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One of the most talked about performances at this year's Gospel Music week—affectionately known as GMA to industry insiders—was an electric introduction to street-wise sibling singer/songwriters, Souljahz. The San Diego-based trio is comprised of Joshu'a (22), Je'kob (21) and Rachael (17). The multi-talented family—both brothers were offered basketball scholarships, and their sister is a talented tap dancer—turned down other opportunities to pursue their musical dreams. The group's debut, The Fault is History is a funky fusion of R&B, hip-hop and acoustic balladry with lyrical lessons on poverty, child abuse, discrimination and abstintence. The sibling souljahz recently sat down with FamilyChristian.com to discuss the passion of their performance.

FamilyChristian.com: The three of you took your time deciding whether you wanted to sign in the Christian or general market. Tell me a little about your mission as a group and how you arrived at a label decision.

Joshu'a: I think that the reason we are so very selective in what we do is that we didn't want to make a mistake. A lot of artists rush into their deals, and we see now the consequences that they pay for that. They tell us "don't rush!" A lot of people told us that. So went spent time feeling it out. We came [to Nashville] two years ago and that was when we first found out that there was a Christian industry. And then we started to get more involved, doing [the] DC/LA [youth conference] and different things.

As far as a mission, we want to explain that. We want to reach the youth—Christian kids, Muslim kids, it doesn't matter because they are all kids. All around the world, they all deal with the same problems and the same issues and the same temptations and all that stuff. So our main mission is to reach them with the message of: 1) Hope, because they lose that daily as they watch TV; 2) Respect. Respect for themselves, respect for their parents and for the people around them. And 3) Love. That they would love each other as they would love themselves. Those are all biblical messages obviously, and if we can get that across to these kids, our generation could flip. If more and more groups were like out there like P.O.D. getting that message across it would be an awesome thing.

FamilyChristian.com: So signing with Squint strikes an interesting balance because in one sense they are affiliated with CCM, but they very much have the "roaring lambs" philosophy. Have you talked about how to keep you faith growing while you go out and minister to the world?

Rachael: Our parents are huge influences in our lives. They have taken so many steps of faith I can't even count them. With us especially. We are always surrounded by people like that and that is really important. They are always going to ask us the questions that we don't want to answer, and they are always going to hold us accountable to things that we don't want to be held accountable to at the moment, you know? And we are always surrounded by people like that. People in our road crew; people that we want hopefully in our band…everyone is going to be like-minded.

Joshu'a: We go to our church with our family whenever we can, whenever we are in town. But we have missed it so many times because of being out of town. But our church is probably one of the biggest reasons that God is blessing us and doing so much. The prayers of the people are in agreement with what we are praying for and the mission of our group.

FamilyChristian.com: How do you see your music reaching in and beyond the walls of the church?

Je'kob: We pray that we have that with the right team around us. We see, hopefully, a great future because a lot of doors are being opened with P.O.D. and a lot of groups that are writing about more topical things, like school shootings and things that people really don't want to touch on but need to touch on. And they are not afraid to say it real and say what they are feeling from their viewpoint. Whether it is Christian or a positive message or whatever. It's a good thing that those doors are being opened. I think that will definitely be something that is huge in the years to come. Music is getting so repetitive: sex, drugs, violence and just stupid stuff.

Rachael: I think that there is a hunger out there for something different. I think people are ready for the other side. There is always gonna be a balance of good and bad. And there is always the good and evil. I think that people are ready to hear the other the side of the negativity.

Je'kob: I think it took a long time, but I think the window has definitely been opened.

FamilyChristian.com: Your passion for issues is evident in your music. What are the key issues for each of you as addressed in your songs?

Je'kob: I love every issue that we talk about. "Poor Man" is about how the world views people that are on the street as less fortunate than them. [The song] was something that just happened because we met somebody. But personally, I like "Let Go." It's encouraging to me because when something is going wrong and I am worrying about it or just angry about something that is going on in life, in my life or in this world or whatever, I have to remember that I am singing this song "Let Go" and how am I telling other people to do it if I am not letting go and letting God deal with it.

