Interviewer: How did you arrive at the name DayStar Music Group for your independent label?

 

Raphael:  I was frustrated to discover that every name I could think of was taken, including my own last name, there was a label called the 'Ashanti Music Group'  and an R&B singer named "Ashanti." After exhausting attempts to find and register a name for the label, I decided not to try so hard on my own account, so I went into prayer. Several weeks later as I was studying scripture, I happened to come upon II Peter 1:19: (...as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the daystar arise in our hearts...). Since this was a mission that God had placed in my heart, Daystar, which literally means Jesus, was the perfect name to represent the label.

 

     The DayStar* Music Group was born. I worked endlessly toward raising the funds and developing networks for recording, publishing, marketing and promoting the group. Just as I was in the midst of  gathering promising resources to move The Christian Disciples forward, the group split up amid differences in direction, I was devastated.

 

Interviewer: What did you do, where did you go from there?

 

Raphael: "I continued praying and asking God for direction. I started doing

some solo demo recording and was introduced to Rodney 'Doc C' Goldsmith

at a recording studio where Doc was part owner. Doc C was rapping secular music at the time, but it became obvious to me that he was very talented and very good." Doc was equally impressed with my smooth singing style and passion of delivery, but there was one problem...

 

Interviewer: What could have possibly been the problem?

 

Raphael: 'Doc C' wasn't ready for the direction I was headed, "in the summer of 2001 we were unequally yoked, he was ghetto and gangsta, he had not committed his life totally to Christ at the time and I was not willing to mix the two worlds. I was so familiar with his life style of choice because it's where I came from, where I was delivered from. I went out of my way to explain to Doc that he could use his producing and poetic talents to glorify God, and he would be blessed and better off for it, after all, God was the reason why he was so gifted in the first place, he just needed to use it according to God's purpose. Did it work? Well I'll let 'Doc C' tell you himself:"

 

 

 

 

Interviewer: So where did Norris come in, and how did you all become the priest, the prophet, & the poet?

 

Raphael: This may seem somewhat unbelievable, but God knows it's the truth so I'm gone tell it anyway. Norris and I have known each other since our college days at FAMU (Florida A&M University) go rattlers!. I was student director of the annual talent shows in the Charles Winterwood theatre. Norris and his group "Unit 4" were participants every year, along with other "now famous" artists such as Troy Sneed ( Grammy nominated, known for his work with the Georgia Mass Choir), Wycliff Gordon (now a permanent member of the Wynton Marsalis Band), Kai Alece (jazz artist touring with Ronnie Laws), Ben Tankard (Stellar award winning & Grammy nominated gospel/jazz instrumentalist) lived in Tallahassee at that time, Ben used to lay some of the tracks we used in the talent shows. 

 

Interviewer: Sounds like you and Norris were in good company at FAMU?

 

Raphael: True that, true that, however after graduation I had not seen him for quite sometime and had absolutely no idea where he was. Last I heard he was traveling around the country with Unit 4 singing R&B.

 

 

Interviewer: How long before you reconnected with Norris?

 

Raphael: About ten (10) years, now here comes the part I said was unbelievable; I received an email from the FAMU Alumni Association announcing a gospel concert taking place at the campus church one weekend. Now mind you I'm living in Pensacola, Florida about 200 miles away. I drive down to Tallahassee and on the way I started reminiscing about the good times at FAMU. When the thought of Norris crossed my mind, I also started thinking about Terry Gainor, a mutual friend of ours from Cairo, Georgia. I remembered how we used to attend all of the Kappa Alpha Psi parties and Terry used to steal the show with his dancing and humorous antics. All of a sudden a vision crossed my mind that Terry was dead, not a thought but a vision, I could actually see that Terry Gainor was dead. the vision left and I quickly erased the thought from my mind. Periodically during the 3 hour trip, I thought about how rediculous that vision must have been.

 

Upon arriving at the campus church, Norris was one of the first persons I ran into immediately after walking through the door. An unannounced ten year reunion, just like that. We marveled at how neither one of us knew the other one would be there; and bragged about who looked the youngest. And then Norris dropped the bomb on me. He said : you remember Terry Gainor don't you man? I said Norris I know it's been 10 years but you must be losing your mind, of course I remember Terry, who don't? I was just thinking about him on the drive over here. Norris took a very serious look at me, dead in my face and said: "Terry is dead man." I lost it right there. Later I told Norris and Doc C about my vision.

 

Interviewer: Wow! that is some kind of true story, what did you gather from your vision?

 

Raphael: I didn't really take it as a fore-warning or anything like that because I knew I was living a prudent and righteous life, I'm sure I viewed it as a pre-destiny. Like for one of the very few times in my life, I was really right in the place, moment, and time that I was destined to be in at that percise moment. It was weird but I took it as a sign that Norris and I was destined to meet up again right where we were, now I just had to figure out why. The other shock was that Norris was on program and he wasn't singing R&B, he was singing the gospel and had given his life to Christ a few years prior.

 

Interviewer: What a night! so Raphael, you seem to be the connecting unit or the middle man if you will that brought the pieces of the puzzle together correct?

 

Raphael: I believe God used me as a link to convince this trio that we needed to be a team and needed to be using our talents and gifts that he gave us, to his glory. That's when Doc C went to work, got creative, he considered our God given talents, personalities, character, conduct, styles and most of all our message and came up with what we call God's Plan, Purpose & Design which you now know as The Priest, The Prophet & The Poet. What a destiny!

 

Interviewer: Destiny indeed, and I think that's a good note to end on, fellas it's been all my pleasure,  this has certainly been a great interview for me, thank you for sharing your story, we've heard how "all things work together for good to them that love God...

 

Raphael:  ...to them who are the called according to [his] purpose."

(Romans 8:28)

 

Interviewer:  I understand your next project is called "The Vision" we look forward to bringing you guys back to discuss that one in the near future. Meanwhile we will keep our eyes and ears open. The world anxiously awaits to hear more from The Priest, The Proiphet & The Poet.