After five long years, Robbie Lewis and Here II Praise are back on the scene.

As you can imagine, there's a lot that can change over half a decade, and that’s certainly true for for Lewis and Here II Praise. Firstly, the Boston-based choir is now based out of Los Angeles, California.

Did I say they were a choir? Check that, they're an ensemble now, for the group has scaled down to an intimate seven. On top of that, you'll be hearing them go by the name of H2P.

So, why so many changes? To understand the change, you've got to understand the story of H2P.

"We started in Boston, Massachusetts in 1996. When we started, we came from the Thomas A. Dorsey Convention and we were all fresh out of another choir. In order for us to record, we had to change our name. So, we went from the name that we were to Here II Praise," states director and founder Robbie Lewis.

From that point, the group came together and recorded and released their debut project titled Giving You Nothing But Praise (see album review). The album, released on Verity Records in 1998, received outstanding reviews and was nominated for a Stellar Award in 1999. This has all of the makings of a childhood dream for any new artist. However, things aren't always as they appear.

"Shortly after the record dropped, the group actually broke up. It had a lot to do with me and what I was doing in my personal life," admits Lewis. "Because I wasn't doing the right thing and handling things in the right order, the group broke up. It wasn't totally all my fault. A lot of things were said about me and on the other cats. A lot of people went over my head and did different things. The end result was there was a split and the majority went their way and did their thing and I was left with only a handful of members."

"A week later, I got a call that we had got dropped from the label and Verity didn't want to go through with a second record," continues Lewis.

"That really hurt because I put my all into the project and Here II Praise. I remembered the different things that I went through to make that project so much different than everything else that was out there. So for that to happen, it really hurt. I tried to rebuild and have auditions and recruit other people. That process was just so hard. So God just started sending me people. From there, it was still a struggle to get it back up and running. Especially with everyone in the city (Boston) saying what they wanted to say about the group. So basically, because of label troubles and the struggles of getting back on our feet, it took so long to do anything else."

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As the rebuilding efforts continued, Lewis decided that a change of scenery would help the process. In 2000, He relocated to Los Angeles and worked to continue the H2P vision from the West Coast. He made some contacts and the connection resulted in a producer's dream —access to a studio. Lewis saw this as an opportunity ti begin recording new material for Here II Praise.

With that said, Lewis invited H2P to come out and record some new material. "That demo was OK. With $150,000 worth of equipment, it was OK. The problem was that I didn't know what I was doing. I had just started using ProTools and it wasn't as good as it could have been," says Lewis.

"The following year, I wasn't in the studio anymore. I had a situation at home on a little 1680, like a little hard disk recorder. So, they all slept on my floor and we went in the bedroom and started cutting songs. That's basically what you hear on this new CD. They’re joints that we cut in the bedroom.”

Lewis is transparent as he shares his experiences within the industry and with Here II Praise. He quickly recognizes that "haterade" is not just served at secular afterparties. "People would be very fasicious and ask, 'What's up with Here II Praise?' waiting for someone to say that we don't exist anymore or that we've disbanded," says Lewis.

From struggles on a local level to a less than stellar experience on Bobby Jones Gospel, Lewis and Here II Praise have seen the proverbial rough side of the mountain.

"We went to Bobby Jones and my band couldn't make it because of flight trouble. When we got to the show, the security guard told us that we had three songs. Now why I believed the security guard, I don't know. But she made sure all of the choirs were on and off in a timely fashion, so I trusted her word. So, she said we had three songs and I was good. We did one of our weaker songs first," states Lewis.

"Just to tell you how shady it was and how God will throw it back in your face, I tried to sneak another artist on under the name of Here II Praise. I told her to sing her song and we'd back her up. This would give her some TV exposure also. So, I did her song first with Here II Praise just standing there for the first two verses and then we come in at the end for like 30 seconds. Then we went into the second song, which was a little better. But then the third song was what was gonna kill 'em. I went into the third song and they cut off the cameras. The lady came up to me and asked 'what are you doing?'. I told her that I heard that we had three songs. She said that nobody here gets three songs. I debated with her right in front of the audience and everything. She said that she'd let us do the third song but they wouldn't tape it. When they aired the show, the only song they played was the first song."

Following that experience, Lewis almost aborted the vision of Here II Praise.

