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Gospel duo, Comission, know all too well about the difficulty of making it in the music industry, but they have an added hurdle of doing it whilst spreading the gospel.

However, brothers Tope (Icie) and Gabriel (Bless MC) have managed to succeed where others have failed by bringing the good news to the masses through the popular medium of Garage music.

Here, they talk to Dionne Grant about their brand of gospel garage and how they make it accessible to the mainstream.

For all those unfamiliar with Commission, tell me who you are.

Bless: We are two young men hailing from west London, who have been on the scene since 2004 creating music with an alternative message, but with a perfected sound.

Why did you decide to get involved in the music industry?

Icie: A love for music and a desire to see young people progress and be transformed led us to utilise our talents in a creative way. We wanted to say something different to the youth other then ‘I’ll shoot your mum!’ or ‘I’ll shank your cat!’ We wanted to entertain but at the same time educate.

Bless: We have enjoyed music from when we were young boys, and later realised that we had a skill in writing lyrics.

Were you ever teased for deciding to go into gospel?

Icie: We have been teased in the past but it only helps us keep our focus on God and concentrate harder on perfecting our craft and skill. We were at an MC clash once, where someone shouted out “This ain’t church you know!” Now for us that can only make us stronger because we felt in our hearts that, ‘yeah this may not be church, but that’s exactly why we’re here!’

Bless: I told my close friend I was going to do gospel music, and he simply just started laughing. The way I see it is like this, when we die you may not have liked our music, but you can’t say we were never here!

Tell me about your history in the church.

Icie: We grew up in the church so it like a second home. Our parents are pastors so we both actively work in our churches with the young people on a weekly basis. However, because we’re in church it doesn’t mean that we can’t stray away from God at any time.

Bless: For us, Christianity and the church is a hospital and we’re all still patients getting regular checkups and treatments. Some people are on drips, some in rehabilitation and some on crutches. We all go to Jesus because we know we’re not perfect. He remains the perfect doctor!

Why do you think that so many young people have distanced themselves from the church?

Icie: When you can’t relate to something you immediately switch off. Like if a group of you are watching a film and someone finds it boring, it’s easy for them to talk or be on the phone. It’s the same thing when it comes to church, when it becomes irrelevant or too impractical, young people will find other things occupy their time.

Bless: Some young people feel that the life they live isn’t as serious when they’re young, so they wait until they’re older to become more serious. Some also compromise trying to fit in with the so called popular crowd, which then dents their image for Christ, fearing the likelihood of being a loner rather than unique.

You originally had six members. What happened?

Icie: In life your heart will only follow its own passions. Other members had other passions they decided to pursue, which was absolutely fine with us because we understood where they were coming from.

What can we expect from you as a duo?

Bless: We actually are part of a bigger family called Double AK. At the moment we working hard on the upcoming album, which will have elements of live recordings and production from our family producer S.P. We also are in the final stages of planning our seminar campaign where we will seek to deliver seminars to schools and youth institutions focusing on personal development.

Tell me about your new material.

Icie: We have just released our latest single ‘Take Note,’ which encourages young people to take notes in school and in church to ensure they become what they aspire to become in life. It’s an educational track that we hope again will offer an alternative to what is out there.

What do you hope people will take from your music?

Icie: In general I would say encouragement and guidance. We see all our listeners as sheep so we are the shepherds. We are therefore responsible for our sheep by ensuring that what they hear from us is beneficial and purposeful. We must ensure we’re building them up and not tearing them down.

Bless: I hope people will take time with our music and listen to it too. I hope that people will begin to reassess themselves with decisions that they make in life. I hope that people will begin to see the reality of life and death and see the love that Jesus Christ has for them

What has been the highlight of your career to date?

Bless: One of my highlights have been learning new skills and becoming bolder in what I do. Also finding out that people are touched by the work that we do. Witnessing change is always a nice feeling.

Icie: I would say Operation Trident putting our first ever single ‘UP 2 U’ on their website in support of their anti-gun campaign. For me that encapsulates what we are trying to accomplish. We want to make music that can be used as entertainment but also in a way that is helping to positively impact our surrounding environment.

Where do you see yourself in the next five years?

Icie: In the next five years we would have transcended just music and would have established a brand and a name that is synonymous with effective and positive change.

Final words?

Bless: A difference is made when you make it!

Icie: Someone once asked me, ‘When you die, will it matter that you lived?’

Each day I’m trying to ensure that answer is yes! How about you?

Commission’s new single ‘Take Note’ is out now

Tell Us What You Think.

Published: 11 May 2009
Issue: 0

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