Flame

Born as Marcus T. Gray in St. Louis, Missouri, Flame built a career as a Christian rapper who collected multiple Dove, Stellar, and Grammy nominations over the years. His first recording appeared in 2004 as a self-titled project on Cross Movement Records, and the following year he received his initial Dove Award nomination after issuing Rewind. A two-album series began in 2007 with the arrival of Our World: Fallen, while Our World: Redeemed, his first Grammy-nominated effort, reached listeners in 2008. He established his own imprint, Clear Sight Music, by releasing Captured in 2010. Appropriately titled, his sixth album The 6th came out on the label in 2011 and became Flame’s second consecutive Billboard Gospel chart-topper. Ryan Fullerton, Mike Real, KB, and additional guests contributed to the 2013 project Royal Flush, which earned a Dove Award nomination for Rap Album of the Year. Forward arrived in 2015 with Jai, Mike Real, and Melinda Watts among the featured artists. Early in 2018 he delivered his ninth album, God Knows, whose contemporary trap-influenced sound recalled Drake and included appearances by KB, J Carter, Spec, Bizzle & Sicily, and others.