The Lone Reviewer - HHH DOWNLOADS, REVIEWS, NEWS & MORE

theBreax - Breax Over Mixtape

2011-01-19T04:36:00.000-08:00

01. BREAX over
02. More of (produced by Lex Luthorz)
03. Rock with you (feat. Theory Hazit, Caressa Lynette, & Shaady G) produced by Sound Collage Musik
04. Brilliant Realness (feat. Sho Baraka, produced by Jruckers co produced by Vic Padilla)
05. Beginning Again (feat. Shaady G) produced by CIK Productions
06. All Powerful
07. Right Above it (feat. Andy "C-Lite" Mineo)
08. Duces & Devil in a new Dress
09. Ruslan Medley
10. 90′s mix
11. Money need me
12. Beleaf Medley
13. Not of this World
14. Whip my Hair (feat. NomiS)
15. Monster (feat. Mikel Anthony)
16. 6 foot 7

One of the best mixtapes I've heard in a while. Rap trio theBreax have released a mixtape containing tracks from there remixWednesdays series in which the group took chart-topping hip hop instrumentals, remixed and sometimes reproduced with their own vocal tracks. The result was dope Christ-centric lyricism that I thought most of the time outdid the original works.

No track on this mixtape is filler. From top to bottom the lyricism on this is outstanding. It's punch lines a second every track and being theBreax, you know they aren't going to hold back on how they deliver their message. It's hard hitting and will likely evoke a few "ohh snap!"s from anyone within earshot of your speakers (turn it up and try it for yourself!).

This is a must have mixtape. If you're a fan of theBreax already this is a no-brainer. If you're not a fan, you will be.

Playdough – Writer Dye [FREE DOWNLOAD]

2010-11-02T05:35:00.001-07:00

Tracklisting:

01. Modest Mouseketeer
02. Stickabush
03. Adidas Have 3 WhiteStripes
04. Nirvandings with Chucky Sly
05. Kick In TheDoors with Othello and Theory Hazit
06. Leon is King with Sivion
07. ViolentFeminine with DJ SeanP
08. Pearls of a Pig Jam with Sev Statik
09. ArrowSmitherines
10. Bending Benson

The latest project from Playdough entitled Writer Dye is available for free download. All the production is crafted by Florida producer For Beats Sake. It has guest appearances from Sivion, Othello, Chucky Sly, DJ SeanP and Sev Statik.

Writer Dye is a concept album in which Playdough takes lyrics from other bands and genres and turns them into hip-hop songs.

The album has 10 songs with lifted pieces from The White Stripes, Kings of Leon, The Doors, Pearl Jam, Aerosmith, The Violent Femmes, Nirvana and more.

(source: Sphere of Hip Hop)

theBreax - Right Above It (Remix) [FREE DOWNLOAD]

2010-10-20T23:03:00.000-07:00

Another great remix from theBreax featuring Andy "C-Lite" Mineo who recently came into the spotlight when he featured on Lecrae's Background single off the Rehab album. Download below.

Viktory - Believe It Now [FREE DOWNLOAD]

2010-10-18T22:32:00.000-07:00

01. Believe It Now
02. Changed Me
03. Most High
04. Count On Me
05. Both Knees
06. Scarr'd Rapper
07. Dopeman
08. Hold Me Down feat. Marvin Winans Jr.
09. Move
10. Need 2 Be
11. God Is Love
12. C'mon Man
13. Slip N Slide
14. Everywhere
15. In The Sky

Viktory's hit classic album Believe it Now has been made available for free download permanently. All you have to do is register to a mailing list an you will be instantly sent a direct download link to your email. The album every fan of Christian Rap should own now can really be owned by everyone. You have no excuse!

Hip Hop Video of the Week!

2010-10-16T14:33:00.000-07:00

Future Music Video from Fadacy on Vimeo.

Music Video for Future off Applejaxx's Jesus High EP.

theBreax - All Powerful (Power Remix) [FREE DOWNLOAD]

2010-10-12T22:36:00.000-07:00

This awesome track by theBREAX is a remix of the track "Power" by Kanye West. Download it for free below. (Right-click, Save As)

(source http://illbreakscrew.ca/)

Southwest Mextape - Man of War & Dj Promote [FREE DOWNLOAD]

2010-10-11T20:36:00.000-07:00

01. Wrong Track
02. Rock Rock
03. Move On
04. Warman
05. Bang Bang (ft Sam Hart)
06. Shouts Out
07. Phone Messages
08. Buttefly (Re-Mex ft Sam Hart)
09. Butterfly
10. Hands Up
11. Cutting While Riding (DJ Promote)
12. Trials (PortisHead)
13. King of Scratching (DJ Promote)
14. God Whisper
15. Bigs Up
16. Where's My Mixtape
17. A New Dawn
18. Live on Shade 45
19. Brain Surgeons (ft 24_7, Spoken Nerd, Capsule)

DJ Promote has recently put up his incredible mixtape with Man of War, the Southwest Mextape up for free download on his bandcamp page. You can download each track individually for free or the whole mixtape in one go for a donation of only 1 buck! This mixtape is worth much more so be sure to put down a dollar to say thanks.

The cuts and mixes on this album show DJ Promote at his finest. Man of War and his unique grimy, slick, rapid fire flow will leave you absolutely floored. At times his voice will have you fooled it's being morphed through the same turntables DJ Promote is feeding his dope cuts through. His flow is that crazy.

This mixtape needs to be heard to be believed. Hit that button below to have your mind blown.

Praverb The Wyse - The Gospel is FREE 2: The Rebirth [FREE DOWNLOAD]

2010-10-09T18:36:00.000-07:00

01. Intro
02. Back With Heat (ft. Nametag, DJ Grazzhoppa)
03. CJ The Genesis on the BEAT
04. Rock On (ft. Blame One, Theo 3, DJ Grazzhoppa)
05. Dependant On Me
06. Reason I Rise (ft. C.B. News, Jo Blunt)
07. Tru Master Freeverse
08. The G.OD. (feat. ReuM)
09. We Are All One
10. 1Mic
11. Blessed With the Gift
12. Very Lyrical (Cuts By DJ cazz)
13. The Conculsion

Phil “The Voice” Roberts’ Debut Album “Loud And Clear” Releases November 11, 2010

2010-10-09T17:49:00.000-07:00

Vine Style Records is proud to announce the debut album of Phil “The Voice” Roberts, entitled “Loud and Clear” on November 11, 2010. You can get a free download of the single "Pour My Heart Out" & see the new video at www.vinestylerecords.com

Full press release and bio is below:

90K Watts - Los Angeles, California, September 16, 2010 – Vine Style Records is proud to announce the debut album of Phil “The Voice” Roberts, entitled “Loud and Clear” on November 11, 2010. This is a lyrically potent and musically original project. The album displays the Voice’s trademark passion as he weaves in and out of beats with the expertise of a veteran while maintaining the freshness of a newcomer.

In February 2010, The Voice dropped his lead single, “Pour My Heart Out”. “Pour My Heart Out” was included on the “Best of TWRS” episode on The Wade -O Radio Show. This “feel-good” Los Angeles Anthem has received some serious radio attention and has raised hopes for a fresh, new Los Angeles hip hop sound. Other Radio shows like; FNF LIVE with J Blaze on 88.3 FM in Miami, Holla Fest Radio in New York City, Rek City Radio with Mpax in Houston, The Gospel Mix Show with DJ Elvee on 102.3 FM in Los Angeles, and others have spun The Voice’s music in 2010.

“The Voice brings a sound, passion and level of ministry to Christian Hip Hop that is missing and very much needed on a national level. He’s representing the West Coast very well." -DJ Wade-O

“Loud And Clear” is his life’s work and it truly lives up to its name. It is a project that walks the listener through a passionate and philosophical journey toward God.

About The Voice Phil “The Voice” Roberts is an MC, producer, and record label owner with a bachelor’s degree in religion from Vanguard University. He is an Ordained Minister with the Assemblies of God and currently serves on staff at a Los Angeles church, working with at-risk youth. His passion is to bring the message of God’s love and purpose to everyone who listens.

The Voice is also a former host of the KING FM Radio Show with Reyna Day and Sammy Sayso on 99.5 KKLA. He has been involved in the rap industry since 1993. He has worked and performed with many notables in the gospel hip hop community. This is his first full-length project.

Hip Hop Video of the Week!

2010-10-08T17:36:00.000-07:00

This is the official music video for "Background" ft. C-Lite off Lecrae's new bestselling album, Rehab. The video features top quality production values. The cinematography is beautiful and the cityscape setting is incredibly pretty. Check it out.

Flavor Fest X Live Streaming!

2010-10-06T18:18:00.000-07:00

Big news! Annual Christian Hip Hop conference, Flavor Fest will be live streaming on November 7th for the world to see! Viewing is free but donations can be made that go towards Crossover Hip Hop church's new building. This is a great opportunity for the ever growing global community of Christian Hip Hop followers to check out it's most important gathering. So if you can't get a ticket or you live on the other side of the globe, you need not worry any longer. Sit back relax and check out www.flavorfest.org or www.crossoverchuch.org on November 7th to stream the event straight to your PC. There is more information below about what Flavor Fest is for those who don't already know.

(source Sphere of Hip Hop)

Flavor Fest info:

"The first Fla.vor Fest was launched in November of 2000. Our mission statement is "To train, network and resource emerging leaders to impact hip-hop culture for Christ." The conference targets pastors, youth pastors, church planters, youth and church leaders, and artists. Fla.vor Fest has become one of the largest, well known events in the Christian Hip-Hop Community. Over 10,000 people have been a part of the event over the years. Several TV stations, newspapers, websites and magazines have done exclusive reports about the Fest. The INSP (Inspiration) Network sent their Steelroots crew to capture live footage for their TV Shows. Jaq Thomas, who does marketing for Steelroots, was quoted by The Tampa Tribune saying, "Tommy is a true pioneer in every sense of the word. He has set a standard, pushed it out there, and now the world is paying attention. Last year the show's producers spent $35,000 to film Fla.vor Fest. We're willing to spend that kind of money because it is an awesome conference. A lot of people are being changed by this ministry.""

(source Flavor Fest)

REVIEW: Poems N Dust - Dirty Words

2010-10-05T19:15:00.000-07:00

01. Power To the People
02. Listen Up
03. Oz
04. Grace
05. Change
06. If You Wanna Know
07. Man vs Machine
08. Lonestar
09. Will Not Be Sold
10. Fly
11. Give Thanks
12. Dig Deep

(includes instrumentals for all tracks)

Poems n Dust is a newly formed duo of old favorites. It combines Dust, producer of Mars Ill fame who has made some of the most famous and memorable beats in christian rap (many will remember the incredible Sound Off among others) and and Sareem Poems (formerly known as Sharlock Poems) out of the widely-known rap group LA Symphony. Initially the combination of these two well-known artists had me very interested and I was expecting something incredible from the duo.

Power to the People starts off the album bombastically with rolling drum beat samples throughout the track and that iconic 80s funk style vibe that is so promiment in much of Dust's work. Listen Up features Rawkus 50 artist Sev Statik, on yet another funk style beat. These tracks provided a sense of security in my expectations and had me eager to hear the rest. I came to realise these were exceptions and not the rule to Dirty Words.

If You Wanna Know can be best described as annoying. It's basically Sareem rapping fun facts about himself. It's pointless, incredibly boring and the beat is not easy on the ears. This was my first major letdown from both Sareem and Dust. The lyrics seem as if they were just thrown out with little to no thought. It's presented as an insight into Sareem's thoughts but comes out as random and incohesive. If that wasn't enough Dust lays down a beat that sounds like the backing track for a circus act. I honestly don't know why If You Wanna Know was included on the album.

Dig Deep was another shocker as Dust failed to deliver again. It's the last track on the album and is probably the worst note they could have ended it on. The beat is quite strange, there are parts where the instrumental fades out randomly and the beat timing even goes out of time. My mind was blown at what I was hearing. I was extremely disappointed to hear something like this from a producer of such calibre.

There are definitely songs that are worth mentioning on the album however, but for all the wrong reasons. Hearing Dust's former companion, Manchild and one of my favorite rappers Theory Hazit, all on the same track on Fly was great. Unfortunately both Manchild and Theory outshine Sareem even in the little time they are given on the track. Both are incredibly talented artist with unique style. Manchild has his quick, witty, wordsmith style and Theory Hazit brings his classic battle-rap style swagger. Sareem on the other hand just ends up seeming even more blander than usual in comparison.

Give thanks is a mellowed out track with a beautiful instrumental containing light guitar stings. Sareem flows over the beat smoothly. It's a great track to sit back and relax to. But other than that it's not very remarkable. Half of the songs on Dirty Words can be described likewise. Not oustanding, but smooth, toned down and relaxing.

To hear Sareem over Dust's trademark funk-infused beats should be a real treat for me as a fan of both Sareem's previous work and Dust's production from his days in Mars Ill, at least in theory. Unfortunately what we end up with is lyrcisim that is neither fantastic nor horrible, but simply does its job for most of the time. There are a few tracks that are definitly worth considering purchasing (such as Fly) but for all the wrong reasons. The best songs on the album are the ones featuring great artist which outshine Sareem everytime. They made me want to switch this off and go listen to their albums. Then you have the few tracks which boggle the mind in terms of their choice of beat, content matter and tone that'll have you scratching your head.

