I’m so not perfect.  And I can’t stand when people act like they haven’t done anything, like their walk is SO perfect.  It makes me angry.

EJ:  Yep.

Lexi:  It couldn’t be further from the truth, but they hide behind their little web posts and their positions.  I got an email from a youth pastor– “I’m a youth pastor and I can’t believe this.  Do you have any idea how many people are gonna want to follow Tonex?”

That’s your JOB, sir.  As a youth pastor, that’s a platform for you to go to your youth ministry and say “hey, I know we listen to Tonex’s music, but I don’t agree with this, let me tell you what the word says.”  It’s a platform for you to teach.  I mean… just STOP IT!

EJ:  *laughs* Oh, you’re HILARIOUS!  How do you prepare for an interview?  Do you just show up, or what kind of homework are you doing beforehand?

Lexi:  That’s a good question.  I love doing my homework.  For some of these artists, it’s a no-brainer because I know them.  But for other people, like I had to do something about Rev. Ike when he died, I had to really study stuff on the internet to learn more about him.

I have to do my research and get my own take on the person.  Then, I ask the questions that I wanna know.  And usually, the questions that I wanna know the answers to, they’re what everybody wants to know.  But I do lots of research.

EJ:  Well, it shows.  I’ve just been so thoroughly impressed with your show.  Even from the very beginning, as my wife and I watched, we just marveled at the professionalism behind it.  Even down to, as I said in my earlier post about it, the jazzy intro– I was so glad you didn’t have some hyper-churchified intro music.

Lexi:  Can’t do it.

EJ:  *laughs*  I got a little backlash for that from someone, like “what’s wrong with CHURCH music?!”

Lexi:  I saw that!  I can’t take it.

EJ:  *laughs*  Right.  There’s nothing wrong with it, but it was refreshing to see you doing it your way.  And the interviews– I thought “finally, here’s a journalist in the gospel community who demonstrates a professionalism on par with those we consider excellent in the mainstream media.”

Lexi:  Thank you, EJ.

EJ:  I mean it.  And I wish you all the best in this new season.  I think programs like yours, with motivations like yours, are needed in the gospel and Christian community.

Lexi:  Wow.

EJ:  And I appreciate you for chatting with me.

Lexi:  Oh, man… I love you.  I love your website.

EJ:  Thank you so much!

Lexi:  Yes!  You’re awesome.

EJ:  I appreciate it.  And we’ll talk soon… maybe I’ll see you at one of these events with a mic in your hand.

Lexi:  For sure.  Thanks, EJ.

EJ:  No doubt.  Bye!

Lexi:  Bye.

*     *     *

So, that’s that!

Umm… can you imagine Christians being so angry with her that they would cuss her out for not checking Tonex about his sin?  How backwards is that?!

Y’all, keep praying cuz we (the Body) need help.

But before you do, lemme know what you thought of the interview!

“All Gospel singers are not Gay as I don’t have a sissy bone in my body.”

Deitrick Haddon typed these words on Twitter today during a rant about the now-infamous interview between Lexi and Tonex, in which Tonex acknowledged his same-sex attractions.

I’m not going to use this post to bash Deitrick, but really to ask that all of us, as CHRISTIANS, take a moment to examine our hearts and live life more carefully.

As I’ve stated before, I disagree with Tonex’s position as it relates to his interpretation of Scripture, the term “fornication,” and the things to which he feels entitled as a result.

But I don’t care how wrong we believe Tonex is in his lifestyle choices– the standard of holiness that we’re trying so hard to uphold does not give us a free pass to use hate-filled words.  Quite the contrary, WE are responsible for LIVING OUT the standard of holiness by addressing people in love.

God is not pleased with the anger we exhibit, and the venom we spew, just because we say “I’m doing it for YOU, Lord.”  We condemn other religions for committing hateful acts in the name of God, we have seen (as a nation) racial oppression premised on people’s errant interpretation of Scripture.  And we’ve not liked it.

Yet here we are.  And we’ve become so engrossed with judging every little thing that happens on this Earth that we easily become distracted from the greatest commandment– LOVE.  I’m willing to guess that God would rather we simply keep quiet than demonstrate hatred in His Name.  It’s not okay.  Why?  Merely because I never ONCE saw Christ do it.

Our task, then, is to humbly throw ourselves at the Father’s feet and say “Lord, I see injustices and I see things that displease You.  They make me angry too.  I hate what you hate.  But in response, teach me to LOVE the way YOU LOVE.”

