The Christian Reader November 2006 31
WHAT IS KULCHA GOSPEL?
I give honor, praise, and glory to my
Heavenly Father, the Most High God! I
thank God for His Grace and Mercy for
allowing me to live long enough to accept
His son Jesus Christ as my personal Savior,
Healer, and Deliverer! I thank God for filling me with the Holy Ghost and
manifesting his Spiritual Gifts within me!
Before I was saved, I always loved my
Caribbean music. Even though I was born
in Brooklyn, New York, both of my parents
are from the islands and raised us with the
Caribbean heritage traditions. My Mother
is from St. Kitts and my Father is from St.
Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, and growing
up in the Canton family home in Brooklyn,
island music reigned. My sisters and I
would travel far and wide for Caribbean
Soca Carnivals in New York, Florida, and
St. Thomas, where we danced in the streets
and on trucks celebrating Carnival. Who
would have guessed that Jesus would have
changed MY life, cleaned me up and use
ME to promote GOSPEL music! God must
have a great sense of humor, because if you
would have told me back then, that I, Lisa
Canton (an ex-Rasta!) would be promoting
GOSPEL music, I would have laughed at
you! I now know that God’s plan and destiny for my life is KULCHA GOSPEL
and RIGHT SPIRIT MINISTRIES.
When I got saved and delivered for real,
God showed me that there was contemporary Caribbean gospel music out there, but
it’s not as available as American gospel.
God then gave me the vision to promote
Caribbean
Gospel
Ministries
via
KULCHA GOSPEL. “KULCHA” is
spelled the way we pronounce the word
“culture”. Caribbean gospel ministries are
unique because the majority of our
Caribbean Music Ministers left the secular
music industry as major artists and became
born again full-time gospel artists. I’m
proud of that, and like to showcase that
because their testimonies reach and impact
souls whenever they are ministering. Can
you imagine Snoop Dogg, Fifty Cents,
and Young Jeezy getting saved and wanting to live for Christ, leaving the music
industry in the height of their successes and
going gospel full-time? That’s what’s happening in Caribbean gospel today.
These major reggae artists who were used
to “rocking” stadiums as their American
counterparts such as: Judy Mowatt (used
to sing backup for Bob Marley); Junior
Tucker and Carlene Davis (both are min-
Lisa Canton, President
Kulcha Gospel, International
isters today!), Hopeton Lewis, (founder
of the Caribbean Gospel Music Awards),
Stitchie, Papa San, Chevelle Franklyn,
Goddy Goddy, Dobby Dobson, and
Shelly Thunder, just to name a few; confessed that Christ Jesus is THEIR Lord and
Savior, then they walked away from the
secular industry and used their God-given
talents for the Kingdom of God. PRAISE
GOD! Their testimonies are all amazing!
Now they are pr