Fans of these artists will probably be disappointed by this album. I know I found myself rather surprised at the lack of anything substantial or exciting from the duo. What we have is too much mediocre and not enough stand-out tracks. Sareem feels like he's being carried by Dust's famous production values half the time. And Dust does not lay down much of anything spectacular himself. These artists have set the bar high in the past and unfortunately haven't been able to reach past that for Dirty Words.

Hip Hop Video of the Week!

2010-10-02T16:31:00.000-07:00

Fans of the Gospel Gangstaz will be highly anticipating their upcoming music video for the single Testify off the Luvv to Dance compilation. It's been many years since the GG'z have done anything in the public Christian Rap scene so I'm really looking forward to this music video. Hopefully this is a sign of the GG'z coming back to the forefront and we get an album or some singles in the future from these highly talented pioneers of Christian Hip Hop.

REVIEW: Applejaxx - Jesus High EP

2010-09-29T17:36:00.000-07:00

01. iLive feat. Ashleigh Nickole

02. Future feat. Int'l Show

03. Jesus High feat. Odetta

04. App For That feat. Trini

05. Fear Factor Remix feat. Mr Coldstone

If you've heard much of Applejaxx's music in the past you know that he likes to focus on futuristic/technological themes in his music. This EP is another example of this as you have probably already noticed from the track titles above.

It all starts with a bang with iLive straight away, G-Styles on the beat, and right away Applejaxx kicks in with his uniquely styled lyricism. This is one of those straight up celebratory, "happy-to-be-alive" party tracks. Ashleigh Nickole chimes in on the chorus perfectly complementing the carefree celebration of life in Christ. Future, a thumper with a unique mix of tribal drums and futuristic samples, illustrates living with the knowledge that Christ has won the victory and the anticipation of his second coming.

The title track and single, Jesus High, is where this EP really starts to stand out. The single has been gaining popularity on place like iTunes and is one of Applejaxx's most popular hits. And it's not hard to see why after a listen. Produced by G-Styles, the track has undergone a bit of a revamp since it was released as a free download early last year. The major difference fans will notice is the prominence of vocal artist Odetta in the chorus. Her addition freshens up the track and give it a smoother sound. The meat of it all is Applejaxx's fantastic lyrics which overflow with quirky metaphor and references. It's really a worship song in rap form that focuses simply on uplifting Jesus.

App For That is that typical Applejaxx song. Futuristic feel, laced with synths and technologically themed. This time round Applejaxx, who self-produced, takes advantage of the modern app culture, made famous by Apple, where an app is ready to download for any and every imaginable thing you can think of. Words like "app" and "download" are used as metaphors for receiving the word of God and fruits of the Spirit. Sometimes these types of song can be overdone and cheesy (an example would be half of KJ-52's latest work), but here it just works. It's handled lightly and fits into the overall theme of the EP.

Fear Factor is a classic hip-hop centred swag track. It focuses on battle rap style punch lines and has a nice feature by Mr Coldstone. If you've ever doubted Applejaxx's lyrical ability, this is the song to check out. It serves as a warning to wack rappers and haters and is a strong way to end the EP.

The Jesus High EP is a burst of energy only Applejaxx can provide. His style is like nothing else in the industry today and that's what makes him special. Any time you hear his songs you notice something different about them. Something catches your ear. Whether its the unique production or the eccentric metaphor choices in his lyrics. It's a breath of fresh air and one that should be experienced by fans of hip hop tired of the same old same old.

The Jesus High EP is a prequel to Applejaxx's upcoming sophomore album entitled "The Outsider", due Spring 2011.

DJ Sean Blu - Street Sermonz Mixtape Vol. 1 [FREE DOWNLOAD]

2010-09-28T21:38:00.000-07:00

The Lone Reviewer is Back

2010-09-28T05:04:00.000-07:00

After a long hiatus i'm finally back. If anyone still cares, you can look forward to more reviews and free downloads in the coming days and weeks. The site has undergone a bit of a redesign as you may have noticed and there could still be a few more changes so bear with me. Contact me at the email in the sidebar below if you have any enquiries about albums you would like reviewed or suggestions for the site.

And please like the Lone Reviewer Facebook Fan Page to stay tuned for updates and spread the word to your friends.

Peace!

Ruslan of theBREAX - Right Out Loud Mixtape

2010-01-21T16:43:00.000-08:00

Eye Am Productions is starting 2010 with an impressive start with the release of a new mixtape. Ruslan of theBREAX released mixtape with DJ Rek titled Right Out Loud on January 1. Right Out Loud contains remixes from popular and independent artists, and exclusive songs produced by DJ Rek & DJ Harmz. The mixtape features appearances from Eye Am Productions’ Beleaf Melanin, Mikel Anthony, Regg Henny and Gallery Drives’ NomiS. This marks the first release of a full roster this year.

Ruslan is the front man of Hip-Hop/spoken word band theBREAX and is founder of Eye Am Productions. He has toured the country and released three albums with theBREAX, he has also been featured on several major releases, various compilations and mixtapes.

DJ Rek is a music producer and engineer who has been DJing for 15 years and has produced for various mainstream and underground performers. Right Out Loud marks DJ Rek’s first release and transition into faith based music. He also produced the lead single from Mikel Anthony’s new album The Schematic and can be seen in the The Program music video directed by Sam Wells.

(source Sphere of Hip Hop)

DJ Sean Blu - Ladies First Mixtape [FREE DOWNLOAD]

2009-11-20T15:53:00.000-08:00

Tracklisting:

01. Intro - Butta P feat. Alicia Keys & DJ Sean Blu
02. My Life - Mahogany Jones
03. Afrodisiac - Teena Jones & Nacho
04. Haters - Techniq
05. Heart Sick - Mahogany Jones feat. Growth
06. Hold U - Kiwi
07. Give Us Free - Mahogany Jones, Techniq & Kamakazi
08. After Laughter - Suzy Rock
09. GoodBye - Kiwi
10. Lightism - Light Da Flow Minister
11. I'll Go - Suzy Rock feat. Deitrick Haddon
12. Gotta Go - Sicily
13. Take Me to The Church - Mahogany Jones
14. Rescue Me - Sicily, Kiwi & Mahogany Jones
15. SuperStar - Techniq
16. "LifeLine" - Techniq & Kamakazi
17. Hit em Up - Riecee
18. Don't Wanna Loose - Mizz Reality
19. Looking For Me - God's Baby Girl
20. The Only One - Kamakazi
21. Seen Enough - Octavia Harris

DJ Sean Blu - Before Self Destruction Mixtape [FREE DOWNLOAD]

2009-11-20T15:41:00.000-08:00

Tracklisting:

01. DJ Sean Blu Intro
02. Shake The World - Mahogany Jones, Dre Marshall & Brevan Isaac
03. Feels Good - Mahogany Jones
04. Call 'Em Out - Dre Marshall
05. 9 to 5 (Remix) Dre Marshall, Mahogany Jones & Canton Jones
06. Dear Zion - Dre Marshall
07. Got Something - Mahogany Jones
08. D' Wade on 'Em - Dre Marshall & Cheno Lyfe
09. Searchin' - Mahogany Jones
10. We Won't Stop - Dre Marshall
11. N.Y.Ish - Mahogany Jones & Techniq
12. Mixtape 101 - Dre Marshall & Brevan Isaac
13. Priceless - Mahogany Jones
14. Do The Right Thing - Mahogany Jones
15. Hate This Life (Remix) - Dre Marshall
16. It Ain't Gonna Happen - Dre Marshall

Knine - Robots Have Feelings Too Mixtape [FREE DOWNLOAD]

2009-08-06T06:02:00.000-07:00

Tracklist:

01. Intro
02. Thank The Lord!
03. 1, 2, 3, 4 feat. D-M.A.U.B. & Sir Viva
04. Pen On Paper
05. Cannon
06. You Don't Know Me feat. Nikea Hooker
07. My Way
08. He Saved
09. Money
10. Breathe
11. But...He Said
12. I Tried feat. Rossi, Driven & Brinson
13. It's Not A Game
14. You Better
15. Big Deal
16. Everyday feat. Kameron (Baby Knine)
17. The Set Up Part 1
18. Love feat. Zoe
19. The 10 Commandments
20. Everything
21. Watchin'
22. You Can't Win feat. Sir Viva & Michael Jackson
23. Boom
24. On Top of the World
25. I Don't Care
26. Tomorrow Ain't Promised
27. Altar Call

Street Pastor - Prince Among Thieves Vol. 1 [FREE DOWNLOAD]

2009-07-30T05:37:00.000-07:00

Street Pastor has dropped yet another free mixtape on us! This is the first of 3 Sessions that he already has finished! Tagged as one of the Midwest most respected underground artist, his buzz is landing him national acclaim from many publications, including the LifeStyles Behind The Game magazine; which profiles NBA players and their off the court endeavors, as well as MTV famed blogsite KingsRowe.Com.

Many are being exposed to The Gospel, Street Pastor is definitely the next up when it comes to HHH Music!

Look out for a review coming soon.

Tracklist:

01. Flatline Daily
02. Prince Among Thieves Pt. 1
03. Let The Record Drop Freestyle
04. Where I'm From
05. Big Chain Nothin
06. Prince's Address 1
07. Nat Turner (feat. Trev-Eaz)
08. I Don't Care
09. The Facebook Game
10. Christ Swag (feat. Trev-Eaz)
11. Prince's Address 2
12. Who Say? (At They Neck)
13. Kazekstan Caller
14. Just A Memory...
15. Style Fly Freestyle
16. Mighty Oh Freestyle
17. Candy Rain
18. Prince's Address 3
19. Dezert Eagle Freestyle (feat. Eshon Burgandy)
20. Resist (feat. Swoope)
21. Throw the Oop (feat. J-Flue)
22. On My Own - Outro
23. Get @ Me!
24. Knock Ya Down (Freestyle)

Hip Hop Video of the Week!

2009-07-16T03:13:00.000-07:00

Some behind the scenes freestyle action from Street Pastors upcoming mixtape "Prince Among Thieves". It drops July 31st, and if this video is anything to go by, it's going to be FIYAH!

Get all your Street Pastor info at www.streetpastor.com

LEAK: Knine - The Ten Commandments

2009-07-16T03:06:00.000-07:00

Check out this new leak from Knine's upcoming mixtape, "Robots Have Feelings Too", which drops August 4th.

The Ten Commandments by Knine:

GodChaserz New Artist Music Leak!

2009-07-03T00:49:00.001-07:00

Song: Death Of Apathy

Artist: C-Straight feat. ReadyWriter

Album: Not So Cool album Promo

Remake of Jay-Z's Death Of AutoTune

GodChaserz Entertainment

Twitter.com/GodChaserz

GodChaserz.com

Cookbook (of L.A. Symphony) - I Love The 80's [FREE DOWNLOAD]

2009-06-17T17:09:00.000-07:00

Cookbook of L.A. Symphony has released a new album for free on his myspace. Check out the hilarious promo track here.

Press release:

April 7, 2009--LOS ANGELES, CA --Cali-based emcee and producer CookBook of the southland collective LA Symphony is proud to announce his newest release and romp through the past, I Love the 80s. Jason Soto aka CookBook weaves movie references, synthesizers, techno dance sounds--all the greatest elements of the 80s--to create a celebration of a time known for aerobics and “The Breakfast Club.” “The truth is, I’m a total 80s pop music fanatic,” explains CookBook of how the concept came to him. “I had made a beat with an 80's sample about a year before I actually decided to make an album like this, and then I made one more and I just had them in my catalogue. I was listening to them one day, and I just thought it would be a dope idea if I were to do a whole album with these types of beats.”

Most people know CookBook as a member of the super rap collective LA Symphony. “Uno and I met Pigeon John at Project Blowed back in the mid 90s,” recalls CookBook of how LA Symphony formed. “He was already rapping with Flynn, Joey the Jerk, and Sharlok Poems. We had a similar vibe and decided to start a group." In 1999, the group’s critically acclaimed debut album, Composition No. 1, thrust them into the national spotlight. Since then, they’ve released five full-lengths, and two EPs. The last release they had was Unleashed in 2007. And though the group is still together, CookBook and fellow LAS member UNO Mas have been busy in the studio working on several projects of their own. Last year, they released The Overflow, a 14-track album that created a huge buzz on the Internet, resulting in 34,000 downloads in the first three months and 40,000 by the first five months.

What’s more, the video for L. A. Times, featuring DJ Rhettmatic, got 50,000 views in first week alone. The two are putting the finishing touches on their next record, C & U Music Factory, which will be released later this summer. The album features guest appearances by Evidence, Pigeon John, Scarub, and DJ Rhettmatic. Strap on your leg warmers and torn sweatshirts! I Love the 80s is in stores June 23, 2009. For more info please contact Nicole Balin at BALLIN' PR 323.651.1580 or nik@ballinpr.com. Otherwise, if you're getting this email, a CD is coming your way!"

