Hezekiah Walker

Even though the church is Bishop Hezekiah Walker's bedrock, he didn't earn the nickname The Hip-Hop Pastor by staying old-school. With the Love Fellowship Choir as his angelic messengers, he powers his songs of the Spirit with funk, soul, and, yes, hip-hop grooves. With the passion of the LFC and the powerful pulse of R&B, "Souled Out" shows Walker's merger of praise and party vibes. "Clean Inside" takes the crossover concept to a new level by giving a glory-bound gospel tune a sweaty, stomping, Washington, D.C.-worthy go-go beat. And if you listen close, you might even detect a little DeBarge in the blend of thumb-popping bass, heavenly choir, and joyful Caribbean rhythms on "Oh Lord We Praise You." Walker brings some brand-new grooves to the gospel game, in Next Steps.

Hezekiah Walker delivers his message of praise in groove-conscious ways that realign your mind about what gospel music can be. He takes the trad spiritual "I'll Fly Away" through so many funky twists, turns, jumps, and jolts that it sounds brand-new before he's through. When he says, "Let's Dance," he's not talking about a church social; he's taking his testifying to the club, with rapper B.B. Jay and soul man Dave Hollister adding some extra heat. And when the jazzy changes and percolating beats of "He's Able" are unfurled, the Bishop shows that he's even got a little New Jack Swing in his bag of tricks. Walker's work is all about spreading the Word, and it's heard loud and clear in Deep Cuts.

No matter what kind of musical moves Hezekiah Walker makes, his mission of bringing listeners closer to the Lord is at the core of every step he takes. With the aid of Christian singer-songwriter Ricardo Sanchez, Walker explores what happens after you accept Jesus in your life, on "Moving Forward." Along with the mighty LFC, he raises his voice in celebration of all those who've made it through their own spiritual journeys, on the jubilation jam "We Made It." Of course, Walker never forgets the direction from which all blessings flow, and he and the choir offer up some good old-fashioned gospel gratitude on the sanctified shower of grace "O Give Thanks."

Bishop Hezekiah Walker doesn't just sing about the struggle for faith — he's lived it. Back when he was a pastor in East New York, the toughest neighborhood in Brooklyn, his church reached out to troubled youths and made a positive change. Keeping both his message and his music street-real, Walker connected with Christians way beyond his Brooklyn headquarters, winning Gospel GRAMMY® Awards and conquering the Christian and R&B charts. It all adds up to more than two decades' worth of a musical ministry that has changed lives, turned heads, and made people move while finding their way to the Lord. But here's a piece of Good News you don't need to read in your Bible — we've worked our way through every sanctified step of Walker's ecstatic exploration of faith, picking out the ultimate anthems of praise and putting them all together for you, right here.