B-U is an American

Christian rap Christian hip hop (originally gospel rap, also known as Christian rap, gospel hip hop or holy hip hop) is a subgenre of contemporary Christian music and hip hop music. It emerged from urban contemporary music and Christian media in the United S ...

group, consisting of Steven Bernard Mitchell and Ursela Camille Mitchell. They are founders of the Christian record label B-U Entertainment based in

Raleigh, North Carolina Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the List of North Carolina county seats, seat of Wake County, North Carolina, Wake County in the United States. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, second-most ...

, to which they are signed. They are one of the few active husband and wife duos in

Biography

Steven Bernard, born in

Columbus, Mississippi Columbus is a city in and the county seat of Lowndes County, on the eastern border of Mississippi, United States, located primarily east, but also north and northeast of the Tombigbee River, which is also part of the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterwa ...

and Ursela Camille, born in

, met in a Raleigh

recording studio A recording studio is a specialized facility for sound recording, mixing, and audio production of instrumental or vocal musical performances, spoken words, and other sounds. They range in size from a small in-home project studio large enoug ...

in 2001. During this time they were already in pursuance of their own careers in the music industry; Ursela as the hip-hop

recording artist A musician is a person who composes, conducts, or performs music. According to the United States Employment Service, "musician" is a general term used to designate one who follows music as a profession. Musicians include songwriters who wri ...

“FIN” and Steven Bernard as the R&B

“Bishop the RBP”. Ursela Camille (then FIN) would share stages with artists

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Ginuwine Elgin Baylor Lumpkin (born October 15, 1970), better known by his stage name Ginuwine, is an American Contemporary R&B, R&B singer, songwriter, dancer, and actor. He began his career as a member of Swing Mob in the early 1990s. Signing to Epic R ...

, DMX,

Lil' Kim Kimberly Denise Jones (born July 11, 1974), Those giving 1974 include: * * * * * better known by her stage name Lil' Kim, is an American rapper and reality television personality. Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York City, she lived much of he ...

Lost Boyz Lost Boyz are an American hip hop group from Queens, New York, consisting of MC Mr. Cheeks, Freaky Tah, and K Chrys. Originally in the early 90's LB consisted of Mr. Cheeks, Freaky Tah, Spigg Nice, and Pretty Lou. Member K Chrys or “Ka ...

& Escape, as well as a host of others. Steven Bernard (then Bishop the RBP) sang in local clubs and social events and worked on sharpening his production skills under the teaching of

music producer A record producer is a recording project's creative and technical leader, commanding studio time and coaching artists, and in popular genres typically creates the song's very sound and structure.Virgil Moorefield"Introduction" ''The Producer as ...

, Jimmy Brown of EJ Productions. They worked together on several music recording projects, as well as stage productions such as ''

A Streetcar Named Desire ''A Streetcar Named Desire'' is a play written by Tennessee Williams and first performed on Broadway on December 3, 1947. The play dramatizes the experiences of Blanche DuBois, a former Southern belle who, after encountering a series of person ...

'' and ''Strong Woman''. In 2003, Bernard began to live a life of Christianity and, in 2004, Camille began a similar lifestyle. During this time the transformation from mainstream hip hop and R&B to Christian rap music began. In 2005 they formed B-U, meaning “being-used by Jesus Christ”.

Discography

*''Blessed Entertainment Presents 12th Round Knockout Round 1 Mixtape'' (2010) *''Tell Me The Truth'' (debut album 2011)

Awards and nominations

* 2008 North Carolina Gospel Announcer's Prestige Award Guild Holy Hip Hop Artist of Year * 2009 Rhythm of Gospel Awards nominee ::Rhythm of Gospel Awards Group of the Year ::Rhythm of Gospel Awards Song of the Year "Come On" produced by Steven B Mitchell for Gangus Khan Productionz written by Steven B. Mitchell(ASCAP) & Ursela C. Mitchell(BMI), label, B-U Entertainment(ASCAP) * 2010 Independent/ Inspirational Gospel Music Award (IGMA) nominee ::Artist of the Year ::Song of the Year "Come On" produced by Steven B Mitchell(ASCAP) for Gangus Khan Productionz written by Steven B. Mitchell(ASCAP) & Ursela C. Mitchell(BMI), record label, B-U Entertainment(ASCAP) * 2010 Rhythm of Gospel Awards WinnerDa South.co
"B-U wins Big at the 2010 Rhythm of Gospel Awards"
, ''da.south.com'', July 30, 2010. retrieved 2011-2-15 ::Rhythm of Gospel Awards Holy Hip Hop Group of the Year ::Rhythm of Gospel Awards Holy Hip Hop Song of the Year "Righteous Know Why produced by Steven B. Mitchell(ASCAP) for Gangus Khan Productionz, record label, B-U Entertainment(ASCAP)

References

External links

* {{Authority control Songwriters from North Carolina Songwriters from Mississippi Christian hip hop groups American hip hop record producers American evangelicals American hip hop duos Southern hip hop groups