They have recieved several Gospel Music Association Dove Awards throughout their career. Their first first was "Rap/Hip Hop Song" for "Alcoholic Plagiarism", from Factors of the Seven. The next year they took the same award for "They All Fall Down", from Grammatical Revolution. In 2003 The Art Of Translation won the award for "Rap/Hip Hop Album", and the following year their song "Believe" from the same album took "Rap/Hip Hop Song". They also shared in the "Special Event Album" that year, for their contribution to !Hero The Rock Opera.
Album list:
1. Mental Releases
2. Factors of the Seven
3. Grammatical Revolution in the Spirit
4. Art of Translation
5. Dichotomy A
6. Dichotomy B
7. Art of Transformation (remix album of Translation)
8. 7 (best of album)
9. Redemption
10. The Greatest Hits
11. Reiterate
12. Quarantine
At The Video Shoot
Grits Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
(you must be kidding me girl)
You a video girl
(you must be kidding me girl)
Video girl create your own world
The only one in existence is you
No one's resistant to you
You and only you and you
Seem like a dream on the screen
Tantalize and titillate,
Video girl of the world
She was slightly dressed
Out 2 impress, ready 2 party
Gettin casted 4 tha club scenes
Dyin 2 shake her body
To get on tha set
She compromised 4 tha dollas
Dancin freaky w/ tha rappers
Obsessed w/ poppin collers
Bought some hair and nails
Found some dudes that rap
While shes rockin tha tiny shorts
And thashirt from baby gap
Misinformed adolescent
She was teenage old
Never told of her inner goal
When she was wrongfully clothed
Just a jewel that got appraised by unqualified guys
They lied, shotload, dont kno her worth in God's eyes
Fellas after tha flesh, they aint goin' see wat im gettin
Cuz they measure every girl by these video women
I'm sick of all they constant bouncin then they say
We disrespectful cuz we crave em with our instant
Pouncin the money drive em to mishaps and under
They thongs lie decay and collapse no morals perhaps
The scenery's pretty the suns shining it's nice out
A pretty girl freakin on a pimp who'd knock her lights out
Gangsta with gold fronts and the girl he's advancin on
Would rather run him over with the truck she's dancing on
And he'd be hurt up pretty badly i must say word up
It aint over bone is third up
Don't debate it i know they hate being affiliated
To this world they created with
Facades that leave you devastated
The glamorous life price for your souls rest
Simple mentality in a world complex
Star studded reality 5 minutes or less
Broken dreams and ambitions lost with respect
She was an innocent queen with rubber bands and berets
Young diva runnin things commanding every step
Then the pace picked up and she learned to be fast
Short skirt tight clothes good spirit turned bad
Hollywood caught a glimpse of your beauty untamed
At the cost you played whatever price you paid
Through away your identity even changed your name
In your world of fame child you need to be shamed
In tha world of fame
The song "At the Video Shoot" by Grits is a commentary on the culture of video vixens and the pervasive influence that videos and their subjects have in shaping societal expectations of beauty and attractiveness. The lyrics reflect on the intense pressure that women who aspire to be in music videos face and the ways in which they are objectified and reduced to mere sexual objects. The song is critical of both the industry around music videos, which often perpetuates unrealistic standards of beauty, as well as the men who consume these videos and fail to appreciate the humanity and worth of the women in them.
The first stanza of the song emphasizes the idea that video girls have the power to create their own worlds and shape the perceptions of those who view them on screen. However, the second stanza shifts the focus to the ways in which video girls are often portrayed in a negative light, as women who are desperate for money and willing to do anything to get on screen. The lyrics suggest that these women are often unaware of their own worth and are vulnerable to being taken advantage of by men who view them solely for their physical appearance.
The final stanza of the song is especially powerful, as it challenges the idea that fame and success are worth sacrificing one's own identity for. The lyrics suggest that the cost of fame is not worth losing one's own sense of self and that the pressure to conform to societal expectations can be damaging and even soul-destroying. Ultimately, the song calls for greater appreciation of the value and worth of individuals, regardless of their physical appearance or any other superficial characteristics.
Line by Line Meaning
You a video girl
Are you serious? You're really a video girl?