"That's when I was ready to end it. I'm not trying to hold on to something that's not meant to be. I'm not trying to hold onto a vision where I keep falling on my face," reveals Lewis. "I used to come to Boston to rehearse with the group for a week and I would spend mad paper trying to make stuff happen. It was a lot of sacrifice and a lot of money. I gave it up for a whole year. I didn't talk about Here II Praise. I didn't feel it. I wasn't thinking about it. Nothing for a whole year until I started listening to the demo and it started touching me."

At that point is where the entire picture became clear to Lewis. The talented writer, producer, and director finally heard from God in a revelatory fashion that forever changed his perspective on the industry and his ministry. "God started dealing with me. He said to me, 'The reason that I didn't let anything happen with Here II Praise is not because of them, the vision, or the ministry. I've still given you the vision and the ministry but what are you going to about you? You need to get your life in order.'

As God dealt with Lewis on a personal level, He also dealt with Lewis' vision for H2P. With new-found inspiration, Lewis began to go forth with the plan for the group.

"I started shopping the record. I was trying to throw us on some showcases with Sony. We sent it to [several] labels. People didn't know what to do with it," admits Lewis.

"I know the business. I know that everybody's scared to sign a cutting edge group. To sign another urban group [for a major label] and put another urban video out and all of this may be a terrible risk. For the most part, Gospel consumers know what they like. And pretty much, hey, that's it. So the leading sellers of the industry have their followings, and so, they continue to sell. It's so much harder for a new artist to break, especially if you're doing something that goes against the grain. Sadly, but true, there's not much reception to artists that say the same thing, but just do it a different way. There's a gang of labels and people that are not fond of such articulations of gospel music, like "holy hip hop". Why? I'll never understand."

"So, pretty much, [the labels] all passed on us. So I told the group that if we didn't have a record deal by January, I'd put the album out myself," says Lewis.

Therein lies the birth of their new and independent release, The Experience —The Life and Trials of Here II Praise.

However, Lewis didn't plan for it to be a full-scale release. "I was just going to throw it out there," says the H2P frontman. "I was just going to print up the demo with a couple of pictures and just do it. Then God dealt with me. He separated me and my fiancee. We were living together."

"I was living with my fiancée knowing that it was wrong but I didn't care. God was dealing with my fiancée and told her to leave me and go home and He would deal with her. I got depressed."

During this time, Lewis, his fiancée, and son were enjoying life. As God separated this family, He began to deal with Lewis regarding his lifestyle.

"He said, 'First of all, you know it's not cool for you and your fiancee to be living together. So what are you going to do?" admits Lewis. "Then He said, 'I want you to start developing a relationship with me. Develop a prayer life. And the main thing is this. I'm going to tell you how to really make this Here II Praise album hot.' So I was like, 'What are you going to do? Re-record the songs or something.' He said, 'Why don't you just tell the story? You owe it to people to tell them what happened to you all. I'm going to give you all the words. I'm going to let it be tactful but through this one project, you're going to be able to do three things. You're going to be able to make peace with the people in Boston. You're gonna be able to tell the story and put out the record. And you're going to be able to get the respect that you all deserve."

Now the story can be told and Lewis uses a unique format to do this. Not only does he release a potent musical project, he also accompanies it with the autobiography of Here II Praise, chronicling the intriguing history of this group.

"Everything that I've been through in my life, I'm not afraid to tell it. I want this to help somebody else," declares Lewis. "It's not a problem for me to expose it because the truth is the truth. That's what's going to win in the end anyway. One thing that God showed me is to just tell it the way it's given to me. If you try and fabricate it and clean it up, you'll just make matters worst. Just say I was wrong and lost in my life. You can't go platinum living an aluminum lifestyle."

With this high level of transparency, Lewis is prepared to answer the tough questions. "The difficult part will probably be defending it. Somebody's going to say, '’What did you do?'. Just like all of us, I was very lost. Just know that it didn't have anything to do with homosexuality or nothing. It's just what common, young cats in the industry get caught up in."

Lewis is no stranger to the industry. Not only has he worked with some of gospel's hottest names from Donald Lawrence to Tonéx, he has served as musical director for some of the biggest acts in secular music. With past credits ranging from Brian McKnight to Jessica Simpson, Lewis has had his taste of both sides of the industry. He currently serves as musical director for Christina Aguilera and co-director for Patti LaBelle.

So, how can an MD of such poignant secular acts balance a Gospel group?

"For me, the Christina gig is work. That's just what I do. I like playing with her. She's a beautiful person. I like the musicians that I play with. They're all my friends but that's her music. It's pop music. To me, it's a job," notes Lewis.

