By PJ Douglas Sands
With over 24 million downloads and plays to his credit, a new album on the way and standing tall as the President of his own independent label, Diocese Entertainment, is Bishop Lamont hip hop’s new Superman?
Bishop Lamont - Let The Reformation Begin
DS3 Entertainment recently had an opportunity to spend some up close and personal time with Bishop Lamont getting into his head about his past, his present and his future in the music business. If you have ever seen him in action, you know that he walks, talks and moves faster than a speeding bullet so keeping up is more than a task.
Bishop likes to be far from the madding crowd and avoids the spotlight unless he’s on stage by lurking in the shadows and crafting #monsterjams in the dungeon with his arsenal of artists and producers. This formula has stood the test of time because he’s become a main-stay of the entertainment industry, straddling the balance beam comfortably between underground street hip hop and mainstream commercial success without the need to look down.
Over the last 10 years he has worked with almost everyone who’s anyone in hip hop and never became part of the East Coast/West Coast drama because his music and messages have always been global. With over 700+ songs in his catalog, this year he officially makes the leap from actor and artist/songwriter to President of his own independent music label, Diocese Entertainment.
If you have ever caught a glimpse of Bishop Lamont (born Phillip Martin), he’s an unassuming Clark Kent-type without the glasses. Physically fit nearly bursting out of his tux in the photo shoot, he’s quirky, always pleasant and (surprisingly) a bit of a nerd!? with a voluminous vocabulary and a penchant for The Food Network. When he’s not spending quality time with family and friends, working out with his Mixed Martial Arts brethren or surfing the high seas in Santa Barbara, you might catch him around Carson getting a fresh cut at his hometown barber, spot him sipping a Stoli on the rocks at his favorite drinkery off Sunset or even see him zip past you in the mall shopping for Vans or Chucks while chatting about business on his Android.
Bishop Lamont, Dave New York and Talib Kweli
He spends alot of time globetrotting to educate artists, producers and songwriters about the long road to indie success speaking at conferences like New Skool Rules in The Netherlands where he’s truly awe-inspiring. You might even have a better chance catching him perform live in Malaysia or France than House of Blues in a US town near you. More often than not though, his time is spent regularly volunteering at the Boyle Heights Youth Technology Center in Los Angeles where he mentors young adults within various programs and instills in aspiring musicians working in the Little Village Recording Studio that you can write, record, mix, edit and master your own records then sell them while being true to your belief system. He’s a firm believer that volunteers are far more impactful when they invest themselves regularly into the lives of those kids while serving as positive examples versus showing up to shake hands or kiss babies for the camera once a year, and he encourages “Hollywood types” to give back in the same sincere way.
Bishop Lamont - is he hip hop's new Superman?
If you follow @BishopLamont on Twitter his timeline reflects one of the secrets to his success – his humility. His fans are ever-present at his finger tips, and he tries to answer almost every tweet himself, responding to compliments with “blessings! thank you so much” or “appreciate you pimp”. His followers ask similar questions on the daily like “When can we get a new album?” or “When are you gonna work with so-and-so?” Sometimes they just send a shout out like “CalTroit is the business!” or “I’m always jamming that Grow Up.” But answering fans does not a superhero make… being indestructible though does.
In recent years Bishop Lamont almost literally lost his life count it not 1, not 2 but 3 times. His music career could have easily been an E! True Hollywood Story as he faced disappointment after disappointment with labels over-promising while under-delivering, supposed do-gooders not doing good at all and insecure or jealous rappers spawning infantile beefs. At the end of it all though, his measurable success without ever releasing a major label project is a testament to his drive, perseverance and divine favor. If you think I’m exaggerating, let’s check the facts and Google him.
1) Business success is measured in numbers. What’s the data? Since 2002 Bishop Lamont released 8 street albums and mixtapes – count them 8 – with over 4 million combined downloads directly from bishoplamont.com, bishoplamonttv, his social media sites, iTunes and Amazon. In that time he has had over 24 million downloads and plays and counting just from his top 7 singles alone, including “Grow Up” featuring Dr. Dré grossing 7 million, “Err’Day in the Streets” with over 5 million as well as “Friends”, “City Lights” and “Hallelujah” featuring Xzibit. Most artists these days walk into a store and purchase 750,000 copies of their own record themselves just to get certified platinum but there’s no way possible for 1 artist to download 24 million singles themselves from IP addresses all over the globe.
