Album Review: "Fly Exam" by JGivens

   This year has been a great year for music so far. From To Pimp a Butterfly's incredibly captivating and varied music, to Twenty-One Pilots' catchy, meta, and emotional Blurryface, to Father John Misty's debauched hilarity in I Love You Honeybear, I have been blessed with some great albums this year. I have been looking forward to Fly Exam ever since JGivens' released the first single, "Ignorantro." In this song, he unleashes a veritable storm of bars essentially saying he is the best, and all you rappers need to step up your game if you want to even be in the same league as him. He raps over a looping bass line that screams cockiness. It definitely seemed like a new direction for JGivens.

   When JGivens released his next single, "Lost in Space", it became clear that this project wasn't going to be all like "Ignorantro." "Lost in Space" sounded much darker sonically, and JGivens rapped about how lack of community will most often lead to a shipwreck. This intrigued me even further for his album. The variety in just these two songs also made me happy, because if I had a problem with his previous project, El V. Envy, it was the production. Not that the production was bad, but it tended to be too similar from one song to the next.

   Did JGivens meet my expectations, or did he fail to take flight? In short, he soared above my expectations. The album is split into two parts, Side A: So High, opens with "Ignorantro", then goes into "Butterfly Stance." In this song, Liz Vice sings: "You ain't gotta fly so high! You ain't gotta drive so high!" This has a couple meanings as Givens revealed in an interview. He mentioned that many people thought this just meant pride, but it also literally means high as in drugs. Liz Vice is taking on the voice of a friend and telling him he doesn't have to "Drive so high." The first half of the album is JGivens flying higher than anyone in skill, and pride. For example, in "Fahrenheit 99", he says: "And I'm evolving from crying to talking, to telling you: 'I can accomplish more than that God you claim to crawl to.'" He isn't completely ignorant, as there are moments of clarity throughout the first half. In "Butterfly Stance", he says: "Hopeless, I'm hopeless, I wish I'd come home with you so high." In "Attack of the Clones" he says: "They say there's a grace abounding love chasing me, chasing me."

   Side B, So Low, opens with "Lost in Space." Just the title implies that he has flown too far on his own, and is now completely lost. The next song is "Humming Bird Stance", which is the best song on the whole album. JGivens has said the opening lyrics are supposed to be like you are walking into the middle of a conversation. Those opening lyrics ("And so apparently the Everglades are ineligible for Obama Care.") capture your attention and are the perfect way to introduce the lyrical concept of the first verse. Givens talks about suicide using a clever metaphor where buildings and other inanimate objects are used to represent humans. It is a head nodding, and head scratching song. Then, the second verse happens. JGivens is lying on a bathroom floor, trying to kill himself with an overdose. This hits you in the gut, then J asks: "Who is gonna save me?" This leads into "Super Lowkey", whose second verse contains some of my favorite lyrics of the year. (Really the whole album is lyrical goldmine.)

   Icarus is a recurring motif, perfectly reflecting the story on this album. This album is about JGivens flying too close to the sun (Son), he then gets burned, crashing down to earth, but God picks him back up. What about the title? What on earth does that mean? Well, I think the "Fly Exam" is supposed to be the test to get to heaven. JGivens tries to do it on his own and fails miserably, but then he trusts in Jesus who already passed the fly exam for him. This doesn't mean J doesn't still struggle with sin, but he knows his salvation is not reliant on his own actions. This may be completely off base, but it is my stab at the meaning of the title.

   All the various pieces of the album come together to make a masterpiece. JGivens has truly painted a picture with his words that makes you think, feel, and learn. It is a 10/10, the second of the year with To Pimp a Butterfly holding the other one. I recommend this to everyone, especially those who love finding new gems with every listen. What did you think of the album? If you have any thoughts, I'd be glad to hear them. Have an excellent day!
  



  

Top Five Christian Hip-Hop Albums of the 2010's

  Christian Hip-Hop has improved in recent years with labels like Humble Beast and Collision Records experimenting with their sound instead of trying to hop on a trend that was popular the year before. The recent years have given us some extremely strong offerings in different styles. From the more backpack sounding rap, to more "accessible" rap, we have gotten strong albums in both camps. Before we begin, I have some honorable mentions.

Rehab by Lecrae
This is the first rap album I ever bought. It helped me through a tough time in my life, and I had difficulty not putting it on the list. The reason for this is some inconsistency with the tracks. Some of the tracks stray away from the concept of the album.

Heroes For Sale by Andy Mineo
I love Andy Mineo and I eagerly await his next project. Heroes For Sale is a strong debut album from Mineo, and would have made the list if it were not for the same problem with Rehab. The album strays off of the concept with a couple of 116 anthems.

Crimson Cord by Propaganda
This album was very hard to keep off the list. Propaganda a spoken word poet and a rapper who crafts thought provoking songs almost every time he records a track. The reason this album didn't make the list... Well, because there can only be five. If I had to pick, this would be my number six.

 On to the list!

5. Blind Elephant by Gemstones
I know this album only came out recently, but it deserves to be here. It was nice to hear some high quality, varied production along with Gemstone's varied flow and subject matter. "Temple", and "Almost Home" are the best tracks on the album.

4. Circa MMXI: The Collective by High Society Collective
The High Society Collective includes soulful singer JR, multitalented Natalie Lauren (FKA Suzy Rock), politically minded Sho Baraka, and the lyricist Swoope. This quartet put out a great collaboration with this album. They range from politically charged songs like "MAD ABOUT" and "Press on",  to tearing apart lesser skilled rappers with the incredible "TGC."


