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They rock. They shake their hips. They have a hype man named Xanadu who dances with them onstage. It's the Family Force 5, a self-proclaimed "crunk rock" collective that's one of the most energetic, electrifying live acts in music today. They hail from Atlanta, home to the band's hip-hop homies—rappers like OutKast, the Goodie Mob and Bone Crusher. No, the band isn't a rap conglomerate, but they sure act like one, going by pseudonyms, talking in ebonics and flossing their latest, Business Up Front / Party in the Back (Maverick/Gotee), which they specifically wanted to tailor for both Christian and mainstream audiences. In this interview, band principals—and brothers—Solomon, Joshua and Jacob Olds talk about their humble CCM beginnings, how the Family stands out from other newcomers, and how Christ is the guest of honor at all of their parties.

Meet the Family Force 5—Derek Mount (left), Joshua Olds, Solomon Olds, Jacob Olds, and Nathan Currin—sure to shake up your definition of "e;Christian rock."e;ss

You have very funky stage names. How did you come up with them?

Solomon Olds, a.k.a. "Soul Glow Activator" We came up with those names because we're from Atlanta! And Atlanta is the home where a lot of gangstas live, yo! We gotta have gangsta names, you know? So we've go Soul Glow Activator, Phatty, Crouton, Nadaddy, and Chap Stique. And then we got a guy that dances around on stage and his name is Xanadu.

Before you were this "gangsta," you released a CD in 1995 as The Brothers. What ever happened to that?

Solomon The Brothers was a boy band-ish project we did as kids. It was fun and it taught us a lot about doing music when we were young, but it was not what Family Force 5 is today. We've kinda come full circle.

Joshua Olds, a.k.a. Phatty We were young and it was fun and we learned a lot. We toured the world. We grew up on the road. It's kinda like you build blocks from when you're younger [until] you get older. It develops your person. I don't think we would be who we are today as people or as a band if we didn't experience what we did when we were younger.

Jacob Olds, a.k.a. Crouton It was definitely the ultimate experience to grow up doing that. It taught us a lot of discipline and what it takes to do music, to have a love and a passion for it.

You have certainly come a long way. You scored a deal with Maverick Records in the mainstream market first, and then one with Gotee in the Christian one. Most bands do it the other way around.

Solomon We're not that kind of band. We're obviously different from everybody else. The opportunity came along to sign with Maverick. But a lot of bands, when they make the leap from CCM to the crossover, it seems that they either turn their back on Christian music or they don't give props to who they really are, and they kinda want to deny their audience. We're not going to do that.

We're Christian kids. I'm not afraid to admit that I'm a Christian. I'm not afraid of standing up for what I believe. The Family Force 5 audience is kinda half and half—a lot of Christian kids and a lot of unsaved kids. Both record labels saw the potential in that. I don't think music really needs any kind of label in front of it. You've got great bands out there that happen to be Christian artists—P.O.D., Switchfoot, Sixpence None the Richer, Jars of Clay. All these bands have showed that it's not just Christian music. There's actual music out there that sounds like pop music, and it's actually something that everybody wants to hear.

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