Bishop Lamont has appeared on TV shows, in movies and his placements on soundtracks and video games like NBA Live 06, Madden NFL 07 and NFL Street 08 have made him virtually a household name. Bishop Lamont’s music has also graced the silver screen appearing on movie soundtracks, and he performed the title track “Welcome to Havoc” in the Anne Hathaway film “Havoc“. Running the numbers he’s a superstar whose done it practically on his own. He gets radio spins in Europe, Africa, Asia, Canada and here at home in the US.
2) DS3: So how does being a successful, independent artist make you ready to be President of a Label? BL: “Well this was always my plan. Not only did I want to pursue a music career, but after 1 major label release I wanted to work for artists with artists and get into films. Since that project kept being pushed back and never happened, I know how (disappointment feels). I want my artists to be real, be themselves, don’t change for anyone. Do them.” 
Diocese Entertainment as a truly, independent music label seems to be just that. Bishop Lamont has songwriters, producers, artists, bloggers, publicists, DJs and CEOs on speed dial. That’s tastemaker power. It seems he can get virtually anything done with a phone call.
3) DS3: Other than yourself, who is signed to Diocese? BL: “We’ve got @DaveNewYork who’s project will be coming out in 2012. His first single “Music’s All I Got” produced by @Astronote is heating up radio now. He’s got a great story and it’s real hip hop, none of that watered down crap.”
Also Producer King Karnov’s got a project coming out, and they have worked together for years. The Congregation from Boyle Heights Youth Tech Center is really a great project that he’s spearheaded and supported. Proceeds from the sales go to benefit their Recording Studio. The Congregation’s debut single “Intro” is being followed up by “No Struggle No Glory” produced by a young producer out of the Bahamas Showtime Shaddy, which is getting airplay in the gospel and secular markets across the US and Caribbean.
4) How has Bishop Lamont managed to stay in the game for 10 years and counting? One would say it’s because of how real his message is. Metaphorically he leaps tall buildings in a single bound with his lyricism, colorful story telling, smooth syncopated flow and his ability to seamlessly jump from one track discussing parties and women to another detailing moral corruption, injustice or spiritual warfare, then ending the album with a candid discussion of socio-politicism and economic commentary. Every age group that listens to him seems to become engaged with just one sip from his poetic cup, leaving them thirsty for more. One more download… just one more song.
Arguably then, Clark Kent’s Bishop Lamont’s kryptonite could be diverting from his tried and true formula. Should his content shift from truth and #MESSAGE with a little #CHURCH towards overt commercialism and glorification of materialistic hedonism, it would be a done deal. According to Bishop Lamont though, his vision for Diocese and the artists who carry its banner going forward must reflect the direct connection where “messages come straight from God to the people.”
5) DS3: So now that you are a label head, will you ever release an album or has that time passed for you? BL: “Oh hell yea! It’s almost here. The Reformation‘s first single “Sodom and Gommorah” produced by King Karnov hits the world 1/2/12. It’s a mic check that will change your life.” With a title like that I’m sure the subject matter ain’t nothing nice!
So is Bishop Lamont really hip hop’s new Superman? Rising as a phoenix from the aftermath of a failed major label effort to become President of his own independent label, touring the world, bridging the hip hop gap between the underground and mainstream success, not to mention a starring role in a 2012 Hollywood movie – one could say Bishop Lamont fits the bill arguably. After 2012 and The Reformation, music may never be the same.
Ending our time which passed too quickly to rush off to a video editing session with Director JR Griffin, Bishop Lamont exited the room with an S on his chest, a gracious nod and bow, and a smile on his face. Ambitious, determined, humble, eloquent, spiritual, intelligent and attempting to rescue the world with #monsterjams 8 bars at a time, I’m a fan and hoping Bishop Lamont is indeed hip hop’s new Superman. If so, Lois Lane’s gotta be one lucky chick!
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