Let’s do better.

I’m gonna declare it– we have not seen journalism like this in the gospel music industry in a long time, if ever.  Oh, and lemme say KUDOS TO YOU, Lexi, for not having some churchified intro music!

In her premiere episode of her new show, Lexi has a heart-to-heart with Tonex.  I don’t think it necessarily contained brand new info, but it allowed us to hear things straight from his mouth.  And that was refreshing.

I cannot possibly recap all that he said (and I’m nervous about recapping what I’m about to, lest any of it be taken out of context), but I do wanna highlight some points he made…

Tonex shared that he was molested twice, at age 3 and age 6–once from a family member and once from a preaching friend of the family.  He made it clear, however, that he doesn’t believe that his sexual explorations, as an adult, were due solely to that molestation.  He accepts responsibility for what he’s encountered in his life.

When Lexi asked if he struggled with homosexuality, he responded “not struggled. It wasn’t a struggle.”  But he did clarify that the reason for his divorce had nothing to do with adultery or sexual exploration on either of their parts.

He went on to say: “There’s still times where I’m like, ‘hmmm… I do want kids and I very much love women.’  But at the same time, I think we have to be honest with ourselves as to what it is that we have affinity for at the time.  And I think, because of the situation that I experienced with the first marriage, that I would have to say that I lean more toward the same sex.”

He seemed to acknowledge that he’s in a journey of living and learning. He said “before I say ‘this is what I am, this is the only thing I’ll be,’ I’ll say AT THIS STAGE, this is what it is.  So everyone can just breathe and relax on your show and say, Tonex said, ‘yes, he’s attracted to men. Yes, he has experienced gay sex before.  But that’s the least of who this man of God is.”

“I’m saying this is my life, here is my cards, this is where it’s at.  Now you can either pause here, and judge, or you can keep watching to see… Watch.  And pray.”

In the end, Lexi wrapped up the show by stating that “It is my belief that man is made for a woman, and woman is made for a man.  I believe the Bible speaks clearly about this.  However, as a journalist, it is my job to tell the story.  And as a Christian, it is my job to LOVE unequivocally and unapologetically.”

On a personal note: Tonex, I applaud you for being as honest and open as you are and I WILL pray for you as you live this walk out in front of us all.  I don’t think I can think of more than a handful of artists who are willing to do that for the Body of Christ.  I don’t agree with every stance you’ve taken, but I can definitely appreciate your transparency and your journey.

So yeah… I think the interview was BRILLIANTLY done and I can’t wait for next Saturday (it’s on The Word Network… check local listings)!

Who else caught it and what did you think???

Most people know of Christian hip-hop artist AppleJaxx from his extensive work with Ton3x, but he’s set to release his own project, Back 2 The Future, on September 9, 2009 (Fadacy Music).

Check out the music video below… I love the production quality and the creativity of highlighting the green colors in the video.  Plus, the song is kinda hot to me. Take a quick look and lemme know what you think:

For more info on Applejaxx, visit his official website at www.applejaxxmusic.com.

Y’anna Crawley (@yannacrawley) tweets that she’s in the recording process, telling Donald Lawrence that it’s “going well.”

Ton3x (@t0n3x) started a campaign against pornography called “NO MO PO” (which CRACKS ME UP… the title, not the campaign).  Apparently, he was tempted with it the other day, used a YouTube preaching video to help him resist, then got so mad that he launched a campaign.  Gotta love the transparency.
 
George Huff (@georgechuff) is using UStream.tv to stream his rehearsals… he streamed band rehearsal yesterday and will be streaming his background rehearsal online this Thursday.

Anson Dawkins (@adawk), of Dawkins & Dawkins, is on Day 51 of his 100 Days of Prayer.  He’s been ”praying for a wave of humility and worship 2 overtake our nation; and rejoicing at how quickly God brings breakthru.”  AMEN!

Eric Dawkins (@edawkins), the other half of Dawkins & Dawkins, is working stuff for Isaac Carree and the gospel group Christopher.  Lookin’ forward to THAT.
 
Antonio Neal (@antonioneal) just opened a studio in Nashville.  Contact them via email at ansharforeverstudios@gmail.com for more info.
 
Finally, heads-up:  Deitrick Haddon and JJ Hairston have just joined Twitter.  Head over to the TwitterRoll to follow them.