Rachael: For me, I would have to say "True Love Waits" and "Same Ol' Game" which are about sexual abstinence, a big, huge issue with people my age and my brothers' ages and of all ages I think. It is something that everybody deals with at some point in their life—some people everyday, some people not as often—but I think that it is something that people deal with all the time and that I deal with. I think that it is important that we are all honest and that we are not perfect and we are humans. We are artists, but we still are people. And I think that it is really cool because the song "True Love Waits" is out there to encourage people, not to put people down for messing up or for what has gone on in their lives. Everybody make mistakes. I think I really want to encourage people that there is somebody out there for them. That God has divinely placed out there for them, just for that person, just for you. And I think that is important for people to understand because some people don't see it that way.

FamilyChristian.com: Is the song tied to the organization of the same name?

Rachael: No, not currently…hopefully eventually, but right now it's not.

Joshu'a: Mine is gonna have to be "All Around the World." I love that song because the musical side of is the Latin feel to hip-hop. And I think that is the next wave in hip-hop music, to experiment more with Latin music, which has unbelievable similarity. Almost when reggae and hip-hop started combining. Musically, that's where it's at. But lyrically it's such a powerful thing to me. My brother's verse goes, "Come on and dance with me/ move your hands with me/ and erase the colors of hate all around the world/ Don't let the snake get you/ just let the Word hit you/ And take the sword with you all around the world/ Because you don't ever know/ You could be gone today." You know what I mean? That is so real to everybody in every country. Especially in the ones where people aren't dying, like right now, suicide bombers are walking in and killing everybody. Put a smile on your face/ because you don't know that you could die right now. And I think that is an awesome theme. Live like every day is your last day, and do something good in your life. If you die today you are going to die in that state of mind and that is horrible. If you leave let people remember you for that smile in your face.

FamilyChristian.com: Now on the record you teamed up with Ton´ex, who is arguably one of the most creative musical minds out there. How did you hook up with him?

Joshu'a: He's also from San Diego. We did this show in Chicago and fell in love with each other. It was the first time we had seen each other's sets in front of like 5,000 people. And when we came back home, we hooked up and we started talking about making some music together. Eventually he needed a new studio because he didn't want to go where he was, and we wanted a studio. So we went to the same studio. And now we have a studio together. And then when we started working on the album and we said let's work together, let produce the album together or at least a majority of the songs. I think he did a total of about 5 or 6. Probably oversaw like 8 but participated musically in about 5 or 6. And then Chris [Rodriguez] did four. Awesome experience working with them.

FamilyChristian.com: So if you had my job, and you had to write a review for your debut, how would you describe it?

Je'kob: That is really hard. I would sit down and listen to the album all the way through. I would probably end up saying exactly what we say, that it is rooted in hip-hop—obviously you can hear that in most of the songs—but it branches out everywhere making it, not even hip-hop, just music because it goes from alternative to a ballad to Latin to R&B, a full on rock song. I would title the album Let Music be the Message.

The Fault Is History by Souljahz

Rachael: I would say that it's eclectic. And I would say that it is challenging, hopefully. And that it's gonna help you to think outside of the box and broaden your horizons.

FamilyChristian.com: So what is in your CD players right now?

All shouting out: Gibraan, Ton´ex, Kirk Franklin, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Lauryn Hill, Wes Montgomery, Enya, Sade, Classical Mozart, Luis Taylor from UK, Glen Lewis…

FamilyChristian.com: What is God teaching you now?

Rachael: Endurance, patience… I am learning to take good care of myself. Because sometimes as an artist you just run yourself into the ground just doing everything. It is easy to get of track and then your voice is all messed up and you can't do any thing.

Joshu'a: I think a lot of things, persafacetrust…do you know what that means? Perseverance, faith, grace, trust. And then humility is a huge one. The reason our set was so hot—people enjoyed it a lot—is because we had the best musicians in all of Nashville playing. And that is such a humility thing for us, because we can do our thing and run around the stage and stuff, but to see everybody put together a show like that—Nerva, Melody Joy from Chica—it is just awesome being on stage with very, very talented musicians and singers and stuff like that. So I think He is teaching us that we aren't the ones responsible for all this. People get involved that don't get involved with groups Christian groups at all. And I don't know what it is that is so different what we are doing. But we don't know so we hope it stays like that. He has a plan for it and we didn't ask to do it.

Jen Abbas, a writer in Grand Rapids, Mich., conducted this interview exclusively for FamilyChristian.com.

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