In 1999, when the first of the Matrix trilogies was being released and Shania Twain, Juvenile and Moby were topping the secular music charts, the Christian music scene was unleashing its own ‘feel good’ secret weapon through the lyrics of Columbus, Ohio-born now Phoenix-based entertainer Vocab Malone.

The 30 year old songwriter and rapper whose beats and rap styling are best described as Old School (circa mid-nineties, some with cool seventies disco-era beats) is an iconic throwback to the era in which he began his art. His latest album entitled Active Listening (now available for sampling and purchase on Soundclick.com) is sure to be a treat for all of the folks out there who remember when hip-hop was light, easy and was actually used to speak on more than how many assets a rapper had in his/her bank account.

Vocab has been blessed to be very busy since his inception into the professional rap scene and the artist, (currently signed with Makeshift Records) has released seven albums of his own with titles such as Happy Hardcore and The Notepad Nomad. He has also been featured on over seven compilation projects – the most popular being the Sphere of Hip-Hop Compilation Vol.1. He has shared the stage with other artists such as KJ 52, Five Iron Frenzy, T-Bone, Anticon, Paul Wright, and even Natalie Grant.

Along with rapping, one of Vocab’s many talents includes spoken word poetry, commonly called ‘slam poetry’. He has traveled the country participating in competitions (including 2002’s National Slam Poetry Finals) that have allowed him to share his words in coffee shops and various other venues. He competed on the Phoenix team. “We didn’t come in anywhere close to first”, Vocab told us lightheartedly, “but it was still a good experience”. Vocab has given listeners an opportunity to see the poetic facet of his trade as he has included 4 spoken word-over-music tracks on his latest album Active Listening.

2006 also saw the release of a huge undertaking by this performer in his co-writing of The One Musical, a hip-hopera, or an operatic-style stage play utilizing hip hop as the main dialogue. This project, originally conceived by Michael J. Sims as a modification to his hit musical To Hell and Back, spawned a collaboration of the writing and performing talents of Vocab Malone, Warren Stewart, Jr., Brian Kilgore and Gabe Manjarrez. The 70 member cast performed at various times and locations throughout Phoenix, Arizona and according to Vocab Malone saw many souls saved. “It was crazy.” He said, “A lot of the people that got saved had no church background whatsoever and some, only a small percentage, had never heard of Jesus and this was actually their first experience to hear about who Christ was.”

We asked Vocab Malone why he chose the moniker that he uses and he said it was because of the words that he uses. He said that it is not necessarily because he has a big vocabulary, but it’s because the words an artists uses makes up who he is. “Malone”, Vocab adds, “is not my real last name either. I’m not Irish or anything. But my testimony is that I was addicted to hip-hop. I never drank or smoked, but I used to literally worship hip-hop.” Vocab also tells us, “I used to do graffiti and I was known as Mal One. When I stopped [got delivered] I wanted to keep that, so I decided to put it together and thus, Malone [came about].

Probably the most surprising aspect of this Italian-German entertainer’s ministry is that he is also a Bible theologian and historian. Vocab Malone is a regular contributing writer for BackPackTruth.com. Certainly not fitting the cliché of the average theologian at all, Vocab says, “I would really consider myself a lay theologian, but nonetheless, God has opened up doors to lots of churches and even on the [collegiate] level for me to go in and teach, speak or to do PowerPoint presentations”. He adds, “I take advantage of the opportunities. I’m trying to give Christians a defense for the faith as well as non-Christians reasonable evidence of Christian history. People call me the hip-hop Josh McDowell, but I don’t think I’m there yet” (laughs).

You can check out and purchase Vocab Malone's latest project, Active Listening right here at CDBaby online.