Tracklist:

01. Cylon-tro
02. Andre The Giant
03. Electric Youth
04. Reganomics
05. Ready For The World
06. Molly Ringwald
07. Growing Pains
08. Solid Gold
09. Inner Space
10. Vision Street Wear
11. LOST BOYS (Still Believe)
12. What's Happening Now
13. The Huxtables
14. Die Hard
15. 7up
16. Time Bandits
17. Never Ending Story

Hip Hop Video of the Week: Big R - "Go Off"

2009-06-05T17:29:00.000-07:00

Check out this weeks Hip Hop Video of the Week!

This time it's the music video "Go Off" by Big R. This is the first single off Big R's latest release "Rated R". While you're at it, take some time to read the Big R interview and album review down below.

The Lone Reviewer Interview - Big R

2009-04-30T19:21:00.000-07:00

The Lone Reviewer: How did you come up with the album's "Rated R" theme?

Big R: Rated R came to me as a result of a revelation from my name “Big R.” I had been going through a lot of personal rejection and restriction from close friends, and family because of my relationship with Jesus. In addition to that, I noticed that Christian music as a whole was being restricted from pop culture and radio. Particularly, gospel hip-hop/rap was at the top of the restricted list. I already knew that Christians generally experienced persecution; but, when I began to get it at the rate and height that I did, at the time, I was getting it, I received a thorough understanding of what it meant to really be a follower of Christ.

TLR: What are you trying to accomplish with Rated R?

Big R: What I’m trying to accomplish with "Rated R” is believers who wouldn’t turn from God, even if their life depended on it. This is my first and foremost passion. Because of this, I try to make my music relevant to what the world listens to, while at the same time, sharing the message that Jesus saves, and is the best thing that ever happened to us. Too many times, believers forget that we are here to reach a dying world for Christ. I’ve learned over the years that the best sermon I can give to people is a sermon about my own life and experiences as a Christian. I have purposed to be transparent, so that people can know my ups, downs, failures, and victories, in hopes that they will say to themselves that if God saved “Big R,” surely he can save me. Another goal for “Rated R” is to elevate believers to a place of maturation to a personal/intimate relationship with Jesus Christ. Being a Pastor, my heart desire is to see people not just born again, but grow after the fact salvation . We didn’t get born again to stay the same or even become religiously programmed, but , to change and progressively know Christ better and better every single day. Thus. knowing Him, in this way, will be evident in our love, patience, kindness, meekness, goodness and all the other fruit mentioned in Galatians 5:22.

TLR: Why did you decide to team up with GodChaserz Entertainment on this release?

Big R: I believed that God was leading me to work with God Chaserz because of their nonjudgmental approach and proven success at simply trusting God. While relating to the world music has to strike that right balance if we are to win souls. I needed to work with people who understood God’s Word and my ministry. My music is very edgy, but it’s real, and it’s not preachy, yet it still is potent and full of Jesus. I needed someone who was mature enough to understand that. I thank God for providing a label with unyielding faith and strength for this season of my life and that simply understands.

When the Father sent Jesus to complete the work of the Gospel a lot of people didn’t understand him being the only “ son of God.” Just as many people hated him for making such claims as did loved him. Some of us were shocked to find that He gave his life for the very ones that crucified him because he made such claims and did such works. It seemed to me that Brinson and the God Chaserz Family understand what I want to accomplish with my music and they believe that big things can happen through me. They believe it enough to help me do what I’m commissioned to do! This is why I chose to work with them for this season.

TLR: Any interesting stories from during the recording/production process of the album?

Big R: Some interesting things that happened during the recording of this album was that we came up with so many songs its ridiculous. I had these joints called “Na, Na, Na, Bo, Bo”, “Wildin Out”, “Coming Back”, “Clean Rich”, “I’ve Become a Monsta”, and more. They were all hot joints but not a good fit for the album. I will probably use those later for free downloads or future albums.

TLR: What is your favorite song on the album?

Big R: I love the song, “I Wanna Win” because it’s just that song that you know God gave directly to you. I mean, He gave me all the other concepts and songs, but, this one, was just special for me, because I knew God had been whispering it in my spiritual ear since a very young age.

TLR: How did you come up with "Big R"?

Big R: I came up with the name “Big R” because I know my God is a “big” God. There is absolutely nothing we can not do, and nothing we can’t have, with him in our lives. The Greater One lives in me so I decided to call myself “Big R”. The” R” stands for Richard which is my first name. “R” is Big because the Greater One lives in me!

TLR: What else do you do besides music?

Big R: Well, I am also a Pastor. I Pastor Faith That Works Christian Church, located in Lexington NC. I’ve been a Pastor for about seven years. In addition, I own a business called CRYS Inc. which provides services to “at-risk” children. My most important ministry however, is my family, I have a wonderful wife, and two beautiful children ages 3 and 10. I am so thankful to God for my family!

TLR: If you had to do any other genre of music other than hip-hop, what would it be, and why?

Big R: If I had to do any other genre of music, it would have to be rhythm and praise because I love the genre of music and listen to it often. I also sing some myself, and have been told by some that I’m not too bad at it. Check me out on “I Tried,” and “Love Me Better”.

TLR: What Christian Hip-Hop artist are you enjoying listening to the most recently?

Big R: Lately, bro, I’ve been bangin dat cajo your boy Canton Jones, and I don’t want it sound like I’m promoting God Chaserz or anything but, don’t sleep on “Solar Powered” by Brinson. I’ve been bangin that a lot lately too.

TLR: Any closing words?

Big R: Brother, I just want to thank you for having me! I’m sorry it took me a while to get up with you I’ve been extremely busy between my Pastoring, and promoting the “Rated R” project. Make sure you check out the new “Big R” website and MySpace page. We changed the look slightly since “Let’em Go.” We will have a lot of important events and recent news about the video premier of “Go Off,” on these sites, so keep it locked. Blessins on ya! Thanks again, bro, for the interview. I’ll Holla atcha!

TLR: Thanks for finally getting back to me, haha. But seriously, I know how it can be. I've been extremely busy myself recently. It was a pleasure to do the interview. I'm looking forward to that new video you have coming out, I'll definitly post it up on the blog.

God bless you man. You did a great job with Rated R and your doing great things for the kingdom. Keep up the good work and keep cranking out those joints. I've got to here this "Na,Na,Na,Bo,Bo" track! Haha!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Be sure to check out the review of Rated R further down the page!

http://www.myspace.com/bigbigr

http://www.godchaserz.com/

XROSS - Tell 'em Tha Truth (2009)

2009-04-23T01:30:00.000-07:00

01. Tell 'em tha Truth
02. Y U Runnin'
03. Tear It Up
04. Crunk n da Club
05. Look 4 Me
06. No Water
07. Still With Me
08. Verse 1
09. Change a Thug
10. Who's Ya Daddy (Remix)
11. Let It Burn
12. Verse 2
13. Red Letters
14. Kingdom
15. Soul Search 'em

REVIEW:

In the world of secular Hip-Hop many people believe that its mainstream golden age is long gone. That, as time goes on, the quality of lyricism, content, and even production is slowly degrading. Even one of the most popular and highly-praised secular emcees of all time, Nas, coined the now famous phrase "Hip-Hop is dead."

What is ironic is that the opposite is happening with Christian Hip-Hop. Listeners, the artists and even secular critics will tell you that the golden age of Christian Hip-Hop is now. Year after year since the conception of the genre, it has slowly improved to the point that most Christian rap albums being released can easily compete with the secular mainstream, and often transcend it. Where most old mainstream Christian rap was usually cheesy in every way, now production is tighter and of higher quality, lyricism is strong and promotion and distribution is more professional and relevant. Last year was great proof that Christian Hip-Hop is at the top of its game with most releases deserving of a 4/5 rating at least. From GRITS, Braille, DJ Morphiziz, Frontlynaz, Lecrae, Trip Lee, etc., album after album has been of outstanding excellence. And 2009 is looking good already.

Or it was, until XROSS came along.

XROSS (pronounced "cross") has been nominated for a grammy, and has had two of his songs top the billboard charts. He recently signed with major label CC Entertainment/Koch Distrubition which will allow millions to access his music. However, if this album is anything to go by, it's hard to see why XROSS is so highly praised. Despite the majority of Christian rap moving forward in quality, Tell 'em tha Truth feels like one big step back to the cheesy raps of old.

First off there is XROSS' delivery. In the majority of the songs it is quite frankly a pain to listen to. It sounds as if he is unsure of himself. At other times it sounds emotionless. As if he is simply reading off a sheet and nothing else. Even in some of the more emotional songs like Still With Me and Change A Thug the flow is next to lifeless. Whether you rap or sing the goal is always for the listener to feel what you are saying. To be able to fully relate. No one will listen to your music much less take in your message if the artist himself feels detached from his own purpose and work. Although the delivery does pick up a bit in the last fifth of the album it's really too little too late.

Not only is the delivery severly lacking, lyrcism is quite atrocious as well. This is especially evident in the first four tracks. There is repeated use of cliches, particulary in the form of cheesy "in da club" style rhymes. Tear It Up goes down the horrendous "holy clubbing" route with lines like "Pull up in the parking lot, ima tear the club up. Open up the door baby, ima tear the club up. Put me on stage man, ima tear the club up... " followed by "Ayo, bet you didn't know that this was gospel. Ayo, ayo, I'm so hood in my gospel. Ayo, you misunderstood his gospel. Ayo, ayo, now it's too late 'cause we done got you." The lyrics speak for themselves. They are not only lacking in creativity and are horrendously cheesy, but at times they don't even make sense!

And the horror won't even let up for a second. The very next song is entitled Crunk n da Club. Most rap fans nowadays would be put off imediately just at the site of the title. It's basically a rehash of the previous song with different wrapping. This time XROSS trades in the gung-ho crunk flow for a lower, more sultry tone, that sounds like his attempt to be the Christian version of Snoop Dogg. This sounds as cheap and as embarrassing as it reads. By the time i heard "Do that dance girl, do it like you're saved." repeated five times I was ready to rip my earphones out.

The R&B inclusions throughout some of the songs help to alleviate the cliche ridden verses, but only very slightly. Particularly in No Water and Still With Me, the R&B choruses are reasonbly solid and enjoyable. They do a much better job of conveying the messages of each of the songs than XROSS does himself.

Unfortunately the production complements the disappointing delivery. Apparently XROSS himself was the executive producer, but the album would probably have been better off had he hired someone else to do it. From the get go you're slapped upside the head with Tell 'em Tha Truth, the title track, complete with low-quality cliche crunk chants, horrible midi guitar and topped off for some reason with haunting, yes haunting, r&b vocals. And that just about sums up the rest of the production, with only a few exceptions, of which those exceptions are mediocre at best anyway. The beats are as paltry as the lyrcism and delivery, and that's not suprising.

While there may be some biblical truths being told, those truths are often watered down. The lack of effort put into the delivery, the lyrcism and the production almost makes a mockery of the word of God Tell 'em Tha Truth tries to convey. As representatives of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords there should be a striving for excellence in all of us, in all we do. Sadly XROSS performance is far from excellent. Tell 'em Tha Truth feels like a step back into the trashy period of Christian rap which we all hoped was long dead.

DJ X & KJ-52 - This Is The Remix Mixtape (2009) [FREE DOWNLOAD]

2009-04-14T05:44:00.000-07:00

01. Pump That Remix - KJ 52, R Swift, Mac the Doulos, M.O.C.
02. Almost Got Shot Remix - KJ 52, Jubilee
03. Push Up Remix - KJ 52, Blaze
04. Still Come Back Remix - KJ 52, Jubilee, Brownstudy
05. Do Yo Thang Remix - KJ 52, George Moss, Craig Nice
06. Twitter Timeout
07. Pump That Remix - Cash Hollistah/Midi
08. Got It, Got It Remix - Dre Murray, Pettidee, Mike Vargas, KJ 52, ATP
09. I Wont Ever Stop Remix - Goldinchild, KJ 52

A mixtape containing winning submissions from KJ-52's Remix the Remix Contest.

Street Pastor & KamB.I.N.O. - They Should Panic Vol. 1 (2009) [FREE DOWNLOAD!]

2009-03-30T15:21:00.000-07:00

01. Reason 1 - The Call
02. Reason 2 - Joyful Noize
03. Reason 3 - Bumpin My Music
04. Reason 4 - K.O.
05. Reason 5 - Check Me Out
06. Reason 6 - The Blessing
07. Reason 7 - Let Us In
08. Reason 8 - The Arrival
09. Reason 9 - Fight For The King
10. Reason 10- Gutter
11. Reason 11- Get Em' Freestyle
12. Reason 12- AMilli Freestyle
13. Reason 13- The UnderdoG's
14. Reason 14- Impossible
15. Reason 15- Downtown
16. Reason 16 - Project Window
17. Reason 17- The Big Connect
18. Reason 18- Say You Will
19. Reason 19- The Winner Is...

REVIEW:

I said it once before - do not to sleep on Street Pastor - but you better not sleep on KamB.I.N.O. either. Street Pastor and KamB.I.N.O., Slingshot Media Group label mates, have teamed up to release a new free mixtape that I can say without a doubt is one of the hottest free mixtapes I've ever heard.

