DJ Kelechi : Christian DJ

Boneyard/Flicker Records
Bone-a-fide is a release worthy of a rapper who has paid his dues and “been ripping mikes since [the days of] tape decks”.  Only the most enduring Holy Hip-Hop fans would know that the MC who is now probably best known for his role as the latino rapper in Beyonce & Cuba’s  ‘Fighting Temptations’ movie has actually been in the ‘game’ for 12 years.  And with this album he makes a power play with a textbook perfect approach to putting a modern day rap album together.
Few would deny T-Bone the credit of being one of the best MCs in the game, with his bi-lingual lyrics, which often shoot out with the speed and ferocity of a high calibre automatic firearm. But this time he has supplemented his wordplay with top quality production from an arsenal of Gospels top producers.
Reporting for production duty are Fred Jerkins of Darkchild, Warryn ‘Baby Dubb’ Campbell, and Teak & Dee Underdone. Teak and Dee combine to create a track that is sinister and bouncy on ‘Let That Thang Go’.  Uncle Freddie is ably assisted by the high- pitched vocals of LeSawn Daniels on the excellent ‘Can I Live’.  Whilst ‘I Been Looking Around’ borrows a vocal sample from Patti LaBelle to great effect in true Kanye West fashion, ‘Follow T’ is three verses of braggadocios  baradoccio ego rap over a banging beat.  Simple.  That is the essence of hip-hop.  How it was always meant to be.

Fruits Productions

That is the question posed on track 3 of this album from Birmingham based rap duo Fruits.  Your answer better be “Really Real” because these rough diamonds of the underground Gospel Rap scene bring the message raw and uncut.  Whilst the production style of Friksun is at times often as dark as a dungeon at midnight, the deep, gritty vocals of HMD bellow out truths with a ferocity that scares my two- year old daughter!
However, the greatest asset of a rough diamond is its purity, and ‘First Fruits’ is a debut album full of hip-hop psalms delivered with a candidness and purity of heart that is quite endearing.
This all goes together to make for some surprisingly powerful tracks, namely ‘Who’s Crackers’, ‘What is Your God?’ and my favourite, ‘God’s Children’.
My fear is that this album will not get the exposure it needs to reach out and touch the hearts of those whom HMD & Fushkin have meant it for. That is exactly what will happen if industry folk take one look at where they are coming from and their style of music without giving the lyrical content a fair hearing.
Don’t sleep on this one. Make sure you check it out for yourselves!

Set Apart Records
G. C. Lewis, with his ‘Truth Behind Hip-Hop’ teachings, and all who follow his doctrine are creating an anti-hip-hop/anti-secular agenda that seems to be growing ever more ferocious.
That is why I must commend the bravery of Karl Nova (of G.K.Real) for putting this mix CD out on the street in this current climate.  And this is a street mix-tape for real, with all the ingredients that you would expect, from someone on the secular underground scene: rap lyrics, over the most popular hip-hop and R’n’B instrumentals, DJ jingles, guest appearances and interludes.
However, what makes this different is the lyrical content, which clearly illustrates the mission, which is to preach the Gospel.  Karl Nova is, at times preacher, at times teacher, sometimes comical, always honest.  Like on the autobiographical ‘Intro’ where he talks about his walk, his musical ambitions and his struggle for acceptance from both the church and the world.
With a grand total of 28 tracks, there are some numbers that weren’t as good as the rest, but I found more than enough heavy tunes to keep me happy. Standout tracks include ‘Revelation’ and ‘Finished Work’ which are both rap remixes of tracks from the G.K.Real ‘Its All About You’ album.  Other favourites of mine include ‘Praise Him Cos’ He’s God’ and the excellent anti-violence anthem ‘Put Down Your Guns’.
Double Portion also provides a platform for new female MC Folashade to introduce herself on a few tracks, of which ‘Folashade’s Flow (One)’ and the African influenced ‘Imela’ are the best.
Nova knows that he is in danger of receiving criticism from some parts of the Church, but this album is aimed at those OUTSIDE the Church, those on street level… and for them, he’s speaking the right language.
Keep doing your thing!

Gospocentric/ZombaThis is easily one of the most eagerly awaited releases of the year. His last album ‘God & I’ put Papa San in league of his own with such enduring hits as ‘Pop Style’ and ‘Step Pon Di Enemy’. ‘Real & Personal’, his third Gospel reggae album and (second CD on Gospocentric) picks up exactly where the previous album left off.
A wide variety of musical influences ensure that Papa San will continue to enjoy support from a fan base which reaches out much further than the reggae dancehall scene. Having said that, I feel that it’s not too commercial to lose the support of the streets. DJs lucky enough to get their hands on promo copies of the lead single, ‘More Life’, have already bared witness to the tracks dance floor filling powers. ‘Just Seh Di Word’ is another club banger with Papa San’s quick fire word wizardry over sirens and a catchy drum pattern.
Another thing that characterises a Papa San release is the high production values. Producers Eddie Perez and Maurice Gregory ensure that each track is more considered than just ‘one-DJ-over-a-riddim’. The best examples of this are the worshipful ‘Oh Zion’, ‘For You Lord’ and the Psalm 23 inspired ‘It’s All About You’.
On the whole, I’m not sure whether ‘Real & Personal’ surpasses the great heights of his last album. But I am 100% sure that this will be one of the best releases in this genre for 2006 and it will deservedly dominate the charts for months to come.

Gospocentric/Zomba
It seems as though everyone and anyone in black Gospel is recording live worship albums and Byron Cage chooses to follow fashion with his latest offering.  Produced by PAJAM, this album gets off to a great start with the high energy ‘Bless the Lord’.  It gets even better with the next track, ‘We Love You’ a duet with J. Moss (complete with his trademark background vocals).  Great vocal arrangements and a highly contagious melody make this the best song on this album by some distance.
Another highlight (of which there aren’t too many) is ‘Worship the King’.  It’s an up tempo sing-a-long chorus with a hugely infectious bouncy baseline that compels you to dance.
In contrast, the down tempo worship tracks lack originality and generally fail to really hit the mark.  The best is ‘Broken But I’m Healed’ which has lyrics that will minister to a lot of people.
On the whole, this is a worthwhile addition to your collection, but I doubt if ‘An Invitation to Worship’ will enjoy the same success of his self-titled Gospocentric debut.