Reviewed by Andy Cooper

Rap has never been more popular than it is now, with three consecutive hip-hop number one singles in the national music charts (at time of writing). 'Hell? No!' is the latest hip-hop release Stateside to create a big stir in the Christian music scene and not for no reason: the beats, the bass, the rhymes and the rhythms are all there and they keep you hooked for a full 64 minutes! The record label (Reap Records) may be small, but the production is BIG (veteran Darryl Sutton and Jefflyn Dangerfield on the case). As far as the lyrics go, this is pure gospel: inspiring and challenging, evangelistic and worshipful. As far as the music goes, I defy anyone to stay still while listening! You've just got to get up and groove. There's plenty of variety too: hard core rap to please the most avid hip-hop fans, and plenty of memorable urban soul vocal hooks a la Men In Black (courtesy of Angie and Debbie Winans) to keep the more casual listener bobbing their heads. The only niggle is the all too frequent interruption of the music by unnecessary short "sketches" add "ditties" that infest many a hip-hop album these days. But that's just a personal thing: if you have a programmable CD player, then use it!

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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