I featured Claude Deuce on a recent post in the Check ‘Em Out series, and added his single, “It Ain’t Over,” to the PunditPlayer so you all could listen.  His album, Claude Deuce: Young Elder, is available on Tuesday, July 14th… I wanted to give you a review so you’d save your pennies NOW.

Lately, I’ve felt like many artists (especially new or independent ones) try to conform to whatever is popular in music.  And that’s cool, but it means that the audience never gets a sense of who he/she really is, because once the music changes, so does everything about that artist.

Claude Deuce is different.  I don’t see him being bound by the musical tastes du jour… he just makes good, timeless music, and everyone else follows suit.

His songwriting and vocals exude a certain confidence– you can tell that he knows who he is, how he writes, how he sings… he’s not figuring this out as he goes, at our expense.  And there’s something comforting about an artist who is comfortable in his lane.

He’s written and produced for everyone from Deitrick Haddon to Canton Jones, Izzy to Tonex, and more.  The sound of this album is as varied as his musical experience, yet crafted well enough to be a cohesive unit.

Standout tracks for me are numerous. ”4 Who U R” is a melodious song of gratitude, reminiscent of Stevie Wonder’s classic cuts.  Still, Claude owns it as his own.  “Dont 4 Get,” is an eclectic and acrobatic groove urging us to remain excited about what God has done for us.  “What More” has an old skool kinda vibe to it, and it’s hot.  “Never Know,” is an acoustic-driven spoken word track, with an infectious hook.  And of course, as I posted before, I love his single, “It Ain’t Over”… I could go on, but I need you to trust me and purchase this project.

I am thoroughly impressed with Claude Deuce’s gift and presentation.  I think this album is a must-have.

Ok, folks… another artist you should check out– Dayna Caddell.

Dayna’s a new artist, but she’s not a novice or amateur.  She’s already received ringing endorsements from Jazzy Jordan (head of Verity Gospel Music Group), Ton3x, Warryn Campbell, Eric Dawkins and many more.  At one event, she was killin’ so tough that Mary Mary jumped on stage to sing background vocals for HER.

Her single, “What He’s Done,” is already gaining significant airplay in various markets and SEVERAL people have asked me why I haven’t talked about Dayna Caddell yet.  Fine!  HERE YOU GO!

I’ve just added her single, “What He’s Done,” to the PunditPlayer, so click the logo at the top-right of this page, take a listen, and lemme know what you think!!!

And check her out at her MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/daynacaddell.

You’ll be seeing more of her, I know.  What do you think???

Over the past several months, I’ve gotten A LOT of new music from people asking for reviews or features.  Sometimes, I’m pleased, sometimes I’m… concerned.

But I just got Claude Deuce’s upcoming project, Claude Deuce: Young Elder, and I’m kinda giddy!  He’s already pretty well-known behind the scenes, having written and produced for some of gospel’s finest, including Deitrick Haddon, Canton Jones, Ton3x, Izzy and Sean Simmonds.  Now, he steps out as a solo artist.

In addition to his keen songwriting and production abilities, Claude is an incredibly gifted vocalist, with clear influences from Marvin Winans and Ton3x, to Stevie Wonder and Donny Hathaway.

I’ll do a full album review in a coupla weeks (cuz I want y’all to know PRECISELY why you need to purchase his album when it drops on July 14th), but in the meantime, I need y’all to check him out!  I just added his single, “It Ain’t Over,” to the PunditPlayer.  Launch the player by clicking the logo on the top-right of the page. Make sure you lemme know what you think!

Visit his MySpace page for more clips, too: http://www.myspace.com/claudedeuce

Thanks to all who emailed me with submissions to win FREE TICKETS  to the 2009 Tim Reid Celebrity All-Star Basketball Game AND Pre-Game Concert, featuring TON3X, Earl Bynum, Destiny Praise and Genita Pugh this Saturday, May 16th.  The winners have been selected!

Quanita O. and Anita S.  will each receive four (4) tix to the event!

And uhhhhhh… I decided to bless somebody else cuz the Lord has blessed me.

So, Janna B. is our “runner-up” winner– she’ll receive two (2) tix to the same event!

Congrats to all of the winners!!!

Thanks again to all for entering and sorry to those whose names were not pulled this go ’round.  Keep it locked at GospelPundit.com for future giveaways– some are already lined up!