Carman

    Carman

    Las Vegas, Nevada5 reviews across 5 releases

    ccmhip hoppoprap
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    Carman was the stage name of Carman Domenic Licciardello, a Christian solo artist from Trenton, New Jersey, who began performing as a child, formed a group as a teenager, and moved to California in the 1970s. His early recordings developed within evangelical music and concert ministry, combining direct preaching with theatrical presentation. The 1986 Christmas album A Long Time Ago ... In a Land Called Bethlelem used prominent synthesizers alongside traditional carols, showing a more conventional side of his writing. By The Standard in 1993, he had settled into a high-energy style built around rap, dance rhythms, and forceful vocal delivery, while still making room for the slow ballad "The River." R.I.O.T. pushed the format further, shifting from hip-hop into reggae, funk, country, and big-band arrangements without changing the central purpose: an explicitly evangelistic message.

    In 1996, Carman extended R.I.O.T. into R.I.O.T. The Movie, Part 1, playing Chicago police officer Vic Rizzo in a crime story presented through live action and music video. The project ended with its characters facing renewed threats, while Carman continued developing material for children through Yo Kidz! The Hitz, whose hip-hop songs and sing-along medleys were aimed at listeners moving beyond nursery music. His work after the 1990s included further albums, concert appearances, and ministry projects. Carman died in Las Vegas on February 16, 2021, at age 65, after complications from surgery.

    5 releases reviewed