The mixtape contains 19 "reasons" why "they", probably referring to the secular rap industry, "should panic". And panic they should, because the skill and quality of rap presented on this free mixtape is outstanding. Easily mainstream competitive and even transendent the lyrical content produced by the duo will likely blow you away. If you've heard of Street Pastor you probably know about his amazing freestyles (and if you haven't check out his Zoo freestyle here) and his songs that have you wondering if it was off the top of his head or written. KamB.I.N.O. is equally talented. His grimy, slick flow complements punch lines that are likely to induce cries of "ohhh snap!" from anyone within ears reach of the stereo. Combining these talents on one project, it's a no-brainer that whatever comes out is going to be an absolute treat to any rap fan that hears it.

They Should Panic's main reason for existance seems to be to showcase both Street Pastor and KamB.I.N.O.'s skill to the secular industry while still maintaining and promoting their beliefs and ministry mindset. To pull that off, to let loose with pure skill without ever compromising the faith, is an accomplisment in itself. And this accomplishment is made especially evident throughout the mixtape as Street and KamB.I.N.O. take turns recounting the events that they experienced during a high profile Christian freestyle contest from start to finish. Having the story chopped up into small tidbits and mixed into the project keeps the listener engaged, and wanting to hear what happens next. Apparently this isn't the first time something like this has been done before, and in fact at the very start of the mixtape Street gives credit to another rap group for giving him the idea, but it still really fits in well. Even though the mixtape would still have been a show stopper without the story on top of it all, it really compliments the rappers, their skill, what they stand for, and the hand of God over their work.

I'm not sure who some of the beats were produced by, but as is the norm with most free mixtapes, you will find several bootlegs throughout. These include Flame's "Joyful Noise", J.R.'s "Ridaz", "A Milli" by Lil' Wayne, "Fighters" by Lupe Fiasco and Matthew Santos, and even Kanye's auto-tune saturated "Say You Will". Something that you rarely hear on bootlegs is an outperformance of the original artist, but both Street Pastor and KamB.I.N.O. have actually managed this for the most part on They Should Panic.

DJ Bruce O'Brien, hailing from the Netherlands, helps to create an authentic mixtape feel with slight blends and flow between tracks and subtle scratching. His best work on the album is definitly the mixing of the "Get 'Em Freestyle" track in which Street Pastor lets loose over 4 different beats, one after the other. The mixing is nothing special in itself, but it helped to show off some amazing lyricism and make one of the best tracks on the mixtape.

It's nice to hear a mixtape that actually sounds like a mixtape rather than a random compilation of different songs, as is often the case with recent mixtape releases. It's quite subtle, but I'd much rather that than having to listen to a roaring DJ's repeated voice-overs and loud, annoying scratches that sound more like the record is being abused than skillfully manipulated.

I can say without any doubt that Street Pastor and KamB.I.N.O. are some of the most talented up-and-coming artists I've ever heard in Christian Rap...or rap in general. Lyrcism and swagger abound in both of these mid-west talents without having to compromise their belief in Jesus Christ and their mission in reaching the streets. If They Should Panic wasn't released free, I wouldn't think twice about spending my hard-earned cash on it. Download it now!

http://www.streetpastor.com/

KamB.I.N.O. Myspace

http://www.myspace.com/theyshouldpanic (listen to snippets of the mixtape here)

http://www.youtube.com/user/thestreetpastor

http://www.myspace.com/slingshotmediagroup

Big R - Rated R (2009)

2009-03-20T04:47:00.000-07:00

01. Intro
02. Rated R
03. What's It Gon' Be
04. Re Up
05. I Tried
06. I Wanna Win
07. Love You Better (feat. Rossi)
08. Fast R
09. Mr. Secular
10. Hold It Down (feat. Knine)
11. Where Would I Go
12. On Fire (feat. Readywriter & Brinson)
13. Go Off
14. The Set Finale
15. Call To Salvation

REVIEW:

When you think of R ratings you probably think of explicit, graphic content and heavy restrictions. But what is interesting is that, in today's culture, Christianity is often viewed and treated the same way as an R rated movie, and even worse. It is, in a way, restricted from the hearts and minds of the general public. Christian content is often excluded, ignored, or shamed on public mediums. People don't want to hear about it, people don't want to talk about it. All the while, actual explicit and graphic content seems to be growing in acceptance over TV, radio, film, etc.

Big R, Godchaserz Entertainment's newest member, has decided to illustrate and address this secular worldview of Christianity through his latest and most anticipated album, Rated R. This is made evident right from the intro where a scenario is painted of Big R as an actor on the set of a film reciting Bible verses. Making the obvious statement that the verses are the "R rated" content. This theme is continued in two other similar interludes throughout the album and then concluded near the end with "The Set Finale" in which the imaginary crew celebrate the film's last day of shooting. While these interludes are cheesy, they do their job in conveying the album's central message.

Rated R has an overall dirty south flavor to it. And that's why I was surprised to see two tracks with West Coast, gangsta funk type feels going on. There is nothing wrong with either of them, they both are solidly produced. But it was definitly a surprise and an interesting addition.

One of these is the title track, Rated R, which follows on from the intro and further unpacks the theme of the album over a West Coast, gangsta-funk vibe beat. The other, Hold it Down, features West Coast rapper Knine and has a similar feel. These are some of those "bump in your low-ride" type tracks.

Other interesting diversions include musically-diverse, old school style "I Tried", which describes the pitfalls in trusting in the things of the world; and the rolling, R&B laced "Love Me Better" containing a moving message about forgiveness despite rejection. In a way, this track is similar to "I Tried" in that it also teaches to put our reliance in God and his love, and not rely on the love of man.

First up to bring dirty south into the mix is "What's It Gon' Be". It's expertly produced and easily one of the best songs on the album. It brings the tried-and-true message of materialism verses a life with Christ. And Big R's swag on the mic really complements the overall feel of the track.

"Fast R" and "Mr Secular" both show off the best of Big R's lyrcism. The first being more a display of his lyrical fluidity and flow and the latter, where Big R really shines, displays slightly more depth.

Big R shows reverance for his Saviour in "Where Would I Go", slowing down the pace a little bit and serving almost as a dirty south style worship song.

The heart of Rated R is dispayed in the last track, "Call To Salvation", which is just that. Big R makes a simple call to salvation to his listeners even giving out his personal cell phone number and email address. It is clear that Big R is personally interested and cares for his audience. He doesn't go to any lengths to water-down his calling. The fact alone that he includes this track on his album is proof that neither money nor fame is his priority.

Overall, there isn't anything lyrically spectacular about Rated R. But wherever Big R is lacking lyrically he makes up for with his presentation and swag on the mic. The way he holds himself, rugged, raw and bold on each track makes him hard to ignore. Which is always an advantage, especially on an album such as Rated R where the sole purpose is to catch the ears of the lost.

The production also, while not exactly mind-blowing, is still very solid . The dirty south flavours are handled very well and are commercially competitive. There are a few tracks that add some nice variety to the mix and the organizng of the tracklisting helps to diversy and keeps things fresh as well. Well known producers Tony Stone and Wit of Frontlynaz fame lend their skills as well as labelmate Brinson and D.J. Don Christ'on of Genuine Life Productions.

Rated R shows itself solid on all fronts. While its theme may seem cheesy to some, the point being made is still very clear and it does what it sets out to do. Big R's sincerity and heart is very evident throughout the entirety of the project. Due for release on March 31st, Rated R is definitly worth the purchase.

Big R Myspace

Godchaserz Entertainment

Sho Baraka - Barakology (2009) [FREE DOWNLOAD]

2009-03-13T19:50:00.000-07:00

01. Intro
02. Get You Open
03. Great Day II Die
04. Kobe Bryant on em
05. Serious Rapper Skit
06. Jesus feat. Alex Faith
07. Glorious feat. Conviction and Dillon Chase
08. Let the Record Drop feat. Katalyst
09. Testimony
10. Barakaology

Applejaxx - Jesus High (LISTEN TO THE SINGLE!)

2009-03-03T16:49:00.000-08:00

The first offical album by Applejaxx, described by Billboard magazine as one of hip-hop's next "up and comers", is slated for release some time during Summer this year. The album, entitled Born Identity, displays Applejaxx's unique style and lyricism over as equally unique and diverse beats. It will follow in the same futuristic, end-times theme of Applejaxx's recent Databass mixtape (check out the review on the site). Featured artists include Tonex, kimme, Ashleigh Nickole, Trini & Mr Coldstone. Producers include big names such as Tonex, G Styles and Battle Axe as well as newcomers Nelly B., Luke Witherspoon and Greg Huegel.

The best part is, you can hear a single off the album, Jesus High, in the player to the right! You heard it here first!

www.myspace.com/applejaxx

Applejaxx bio:

Applejaxx serves you music like a full course meal from mom dukes. This North Carolina-based emcee focuses on a diverse presentation of artistry and innovation. Applejaxx can give you commercial jams, underground lyricism and laid back joints without compromising the art form. In an industry that has forgotten quality lyrics in music, Applejaxx is now about to feed the world a form of hip hop that will spark a movement.Born into a musical family, Apple’s entire family influenced his musical development. In a family of amazing singers, mcs, musicians and producers, Applejaxx was groomed for success and now believes that it’s his time to shine. Growing up, his musical influences ranged from hip hop to rock. “I grew up listening to a lot of different genres of music.” Apple explains, “That’s why today, you might catch me riding to 4th Avenue Jones’, Tonex, P.O.D., Jay-Z, Switchfoot or Lauryn Hill depending on my mood.” In 1999 Applejaxx happened to catch a performance by Grammy nominated and six time Stellar Award winner, Tonex (Jive) and west coast rap group Camp 8. That one gig provided all the motivation that Applejaxx needed to spark his hip hop journey. It was time for the jaxx to start producing rhymes for the fellas to fell and music for girls to move to. “My approach to music is to impact culture with quality music that can change lives.” States Applejaxx with strong conviction. “I think the time is now for a new movement.”A student of the art form and the industry, Applejaxx graduated from Campbell University in North Carolina in 2004 with a degree in Business Administration. At CU Apple took the stage where ever he could, performing at clubs, in plays, talent shows and any other spot with a mic and a friendly sound man. Applejaxx has shared the stage with artist such as Tonex, The Souljahz, Pettidee, Grits, MOC, and Glue. Recent appearances of note include a nationally televised performance at the MGM Grand with Tonex and the 2005 Pass The Mic Urban Music Showcase in Nashville, Tennessee. In 2003, like a divine hip hop appointment, Apple reconnected with Tonex. The vibe was undeniable and after their initial meeting, the two began to forge an ongoing professional relationship. In short time, Applejaxx was welcomed into Tonex’s Nureau Inc. artist family. “APPLEJAXX is one of a kind” States Tonex. “Our chemistry is crazy because we both think exactly the same.”

Applejaxx has appeared on Tonex: Out the Box album, Higher Ground soundtrack and has recently released his debut EP: 805 P.O.P. With the smash tracks 805, Get Ready and Uptown creating solid radio buzz around the nation; you can bet that it’s only a matter of time before the world will be eating a full bowl of musical APPLEJAXX.

Hip Hope 2009 - Various Artists

2009-03-03T05:07:00.000-08:00

01. One World (Liquid Remix) - tobyMac feat Siti Monroe & KJ-52
02. Reminds Me - GRITS
03. I Call Him G.O.D. - Canton Jones
04. When It Feels Right - Speech (of Arrested Development)
05. What You Want - KJ-52 feat. Bonafide of GRITS
06. Calculator Watch - Pigeon John
07. Future - Verbs
08. Come Back To Me - Washington Projects
09. Be Myself - Jade feat. Coffee of GRITS
10. Walking Loud - Braille
11. Gimme Dapp - Pettidee
12. Avert - Shonlock feat. Canton Jones & V3
13. Bottom of the 9th - Knine feat. B. Reith
14. Higher - Stefan the Scientist
15. Feel It Now - Flynn Adam
16. Cut Me - J Remy
17. MY - Proxy feat. Verbs & Stefan the Scientist
18. Chimpanzee (Digital Bonus) - Rootbeer

REVIEW:

The Hip Hope compilation series released annually over the past 5 years has largely failed to do its job. To showcase the best (or in their words, "hottest") of Christian Hip-Hop. Instead, all it has done is bring together a mediocre selection of music that does more to put Christian hip-hop to shame than bring out its best. Release after release of these bland titles have been extensively promoted by the well-known Gotee Records label and in so have caught the eye of various secular critics only to be looked down upon as yet another title to prove that Christians just can't do hip-hop like the big boys.

What is so heartbreaking about this is that Christian hip-hop can do so much better than what has been showcased for the most part on the Hip Hope series so far. There is a lot of talent to be heard from the genre, but it seems like so far Hip Hope has either been unaware of this or simply ignored it in favour of dumbed-down, crowd-pleasing "hits" for better sales.

Well I'm proud to say that with the 2009 volume, the Hip Hope series has made a dramatic change for the better. In fact, after my first playthrough I was left pleasantly suprised at the unexpected difference that had been made, even after looking at the playlist, which is interesting in itself.