"But when I'm with Ms. Patti on stage, it's completely spiritual. We bring God in it all the time. She's starts shouting on stage. She pulls the best out of you. If you're gonna bring it, you gotta bring it, because she's bringing it every night."

"Here II Praise is like my brainchild. That's what God gave to all of us. The songs that He gives me are specifically for Here II Praise. I can't give them to Donald [Lawrence] or nobody else. They're strictly for Here II Praise. There's nothing that I won't do with

Debut Album

This album is strongly supported by Daryl Coley and his Integra production team. In fact, Coley steps in and takes lead vocals on one of the finest cuts of the project, a jazzy, reworked "Guide Me O Thou Great Jehovah".... See full review.

Here II Praise. Here II Praise is my medium to really be as out as I want to be to create a style that the Lord has given to me. The majority of the songs I don't even remember writing. I remember reading the story of Moses and just writing lyrics and that's how 'When I See The Blood' came up. I don't remember writing 'Joy of My Soul'. I remember writing 'Angel' because I had to make sure that my analogies and my metaphors were all correct."

"Here II Praise is like Dexter's Lab. When he's down there, he's got his goggles on and the soldering iron on. That's what Here II Praise is like for me. It's totally separate from everything else that I do and I give it that separate attention," says Lewis.

With a project like this, Lewis expects a mixed reaction within the industry.

"I'm in a different industry," says Lewis. "I do Gospel stuff, like the live strings on Tonéx's record (O2, see album review). But I'm in the other side of the industry, the R&B side. Those kinda [R&B] cats respect the truth. In fact, they don't want to hear nothing but the truth. So, on this side, I think people will respect it and I think people will understand."

But Lewis is quick to note a different response in the Gospel arena. "This whole experience has taught me some major things about life and people of the church, one being: that there's a huge difference between sincere Christians and followers of Christ...and the so-called 'church folk'. And I explain what I mean in the book." .

"The key to a happy life is to do the right thing, all the time, throughout life. Make the right decisions about your dough, your family, your friends, the IRS, the ones you love, the ones you don't like so much. Have a good heart about everything. Be positive about life, and just keep on believing. I know you might slip once in a while, but will you stay there, or will you get back up again, and try to do better tomorrow? Some people are cool right where they are. I wasn't. And so, I changed my life. It's that simple."

With a ministry geared to the street, Lewis is focused on reaching his target audience.

"I'm not really going for church people," says Lewis. "There are those ministries and persons who are dedicated to edifying the church body with their music. I think that has a rightful place, and I respect those artists, but that's not the road laid out for us. We're trying to be genuine to the art of music, whatever kind of music it is. Some cats think putting "church" lyrics with a hot hip-hop beat is the formula for a crossover, or urban radio hit."

"Realism is the only formula to reach the streets. The only thing the streets understand is the truth. The only people that understand church terminologies and cliches are "church folk". Just keep it real. If you're not all that you say that you are, then stop acting like you are. Street cats can see right through that. I'm trying to come at them on a street level not only musically, but mentality wise also."

It's often said that experience is the greatest teacher. That adage would certainly apply to Lewis and H2P, as the last few years have seen some them on some real rollercoaster rides. However, with the trials comes a tested and true relationship with God and a passion for ministry. That understanding of God has changed Lewis' outlook and helps him understand this season that he's experiencing.

"God let me know that He could've let the first record be a really hot record. He could've called fire and we would've been just as big as God's Property. God has shown me that this is what I have to do to get to the next level in my life. I have to say sorry for the various mistakes I've made and the people I've hurt. I am at the threshold of both my career, and my life. I have to keep it real about the person I was, or someone else will."

"Guess when? Right at the pinnacle of my career. So, here it is, immortalized so to speak, with this album. This album wipes the slate clean, and allows me, as well as the choir members, to have a fair shot to appreciate and do good with the second chance that God has mercifully given to me, and to the ministry." "

Through all of this, Lewis has a vision and a purpose. Like everything else he's ever done, it's outside of the norm.

"I've got a $10 million dollar plan," reveals Lewis. "But the plan is not financial. It's like when you get $10 million dollars, now you can help everyone else out. Now you can cut big checks for the people who stuck by you. You can make sure that people's lights are on and their cars are running. What I'm trying to do is independently push 50 to 75,000 units. Then I want to go to a label and get a label deal. That's the big plan. The big plan is because I want to be a blessing to everybody else. I want to start businesses and help people out. I want to reach back and it starts with Here II Praise."

It's been a wild ride for Lewis and H2P. However, through all of the trials and experiences of Lewis and his group, the best is definitely yet to come!!