Major, major congrats are in order to Chicago’s own Sir The Baptist, as the extremely-talented artist has just inked a deal with Atlantic Records. It’s a celebration! Rumors have swirled for weeks regarding Sir’s signing, and today Atlantic made it official with a press release confirming the industry chatter.
The label is dubbing him “contemporary ghetto gospel,” but we just call him one of the most talented artists repping the city. Even better news is that his major label debut, PK: Preacher’s Kid, drops on May 13th. That’s just a few days away. How crazy is that? Most artists sit on the major shelf for a good two years before dropping, but they have Sir on the fast track. I guess they see the vision. Something special is brewing.
To follow up the release of PK, Sir will be bouncing around the country playing most of the major festivals this summer; so hit the jump to see those dates as well as the official press release and video of his inking with Atlantic. A huge round of applause for Sir The Baptist and his hard-working team. Your time is now.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvATAgZD9bU&feature=youtu.be
ATLANTIC RECORDS UNITES WITH SIR THE BAPTIST
CONTEMPORARY GHETTO GOSPEL SENSATION TO MAKE HISTORIC LABEL DEBUT
WITH NEW LIVE VIDEO FOR “RAISE HELL”“PILGRIMAGE TO GLORY TOUR” TO ROCK FESTIVALS THROUGH THE SUMMER
FULL-LENGTH DEBUT, “PK: PREACHER’S KID,” DROPS EVERYWHERE MAY 13TH
Atlantic Records has announced Sir the Baptist as the latest partner of its historic roster. The Chicago-based contemporary ghetto gospel artist will make his label debut with the new live video for “Raise Hell” streaming exclusively via Sir’s YouTube Channel. Sir the Baptist’s full-length debut project, entitled “PK: PREACHER’S KID,” arrives everywhere May 13th.
Sir the Baptist will celebrate “My Pilgrimage” with performances at a diverse array of summer festivals. The “Pilgrimage To Glory Tour” includes his hometown Chicago’s Manifest 2016 (Friday, May 13th), Atlanta, GA’s Shaky Beats Festival (Sunday, May 22nd), George, WA’s Sasquatch! Music Festival (Monday, May 30th), Houston, TX’s Free Press Summer Fest (Saturday, June 4th), Manchester, TN’s Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival (Saturday, June 11th), Chicago, IL’s Lollapalooza (Sunday, July 31st), Brooklyn, NY’s Afropunk Festival (Sunday, August 28th) and Pittsburgh, PA’s Thrival Innovation + Music Festival (Friday, September 23rd). For updates and ticket information, please see sirthebaptist.com/#shows.
Born Sir William James Stokes in Chicago’s historic Bronzeville neighborhood, Sir the Baptist took his love of music and inspiration from his preacher/social activist father and created a sound all his own, an individualistic amalgam of soul, hip hop, R&B, jazz, doo-wop, pop, and gospel he calls “church pub rap.” Sir captured a national audience first via his contribution to Donnie Trumpet & The Social Experiment’s “Familiar” (featured on 2015’s acclaimed “SURF”) and then through his own extraordinary releases including such tracks as “Wake Up (Ft, ChurchPeople),” hailed by VIBE as “a bold statement for social justice in America.”
Tracks like “Creflo ‘Almighty’ Dollar (Ft. Twista & ChuchPeople)” and “Raise Hell (Ft. ChurchPeople)” followed and fast proved a sensation, the latter hitting #1 on Spotify’s Viral 50 on its way to 1 million plays and counting. In addition, LA Weekly declared the “Raise Hell” companion video to be “a visual blitz on America’s racially divided state, cutting between imagery of Sir singing in a church setting and protests that have taken place across the country in response to police killings of black men. The song is a call for social change not just for black people but for all minorities.” “Raise Hell” and much more can be found now at Sir the Baptist’s official Spotify channel.
Sir has somehow found time for a remarkable range of output, including diverse collaborations with Travis Scott and The Joffrey Ballet, and contributes the score for the acclaimed 2012 film, Dysfunctional Friends. Sir has also been featured across a broad spectrum of national media, including BET.com, Chicago’s WGN Plus’ “Artistic License” podcast, and The Chicago Tribune, which noted Sir’s “music is complex, multifaceted and can’t be limited to any single genre. Much of it is rooted in classic styles, but it has a contemporary heart that feels unique. It is the sort of music that can translate to a variety of different ages and audiences if given the proper exposure.”
For more, please see sirthebaptist.com, www.facebook.com/sirthebaptist, twitter.com/sirthebaptist, instagram.com/sirthebaptist,www.youtube.com/sirthebaptistvevo, and www.atlanticrecords.com.
(TOUR ITINERARY ATTACHED)
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SIR THE BAPTIST
“PILGRIMAGE TO GLORY” TOUR 2016MAY
13 Chicago, IL Manifest 2016
22 Atlanta, GA Shaky Beats Festival
30 George, WA Sasquatch! Music FestivalJUNE
4 Houston, TX Free Press Summer Fest
11 Manchester, TN Bonnaroo Music & Arts FestivalJULY
31 Chicago, IL LollapaloozaAUGUST
28 Brooklyn, NY Afropunk FestivalSEPTEMBER
23 Pittsburgh, PA Thrival Innovation + Music Festival