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If one didn't know any better, you might think Derek Webb had lost his mind. Either that, or he's just one of the cleverest, most shameless self-marketers ever.

Derek Webb

A casual rundown of the singer's latest exploits finds him, among other things, going hip-hop, masterminding countrywide scavenger hunts, setting up crazy Twitter accounts, and waxing apocalyptic about a recent spar with his record label over his use of a certain choice word.

When asked what the madness is all about—here are a few peeks—Webb immediately dismisses talk of a publicity stunt: "The struggle was 100 percent real." The struggle for artistic freedom, that is.

Here's the rundown: Webb used a profanity in one of his new songs; his label, INO Records, flipped out; a war of philosophies ensued; Webb was backed into a corner; the powers-that-be prevailed; the song got dropped from the retail version of the album. Fin.

Shaving a song off the 14-track Stockholm Syndrome (INO), Webb's fifth full-length post-Caedmon's Call, may not seem like a big deal. But for the man, who is known for his incisive, unfiltered socio-religious commentary, the compromise was almost tantamount to selling his soul to the devil.

"What kind of an artist would I be if I let the constraints of the label that I'm on, or the market that I'm in, dictate the kind of art that I need to be making instinctively?" he asks. "I would not be an artist that should be trusted."

The unmentionable song, "What Matters More," is one Webb considers a cornerstone of Stockholm Syndrome: (It's readily available online.)

'Cause we can talk and debate until we're blue in the face
About the language and tradition that he's comin' to save
Meanwhile we sit just like we don't give a s---
About 50,000 people who are dyin' today

Based on online reactions from fans, the song is not exactly the watershed moment all the pre-release drama portended—the questionable line is actually reminiscent of a popular Tony Campolo quote—but it is a revelation for Webb, if not for its content, at least for how different from the norm it sounds.

"It's one of the most important songs on the record to me," Webb says. (He has said the track was partly inspired by, of all people, the late Jerry Falwell.)

This is not the first time Webb has raised eyebrows. In 2003, when Webb released his acclaimed solo debut, She Must and Shall Go Free, at least one major Christian retailer refused to carry it for its "strong language" on the song "Wedding Dress," a dialog of sorts between God and his church where Webb, playing the role of the bride, says, "I am a whore, I do confess/But I put You on just like a wedding dress/And I run down the aisle … "

Webb has never shied away from controversy

Not exactly profane, but strong enough to ruffle some feathers and establish some sort of precedent with his label and the rest of the Christian marketplace. Contextually rooted in Ezekiel 16 and the book of Hosea, though, Webb had the upper hand. No song got the axe. (Radio, for its part, hardly touched it.)

But "What Matters More" is gone from this album. Webb says it will never see the light of day at a brick-and-mortar store or a major digital provider like iTunes. At press time, the only way to obtain the song is through Webb's website or on the vinyl version of Stockholm Syndrome that Columbia Records, INO's mainstream partner, will make available.

Now Webb is no newcomer to Christian music. As one of the founding members of Caedmon's Call and a veteran performer in faith-based circles, he knew full well that "What Matters More" wouldn't fly with gatekeepers. So why did the gamble? He answers indirectly.

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