You a video girl
I can't believe you're actually a video girl
Video girl create your own world
The video industry creates a world where you're the only one that exists
The only one in existence is you
You're the only female in the video creating this fantasy world
No one's resistant to you
Everyone is attracted to you, regardless of their resistance
You and only you and you
Only you have the power in this world
Seem like a dream on the screen
Your character seems like a dream on the screen
Tantalize and titillate,
You're meant to tantalize and titillate with your appearance and moves
Video girl of the world
You're the quintessential video girl in this industry
She was slightly dressed
The girl in the video is wearing skimpy clothing
Out 2 impress, ready 2 party
She's dressed to impress and ready to party
Gettin casted 4 tha club scenes
She's being cast for the club scenes of the video
Dyin 2 shake her body
She's itching to move her body
To get on tha set
She's doing whatever it takes to get on set
She compromised 4 tha dollas
She's willing to compromise herself for the money
Dancin freaky w/ tha rappers
She's dancing provocatively with the rappers
Obsessed w/ poppin collers
She's obsessed with showing off her wealth
Bought some hair and nails
She's purchased hair and nails to enhance her appearance
Found some dudes that rap
She's found some male rappers to collaborate with
While shes rockin tha tiny shorts
She's wearing very short shorts on set
And thashirt from baby gap
She's wearing a shirt from a children's clothing store
Misinformed adolescent
She's young and misinformed about the industry
She was teenage old
She was barely a teenager when she started in the industry
Never told of her inner goal
She wasn't taught to focus on her inner goals
When she was wrongfully clothed
When she was dressed inappropriately for the industry
Just a jewel that got appraised by unqualified guys
She's a gem that's only valued by unqualified guys in the industry
They lied, shotload, dont kno her worth in God's eyes
They lied about her worth and don't recognize her value in God's eyes
Fellas after tha flesh, they aint goin' see wat im gettin
These guys are only interested in her physical appearance and don't see her true worth
I'm sick of all they constant bouncin then they say
I'm fed up with the constant objectification and treatment of women as commodities
We disrespectful cuz we crave em with our instant
We're seen as disrespectful for wanting instant gratification with these women
Pouncin the money drive em to mishaps and under
The lure of money leads these women to make bad decisions and end up in undesirable situations
They thongs lie decay and collapse no morals perhaps
These women's morals are decaying and collapsing under the pressure of the industry
The scenery's pretty the suns shining it's nice out
The environment may be beautiful, but the situation is still toxic
A pretty girl freakin on a pimp who'd knock her lights out
It's a sad reality that a beautiful woman is dancing for a man who could turn violent at any moment
Gangsta with gold fronts and the girl he's advancin on
A gangster with gold teeth is taking advantage of the woman he's moving closer to
Would rather run him over with the truck she's dancing on
The woman would rather harm the man pulling her closer than submit to his advances
And he'd be hurt up pretty badly i must say word up
If she did hurt him, he would be seriously injured
It aint over bone is third up
The situation isn't over yet; the violence may escalate
Don't debate it i know they hate being affiliated
The individuals involved in this industry likely don't enjoy being associated with it
To this world they created with
This industry has created a world with destructive facades
Facades that leave you devastated
These facades can leave people emotionally devastated
The glamorous life price for your souls rest
The glamorous life comes at a cost to your soul's well-being
Simple mentality in a world complex
Having a simple mindset won't work in a complex industry like this
Star studded reality 5 minutes or less
Fame in this industry is fleeting
Broken dreams and ambitions lost with respect
Many people in this industry lose their dreams and self-respect
She was an innocent queen with rubber bands and berets
The woman in the video was once a young, innocent girl with hair ties and berets
Young diva runnin things commanding every step
She was once a young, confident woman in control of her path
Then the pace picked up and she learned to be fast
But as the industry sped up, she had to learn how to keep up
Short skirt tight clothes good spirit turned bad
Wearing revealing clothing can have a negative impact on one's spirit
Hollywood caught a glimpse of your beauty untamed
Hollywood saw your natural beauty and wanted to capitalize on it
At the cost you played whatever price you paid
You paid a price for the opportunity to work in Hollywood
Through away your identity even changed your name
You had to give up your identity, and even your name, to fit into the industry's mold
In your world of fame child you need to be shamed
In this world of fame, one should be ashamed of what they've become
In tha world of fame
The world of fame is not as glamorous as it may seem
Contributed by Grace M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.