Rags to Riches Album Review

Well I'd like to start off with saying that this album has pretty much all the reasons I got into Christian hip hop in the first. The album does a good job of presenting the gospel in that it really displays the dimensions of God displayed on the cross and how the life of each artist has been transformed by it. Which is love among others. If I had to use scripture verses to give an idea of what these guys were talking about I would use: 2 Corinthians 5:17, 1 John 4:9 and Titus 3:3-7.

2 Corinthians 5:17

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold all things are become new.

1 John 4:9

In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.

It puts the power of the glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ on full display. This album can be used to educate and encourage those who are young in the faith, it can be used as an evangelistic tool to win those who don’t know Christ; this album goes far beyond Christian entertainment.

THE ARTISTRY:

One word: clever. I like the way potent truth is broken down in the simplest of terms and the way scripture is skillfully interleaved into the verses. You won’t hear lampmode-stlye reference rhymes but the scripture is very present.

I also like the fact that the content isn’t easily forgettable. I found myself singing the hook for “Life I Live” not too long after I heard it.

I’ll also give the artists kudos for the inflection used in their songs. The tone of “Left Alone” portrays the idea of a big brother who is passing on his wisdom, nicely done in my opinion. The inflection and lyricism used in Warrior was perfect, it was confident, bold and gave me the impression that the artists know the God that backed them up and are willing to stand firm in His word.

The one thing I don’t really like about this album is the use of Autotune. Some folks like it, but to me it’s dated, played out and annoying. It wasn’t excessive, but it was definitely enough to make me write about.

THE PRODUCTION:

I can sum up my feelings about the production of this album in one sentence: “This is one of the best ways to get a neckbrace”. Don't know what a neck-brace is, I Googled it for you: http://lmgtfy.com/?q=cervical+collar.

I say that to say that this is one of the first albums that I've heard in a long time where the production hasn't been mediocre, nauseating or sleep-inducing. To say the least the production on this album is inspiration as a musician and Hip Hop producer. As soon as I heard it, I felt like getting on my keyboard and just releasing the ideas that I've had in my head for so long.

I'm usually very picky when it comes to Hip Hop, but this was so well done that I have no complaints. I'll admit that I don't have the best ears in the world but I can definitely say that the best tracks were used to accompany message being communicated in this project.

One example of this would be the track ‘Life I Live’. It has that smooth east coast vibe complements the message of translation from light to dark and the beauty of the new life he gives. This is one of my favorite tracks on the album.

The wide range of expression on this album is another thing that made it a pleasure to listen to, it has everything from Lex Luger-esque South-side bangers to smooth yet serious R&B type songs, to sampled East-coast New York style Hip Hop; I think there’s something for everyone.

THE MESSAGE:

Well like I said in the intro the album pretty much presents the power of the Gospel to its listeners. It tells of its ability to transform the individual holistically and how the love of God is able to work in every single area of our lives.

This is where I think this album shines, it doesn’t try to be a corny knock off of the garbage we hear on the radio, doesn’t try to be so doctrinal that it becomes almost heretical, it simply presents to Gospel.

MY RECOMMENDED COURSE OF ACTION:

This album is a definite buy, if I had the money and someone in mind, I’d buy this album just to give it to someone. The content is rich, the production is solid, the message is potent (it’s the gospel I wouldn’t expect anything less) and the skillful artistry pulls it all together into a really nice package.

Written by :

Andrew Olton

 

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