Ricky Dillard & New G

Blending R&B grooves and urban funk beats alongside choral gospel traditions and praise-and-worship anthems, Ricky Dillard & New G—also recognized as New Generation and New Generation Chorale—infused contemporary energy into worship music across multiple releases, many captured live inside churches, cathedrals, and concert halls that highlighted the ensemble’s refined appearance and vigorous stage presence. Their opening trio of projects, The Promise in 1990, A Holy Ghost Take-Over in 1993, and Hallelujah in 1995, surfaced on Malaco Records before the act transitioned to Crystal Rose Records for Worked It Out in 1996, New Limit in 2000, and Unplugged: The Way Church Used to Be in 2004, the latter still incorporating electric instruments despite their restrained presence. Dillard subsequently launched his Animated Entertainment & Light Records label to issue The 7th Episode: Live in Toronto in 2007, followed by the eighth album, Keep Living, taped live in Detroit and released under the same imprint in 2011. Each of these eight titles placed inside the gospel chart’s Top 15, while Keep Living introduced Dillard to the Billboard 200. The 2014 release Amazing became his first gospel chart-topper, climbed to number 28 on the Billboard 200, and earned a Grammy nomination for Best Gospel Album. Three years afterward, Ricky Dillard & New G returned with 10, reclaiming the summit of the gospel rankings.