On the field at Marshall University, former wide receiver Demetrius Doss was known for catching passes from the great guns of Chad Pennington and Byron Leftwich.

These days, off the field, he's running his own routes, catching the proverbial passes from the almighty QB.

A devout Christian and deft hip-hop artist, Doss, who goes by "El Prezidino," brings what he calls "a little bit of swagger and a whole lot of Jesus" to the mic and the people.

Today, El Prezidino, the D.C.-area-based hip-hop artist, celebrates the release of his second CD.

At 17 tracks, "Me or Nothing" uses a little bit of bling and a whole lot of Bible as a road map for the street-savvy CD Doss is releasing for free.

Music fans can go to CD Baby and Doss' Web site at (www.prezidino.com) and pay the shipping of $1.45 and Doss will send out the CD.

For Doss, who is booked at the super-sized Christian music festival, Sonshine, in Minnesota, putting the CD out for free is all about spreading the word of God to those who need to hear it but without being preachy.

Called "hip-hop's righteous superhero" by Urb Magazine, Doss has been working hard the past few years, and "Me and Nothing" bears that fruit.

"I am a hip-hop artist with a different message," Doss said by phone. "I can perform in clubs and have the baggy jeans and the jewelry and when they see me it totally destroys their whole perception of what a Christian is supposed to be."

Doss, who grew up in North Virginia Beach and was raised in church by a single mom, said that youth-filled swagger and attitude he had in college matured and was channeled into pumping a positive music message.

"I knew that God was going to use me in a special way," Doss said. "My personality has always been extroverted socially, and I've had a swagger and a boldness about me, even before my relationship with God. Once I got that relationship, God was like. 'I am not going to change that. I am going to change your character and give you some priorities, and I am going to use you just like that.' There's some misconceptions among young people that God wants to turn them into squares or dorks. That's not how he works."

Doss, who was still riding a natural high after a packed-house came to his CD release party in Maryland, said when he throws down on stage, the hustle and flow of his songs, such as "Haterz," "Push Me," "Depth of Faith," and "Dino, Dino," knocks people out.

"It really tripped them," Doss said. "They had never heard a message that came with a style so aggressive and with so much swagger. There were so many people that had never been to church at that album release party that was just bugging out. They'd never heard a message like that and the main thing they said is, 'How can you do all of that and you don't even cuss?' "

Doss, who has been writing raps since his Marshall days as a hip-hop DJ at WMUL, not only brings it without cursing, but also brings some original twists on faith and culture with the song, "Push Me," which talks about his faith-laced songs as a drug needing to be pushed.

Doss said people flipped last Saturday night when they heard him spitting about faith and "the more you hit it, the more you live it."

"They started to bug out and were like, 'Stop the record and rewind it,' " Doss said. "They had me perform it all over again. I think it's the whole concept with all of the metaphors that is so crazy. I just got so much energy from the crowd."

Doss, who played a season of indoor arena football and was an all-star in the league, said the idea of putting out the CD for free is to spread the gospel and get his music in as many hands as possible and to give young people a positive choice of hearing some top-notch hip hop.

"I guess you could say as an artist and a human being the onus is on ourselves just to make the world a better place," Doss said. "We always put that on somebody else. Somebody else will pick up the trash. We don't always do the things we should because we expect somebody else to do it. That is the main reason why a lot of stuff is never getting done. I am not expecting someone else to do it. I know I'm trying to save and make good music. It is me or nothing."

Doss, who is signed with entertainment consultant, Eugene Foley (Dave Matthews Band, Avril Lavigne, Alanis Morissette), said he's looking to up his game in 2008.

He's working on a new CD, booking a wide circle of gigs and looking to land a record or distribution deal by the end of the year to reach out to all people.

"I think the sign of a true artist is that you can reach the people who don't look or talk like you," Doss said. "U2, they could go to any ghetto in America, set up a stage and start rocking, and people are going to come. It is just good music, even if you don't like rock 'n' roll. When you hear good music, you will know it."

Photo courtesy of Demetrius Doss

Demetrius Doss, a.k.a., El Prezidino