The first thing you notice is that this edition feels much more free-spirited than the previous ones. In a good way, that is. A lot of the tracks have a fresh experimental sound to them and flavors of music seem more diverse with not just hip-hop, but also some R&B, Electronica, Dance, and reggae thrown into the mix. This may seem contradictory at first, but nevertheless, for the most part the tracks have an urban/hip-hop vibe to them.

Hip Hope 2009's artist selection this time round is as diverse as it is musically. The Hip Hope series has always had a reasonably well-spread list of artists, but never as diverse and as large as this. The usual big names you'd expect are still there. Such as KJ-52, tobymac, GRITS, Pigeon John, Canton Jones and Pettidee. But there are a bunch of newcomers such as Jade, V Three, Stefan the Scientist and Proxy as well as more underground or lesser-known artists like Braiile, Verbs, The Washington Projects, B. Reith, Knine, Flynn and Rootbeer (on the digital download version only).

This isn't even including the multiple underground and up-and-coming artists that make appearances in short hidden tracks between some of the songs. These include Pro, Braille, Othello, Freddie Bruno and Propaganda which was very suprising. These small snippets are done well and manage to show off the artists talents adequatly even in the short amount of time they are done in.

Overall the song selection, unlike the rest of the series, is actually quite good. In fact, 12 of the 17 songs are exlusives, which is another big suprise. The non-exclusives include the experimental "Reminds Me" off the largely exprimental album, Reiterate, by GRITS. The mellow, soulfull "Future" off the Groundwork Theory which is an excellent piece and one of Verbs' best. Then there's "Bottom of the 9th" from the UnderDogg album by Knine featuring B. Reith where the latter shows off not only his lyrical skill but his singing talent, evident in the backing vocals throughout and towards the end of the song. ("Bottom of the 9th" is marked as an exlusive on the album but it actually isn't. I'm guessing the only reason it was marked exclusive is because of the slight reworking of the drums and vocals, which make little difference anyway).

As well as non-exclusive there are also never-before-heard (apparently not exclusives, but this is the first time they have been released) tracks. Such as "Be Myself" by Jade which could have been incredible, and for the most part it was great, had not it been for the overly short feature by Bonafide of GRITS and the overall shortness of the entire track. It's one of those tracks that feels like it could have been so good but just missed the mark. There's the reggae song by Stefan the Scientist, "Higher", which includes a beautiful chorus with breezy backing vocals over an incredibly catchy reggae beat. After one listen to this song you will know that Stefan the Scientist is an artist to look out for in the near future. I have high hopes for his upcoming work.

But, for the most part, the exclusives are where the compilation really shines. "I Call Him G.O.D." is an R&B club-banger that, while it does feature the overly-used Autotune software every now and then, is hard to resist getting up and vibing to. The hardcore street heads out there don't miss out this time with Speech's (from two-time Grammy Award-winning hip-hop group Arrested Development) "When it Feels Right". Pigeon John steps in to represent the lighter side of Christian Hip Hop with the hilarious "Calculation Watch". Pigeon John is a genius on the mic, and he never fails in the comedic area either. "Come Back To Me" is yet another R&B-infused experimental hip-hop single from The Washington Projects, but hey, I don't think anyone's going to be tiring of them anytime soon. It features a message on the forgiveness and redemptive quality of God. "Walking Loud" by Braille talks about living a "loud" life as Christians and to put our passiveness behind, accompanied by an apt loud and rowdy beat. Pettidee brings in something for the Dirty South on "Gimme Dapp". "Cut Me" by Jean-Luc Remy comes with a powerful message but is so graphic it's cringe-worthy, for those strong enough to handle it it's ok, but others may want to skip the track. Especially since the song is written to a very specific audience.

Reggae gets more exposure than ever before in the Hip Hope series with two songs. "Higher" being one, and the other entitled "My". The latter features Stefan the Scientist and another newcomer named Proxy, as well as Verbs. It's nicely constructed with an evangelistic message over a mixture of reggae and hip-hop. Then comes one of the most interesting songs on the album, "Avert". It starts off as a thumping party track and then, just over 1 minute in, completely switches into a rock-infused anthem for the rest of the track. All the while there is so much musical detail happening throughout with multiple effects and sounds while Canton Jones and Shonlock swap mics. The mixture of Canton Jones' smooth vocals and Shonlock's rapid fire spitting is very, very nice and adds to the overall diversity and depth of the entire song. It's really quite amazing how much was packed into it. Avert's message is one of repentance and turning away, or averting from sin. And really, it couldn't be conveyed any better.

Out of the entire compilation the only big problems I had were the two tracks that featured KJ-52. Yes, I said it. Stone me.

But seriously now. Despite the fact that the "One World" remix is not incredibly different from the original, the addition of KJ-52 was a bad idea. On both "One World" and "What You Want" KJ-52 is as boring as he has been as of late. Honestly, I'm tiring of his lyrcally-lacking and basic stye he has sunken into. Hip Hope should be showcasing the best of Christian Hip-Hop and while KJ-52 might be quite popular, he certainly is far from the best, especially in comparison to just about all the other artists featured on the compilation. Then again, I can imagine the outcry from his hoards of fans if he was ever excluded from a Hip Hope CD.

To sum it all up, I must say, DJ Maj has finally compiled something worthwhile this time around on Hip Hope 2009. I applaud his effort. There is a diverse selection both in the artists and musically. The content is, for the most part, of a higher quality than ever before in the series and actually does a good job towards showcasing good Christian Hip-Hop. Don't get me wrong though. This isn't the best compilation HHH album out there (check out DJ Morphiziz - International) but it is a big improvement and step foward for the Hip Hope series. If Hip Hope continues to move foward in the fashion it has here and, even improve on it, the series will be at the very least a respectable one.

Rootbeer - Pink Limousine Album Cover Revealed + Free Download!

2009-03-03T04:53:00.000-08:00

There it is. The cover art for the Pink Limousine EP has been revealed!

For those who don't already know, Rootbeer is a hip-hop duo comprised of former L.A. Symphony member, Pigeon John, and current L.A. Symphony member, Flynn Adam. Individually they each have a unique and quirky, yet talented rap style. Together they create a style more bizzare than ever . Their up-tempo, light-hearted songs are sure to put a smile on your face and give a refreshingly different taste of hip-hop. The release date is set for March 10th, so be on the look out for it soon.

Check them out at their myspace here: http://www.myspace.com/rootbeersound

Download the single "Pink Limousine" below.

Pigeon John & General Elektrik - Crush (2009) [FREE DOWNLOAD SINGLE!]

2009-03-03T04:43:00.000-08:00

Pigeon John has a new song for free downloaded entitled "Crush" with General Elektrik. Check it out by clicking on the button below.

Don't forget to get the latest info on PJ at his myspace: http://www.myspace.com/pigeonjohn

Andale - Voice of Reason (2009) [FREE MIXTAPE DOWNLOAD!]

2009-03-03T00:07:00.000-08:00

01. Intro
02. See Me
03. Who Is Andale
04. Speakin Murder ft. Kingston & Pro
05. 1997 - 2009
06. Fly Away
07. The Man, The Music, The Method
08. Aint Me
09. Change
10. Change Gone Come ft. Beckah Shae
11. Temptation
12. Ride Out
13. Stay In Your Lane
14. Do Me
15. Take Responsibility
16. Homie Please ft. Brothatone & Pro
17. Final Thoughts
18. Trouble Don't Last Always

The first project from Andale' since "Trial by Fire" is available for Free. The "Voice of Reason" is a blend of old and new Andale' tracks that are sure to feed your hunger for strong hip hop and quench your thirst for urban Christian quality. Trig of Corleink Radio interviews Andale' for an indepth look at the man, the music and the minsitry behind The "Voice of Reason." Special guest features include, Kingston, Pro, Brothatone, and others. Be sure to download yours today.

Click the "Download" button below to get "The Voice of Reason" absolutely FREE! Includes mixtape and album Art!

Believin Stephen - "The Perseverance" Free Mixtape Download (2009)

2009-02-17T22:53:00.000-08:00

"One thing that is going to stand out about this mixtape compared to others is that it is not just a bunch of random verses or remixes. There will be a handful of full songs on the mixtape with actual concepts, hooks, etc. This is actually going to be more like a free album! The beats have a gritty underground vibe to them as well as some good soul to them. I think that fans who enjoy Christ centered lyricism expressed in creative and practical ways will be likely to be feeling the songs. I am confident that the material on The Perseverance Mixtape is going to be my best material that has been released. There will be 19 songs on the mixtape with plenty of guest features including the likes of J.Johnson, Azriel, Young Joshua, and E-Pistle and many more! There are some rowdy punchline heavy songs as well as plenty of songs from the heart on here. There are songs encouraging fellow believers to persevere in the faith and there are songs written to the unbeliever to express to them their great need to receive God's love. There are songs about persevering through difficult times as a Christian and there are worshipful songs that exult the Lord for his goodness to us in those difficult times."

-Believin Stephen

Andale - Voice of Reason NEW SINGLE!

2009-02-17T22:19:00.000-08:00

In an era of studio gangsters, over the top street stories and excessive "flossing", it gets harder to sift through the garbage and find the TRUTH. Fortunately, Andale' does just that with his latest single "Homie Please" Thanks to production from Mr. Air Jordan himself (Kdrama) and assistance from Brothatone and Pro, "Homie Please" is a song that will not only put the fallacies of street life on blast but will definitely keep you leaning all day! "Homie Please" is the lead single from the forthcoming album "White Flag", which will be released late April/early May. Don't worry, for you cheapskates :), there is a special surprise for you. Christ Like Ent's, Andale, will be releasing Voice of Reason (A FREE MIXTAPE) on March 1st all over your favorite websites including christlikeent.com.

Click the download button below to get "Homie Please" absolutely FREE! Includes album version, acappella, instrumental and album art.

Mouthpiece & DJ Sean Blu - The New Regime (2008)

2008-11-20T17:46:00.000-08:00

01. Intro - DJ Sean Blu
02. I Can't Trust It
03. Swagga Daddy
04. Over comer feat. Joiliyah
05. Back It Up
06. Exclusive
07. Playing My Song (The DJ)
08. Lions, Tigers, Bears
09. Blame It On My Swagg
10. What Ya Life Like?
11. Exclusive
12. Look How We Raised The World
13. You Know What It Is
14. Watcha call that there?
15. Bigger Than Life Size
16. Outro - Mouthpiece

Myspace

Mouthpiece - 10 Years Later (2007)

2008-11-18T01:32:00.001-08:00

01. Intro
02. Uh Oh

03. The Day I Got Saved

04. Bless To Be Saint

05. Back It Up

06. 3HP Interview for the ATL

07. I'm From the A

08. Just Vibe

09. Take It From Me ft Erica Cumbo

10. Testify

11. Last Breath
12. I Snaps

Myspace

DJ D-Lite - The Election Mixtape (2008)

2008-11-06T16:12:00.000-08:00

DaSouth.com officially launched its website on 11.04.08, Election Day in America! To help celebrate they've put together a mixtape called none other than... what else? THE ELECTION. Hosted by one of their own resident DJs, DJ D-Lite, this bangin' mixtape features artists like Vizunari, Excelsius, ProsperaD, Cy, The Warriors and more! And all for free!

01. Intro - Election Results
02. Break Dem Chains – S.O.C.O.M.
03. Flippin' – The Warriors
04. The Ringleader – Cy
05. U Don't Know Me Like Dat feat. ICECE – S.O.M.
06. That's What I'm Talkin Bout – Gifted
07. Stop Yappin' feat. ProzPeraD – Zeeda
08. Interlude - Delegates Shout Outs
09. Come One Come All feat. Visunari – The Bus Shop presents
10. I'm Shinin' – TruthSeekah
11. Pick Up The Phone – Excelsius
12. Revolution! – Dogfight!
13. I Will – Ghostwriters
14. The Mission – Ron Daniel
15. Grace – Educator
16. The Election S&C Megamix – DJ Primo

DJ Wade-O & ReadyWriter - Poetic Freedom (2008)

2008-10-22T14:41:00.000-07:00

01. Intro - Alpha & Omega (ABC's)
02. MY City
03. For My Soldiers
04. The Great Divide (featuring Brinson)
05. Live In Stereo (featuring Brinson)
06. Luv
07. Marketing Dreams
08. Neighbor (featuring Rigz)
09. Rugged
10. Thought Process (featuring Proph1)
11. Up North Trip
12. Wunda Years
13. Young Soldiers
14. Zoning Out (featuring Oppose)

CookBook & Uno Mas - The Overflow (2008)

2008-10-16T15:00:00.000-07:00

This is just incredible! A 14-track album by two of the hottest west coast rap artists, full of new songs and amazing guest features. And all FREE! You won't believe it.

Click the picture below to download.

01. The Music (featuring Sojourn)
02. Always Shine (featuring DJ Activ8)
03. Woah Is Me
04. The Program (featuring Altered State)
05. Championship Ring (featuring Vice Versa)
06. Casa Bonita (featuring Kiz Charismatic)
07. Monie Love (featuring Joey The Jerk)
08. Throwback
09. In N Out
10. Showtime (featuring DJ Wise)
11. The Reason Why (featuring Racquel Rodriguez)
12. One More Time
13. Final Things (featuring Racquel Rodriguez)
14. New Day

Don't forget to leave your thoughts on this album in the comments below or in the chat box.