3. Instruments of Mercy by Beautiful Eulogy
Beautiful Eulogy is a trio with Braille and Odd Thomas handling rapping, and Courtland Urbano handling production with the duo. This album is the best theology you will hear in an album, but, that does not compromise the music itself. The music is very well produced with more indie and folky sounding flourishes than you would expect. "Release Me From This Snare", and "Symbols and Signs" are the best tracks on this consistently solid album.

2. Gold Rush: Maybe One Day by Dre Murray
Dre Murray is a phenomenal artist, and one of the most creative guys in the genre. In this album, he explores the "Gold Rush" that everbody chases and feels entitled to. As he says in "Maybe One Day": "I see it and one day I'mma get it, I gotta have it, not sure what it is, but they say that it's magic." Dre always raps in first person, and avoids preaching at you. He follows various people's attempts at attaining their "Gold Rush", whether it is while they are chasing it, attaining it, or on the other side, having lost it all. He  includes himself in this on a few tracks. He actually stays on concept throughout the whole album which is a tremendous plus for me.

1. 13th Floor by The Rep
What do I have to do to get more people to listen to this guy? Brandon Kagel, AKA The Rep, is a lyricist, dropping quotable and relatable gems in each song. There's only one song that I don't love, which happens to be the first song, "Picture on the Wall." Everything else is perfect, from his lyricism, to the production from Mustafasasbeats (who needs to get more work), yet it is criminally overlooked. To quote him from the track "Hello, Goodbye": "I feel like a crack house floor, 'cause I've been slept on." This album takes a much darker tone than anything else I've heard in Christian rap, but the gospel is still there. He talks about taboo subjects we would like to keep in the dark, but are essential to think about. The album is also incredibly and painfully personal for The Rep. In the track "Murder", he talks about his mother's suicide. In "'Till it's Over", he talks about his own drug abuse. He has empathy for the rejects and outcasts because he is/was one. To close, I'm going to leave you with a couple quotes from the album.

"They say my songs speak to 'em like I'm preaching sermons
And the pastor at his church sounds like he's speaking German.
But I just wonder if he knows
That I got problems of my own
And I'm following this road
But I ain't perfect neither.
That's why I need God,
His grace keeps me from flippin' out at my wife
And packing my bags at night to leave her.
And trust me, I done thought about it
And not one homey was around that I could call on like 'Dog, I'm drowning.'
They just left me drinking oceans
Trying to swallow mountains
Walking the tightrope during an earthquake I'm all off balance.
But I'm convinced that he was there when no one was
Satan gives the evil stare but Romans one says I am not ashamed,
And I am not ashamed.
So even when it's all over, I still overcome." -"Prison in My Head"

"I used to hide my face in the dark
Because I hate what I saw,
But still had all of God's promises taped to my door.
And then I'd look up to heaven
And say to the Lord with tears on my cheek:
'You said to praise you so I'm raising my arms!'
But inside I feel like I hate you,
What's taking so long?
You just left me surrounded by these angels with horns." -"Conversations"

   I hope you enjoyed this list. If you are interested in checking out the music talked about, three of the albums mentioned (Crimson Cord, Instruments of Mercy, and Circa MMXI: The Collective) are available (legally!) for free at noisetrade.com. I believe the rest of the albums are on Spotify. Anyway, if you have an opinion on the list, or want to share your own list, please do! Have an excellent day.

Album Review: "Blind Elephant" by Gemstones

  If you've followed my blog, you'll know I called Gemstones the best Christian rapper. (Or rapper who is a Christian, whatever floats your boat.) Obviously, I was hyped for this album. For those of you who don't know, Demarco Castle, a.k.a Gemstones, has been around for while. He used to be on Lupe Fiasco's label, releasing multiple solid mixtapes. Gemstones, due to some personal reasons including the death of a close friend, stepped away from the music industry. He returned with two more mixtapes, shifting the focus of his subject matter more towards God. If you want to check out his mixtapes, I suggest Untamed Beast, and Elephant in the Room.

  Anyway, onto Blind Elephant. The album has been delayed twice, which caused me some concern. Was it worth the wait? In my opinion, yes. Gemstones delivers again! The album opens with "Quick Go In", which serves as an introduction for those unfamiliar with Gemstones' lyrical genius. Next, "Believe" showcases Gemstones' singing ability.

  To address those who fear the album being too judgmental, Gemstones does a great job of not excluding himself in the critiques. The best example of this is on "Temple." The song starts with a verse about Gemstones walking into Church, feeling saved, then falling into bad habits the very next day. Opening the song like that lends the rest of the song a togetherness of sorts. In other words, we're all in the same boat, let's try to figure it out together.

  I do have some nitpicks about the album. The smallest one being on "Lyrical Miracle." When the producer says their name at the end of the track, it kills what momentum it picked up for me. I had a couple nitpicks with the lyrics at some points. Throughout three quarters of the album, there is some of the best lyricism of the year, which really is what this album is all about. In spite of that, I was taken off guard on "New World" when he talks about the Illuminati, and "Reptilians are real although though I've never seen 'em shift, I got a friend who did." This took me right out of the song, with the shame being it's probably the best produced song on the album.

  Those were just small problems I had, and it doesn't take away from the rest of the album. The best tracks will probably make a showing on my year end lists. If you're a fan of Christian hip-hop, this is a must have. If you normally don't listen to Christian Hip-hop, I strongly suggest you check it out anyway. This album is really close to To Pimp a Butterfly in the competition for my favorite rap albums of the year. In terms of Christian rap albums, this is the best album since last years slept on 13th Floor  by the extremely underrated The Rep. 

  I give Blind Elephant a 9/10, and a definite recommendation. When you give it a listen, let me know what you think.