Reviewed by Tony Cummings

A review of this highly important album - the best-selling Christian hip-hop album ever - is long overdue so apologies to our readers. But one of the advantages of coming in late with a review is that it gives the journo a chance to see how an album has been received by other reviewers. The reviews make fascinating reading. Rolling Stone magazine called Lecrae "a highly skilled, fast-talking, diary-spilling, self-proclaimed iconoclast" ending with the observation, "He may not swear, but 'Anomaly' is as hard-hitting as any rap record out right now" while hip-hop's leading publication Vibe wrote, "If 'Broken' featuring Kari Jobe doesn't hit you good in the heartplace, you might just be a whitewashed tomb full of dead man's bones." When one considers that both Rolling Stone and Vibe have in the past had little or any time for albums made by the legion of Christian rappers it becomes clear that the Atlanta-based emcee is connecting with a mainstream audience that no Christian rapper has previously. Lecrae tackles concepts such as war and nationalism on "Welcome To America", confesses "Fear" admitting his struggle with selfish ambition and how he is scared of "false confession" while the title track has our man claiming he's been "trying to get me a throne of my own so I could put my feet up" before proclaiming "Thank God my kingdom was overthrown by the soul redeemer." One particular gem is "Nuthin" which has recently been picked up for a Disney movie and succinctly points out that "money can't buy you freedom." Wherever you look and listen there is inventive production like the lush swells of orchestration on "Outsiders"; Andy Mineo's telling rap on "Say I Won't" - produced by Gawvi and 808xElite; and the closer "Messengers" featuring For King & Country which Jesus Freak Hideout describes as "irresistibly catchy." Make no mistake, Christian hip-hop has come of age and here's the proof.

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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