(If above link doesnt work try this one: MIRROR)

J Johnson & DJ Essence - No Excuses Volume One (2006)

2008-10-13T14:55:00.000-07:00

01. Intro
02. No Excuses
03. Neva Change (featuring Japhia Life)
04. It's Just Me
05. JAZ Solo (featuring JAZ)
06. Momma Hold On
07. Broken Language (featuring Shwaye)
08. J & Cel Connect (featuring Cel-D)
09. Come Wit Me
10. Young Josh Solo (featuring Young Josh)
11. Ride Out (featuring JAZ)
12. Strait Dippin'
13. What I See
14. Check Off (featuring Big City)
15. Everythang Is OK (featuring Ruddyboy)
16. Thanks Pop
17. Fearz
18. Real Rap
19. Reintroduce Myself
20. Trippin'
21. Cold Winter (featuring Young Elijah)
22. R-Swift Solo (featuring R-Swift)
23. Say Whatcha' Talk (featuring James Maccabee & Ruddyboy)
24. Touch It (featuring Maricris Johnson)
25. My Hay Day
26. Hood Talk
27. Special Delivery
28. Perfect Robes
29. Nearly 100 Bars
30. Headshot
31. Corner 2 Da Cross
32. To Da Fam
33. Push It (featuring C-Clarity)
34. Groans and Pains

This is one of my favorite mixtapes. A classic.

JAZ - The Gideon Syndrome Mixtape (2008)

2008-10-13T14:50:00.000-07:00

01. Syndrome Intro
02. Err Day
03. I Got That
04. It's Over
05. Keelo
06. Love of Cake
07. Wrong
08. Dirty Secret
09. Interlude
10. Hard
11. 400 Something
12. Ded
13. Harlem
14. System Boy
15. The Syndrome
16. Possible
17. Get It Going
18. Interlude
19. The Trumpet Cypha
20. New York City
21. Sin
22. The Door
23. Don't Run
24. Let Him In

Rhema Soul - Dope Beats Good News The EP (2008)

2008-10-13T14:48:00.001-07:00

01. Witness The Chaos
02. Yellow Cheese Bust Flow
03. Steez
04. Can Ya Feel Me?
05. Giving It Up
06. Girl I Promise (Joke)
07. Fresh
08. My Whole Life
09. Labels
10. Radio Revolution

More Free Music

2008-10-13T14:45:00.000-07:00

I haven't hit you guys up with some free music for a while. But you'll see more in the coming months. If you haven't already got these, check them out. Enjoy.

Lecrae - Rebel (2008)

2008-10-07T03:20:00.000-07:00

01. Rebel Intro
02. Don't Waste Your Life (feat. Cam & Dwayne Tryumf)
03. Go Hard (feat. Tedashii)
04. Identity (feat. Da T.R.U.T.H. & J.R.)
05. Indwelling Sin
06. Breathin' To Death
07. Truth
08. Desperate (feat. Cam)
09. Change
10. Fall Back (feat. Trip Lee)
11. Live Free (feat. Sho Baraka & Jai)
12. Got Paper
13. I'm a Saint
14. The Bride
15. Beautiful Feet (feat. Dawntoya)

REVIEW:

One of the most highly anticipated Christian rap albums of the year is finally here. And just like when Reach Records label-mate Trip Lee came out with 20/20, Rebel is already topping charts. Currently the album is #22 on the top selling albums list and #4 on the top selling hip hop/rap list on iTunes. Rebel is selling like hotcakes. Which is great, because people shouldn't be passing on this masterpiece of an album.

Rebel is all about not conforming to the ways of the world. Rebelling against the culture. A culture filled with sin. And in doing so, following Christ and his teachings. All the way from track 1 to 15 the album takes a radical stand against popular ways and beliefs. You can feel the passion behind Lecrae's words as they sink in deep. It's very in-your-face, and at times, even fanatical. Lecrae has always been this way, only this time, more so. Which is great, because it helps push the message and the theme across effectively.

Another reason Rebel really hits home is because there is so much focus on personal, everyday life issues most people can relate to. Often times Christian rap artists can get so caught up with theology in their lyrics that they tend to get lost on the listener. It can get too deep, and generally if a person can't relate to the lyrics, they won't get much, if anything, out of them. And they'll get zilch if they can't understand a word of what is being said. Lecrae, however, doesn't have that problem. Anyone can relate to these lyrics. They hit hard. They stay in your mind. They leave you blown away. Rebel is a fine example of the way songs should be written to get a point across.

Rebel is also so relatable because it is very sin-conscience. There is a focus on sin, on almost every track. Everyone knows they've done wrong. People deal with their wrongdoing every day. Because sin is so deeply-rooted in today's culture. The culture itself is sin. Of course, this is where the album's theme comes in. Rebellion. Rebellion against sin. And every time sin is focused on in a track, a way out is always shown - a way to rebel.

The album starts of with a bang, with the two tracks "Don't Waste Your Life" and "Go Hard" bringing encouragement to stay strong in the faith and not to live a watered down, lukewarm life. "Don't Waste Your Life" blew my mind. It's an up-beat club banger complete with synths and even, if you listen closely, electronic background vocals. The rapid fire lyrical action from both Lecrae and Dwayne Tryumf was just outstanding. Cam glides in on a smoothed R&B chorus and one of the biggest hits of the year is born. "Go Hard" has a more darker, grimy sound. A classic Dirty South track which features Tedashii shouting out the chorus and providing a verse. "Identity" deals with the identity people place in materialistic things and how our real identity is only found in Christ. CMR label-mates J.R. and Da T.R.U.T.H. both feature on the song.
And then we have "Indwelling Sin", which is scarily similar to a song by Knine (released in 2005) called "I Don't Love You", in that both of the songs depict a conversation between the rapper and Satan, with the voice of Satan being played by the modified voice of the rapper. Satan tries to deceive Knine into following him, while Knine rebutts with reasons why he won't. The same thing happens in Lecrae's song. The tempos of the songs are different but they are still quite alike. I don't know if Lecrae borrowed the idea from Knine or whether it's all just a coincidence, but personally, I liked Knine's better.

"Breathin' to Death", "Desperate", "Change" and "Live Free" all show man's struggle with sin and how we can Rebel against it with the power Christ gives us. An interesting note on "Change" though: I was suprised to hear Lecrae actually singing on the chorus. He did have the assistance of backing vocals, but you can definitly hear his low tones over the beat. And though he probably won't be releasing any R&B albums, he did a good job. "Truth" breaks down popular theological and philosophical ideas and provides plain answers in layman's terms. It leaves you feeling well-fed because it all makes so much sense.

"Got Paper" has both positives and negatives. On the positive side Lecrae conveys a message against materialism and the love of money effortlessly over a nicely constructed dirty south beat by K-Drama. On the negative side the song consists of yet another chopped & screwed chorus. Chopped & screwed is fine, but recently it has been way over used in christian rap, to the point where it's just not original anymore. In just about every album Reach Records has released there has been at least one song with a chopped & screwed chorus. It's tired. It's had its day.

The production on Rebel can easily compete with any mainstream secular release out there. The usual Dirty South sounds you'd expect from a Lecrae album are all there. But this time the bar is set even higher musically. Real Talk's production was great, After the Music Stops was even better, but Rebel tops them all easily. You can be sure that a lot of people will buy the album for the music alone.

Rebel features all the usual artists from the CMR/Reach circle. Every one of them brought their A game. But it would've been nice to see different artists featured for once; let some other labels or independent artists get in on the action. Dwayne Tryumf was at least a start (although it has been rumored that he may sign with Reach Records soon).

With Rebel, Lecrae has really shown he is one of the best in the game. The theme of rebellion suits Lecrae's passionate spirit. And every lyric on the album is heartfelt. Lecrae confronts the listener with the issues of a sinful culture and shows us the way out. Positioning himself with talented producers will help to get these messages out into the hip hop community very effectively since the music is so competetive. Rebel is a masterpiece sure to remain in CD and mp3 players for a long time, and the impact it has on its listeners will last for eternity.

Street Pastor - The UnderdoG's Anthem (2008)

2008-09-17T02:10:00.000-07:00

01. The UnderdoG's Anthem
02. Go Harder
03. Turn Me Up (feat KamBINO)
04. Rid'n Clean (Skit)
05. Forgotten (feat. Matthew Seward II)
06. The Box (feat. Richard Jordan)
07. My Lady
08. Fresh
09. Got to Run (feat. J-Flue)
10. The Getaway
11. For Family (feat. LaShae Bonne)
12. I Know (feat. Christian Gray)
13. Don't Cha?
14. Duck Down
15. Men Lose
16. Rejoicing
17. I Got It (feat. K-Drama)
18. Choose This Day
19. Non-Fiction
20. Goodbye World

REVIEW:

The name "Street Pastor" may not ring any bells for a lot of Christian Rap fans, but if this album is anything to go by he deserves a lot more recognition. The 20 year-old midwest MC from Ohio produces and writes his own music and is not new to the game, already having 4 releases under his belt. But his 5th album is something special and stands out far above the rest.

True to his name, the Street Pastor has a heart for the streets, and it clearly shows throughout the album. Every track has content designed to minister and relate to those living in the hood. And every time Christ is glorified. Which makes this album such a great evangelism tool.

The Street Pastor's ability to minister is further enhanced by his incredible lyrical skill and his metaphors are just classic. Right from the first song this is evident, which starts off in accapella, keeping all focus on the ridiculously smart similes and just when you're getting comfortable the instrumental suddenly kicks in and things really get popping. Even though it's more of an intro, the track is absolutely excellent.

It doesn't stop there though. The UnderdoG's Anthem is full to the brim with 19 other songs, making up a total of 80 minutes, and they are all outstanding. Never once will you get bored. Because even though this is definitly an album for the streets, the music hasn't been locked down into a set street-sounding vibe. It absolutely smashes open the box of what a street album is meant to look like, blending in a variety of different sounds. For example, the song "The Box" has a beat including live drums, bass guitar and acoustic guitar with a rock chorus. "Duck Down" mixes in strange sci-fi sounds. And there are more unique combinations and styles amid the whole joint. There are, of course, some good ol' bangers in there as well.

The UnderdoG's Anthem is a standout album. It's groundbreaking, bold, entertaining and has a heart for the streets at the same time. The Street Pastor is one of the most talented Christian rappers in the industry. Do not sleep on him.

Stay Tuned!

2008-09-08T19:35:00.000-07:00

September is a very exciting month for holy hip hop. There's heaps of hot albums coming out, including stuff from Lecrae, Ambassador, J. Johnson, GRITS, DJ Morphiziz and more. Stay tuned to the blog for upcoming reviews on these releases and other updates around the site.

AppleJaxx - Databass Mixtape (2008)

2008-08-14T01:23:00.000-07:00

01. Dangerous
02. Red Hacker feat. Gibraan
03. U.N.I.T.E. Greeting
04. Databass
05. U.N.I.T.E. Ending
06. The Answer feat. Mr Coldstone
07. Hybrid feat. Mr. Coldstone & Stro the Dean
08. Barcode feat. Brinson & Omega
09. Pomegranate feat Jekob (of the Washington Projects), & Trini
10. Hustlin' feat. Soul P.
11. Apple Drops
12. SupaStarz feat. Nuncio
13. Get Ready feat. A1

REVIEW:

Everything you thought you knew about what a mixtape sounds like is about to be changed. Databass is only Applejaxx's second release, but with the talent he brings on it you'd think he was a veteran.

Databass is based around a futuristic and end-times theme, which is especially evident in the first few tracks. Red Hacker, the second track on the mixtape featuring Gibraan, uses technological terms as metaphors to get the message of the song across. Databass is an eerie and very atmospheric song that serves as a prophecy of the last days and technology's influence in them. Alongside these tracks are two creepy interludes of computerized voices that illustrate the theme of Databass further.

There are also some street-thumpers. The Answer, Hybrid and Hustlin' are thrown in the mix along with the breezy sounding Barcode (which again uses technological metaphors, in this case the chorus seems to describes how we should live our life - the barcode - as a good example to others because we are always being "scanned"). And if you're feeling like a party, the club-banger, Pomegranate, which features Jekob of the Washington Projects and Trini, is sure to get you on and popping. Apple Drops is interesting because it incorporates electric guitar sounds and background vocals by the controversial rapper/singer Tonex, who also produced the track. It's quite entertaining and refreshingly different. SuperStarz speaks on having integrity in the music industry and how God should always be the main focus. Get Ready, the last track, is another hot street-banger that you may have heard off AppleJaxx's previous album, Apple Tree. I'm not sure why he re-released it but nevertheless it's a great song and deserved to be heard multiple times.

The production on all of the tracks is excellent. And it's probably some of the best you'll hear all year. There's a lot of diversity too, so you won't get bored easily.

But Databass could possibly be a bit hard for some people to get into due to the deep lyrics. They can get so poetic and metaphorical at times that they seem almost completely cryptic. While there isn't anything wrong with them message-wise or artistically, some may find the lyrics too overwhelming to understand. But that is AppleJaxx's unique style and what he's known for. He is quite clever in how he illustrates the message he is trying to convey.

