Reviewed by Ben Hurrell

The tagline of this album states that this is 'The hottest Christian hip-hop of the year.' This is somewhat a misnomer for a couple of reasons. For a start, some of the tracks date from as far back as 2005. Also, some of the acts aren't hip-hop: Toby Mac and Family Force 5 certainly use elements of the style, but ultimately are out of place here. Focusing almost exclusively on the chart-friendly side of the genre, most of the tracks on here are of a high quality. The outstanding LA Symphony is represented with one of their more catchier tracks, "Rise". Veteran acts like Grits and Mars Ill also feature along with the eccentric John Reuben (whose track "Make Money Money" features a banjo!). Of the up-and-coming artists on the album, Soul P's blend of funky chart-rap and Lyrycyst's fast rhymes show plenty of promise. Gabe Real also delivers an thrilling slab of solid soulful hip-hop. Poor cuts from Just.Live and Willie Will somewhat rectify the balance, however. Diversity was obviously not on the minds of the compilers of this album, but if you are looking for new Christian hip-hop you could do worse.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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