Hip-hop artists often rap about the guns they carry, the liquor they drink, the illicit drugs they smoke.

Although members of the group Reality Check have all the same references in their music, those are all vices of the past, the group's members said.

Steven Marshall, Anthony Pollard and Marcus Price, who form the group, instead talk about how their relationship with God led them from smoking marijuana and breaking the law to true happiness.

"I'm an ex-thug, an ex-drug dealer, an ex-street-runner. ... I'm a changed man; how I know? Because I see it. The Lord transformed my mind; I know, because I feel it," the group sings in the single "My Ex," which has been recorded in a video and posted on YouTube.

The men said their music is effective because God uses them as a tool.

"On the spiritual side, when we go in there, we have the power of the Holy Spirit behind us," said Mr. Pollard, who is also the youth minister at Olivet Baptist Church in downtown Chattanooga. "It's not just us. ... The hope is that God will take over."

The group has been on tour of local venues since October. They've performed at schools, outdoor venues and community meetings. Their next show is 2 p.m. Saturday at Community Gospel Fest.

The men said their message has even more importance for young people today following recent shootings that include a Chattanooga Housing Authority officer shooting and killing 15-year-old Alonzo O'Kelley a week ago. Police said the teen was armed when he was shot.

"Gangs are targeting our young folks at a very young age," said John Watts, the group's manager and promoter. "We ran into a young man that was 9 years old and already in a gang."

The men said poverty, decaying families and lures of gang life are all products of Satan's evil doings, and the music young people listen to glorifies that lifestyle. Mr. Watts said Reality Check's outreach helped that 9-year-old boy give up the gang life and accept Christianity.

"Some young people have grown up surrounded by negativity, without the presence of a father. ... When we come in and sincerely want to show them love, they respond to that," said Mr. Pollard, who performs under the name Ras.

Unfortunately, the music industry supports the negative message delivered in chart-topping songs. Reality Check said they use that hip-hop music style -- with the same references, beat and bravado -- but with messages that tell kids to turn their lives around.

The group members admit that other rap artists with positive messages come across as lame to kids who are connoisseurs of rap music. Simply labeling one's self as a rap artist doesn't mean kids will listen to or identify with the message, they said.

But their personal experiences with street life give them a credible street resume, they say. Mr. Price, whose rap name is Da Chosen, admits he has a felony criminal record that's haunted him.

"I can tell people I've seen what (God) did for me, and he can do it for you," Mr. Price said. "I got out of jail one night, and the next day I was done with (street life)."

They warn kids about the struggles they faced because of illegal activity.

"These guys on the streets have all this money, all these cars, these girls, but I guarantee that none of them are happy on the inside," Mr. Price said. "That's a very stressful life to lead. It's no way to live."

Reality Check's musical talent gives them the ability to keep kids' attention, and they said it works because teens and others walk away from performances singing their songs.

"Kids show up and they already know these guys," Mr. Watts said. "They know the words to their music. And if they don't, they walk away singing it down the hallways at their schools."

The group already receives financial support from businesses such as Coca-Cola Bottling, but Mr. Watts said his group struggles with spreading its positive message because radio airwaves, the Internet and television flood youngsters with negative music.

"We need the community's help," Mr. Watts said. "Gangs are like a cancer. It doesn't just stay in the 'hood. We want to go out and make a difference, but it's very expensive. Studio time, for example, can cost between $100 and $300 an hour."

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