Grits (duo)


Grits is an American Christian hip hop group from Nashville. Their name is an acronym, which stands for "Grammatical Revolution In the Spirit". GRITS is made up of Stacey "Coffee" Jones and Teron "Bonafide" Carter, both of whom were DC Talk dancers.
Their song "Ooh Ahh" has appeared on the MTV show My Super Sweet 16. It is also used as the theme song of The Buried Life and on the soundtracks to The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift and Big Momma's House 2. Their song "Tennessee Bwoys" was used on the popular television show Pimp My Ride. They were also involved in making !Hero The Rock Opera. GRITS recorded a remix of professional wrestler A.J. Styles' entrance music and performed it on the May 28, 2009, episode of TNA Impact!.

Background

The Christian hip hop duo began as dancers for DC Talk and then formed the group in 1995, with Teron David "Bonafide" Carter and Stacy Bernhard "Coffee" Jones, forming the group together in Nashville. GRITS is an acronym meaning "Grammatical Revolution in the Spirit". They credited the inspiration for their rap to hearing DC Talk, when the two first encountered each other in 1990. It is also the reason the duo signed with Gotee Records, a label founded by DC Talk member, tobyMac, where they were one of his first signees. GRITS are also considered to be one of the pioneering groups in the Christian hip hop movement, while they eventually started their own record label, Revolution Art, in 2007, where it was first known as 5E Entertainment. They said that leaving Gotee Records and beginning their own label was like graduating from school.

Style

Mainly, their style is alternative hip-hop and Southern rap, while several of their songs have pop influences, thus an occasional pop-rap sound. Their song "We Don't Play" has a Jamaican influence complete with steel drums. They were among the first acts signed to Gotee Records. GRITS have released seven albums with Gotee, with an eighth one released by Gotee and AudioGoat. In 2014, Gotee Records announced that the GRITS song "Ooh Ahh" was RIAA Digital Gold Certified, having surpassed 500,000 downloads. They have appeared at Cornerstone Festival in Illinois and Rock the Universe in Orlando, Florida. In addition their song "Bobbin Bouncin'" was added to the track list in Project Gotham Racing 4, a video game.

Discography

Studio albums

EPs

Album information
Ooh Ahh EP
  • Released: 2003
  • Label: Gotee
  • single: four versions of one song
Heeyy EP
  • Released: 2006
  • Label: Gotee
  • Three tracks: two remixes and one preview

    • Remix albums

    Album information
    The Art of Transformation
    • Released: January 1, 2004
    • Label: Gotee/AudioGoat

    Singles

    As lead artist

    Other songs

    • With or Without You - In The Name Of Love: Artists United For Africa
    • Wedding Celebration - !Hero

      Vinyl

    • The Art of Translation
    • They All Fall Down
    • They Al Fall Down
    • Ima Showem
    • Instrumentals 1
    • Instrumentals 2
    • Instrumentals 3
    • They All Fall Down
    • ''Factors of the Seven ''

      Guest Artists

    • Manchild - "We Don't Play"
    • Jennifer Knapp- "Believe"
    • TobyMac- "Ooh Ahh"; "Say Goodbye"; "Don't Bring Me Down"; "Hey Now"
    • Stefan the Scientist- "Hittin Curves"
    • Pettidee- "I Be"
    • Jason Eskridge- "I Try"
    • Antonio Phelon- "Love Child"
    • Lisa Kimmey- "It Takes Love"; "Shawty"; "Time To Pray"
    • Iz- "Jay Mumbles Mega Mix" "Dusk Till Dawn"
    • Pigeon John - "Open Bar"; "You Said"; "Beautiful Morning"
    • Canibus - "Ambitions"
    • KJ-52 - "Integrity"
    • Mac Powell - "Fly Away"
    • Michael Tait - "Fly Away "
    • Verbs - "U.S. Open"; "Hopes and Dreams"; "Gospel Rap; Parables"; "Strugglin'"; "C2K"; "Video Girl"; "Different Drum"
    • Dan Haseltine - "Sky May Fall"
    • Jade Harrell-"Turn it Up"; "Say Goodbye"; "Neverland"
    • Brittany Waddell "Rainy Days" "Soul Cry" "Right Back" "Dusk Till Dawn"

      Awards

    GMA Dove Awards

    They have received several Gospel Music Association Dove Awards. Their first award was for a song about plagiarism. For the song, they received the best "Rap/Hip Hop Song" award. The next year they won the same award for "They All Fall Down", from Grammatical Revolution. In 2003 The Art Of Translation won a Dove Award for "Rap/Hip Hop Album", and in 2004 their song "Believe" from the same album took "Rap/Hip Hop Song". GRITS also shared in the win for "Special Event Album" that year, for their contribution to !Hero The Rock Opera.
    YearAwardResult
    2005Rap/Hip-Hop Recorded Song of the Year Won
    2006Rap/Hip-Hop Recorded Song of the Year Nomitated
    2006Rap/Hip-Hop Album of the Year Nomitated
    2008Rap/Hip-Hop Recorded Song of the Year Nomitated
    2008Rap/Hip-Hop Album of the Year Nomitated
    2009Rap/Hip-Hop Recorded Song of the Year Nomitated
    2009Rap/Hip-Hop Album of the Year Nomitated
    2010Rap/Hip-Hop Album of the Year Nomitated

    Other Awards

    They were nominated for Rap/Hip Hop Performer of the Year at the 2009 Visionary Awards Show. However, the award went to the Christian rap duo "Word of Mouth"