LZ7
Encyclopedia
LZ7 are a Christian rap
and dance
group from Manchester
. The band was formed in 2005 by Lindz West, a member of dance band The Tribe, who had split up the previous year. LZ7 are part of Christian charity The Message Trust
, working with tens of thousands of teenagers each year in schools across Greater Manchester
, Maidenhead
and Reading
.
The band released their debut album, Ruckus, in 2005. They performed live at music festivals, such as Live Audacious
and Grapevine, and also featured on the 2007 Hope Revolution tour. In 2008, LZ7 released a new mini-album named Gasoline. Two years later, their line-up changed, and a remixed version of their single "This Little Light
", taken from their new album Light, made Number 26 on the UK Singles Chart
in October 2010.
as part of youth charity The Message Trust
, but they had also received acclaim as recording artists, winning three GMA Dove Awards.
After The Tribe disbanded in 2004, West originally intended to work with thebandwithnoname
, but instead chose to create his own band, and formed LZ7 the following year, also under the banner of The Message Trust. LZ7 performed in school assemblies during 2005, and, alongside this work, played outdoor events over the summer, including Live Audacious
, Grapevine and Merseyfest. Their debut album, Ruckus, was launched on 11 December 2005 at Space Christmas at the Manchester Apollo
, before being officially released through Survivor Records
on New Year's Eve.
In 2006, LZ7 contributed to two Christian youth resources with members of BlushUK and Andy Hawthorne
, founder of The Message Trust. These were a DVD
named Deep and an album called Start Something. Deep won a Gold Award at the Christian Broadcast Council Annual Media Awards in 2006 for Best Factual DVD. LZ7 continued to perform through 2007, playing alongside thebandwithnoname and tbc
at eight dates of the 2007 Hope Revolution tour and working with the Luis Palau Evangelical Association, leading a group of Arab
Christians in Cairo
with a performance of their track "Cross I Carry".
that featured an early version of "This Little Light". The band continued to work in schools across Greater Manchester and perform at festivals in the UK and around the world, such as at Centre for Life
in Newcastle upon Tyne
. In early 2010, Lindz West featured on "Somebody Please", a single released by contemporary Christian artists to benefit victims of the 2010 Haiti earthquake
. LZ7's personnel changed in summer 2010 to its current line-up, ahead of their summer tour, which included dates at The Big Church Day Out, The Ultimate Event and Creation Fest
.
In October, LZ7 had their first chart hit, when their single "This Little Light
" made Number 26 on the UK Singles Chart
and Number 4 on the UK Indie Chart
. The song was originally featured on the Gasoline mini-album, but was remixed for single release and for inclusion on their 2010 album, Light. The song was the theme song for both the UK government's Shine Week 2009 and The Message Trust's own Shine Your Light campaign in 2010.
Rap
Rap may refer to:*Rapping, performance in which rhyming lyrics are used, with or without musical accompaniment ; while an MC performs spoken verses in time to a beat/ melody**Hip hop subculture**Hip hop music...
and dance
Dance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement...
group from Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
. The band was formed in 2005 by Lindz West, a member of dance band The Tribe, who had split up the previous year. LZ7 are part of Christian charity The Message Trust
The Message Trust
The Message Trust is an award-winning Christian charity working to improve the lives of young people in Greater Manchester, UK and beyond through the Eden Network....
, working with tens of thousands of teenagers each year in schools across Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.6 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and the...
, Maidenhead
Maidenhead
Maidenhead is a town and unparished area within the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, in Berkshire, England. It lies on the River Thames and is situated west of Charing Cross in London.-History:...
and Reading
Reading, Berkshire
Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....
.
The band released their debut album, Ruckus, in 2005. They performed live at music festivals, such as Live Audacious
Live Audacious
Live Audacious is a Christian initiative which aims to change peoples thoughts and beliefs about Christianity, and encourages young Christians to change their schools and communities...
and Grapevine, and also featured on the 2007 Hope Revolution tour. In 2008, LZ7 released a new mini-album named Gasoline. Two years later, their line-up changed, and a remixed version of their single "This Little Light
This Little Light
"This Little Light" is a song by the British hip-hop act LZ7, and is based around a sample of the 20th century gospel track "This Little Light of Mine". It originally featured on the group's 2008 EP Gasoline, before being remixed in 2010 for inclusion on their second studio album, Light...
", taken from their new album Light, made Number 26 on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
in October 2010.
2004–2007: Formation and Ruckus
Lindz West, LZ7's frontman, had been a member of Manchester-based dance band The Tribe for three years from 2001. The Tribe's main focus was working with young people in high schools across Greater ManchesterGreater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.6 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and the...
as part of youth charity The Message Trust
The Message Trust
The Message Trust is an award-winning Christian charity working to improve the lives of young people in Greater Manchester, UK and beyond through the Eden Network....
, but they had also received acclaim as recording artists, winning three GMA Dove Awards.
After The Tribe disbanded in 2004, West originally intended to work with thebandwithnoname
Thebandwithnoname
thebandwithnoname were a Christian band who were launched by Innervation Trust in March 2002, as a "flagship" band. Alongside sister band to TBWNN, girl band TBC. Innervation Trust is a Christian charity that exists to recruit and resource schools teams, dubbed "Collectives", each dedicated to a...