AppleJaxx has done a great job with Databass. The idea for the theme is brilliant, the production is outstanding and Jaxx's unique lyrical style tops it all off nicely. This is one of the best releases I have heard all year.

Pro - Jackin' For Hits Mixtape

2008-06-16T23:43:00.000-07:00

01. Intro
02. Boy Looka Here ft Rich Boy, BC

03. Umma Do Me ft Rocko

04. Breathe ft Fabolous

05. Flashing Lights ft Dwele

06. DJ I Rock Jesus

07. Jesus Musik Unofficial Remix

08. Random Thoughts ft Ron G

09. Superstar ft Matthew Santos, Brothatone

10. Brothatone

11. Cake ft Midnyte Sun

12. Lost Ones ft Jay Z

13. Pass the Rock

14. Canon ft Mystery, Vizzy Adot
15. DJ Sean Blu

16. Side of Ya Neck ft Dem Franchise Boys, eYe-Q, Ron G

17. The Light

18. Pettidee

19. Runaway Love ft Mary J Blige

20. No Matter What ft TI

www.mynameispro.com

www.myspace.com/pro20

DOWNLOAD

REVIEW:

Jackin' For Hits is basically a bootleg mixtape. A bootleg mixtape is where an artist takes often well-known beats and music and puts his or her own lyrics over them instead of the original. Because the album is bootlegged they are always given out for free and are usually used to promote the artist and encourage listeners to buy an upcoming retail release of theirs.
Christian MCs have been doing this for a while now and there's no shortage of bootleg releases out there. But I can tell you, after listening to hundreds of them this is one of the best (other than No Excuses Vol. 1 by J. Johnson, I'd pay for that album).

Jackin' For Hits seems much more proffesional than other mixtapes similar to it. The audio quality is just about the same as what you would get if you bought a retail album. But not just audio wise, Pro's flow on the mic is on point as well.

Pro has done a great job of changing the secular tracks into positive and God-centered, and often times i found the verses sounding and feeling much better than the originals. This is what makes Jackin' For Hits a great evangelical tool to use on your hip hop-interested friends. The beats will catch peoples ears and get them listening to the new lyrics.
There are some battle raps on the album, as you'd expect, but at the same time they are laced with God-centered lyrics. Several topics are tackled including materialism (Flashing Lights), fame and selling out (Superstar), redemption (The Light), etc.
As you listen through each song you'll see most of them are similarly-themed to the originals but with a positive or God-centered or inspired twist. This makes the message hit home harder as well as sounding professional.

You can pick this up right now for free so there's nothing holding you back. Download, burn hundreds of discs and hand them out to everyone you know and promote this up-and-coming cat. He definitly has what it takes to go all the way and hopefully we see more releases by him in the future.

No More Bootlegging

2008-06-12T15:23:00.000-07:00

Due to the outstanding negative reaction I have received about the downloads on this blog, I have decided to stop them permanently, all download links have been removed. I will now only focus on reviews, videos, news, pre-release music in the music player and the occasional legal free download. So please stay tuned to the site for more reviews to come. I've got a lot to catch up on.

The Lone Reviewer

Kingston - In the City (2008)

2008-06-10T15:26:00.000-07:00

Album title: In the City
Artist: Kingston
Audio format: MP3, 320kbps
Duration: 42.9 minutes
Size: 90.6mb

01. I'm Back (feat. DJ Wade-O)
02. Put Your Hands Up (God's Music) (feat. Doc Watson)
03. Life In the City (feat. Pro)
04. Speaken' Murder (feat Andale)
05. Can't Stop
06. Pray For Me (feat. Pro)
07. Run They Mouth (feat. Eric C.)
08. Cle Anthem Music (feat. Iq)
09. Da Cypha
10. Game Won't Change (feat. Coko Korinne)
11. Understand (+ bonus track)

PURCHASE: iTunes and CD Baby

REVIEW: This is a hot album. And I mean hot! Full review coming soon!

New Forum For Lovers of Hip Hop and more!

2008-05-23T08:32:00.000-07:00

I just want to break pattern for a moment to tell you about an exciting new forum.

http://jormiandjrecords.2ksite.com/

This new forum is a place where you can download, upload and request great Christian music and fellowship with other believers. It's also focused on aspiring or professional DJs and producers and has section for programs and plugins.

The forum was founded by Jormian DJ, a Christian music producer whose work can be heard here

So feel free to join the community and become an active member.

(I am mod at the site under the name "dj91".)

Trip Lee - 20/20 (2008)

2008-05-20T14:04:00.001-07:00

01. 20/20 Intro
02. Superstar (Eyes Off Me)
03. Real Vision (feat. Tedashii)
04. Inexhaustible
05. Who Is Like Him?
06. We Told Em
07. Cling To You (feat. Shai Linne)
08. Relief
09. Behold the Spirit
10. Satisfaction (Hedonist)
11. Come Close (feat. Flame & Sho Baraka)
12. Who He Is (feat. Lecrae & Cam)
13. Intimacy
14. True Security
15. Eyes Open (feat. J.R.)
16. Hip Hop

PURCHASE: iTunes, Amazon, and everywhere else.

REVIEW:

There's no doubt about it, this was an incredibly-hyped album. Ever since listeners heard Trip Lee's previous release, "If They Only Knew", they have been longing for more. Being a member of the extremely popular rap group, the 116 Clique, helps a lot as well. Already 20/20 is making a mighty splash only a week after release; especially on iTunes where it is currently sitting at 10th position in the top rap/hip hop albums list with an average score of 5/5 from 70 customer reviews, at the time of writing this, as well as rave customer reviews on other cd/mp3 sites. But is the album really worth all the hype? Let's take a look...

The first thing noticed when listening through 20/20 is that Trip Lee has really improved as an artist since If They Only Knew. His voice sounds more contained and his flow is tighter. His lyricism isn't the best I've heard, but it certainly is well done. It's as good as it can be when rapping from a theological standpoint anyway. And on the theology, whether you agree with it or not, I'm not sure if it works entirely. Now I know I might get shot down for the things I'm about to say but I've been wrestling with this for a long while now, so I'll just get it over with. The thing about Trip Lee's albums (and perhaps several, if not all, albums by 116 Clique artists) is that they can get too deep at times, theologically. What I mean to say is, sometimes the content of songs can get a little to complex for listeners of rap/hip-hop. 116 Clique is all about evangelizing and spreading the gospel yet the terms they talk about sometimes will probably not be understood by most secular listeners. I think more "milk" is needed in Trip Lee's rapping, less "meat". There's no need to go over the top and start speaking like a biblical scholar, especially in the rap/hip-hop genre. That's what I feel anyway.

20/20 covers various topics, most of which only really relate to those who are already Christians, such as, learning to rest in God (Relief), testing things you hear by the Word (Real Vision), the attributes and greatness of God (Inexhaustible, Who Is Like Him?, Who He Is), devotion to God (Who He Is), persuing God (Intimacy), giving glory to God alone (Superstar), and a lot more. One thing is definitely clear, 20/20 is about God, God and more God.

Musically the album is suprisingly diverse with not only the diry south and southern rap you'd expect but also some east coast, soulful and even experimental flavors. Who He Is is an absoulte hit. It's a smashing club-banger with an R&B hook by Cam and features Lecrae who flows through the song smoothly as does Trip himself. Superstar, is basically the first single off the album as it was released to the public before the rest of the album came out, through Trip's myspace, and had been cirulating the net, stirring up quite a buzz. In Superstar Trip Lee conveys the message to all of his fans that the glory shouldn't be going to him but to God, "take your eyes off me, i'm just dust in the mud". It's a grimy, dirty-south sounding track that would be comfortable banging loudly out your car speakers. There are softer songs as well, such as Eyes Open, in which J.R. contributes his melodius voice to the chorus, and Intimacy, a catchy R&B style song featuring Diamone for the chorus. Every track's production is solid and enjoyable.

Overall, Trip Lee has done a great job with this latest project. While it may be a bit too "meaty" for non-believers at times, there's no argument that Trip Lee has a passion for what he does, and the God he serves. This is a great leap above If They Only Knew, so if you enjoyed that you will definitely like this one. I'd recommend 20/20 to any Christian rap fans, but it's probably not a good idea to buy it for your unsaved friends in hopes of reaching out to them.

(If you're looking for evangelical music that non-believers can relate to I'd suggest anything by the Frontlynaz, J. Johnson, Japhia Life, Rob Hodge, etc.. )

Falling Tsar - Falling Tsar (2007)

2008-05-18T18:21:00.000-07:00

01. Valley With No Name (prod. by Theory Hazit)
02. Table of Content (feat. Cas Metah)
03. Medusa (prod. by Theory Hazit)
04. Cob Webs (prod. by Theory Hazit)
05. Brotherly Love (prod. by Mattman)
06. Heart of the Song (prod. by Theory Hazit)
07. What We Are (prod. by Theory Hazit)
08. Argue Believe (feat. Mouth Warren)
09. Fools Gold (feat. Lefty Grove)
10. King For A Day (prod. by Theory Hazit)

PURCHASE

REVIEW:

If you enjoyed any music by underground Christian rap group Scribbling Idiots then it's pretty likely you will like this release. Falling Tsar is a new rap crew comprised of Theory Hazit, Sev Statik, JustMe and Wonder Brown, three of which (Theory Hazit, JustMe and Wonder Brown) are also part of Scribbling Idiots. It seems like there is quite a bit of this "joint membership" going on in underground Christian hip hop these days, but I don't really know what's up with that.

The group's unique and clever name came from JustMe's friend, Eric Place who died suffering of a disease called Fibromylagia. According to JustMe, Eric always wanted to name a band "Falling Tsar". So in Eric Place's dedication the group was named. Also all the proceeds from the sale of the album go to Eric Place's son, Mason Place to help pay for medical expenses caused by his bone condition. You can really see the heart of Falling Tsar. This is not yet another rap clique out to top the charts and become the next big thing. These are just a group of young men who have gotten together and decided to make a positive difference in a particular person's life, and who happen to rap. And if you listen to the album you'll realize they are trying to make a difference in the lives of their listeners as well.

Throughout the record you will hear tracks filled with timely truths and words of wisdom fused with Christian messages. The uniquely excellent musical production to be expected from Theory Hazit and Mattman is also included for your listening pleasure.

As I said, if you enjoy music by Scribbiling Idiots you will definitly enjoy this album. It's basically more of the same SI goodness, only this time for a great cause.

Please support the artists.

MotionPlus - Sound Protest

2008-05-18T00:56:00.000-07:00

01. Born and Raised
02. We the Victory (feat. Freddie Bruno & Theory Hazit)
03. Lifetime of War (feat. Lyriz)
04. Superheroes
05. Fade Away
06. Reach the Sky (feat. KaboOse)
07. The Rise and Fall
08. Son Never Sets
09. Joyful Days
10. Seasons
11. Dirt Roads
12. Broadcasting Life
13. Love (feat. Man of War & MaxOne)
14. Some Ol' Feel Good
15. Uprising (feat. JustMe)
16. Superheroes (remix)

PURCHASE

DOWNLOAD

REVIEW: (COMING SOON)

3.5/5

Hansoul - Jesus Saves! (2007)

2008-04-20T14:47:00.000-07:00

Format - Audio Cd (MP3)
Bitrate - 192kbps

DISC I
01. It's Like Jesus
02. Jesus I'm Grateful
03. The Cross (feat. Da T.R.U.T.H. & J. Johnson)
04. Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, I Need You (feat. Tony Moore & Jehovah's Chosen)
05. I'd Rather Jesus
06. Jesus Saves! (feat. Beloved and Ready Rock C, Tony Moore & JC)
07. Social Issues (feat. Coco Soleil)
08. WOW
09. I love you Jesus
10. Jesus Never fails (feat. The Dixie Hummingbirds)
11. Sea Of Forgetfulness (feat. Energy)

DISC II
01. Freedom's Song
02. The Reason Why (feat. Obadiah)
03. Say It Again (feat. Tony Moore & Jehovah's Chosen)
04. Pastor's Pimps
05. Jesus I'm Grateful (RMX)
06. Amana's Song (feat. Energy)
07. Preach Jesus (int)
08. Preach Jesus (feat. Chiquita Green & Amana Nelson)
09. A Tribute To My Pop (James Dallas Nelson's Song)
10. Anti-Abortion (feat. Amana Nelson)
11. Shadows (feat. Chiquita Green & Amana Nelson)
12. Heaven Wouldn't Be The Same (feat. Japhia Life, Knowledge, J. Johnson, Beloved & Energy)

PURCHASE

3.5/5

Dre Murray - Manumit (2008)

2008-04-20T03:25:00.000-07:00

01. Manumit
02. Say What You Feel
03. Interlude - Message of Fedelity
04. My Lane
05. Me Got
06. Introduce
07. Get Down (feat. Fedel)
08. Let's Chill
09. Heads Up
10. I Cry
11. Farmers (feat. Cam)
12. More Than Life
13. Still Cleaning [Remix] (feat. Cam & Emcee One)

PURCHASE

3.5/5

theBREAX (Eye Am Productions) - Eye Am Gangster (2007)

2008-04-13T04:25:00.000-07:00

01. Intro (feat. Ruslan of theBREAX)
02. Pray
03. American Dreamin'
04. Brooklyn 5.0 (feat. Lil' Wayne & Notorious B.I.G)
05. No Hook
06. Roc Boys
07. Sweet
08. I Know
09. Party Life
10. Ignorant (feat. Ruslan of theBREAX)
11. Say Hello
12. Success (feat theBREAX & Nas)
13. Fallin'
14. Blue Magic
15. Eye Am Gangster

I know it my not seem like a HHH album but I just had to up it, the curse words have been edited out and new verses have been put into some songs. How can you not download a secular album that's been remixed by Christian producers and artists?! To me that is just cool. Feel free to comment.

