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BoneThere's a blatant division within our industry. We shy away from talking about race and about who's really running things. You see it in music, our churches, etc. In the Christian music industry, everything's predominantly white. Black music doesn't really exist in that genre. I always thought it ironic that Kirk Franklin never made the cover of CCM until he exploded at urban radio, but he had been doing it for all these years. Everybody was like, "Ooh, let's embrace Kirk, because he's big!" Now Kirk sells magazines; that's why you want him on the cover.

When you look at Jesus, he went out and ministered in cultures where people didn't even think he should be. "Sir, why are you talking to me? You shouldn't even be talking to me," said the woman at the well. His example of breaking those boundaries is what we're trying to follow.

I don't get it, though. Toby Mac has similar beats to yours and can be pretty poppy at times. Yet he's the one who gets the #1 hits? It's as though there's a stigma attached to how "urban" you are, or even your skin color.

BoneI'm going to be real with you. We've been told our stuff is too urban, that it doesn't fit the format. Out of Eden has been told that. And that's basically telling us, "You're too black." That's where we come from! What do you expect? We get flak when we do music that's true to who we are, true to our people. That's why, for us, sometimes we'd rather be in a more mainstream environment. They're more diverse, and at times play more Christian songs than so-called Christian radio.

Is there a particular, more specific instance of racism you can remember when it comes to you or your music?

CofI think it's a little more political and subtle than that. We've toured with groups that sell half the amount of records we sell, but because they're "rock music," they're looked at as more than what we do. We've gone above and beyond what we usually do, and still xyz band is a priority. That's what I have a problem with. We've paid our dues. Jay-Z paid his dues. I don't expect to be considered on the same level as Jay-Z. I know my place. We've fought for it. Deep down, however, we know it's a black-and-white issue. That's why the "CCM" world and the Gospel world are two separate entities. It can be ridiculous. We pray to the same God, read from the same Bible, and quote the same Scriptures. But to get them together, people are like, "We can't do that." Or there's so many politics involved.

Doesn't it feel like you're wasting your time sometimes?

BoneDefinitely. It's been God's grace, his mercy, that has helped us heal from that, because it hurts, especially when it's coming from your brothers and sisters: "You're not accepted here." There are even moments where we feel as though we're the Affirmative Action of Christian music: "Well, let's put GRITS up there just because we have to. We need something." No, dawg. It ain't even like that. I'd rather not be a part of it if we're going to get that treatment. We've turned down offers to tour and activities to be a part of simply because they wanted us to be the token black group. We don't want to be tokens. If you want us there, it has to be because you really feel what we're doing.

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