Imade Nibokun

You know Montell Jordan. But the "This Is How We Do It" singer has abandoned his familiar topics of women, partying and drinking and is now the worship pastor at a church in Atlanta. He uses his brand of pop-leaning contemporary Christian music to lead the multi-ethnic megachurch. We meet......

On a Friday night, West Pico bar The Mint was host to a small, hardcore crowd of hip hop purists donning hi-top fades and African medallions. On stage, a woman dressed in a vintage Nike windbreaker, silver leggings, and gold bamboo earrings grabbed the mic and introduced herself to the......

Raspy-voiced choir director Kirk Franklin got around his limited vocal ability by channeling ideas through other singers, and repackaging gospel music with mainstream sensibilities. During the '90s the Ft. Worth songwriter put his hype man ad libs on rousing praise anthem hits like "Stomp" and "Revolution," and paved a path......

Katchafire and Maoli Club Nokia 4-27-13 A sparse, but intimate crowd gathered at Club Nokia Saturday to hear island reggae groups Katchafire and Maoli. The acts, from New Zealand and Hawaii respectively, are Polynesian musicians appropriating Jamaican music to fit their own cultural identity. The multi-ethnic, tribal tattooed crowd --......

Christian hip-hop has had an important presence on the West coast for many years now, although the genre continues to bleed into the secular industry. Even its biggest star, Lecrae, seems to be poising himself for a mainstream invasion. Hey, everyone wants to stay culturally relevant; after all, one suspects......

Keyshia Cole Club Nokia 4-19-13 Better than: Selling fish plates On Friday night, a long line of mostly women wrapped around Club Nokia for the Keyshia Cole concert. Devoted fans of the Oakland bred R&B star came out in full force with tight spandex dresses and too-sexy-to-be-comfortable heels. It was......

Lalah Hathaway, B. Slade Club Nokia 3-30-13 B.Slade is the new stage name for Tonex, a former gospel singer who shocked his fans by coming out of the closet a few years back, and was the subject of a compelling New Yorker profile. Nowadays many people don't know what to......

Terrace Martin plays tomorrow's Paid Dues festival in San Bernardino. The producer, saxophonist, and emcee came up on the streets of Crenshaw and Slauson, and was tapped for Snoop Dogg's 2004 Rhythm & Gangsta album at 17 and for Quincy Jones' production staff at 22. Millions of record sold contain......

Dawn Richard The Roxy Theatre 3-26-13 Sure, the line was small outside the Roxy, but they were a faithful few. Once inside they got what they came for, as Dawn Richard (formerly of Danity Kane and Diddy - Dirty Money) took her loyal fans on a musical journey from grimy......

Miguel Red Bull Sound Space 3-11-13 Better Than: The nose bleed section at Staples Center. A Miguel concert is something like if strip clubs held church services during happy hour. "Take your shirt off! It's hot in here!" someone yelled at him, with the same fervor as an "amen." See......