4/5

theBREAX - When theBREAX Sold Out! (2008)

2008-04-07T18:56:00.000-07:00

1. Ready To $ell Out
2. BREAX Is Everywhere
3. Wake Up (Ft. Rufat)
4. Get Ignorant
5. It's West Coast (Ft. Kinfolk & Roc Rok)
6. Swing
7. Two Miles An Hour
8. I Got It (Ft. Yung Tage & Proverb The Poet)
9. More
10. Bang Bang
11. Baby I'm Gone (Ft. Truthbtold & Afaar)
12. Wanna Love
13. Bumper Sticker

PURCHASE

REVIEW:

theBREAX - remember that name, because I have no doubt they are going to make it big. At least if this latest release is anything to go by.

The first thing you need to understand about this album is that it is full with sarcasm and satire. Almost every track mocks the dumbed-down mainstream aspect of hip hop. Thankfully theBREAX does this so amazingly well. Every line in every song is jammed with clever and hard-hitting lyrics that will linger in your mind long after it ends. Some are powerful and some are downright controversial, with bold lines such as "forgive me, I ain't throw away my secular CDs - honestly I did that in 2003, then i bought 'em all again. Your rituals are pitiful, to me it's not a sin. Again, don't hold me to your standards, and your personal convictions, my vision is to make all these non-Christians listen.".

Also theBREAX makes use of the words "nigger" and "damn" once, and the phrase "what the hell" twice. Now personally I don't agree that a Christian artist should use those words in their songs (and makes the rating .5 away from a 5/5), but take it how you want. For me that is the only real letdown on the album.

The two clips of spoken word included on the record (at the end of Wanna Love and at the end of Bumper Sticker) are just amazing. Not only are they at times hilarious, but they also pack a hard punch because they are so powerful and lyrically-smart.

Music wise, the record does not fail. The beats produced by Nathan Soultrain, MotionPlus, Rocwilder, Soleternity, Steve Stanz, Ruslan, and Name Brand, not only are very well done, but in some cases compliment the album's theme. To me even some of the beats sounded satirical! They seem similar to many secular mainstream releases these days. Which, as I said before, really fits in well. But don't get me wrong. This album is unique. You have most likely heard nothing like and probably never will hear anything like it again. And if it doesn't slap you hard in the face, I don't know what will.

Putting together a satirical, yet hard-hitting and powerful album and managing to do that with such talent, shows the creative genius of theBREAX. You can see why Rawkus Records has labeled theBREAX one of the "next 50 important Hip-Hop acts".

Frontlynaz - Game Over (2008)

2008-04-07T01:53:00.000-07:00

Artist - Frontlynaz
Album - Game Over
Format - MP3
Bitrate - 192khz
Release - 2008

1. Intro - 00:22
2. Clap At Em - 4:05
3. Like Dat - 3:09
4. Game Over - 3:55
5. What I See - 5:41
6. Gunz Down - 3:13
7. What U Lookin 4 feat. Beez & J. Johnson - 4:10
8. Imagine feat. Zoltan Hall - 4:02
9. Friends No More feat. Beez - 3:54
10. Worship - 3:30
11. Survival of the Fittest - 3:48
12. Day by Day - 3:44
13. Da Banga feat. Beez & Ana Lisa - 5:13
14. Under Attack feat. King Cyz - 4:06
15. Lights Out King Cyz- 4:56
16. Lyna Anthem - 3:05
17. Witness This - 3:35
18. Bloodsport - 2:58

PURCHASE

REVIEW: (COMING SOON)

Braille - IV Edition (2008)

2008-03-21T16:50:00.000-07:00

Artist - Braille
Album - The IV Edition
Format - Audio Cd (MP3)
Bitrate - 320 kbps

Released: March 16, 2008 (leak, not official release date)

01. Beautiful Humanity ( 3:06)
02. Submission Hold ( 3:09)
03. Calculated Risk (Feat. Mr. J & Manchild) ( 3:33)
04. The IV (Feat. Rob Swift) ( 3:17)
05. Main Squeeze ( 3:21)
06. Remember Your Path (Feat. Rob Swift) ( 3:37)
07. Constantly Growing (Feat. Speech) ( 4:27)
08. Blessed Man ( 3:50)
09. Many Stories (Feat. Barry Hampton) ( 4:13)
10. Raise the Dead (Feat. Poems) ( 3:44)
11. Double Dose ( 2:55)
12. Counter Attack (Feat. Theory Hazit & DJ Idull) ( 2:45)
13. Mental Guards (Snitch Blade) ( 3:51)
14. Get it Right (Feat. Ragen Fykes) ( 4:16)
15. Restless ( 2:36)
16. The Cure ( 2:19)
17. ADDvice (Feat. DJ Bombay) ( 2:55)

REVIEW:

Haven't got much time so I'll just whip up something quick.

Another top quality album from the one and only Braille, the title sums up it's overall message very cleverly. You see the letters "IV" do not only mean the number 4 in roman numerals, showing that this is Braille's fourth album, but in medical terms it also means administration of nutrients through the veins. In this album Braille tries to show the listeners that "Jesus Christ is the cure for the human condition". And in my opinion, he does that quite well.

To sum it up: the rhymes are dripping with lyrical mastery, as usual. The production is top notch as well. Some stand-out tracks are... ah forget about it. Every track is brilliant. This is definitly a contender for best HHH record of the year.

Highly recommended.

5/5

DJ Maj - Speckled Goats II (2007)

2008-03-21T16:43:00.000-07:00

Released: 2008

1. DJ Maj featuring Tony Williams - First Day
2. Japhia Life - Arms Out
3. Just.Live - Bolla Atcha Hoy
4. Da-Enforcerz - Shut It Down
5. Manafest - Bounce
6. DJ Maj - So Free
7. Pigeon John - As We Know It
8. Othello - Silhouette
9. Gospel Gangstaz (Camp 8) featuring Knine - Back Then
10. Pettidee featuring Izzy - Run For Cover
11. J-Remy - Country Boyz
12. Roy Battle - Real
13. Eugene IV - Dear MC
14. Electric Church - Naked
15. Ritchie Righteous - Ay You
16. Syntist - The Cure
17. Knine - Thank You
18. Verses featuring Verbs and Cult Free - Cassette Tapes & Roller Skates
19. DJ Maj featuring John Katina - Back To Center
20. Mark J. featuring Japhia Life & 4th Avenue Jones - (Untitled)
21. Soul Cafe - Count Your Blessings

PURCHASE

REVIEW: (COMING SOON)

Beat Rabbi & Deepspace 5 - Deepspace5oul (2008)

2008-03-20T17:23:00.000-07:00

Released: 2008

1. Intro
2. Deepspace5oul (feat. Sev Statik, Playdough, Illtripp, Listener, Manchild, Sintax.The.Terrific, Freddie Bruno & Sivion)
3. Carry On (feat. Playdough)
4. Beautiful (feat. Playdough & Sivion)
5. Lip Service (Remix) (feat. Manchild & DJ Dust of Mars Ill)
6. The Founder (feat. Manchild)
7. Last Samurai (feat. Sev Statik & Illtripp)
8. Similac (feat. Sev Statik)
9. On A Side Note (feat. Sivion & Freddie Bruno)
10. Life Is... (feat. Listener)
11. Deepspace Seoul (feat. MC Fong)
12. Soul in the Horn (feat. Sivion On Saxophone)
13. Dance Your Life Away (feat. Listener & Illtripp)
14. Say Something (feat. Illtripp)
15. Double Dog Dare You (feat. Manchild & Sintax.The.Terrific)
16. Park Bench (feat. Sintax.The.Terrific)
17. Downtoan Connect (feat. Manchild & Sev Statil)
18. We Got To (feat. Sintax & Sev Statik)
19. Enemy Mine (feat. Sintax & Listener)
20. Absolutely Nothing (feat. Freddie Bruno)
21. Say Yeah (feat. Freddie Bruno & Playdough)
22. Deep Space Soul (feat. Peter Neverland)

REVIEW: (COMING SOON)

2008-03-20T16:20:00.000-07:00

Artist: Canton Jones
Title: Kingom Business
Label: Universal Music Christian Group/Arrow Records
Genre: R&B/Hip Hop
Bitrate: 194kbit av.
Time: 00:56:15
Size: 84.64 mb

1. Living Clean (My Life) (Feat. Big Ran)
2. The Professional (Feat. Joey)
3. My Walk
4. I Won?t Stop
5. WCJ-1
6. Hater Day
7. What You Want
8. Kingdom Business (Feat. Mouthpiece)
9. 24?s (Feat. Mr. Del, Milliyon Messenja And M Eazy)
10. Pimp Hard (Feat. Big Ran)
11. Vacation (Feat. Ramona Jones)
12. Kool
13. Nobody Cared
14. My Day
15. Ringtone

PURCHASE

REVIEW: (COMING SOON)

Grits - 5 for 5 EP

2008-03-17T22:41:00.001-07:00

Released: 21 Feb, 2008

1. Alone in the Cold
2. Dusk Till Dawn
3. Lets Get It Started
4. Livin
5. Reminds Me

PURCHASE (only available for purchase through official myspace page)

REVIEW: (COMING SOON)

Various Artists - Night Owls 4: A Shot in the Dark

2008-03-17T22:35:00.000-07:00

Released: 4 December, 2007

1. Kaboose featuring Christin Hart - For You
2. CookBook & UNO Mas (of L.A. Symphony) - Always Shine
3. theBREAX featuring LMNO - We Will Not Stop
4. Page One & Because - Emceeing Is Believing
5. NoVA Infinite - Spell It
6. Motion Plus - Hold On
7. Maximillian - California Soul
8. Listener - Older Than I Was Before
9. Soul P, Jeremiah Bonds & Sivion featuring DJ Wise - First of All
10. DJ Wise - A Shot In The Dark
11. Kaboose featuring ManChild, Playdough & DJ Promote - Knuckle Up
12. Insufficient Funds featuring Afaar - Something You Said
13. Man of War - Shots Out
14. The Pride (Sintax.the.terrific & ManChild) - Test Market
15. Paradox featuring Sean P - Live & Direct
16. Scribbling Idiots featuring DJ Promote - Fine Line
17. Capture, Propaganda & Sojourn - We Ran With It
18. Cal Logic - Choose Your Battles
19. Braille - Okay With It
20. RedCloud & DJ Wise - 21 Jump Street

PURCHASE

REVIEW: (COMING SOON)

116 Clique - Amped EP

2008-03-17T17:47:00.000-07:00

Media: [Audio CD] [Digital Download]
Released: 2007
Recordlabel: Reach Records
Info: The EP is released on August 28th, 2007.

1. Send Me / Represent - Lecrae featuring Tedashi
2. The Red Revolution - Tedashi featuring Sho Baraka
3. Beyond Belief - Lecrae
4. Cash or Christ / Fanatics - Trip Lee featuring Lecrae
5. No More - Tedashi featuring Lecrae
6. Amped - Trip Lee

PURCHASE

REVIEW:

The latest release from the HHH super group 116 Clique (Trip Lee, Lecrae, Sho Baraka, Tedashii, This'l & J'Son) sounds a bit different then you may expect. Amped goes off 116 Clique's well-beaten hip hop track by producing an EP filled entirely with rock/rap songs.

Three of the songs are remixes of 116 Cliques previous works (Send Me, Cash or Christ, No More) and three of them are new releases (The Red Revolution, Beyond Belief, Amped).
The remixes give a refreshing change from the normally crunk-sounding tracks by using authentic rock and generally things sound much more sonically deeper than the originals .
The songs Send Me and Cash or Christ are interesting because as well as being remixed, a different song has been blended close to the ending of each. Send Me is blended with Represent and Cash or Christ is blended with Fanatics. Although the blend is only short it's a nice little addition.

The new releases on the EP are just fantastic. Red Revolution is a rap/rock party track that combines the lyrical talents of Tedashii and Sho Baraka. The song is a call to Christians to unite as one and not discriminate against skin colors or denominations Beyond Belief by Lecrae is an absolute show stopper with it's epic anthem-like chorus in worship of the one and only Saviour. Trip Lee totally wrecks it on the title track, Amped. Which is all about getting"amped up" about Christ. It's a thumping song complete with, not only electric, but acoustic guitars and a nice blend of soft and hard music. It is definitly a unique piece of music.

Overall the album is lyrically and musically amazing, and I can tell you whoever came up with the idea of rock music and 116 Clique was a complete genius! The songs never seem to lose their hip hop vibe though, and I can guarantee you, if you love hip hop, you won't have any problems with this EP.

RATING: 5/5