Dove Awards use Allen Arena to make their big return to Music City

By Bridgette Begle and Cory Woodroof Allen Arena traded basketballs for golden trophies Tuesday night as the best and brightest of Christian music gathered to celebrate this year’s Dove Award winners. The 44th annual show made its home at Lipscomb after spending two years at Fox Theater in Atlanta. Industry legends Amy Grant and Kirk Franklin were the evening’s emcees. Gospel Music Association CEO Jackie Patillo thanked Lipscomb for their guidance in hosting the event in its return to Music City, a longtime home of the awards. “We are at the Allen Arena because of the vision of the leadership here,” Patillo said. “President Randy Lowry has opened his doors to us and his heart.” Dr. Lowry told the estimated crowd of 2,800 of the importance of having fellow believers join the campus to celebrate an art that ties directly in with faith. “We have about 200,000 visitors a year on this campus, but there are no visitors that are more important to us than those who share the Christian story with us,” Lowry said. “A lot goes on in higher education, and a lot of it is so far from the story we believe in. “But at Lipscomb University, we are going to be Christian intentionally, we are going to be Christian courageously and we are going to be Christian graciously.” Lowry noted that arena donors Jim and Linda Allen were in attendance of the evening’s events. “They had a vision 15 years ago and dedicated a tremendous proportion of their resources to build this – not knowing you specifically, but having you in mind. Hoping that in this...

Lumination’s 2013 Dove Awards preview: Rap/Hip-Hop nominations

I like to call Christian rap “lyrical theology.” So much music in today’s world rely on catchy hooks and a beat you can bounce to, but they lack sustenance or meaning. For many years, Christian rap was the total opposite. Artists’ produced songs with meaningful messages, but the production and quality failed to reach the ears of the hip-hop nation. This year’s crop of Christian hip-hop and rap artists have finally put it all together. Here are the nominees for this year’s Dove Awards for Rap/Hip-Hop album and song of the year: Rap/Hip-Hop Album of the Year Manafest – Fighter Fighter is the Canadian rapper’s sixth full-length album. If you like rap or hard rock, you will enjoy Fighter. I wasn’t really impressed with this album, but it is very encouraging and loud album for when you need a “wake me up.” The album is more rock then rap, laced with screaming, guitar and electronic sounds. Rap rock isn’t represented well in Christian music, so mad props to Manafest on this album. KJ-52 – Dangerous KJ-52 has been in the game for a long time and is arguably the most polarizing figure in Christian rap. Dangerous is a mixture of different styles and techniques from rock-rap to electro-pop and traditional hip-hop sounds. KJ-52 uses his quirky and self-deprecating sense of humor, combining his personality with his particular style of evangelism in Dangerous, which is sure to please hip-hop fans alike. Andy Mineo – Heroes For Sale This is one of my favorite album titles, and the album goes along with it. Mineo is a rapper who embraces many genres without...

Another group of performers join Dove lineup

Just when the preforming lineup couldn’t get any bigger for this year’s Dove Awards, it has. Needtobreathe was added to the mix for the awards set for Oct. 15 in Allen Arena.  The South Carolina-based band joins Big Daddy Weave, Kristian Stanfill, Michael W. Smith, TobyMac and other big-name Christian artists as performers in the 44th annual Dove Awards. Needtobreathe is a multiple-Dove Award winner, including a 2012 “Group of the Year” award and won two other awards last year for their song “Slumber” and for their album The Reckoning. Among the added artists, Andy Mineo, Dailey & Vincent, Ernie Haase & Signature Sound, The Isaacs, Karen Peck, KB and Trip Lee are scheduled to preform as well. Bone Hampton was also announced as a presenter. He joins Joyce Meyer, Lecrae, Mandisa, Pastor Rick Warren and others previously announced. The pre-show takes place 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. and can be streamed, along with the Dove Cares Red Carpet, at www.hearitfirst.com/live. The awards show will be televised on the UP network on Monday, Oct. 21 at 8 p.m. Tickets for the show are available at the Allen Arena box...