Review: The Czar – Life Support
The First EP from Hip Hop artist The Czar can be purchased at:
http://www.discrevolt.com/theczar
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Post on worshipcity
Synopsis:
Czar does what I believe is truly difficult for the genre to accomplish, especially overt Christian musicians trying to release a creation of their art form that’s true to the style yet also not…a big block of cheese! Hip Hop and Rap must deliver on the attitude and toughness that most songs call for and doesn’t lend itself very well typically to songs about God and hope and sharing the Gospel and prayer and humbleness. I’m so glad that Czar is able to pull this off! With only 5 songs he covers a good basis of beats from the in your face attitude with Masses and You Already Know, he swings in low with a chilling sample of Lifehouse’s Broken in After the Pain, he throws in a bit of spoken “floetry” with My Prayer, and attempts an actual peppy Hope!
I get a Jay-Z feel from the You Already Know loop and organ/brass from My Prayer. I even feel a little of the mainstream Eminem on the chorus of Masses!
You will not find any auto-tone dragging on here and most of the mixes are pretty straightforward loop mixing. I’m actually the most disappointed in the mix if I must complain about something. I’m not sure if that’s a result of the copy I have or what but it needs some better mastering to be truly taken seriously by those outside the Christian circuit.
Bottom Line:
I think there’s a super low cheese meter here and some incredible subject matter lyrically and some tight beats.
[rating:4/5]
Must Have Songs:
You Already Know and After the Pain
Songs to do in Church:
None of these are appropriate for a typical church worship service but all can and could be done in a youth setting. Great stuff probably for video accompaniment as well!
Post on Live to Worship
Synopsis:
Let me start off by saying I am no hip hop expert. I once bought a Destiny’s Child album and that’s no longer in my iTunes. When I started listening to Czar’s “Life Support” I loved it immediately. The lyrics of these songs are superb and Czar’s passion for God really shines through. It makes me want to go drive my car around the neighborhood with the windows down and Czar blasting through the speakers. Word up. Yo.
[rating:4/5]
Must Have Songs:
Standout tracks for me are Hope, Masses and My Prayer. The lyrics on My Prayer are soooo good.
Songs to do in Church:
I would not attempt to any of these songs in church. But that’s a good thing, believe me.
Synopsis:
I had the privilege recently to work with “The Czar” for our Christmas youth service. It was so great to see rap actually work in the church. Live the man brings energy to the stage and a honesty that is rarely seen these days. This heart comes across in this EP. It is easy to see a man that went through some tough stuff in his life, found God and did a 180.
I love listening to this Ep because it has variety. Im going to use a scary word here and don’t let it put you off, but this CD has a real old-school vibe for me. That isn’t to say it isn’t modern sounding. I grew up listening to rap like tribe called quest, arrested development, and digable planets. Rap that had style and class and wasn’t the same old garbage we hear every day in hip-hop. So while this EP has a new style it also brings in the flavors of old.
This is a refreshing presentation of the Gospel and truth through some great music.
My only issues are with the production. I think the mix could have been much better, but with a first in house EP this is a fantastic work.
Bottom Line:
Custom beats and a better mix would have pushed this over the top for me
[rating:4/5]
Must Have Songs:
After the Pain and Masses
Songs to do in Church:
I personally would not be able to pull these off without looking really odd, but I do believe after working with him that rap has a place in corporate worship within the right setting.
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THE JOINT AS A WHOLE GIVES
The Czar : Life Support EP [rating:overall]
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