Mike REAL - ‘Mind Of Hollis’
Prior to the release of his album, Mike REAL discussed the concept with Rapzilla.
“I got the idea early last year,” he said. “One of my friends had told me ‘Man, do you realize that most of your metaphors have to do with a movie or a TV show?’”
Mike hadn’t intended for his lyrics to come out in such a way, but it was this realization that became the base for the year-long journey that would turn into Mind of Hollis.
He further explained that the album is based off of a TV show, so he wanted to have a TV-themed album cover. After looking at artwork from different shows, he and his team were able to piece together what is now the cover of Mind of Hollis.
“The album cover tells a story,” Mike said, “and the album is that story.”
Adding more to the story, Mike said that many people think that his last name is REAL, when, in fact, it’s Hollis. He wanted to give people a chance to go inside his mind and see what he’s gone through in his walk with Christ — hence the title, Mind of Hollis.
“I didn’t just want to put together an album with 14 songs,” he said. “I wanted an experience.”
Mike describes it as his first conceptual album. At the end of the day, all he truly wants is to glorify God and minister to people with it. He said that is what God has done for him, so now he wants to do that for others.
“None of us are closer to God than the next man,” Mike said. “We all need Jesus.”
Mike referenced Isaiah 6:5, when Isaiah saw the beauty of the Lord and cried out “Woe is me! I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.” He cried out because of his sin, Mike said — the perceived size of that sin was irrelevant.
“I want people to see that it’s not about the scale of right and wrong, but what God sees as right and wrong,” Mike said. “We all need his grace.”
Sintax the Terrific - "The Last Unicorn."
Trugoy of De La Soul said it best, "Investing in fantasies and not God. Welcome to reality, see times is hard." Sometimes we would prefer a cheap carnival trick over actual magic. Ironically, we cannot see a real unicorn unless she's been placed in a costume horn first. It is as if we have to make life fake before it gets real.
Inspired by Peter S. Beagle's novel of the same name, The Last Unicorn, is a rap story about pain and selfishness and regret and repentance and petulance and desire and unicorns. It is a record about running away and never being able to escape, all at the same time. The unicorn is at once without bounds and a prisoner simultaneously. Humanity is the same -- trapped in the discomfort of our own skin. Prophets tell us that our freedom literally comes in bondage.
Propaganda & Odd Thomas - ‘Art Ambidextrous’
The intro track "The City" says "And when you're born...with drugs and money launderers, now a husband and a father, that's proof that God loves you." A track that was previously part of the Humble Beginning compilation, "Beautiful Pain," finds its way onto the Art Ambidextrous tracklist as well. Propaganda speaks of things that are painful but are beneficial in life, and end up creating something amazing. One of the prime examples he uses? "Like hail Mary full of grace, she was proud of her stretch marks, how her skin expanded to bring forth the Son of Man, that's pain, but it's beautiful." He sees truth in the darkness, and, like "Beautiful Pain," finds beauty in the painful aspects of life. He even reminds us that he's also just a person and a Christian who needs accountability in "Dig." He says, "Hold me accountable, call me on my laziness, call me by my birthname, look me in the face and dig." It's clear that humility is important to him. When it comes down to it, the majority of Propaganda's lyrics are worthy of mentioning here. He's a fabulous lyricist, and he gives it all he's got. It's a testimony to the great lyrical gift that God's given him. On the musical end, it turns out that getting your beats and production from Odd Thomas is a very good idea. His beats are solid, and very versatile. He gets tribal in "So Help Me," west coast-ish in the straight-up hip hop jam "Lean," and just destroys it on "I Hate It," "Beautiful Pain" and "Dig." The music production isn't necessarily the cleanest I've heard, but it works in the album's favor anyway. Read More Here
“I want people to feel proud about what they have. If you have little or much, there is hope. The comparison game tears down houses. If there’s anywhere you belong, it’s home.’”— Canon
Read more at Reflection Music Group
Christon Gray - Clear The Heir
Best Song On The Record:"Gray" has so much depth lyrically, it touches on recent social issues and calls the church to more action. It is an Ohio all-star show featuring Gray's brother Taelor and Tragic Hero. It isn't a song that can be listened to once. It is a song to sit with. The chorus is an exhortation to the listener, "There's a Heaven and we all wanna go/Does anybody wanna fall on the sword/Take my hand, I just want you to know/Healing begins when you call on the Lord."
Christon Gray is a rule breaker. He does not fit neatly within one genre. Rather, he blends them together, making something that can only be his own. His journey over the years has been the tale of the underdog. This is an artist that should not be counted out or brushed aside. Clear The Heir is an album that will be revisited years from and considered groundbreaking in its own right. Read More Here
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