, but instead chose to create his own band, and formed LZ7 the following year, also under the banner of The Message Trust. LZ7 performed in school assemblies during 2005, and, alongside this work, played outdoor events over the summer, including Live Audacious
Live Audacious
Live Audacious is a Christian initiative which aims to change peoples thoughts and beliefs about Christianity, and encourages young Christians to change their schools and communities...
, Grapevine and Merseyfest. Their debut album, Ruckus, was launched on 11 December 2005 at Space Christmas at the Manchester Apollo
Manchester Apollo
O2 Apollo Manchester is a concert venue in Manchester, England. Locally known as The Apollo, it is a listed building, with a capacity of 3,500 ....
, before being officially released through Survivor Records
Survivor Records
Survivor Records is a British Christian Music record label and is a sub-ministry of Kingsway Communications. The label launched in 1997 as a medium by which to publish music associated with the Soul Survivor events...
on New Year's Eve.
In 2006, LZ7 contributed to two Christian youth resources with members of BlushUK and Andy Hawthorne
Andy Hawthorne
Andy Hawthorne, OBE is a British evangelist, author and founder of The Message Trust, a Christian mission organisation based in Manchester, England....
, founder of The Message Trust. These were a DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
named Deep and an album called Start Something. Deep won a Gold Award at the Christian Broadcast Council Annual Media Awards in 2006 for Best Factual DVD. LZ7 continued to perform through 2007, playing alongside thebandwithnoname and tbc
TBC (band)
TBC , are a Christian girl band who were launched by Innervation Trust in 2004, as a "flagship" girl band alongside their brother band Thebandwithnoname. Innervation Trust is a Christian charity that exists to recruit and resource schools teams, dubbed "Collectives", each dedicated to a major city...
at eight dates of the 2007 Hope Revolution tour and working with the Luis Palau Evangelical Association, leading a group of Arab
Arab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
Christians in Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
with a performance of their track "Cross I Carry".
2008–present: Gasoline and Light
During 2008, LZ7 released Gasoline, a new EPExtended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
that featured an early version of "This Little Light". The band continued to work in schools across Greater Manchester and perform at festivals in the UK and around the world, such as at Centre for Life
Centre for Life
The Centre for Life is a science centre located in the city centre of Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It is an educational charity which aims to promote greater interest and engagement in science as well as supporting scientific research...
in Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
. In early 2010, Lindz West featured on "Somebody Please", a single released by contemporary Christian artists to benefit victims of the 2010 Haiti earthquake
2010 Haiti earthquake
The 2010 Haiti earthquake was a catastrophic magnitude 7.0 Mw earthquake, with an epicentre near the town of Léogâne, approximately west of Port-au-Prince, Haiti's capital. The earthquake occurred at 16:53 local time on Tuesday, 12 January 2010.By 24 January, at least 52 aftershocks...
. LZ7's personnel changed in summer 2010 to its current line-up, ahead of their summer tour, which included dates at The Big Church Day Out, The Ultimate Event and Creation Fest
Creation Fest
Creation Fest is a free Christian music festival, which takes place on the first weekend of August in the Royal Cornwall Showground, Cornwall England.-History:...
.
In October, LZ7 had their first chart hit, when their single "This Little Light
This Little Light
"This Little Light" is a song by the British hip-hop act LZ7, and is based around a sample of the 20th century gospel track "This Little Light of Mine". It originally featured on the group's 2008 EP Gasoline, before being remixed in 2010 for inclusion on their second studio album, Light...
" made Number 26 on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
and Number 4 on the UK Indie Chart
UK Indie Chart
The UK Independent Chart or Indie Chart is a chart of the best-selling independent record releases in the UK.- History :In the wake of punk, small record labels began to spring up, as an outlet for artists that were unwilling to sign contracts with major record companies, or were not considered...
. The song was originally featured on the Gasoline mini-album, but was remixed for single release and for inclusion on their 2010 album, Light. The song was the theme song for both the UK government's Shine Week 2009 and The Message Trust's own Shine Your Light campaign in 2010.
Studio albums
| Year | Album details |
|---|---|
| 2005 | Ruckus
|
| 2010 | Light
|
Extended plays
| Year | Album details |
|---|---|
| 2008 | Gasoline
|
Singles
| Year | Title | Chart peak positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
UK indie UK Indie Chart The UK Independent Chart or Indie Chart is a chart of the best-selling independent record releases in the UK.- History :In the wake of punk, small record labels began to spring up, as an outlet for artists that were unwilling to sign contracts with major record companies, or were not considered... |
|||
| 2010 | "This Little Light This Little Light "This Little Light" is a song by the British hip-hop act LZ7, and is based around a sample of the 20th century gospel track "This Little Light of Mine". It originally featured on the group's 2008 EP Gasoline, before being remixed in 2010 for inclusion on their second studio album, Light... " |
26 | 4 | Light |
See also
- List of Christian hip hop and rap artists
External links
- The Message Trust Official website