Most Helpful Customer Reviews
|
|
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Life-changing pop art, October 21, 2008
While relatively new, the gospel rap movement has taken off with unbelievable success--lives are changing, records are selling, shows are selling out. God is at work--case closed.
On this record, the first thing that demands the listener's focus has to be Lecrae's openness--the transparency of his words; the cogency of his rhetoric; the totally unfettered, carefree pursuit of and joy in Truth in Christ.
That's something you don't see a lot. On the one hand, this isn't "worldview music"--the lyrics are as explicitly Christ-centered as possible--, while on the other, it's about the farthest thing from "praise music" as well. Instead, this is Jesus music--an all-out cultural assault on our wicked American values which preaches the truth of Jesus, the Word himself, in ways we rarely think about.
His personal honesty and fallibility allow just about any Christian to identify with him, while his resistance to palliate the gospel (or what Paul calls the "offense" of Christ) demonstrates his commitment to Truth over everything else. (He raps about just this; see "Go Hard" and "I'm a Saint.") His words evince an intimacy with Christ that I long for. In this way, this music encourages and edifies in a way that most praise music can only despair of with its patheticly rehashed music forms; lack of innovation; and bland, chintzy lyrics.
That reminds me of his packaging. While the picture of Lecrae standing by his "ride" is downright hilarious as it turns the whole "rap star" image completely upside down, I'm more drawn to the dark city art covering the Digipak case that very tastefully evokes the mystique of the inner city: the ridiculous crime and poverty rates somehow subsisting amid a sea of dollars and skyscrapers; that elusive notion of beauty inhered by darkness--I mean, it's downright perplexing. What are those tall buildings hiding? Their success is phony--they're dark and empty; their light has been removed. The ghettos that surround them in squalor indict them for their (unfortunately) American-style greed and fanciful fabrication of greatness. These pictures, while hollowing out our tallest cultural (and let's be honest--religious) structures, nevertheless infuse these depressing places with a mysterious attraction--and the urgent need for help.
This art is reconstruction in action. We're talking about the Christian requisition of an entire art form. This is monumental! Lecrae has tailored the crunkness of the sickest beats you've ever heard to magnify the truth of the God's Word, to expose the emptiness of American values, to show the weakness of humanity--but above all to delineate the _love_ and _power_ and _lordship_ of Jesus Christ--whom he constantly beckons his listeners to find, love, and worship.
Moreoever, he's advancing a new stage in American Christianity--a "pop-media" enabled return to the scriptures that impugns the American traditions that have unfortunately paralyzed the white American, suburban, conservative congregations from engaging the turmoil on our own shores. Paul went to cities. He planted churches in cities. What are we doing in the suburbs? Let's go back!
I could talk forever about particular lines and rhymes, but you can do that too.
Suffice to say:
This is singing a new song unto the Lord.
Note: I think this is Lecrae's best record--one that even rivals shai linne's _The Atonement_ as best of the genre.
Buy it now. And buy another two copies to hand out to your friends. That's the idea.
Let's do this thing. Let's get this rebellion on!
|
|
|
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Jesus Rebel , September 30, 2008
I am a big fan of Lecrae's first two albums "Real Talk" and then "After the Music Stops." And I am now a big fan of Lecrae's third album "(rebel)" it is a new and interesting take on Lecrae's previous styles and it works. I like all the songs I haven't skipped one song and I have listened to it four times in two days of owning it. Buy this album, become a rebel like Jesus and represent the 116 Clique. Buy the Deluxe Edition available at ReachRecords.com
http://www.merchline.com/reach/categorydisplay.3093.c.htm (it comes with a t-shirt, window decal, usb wristband, and the album of course and buy the 116 hat they have on their site it is very comfortable and it shows that your unashamed of the Gospel)
Last thoughts: I love Holy Hip Hop, God, Reading the Bible, Conversing on deep matters like sin and so on. And if you like any of those previous mentioned things you will have a connection to this album, it is a very deep album worthy of Lecrae's first two amazing CD's.
|
|
|
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
9.4 out of 10 rating from CHHReview.com, July 1, 2009
Two years after his Sophomore album "After the Music Stops" Lecrae strikes again with his album "Rebel."
The album title refers to the fact that in order to truly be a rebel in today's fallen world, one must do the opposite of what the majority of humanity is doing - for by definition, the term rebel refers to someone who fights against the established ways. In a world marked by sin, the truest form of rebellion is to live a Godly life, chasing after Christ and not after money, sex, drugs, material possessions, etc.
With this premise established, the album sets out to provide anthems to for this new breed of rebels to march to. Like it's title suggests, the song "Don't Waste Your Life" exhorts the listener to pour ones life into the things that truly matter, namely, serving God. If only we could visually see the amount of time that we spend on work, school, and personal pursuits in contrast to the time that we spend serving the LORD. Most of us, myself included, need to flip that ratio around.
Other stand out songs include:
"Identity" - A song that stresses the importance of us finding our identity in Christ and not in our material possessions. Da Truth proves to be a strong guest appearance, and a memorable RNB hook is laid on the track by J.R.
"Live Free" - This is an eclectic song that features an unorthodox beat, and an equally unorthodox rhyme pattern provided by guest Sho Baraka.
The album is also carried by strong songs such as "Rebel (The Intro Track!)", "Indwelling Sin", "Truth", "I'm a Saint", and "Beautiful Feet."
This is a superior album that is absolutely essential to any hip hop fan's collection. It is a worthy follow up to Lecrae's sophomore album "After the Music Stops." Overall, the album has earned a 9.4 out of 10 rating from CHHReview.
Here is a detailed breakdown of the album, where each individual song is rated:
1. Rebel (Intro) - 9.5/10
2. Don't Waste Your Life - 10/10
3. Go Hard - 8.5/10
4. Identity - 10/10
5. Indwelling Sin - 9.5/10
6. Breathin' to Death - 8/10
7. Truth - 9.5/10
8. Desperate - 8/10
9. Change - 8/10
10. Fall Back - 9.5/10
11. Live Free - 10/10
12. Got Paper - 7.5/10
13. I'm a Saint - 9.5/10
14. The Bride - 8.5/10
15. Beautiful Feet - 9/10
|
|
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews
|
by LeCrae 
