11.20.07 
Founder of Christian hip-hop/R&B trio Group 1 Crew practiced craft, grew in faith at Southeastern

By Southeastern University

Manwell Reyes has two pieces of advice for musicians hoping to break into the Christian music industry: be real and be good.

And Reyes should know. The 2003 Southeastern graduate is founder of the highly acclaimed Christian hip-hop/R&B group named Group 1 Crew, which is signed to Word Records and Fervent Records. Its self-titled debut album released in February 2007 and the group is in the studio working on a second to be released in April 2008.

Reyes said it's important to be a "real" Christian in an industry and world rampant with hypocrisy. And he said it's important to do everything within your power to be a good musician.

"Do not count on Jesus to do the possible. Count on Jesus to do the impossible" is the adage Reyes passes on to new musicians. To him, that means being on top of his game musically, physically, mentally, and spiritually and then looking to Jesus to open doors.

"Jesus' grace covers the gaps in our integrity, but he cannot make that guitar sound in tune," Reyes said. "Jesus does not cover for our laziness."

During his time at Southeastern as a communications major, Reyes learned a lot about both authentic Christianity and music. Craving a spiritual education, Reyes walked out of registering for classes at a community college in his hometown of Orlando, drove to Lakeland to register for classes at Southeastern, and then returned the same day to cancel his registration at the community college.

"I just went to school for the spiritual aspect of it," he said. "I wanted to be tested in my life."

And tested he was, Reyes said. The same man who says now that he "lives and dies by Southeastern" hated his first semester here. "I was so different," he said. "I was like, 'man, I do not fit in here at all.'"

But thanks to people like Southeastern president Dr. Mark Rutland, Reyes began to discover he was not so different after all. As a student, Reyes was impressed with Dr. Rutland's intelligence and business acumen, but he was more impressed with his life testimony. "I just loved his realness," Reyes said. "The dude is just intellectually amazing, but at the same time he is so real."

Reyes found music and rapping when he was in ninth grade; he and some friends started rapping in his backyard and videotaping themselves. "Ever since then, I never put it down," he said. His interest continued after his conversion to Christianity during the summer before his senior year of high school.

At Southeastern, Reyes formed a group called XYC with two fellow students. The group was originally named after a church in Orlando but was later changed to XYC, which stood for "eXpand Your Consciousness." XYC performed at many campus events as well as in the community.

While at Southeastern, Reyes took one music theory class, but for the most part his music writing, rapping, and producing skills are self-taught. Group 1 Crew writes all of its own music.

Group 1 Crew got its start in 2003 when Reyes started a Bible study that drew in 13 fellow musicians, including Blanca Reyes (no relation to Manwell) and Pablo Villatoro. The 13 originally performed together, but in time the group dwindled as members went off to fulfill their dreams to be missionaries, solo artists, and pastors, among other things. At one point, the group became Reyes - alone.

But when Reyes received the phone call from his manager saying Fervent Records was looking for an urban group, he sought out Blanca Reyes and Villatoro in Chicago to form a three-person group. There were roadblocks, including strained relationships among the three and Reyes' resistance to performing in a group again. But before they came together again, God helped to resolve their differences.

"I said, 'Man, God, this is going to have to be you,'" Reyes said. "I just think it's a testament to what God really wanted to do."

Reyes said all of Group 1 Crew's music is "Christian," though some songs have more overtly Christian lyrics than others. "If you're a Christian, then Christian is just going to come out of you," he said. But he's not going to put the word "Jesus" in a song just for the sake of it. "Jesus is always in the song," he said. "I am going to write a song that comes from the heart, and if it says, 'Jesus,' then great."

The group found success following the release of its album in 2007 with two of its songs - "[Everybody's Gotta] Song to Sing" and "Love is a Beautiful Thing"--reaching the Radio & Records Christian CHR chart. The album Group 1 Crew is available at major retailers including Wal-Mart and Best Buy, at Christian bookstores and on iTunes. The group's music also has been heard on four television shows: The Simple Life and Kimora: Life in the Fab Lane--both on E!, Run's House on MTV, and One Tree Hill on The CW.

Group 1 Crew also has an ambitious touring schedule for events, including SHOUTfest, a traveling, Christian music festival, and FX (Freedom eXperience), a free, three-day event, featuring live music, extreme sports, and illusions that incorporate creative evangelism. Group 1 Crew also performed for the Fine Arts Festival of the General Council of the Assemblies of God in 2007 in Indianapolis.

It's all enough to keep Reyes - who is CEO of Red I Entertainment Inc. as well as Group 1 Crew - busy full time. Group 1 Crew is signed for six albums, as long as the group remains successful.

Despite his busy schedule, Reyes still tries to get back to Southeastern whenever possible - usually to watch basketball games. "I miss school spirit. I love school spirit," he said. "I had it in spades when I was at Southeastern."

Even though he doesn't know anyone on the court, he's still there cheering. "I love people cheering for me, so I'm going to do the same for others."

Ultimately, he wants to represent his alma mater well. "I want to do them proud," he said.