King Kulture album review

March 1, 2012

Album Review- King Kulture

“Hip hop with a Cause” is what many are calling the album King Kulture. Rapzilla.com, a premier Christian hip hop site, released a compilation project called King Kulture in conjunction with Syntax Distribution on January 31, 2012. It is a two-year charity project featuring some of the best-known artists in the Christian hip hop genre, including Lecrae, KJ-52, GTIRS, Braille, Sho Baraka and more. The proceeds from the 16-track project will benefit a school in the Congo where the literacy rate is 66 percent (versus 99 percent in the United States).

This was a highly anticipated album because of the hype from many of the top artists featured on the album. Artists like KJ-52 haven’t released a hit album since 2003 with his It’s Pronounced Five Two. I was excited to hear a track from him because it had been so long. Unfortunately, the tracks didn’t live up to the potential of their great creators or cause. When listening to the tracks back to back, it’s hard to decipher the well-known artists from the upcoming artists, because they are all on the same level-- basic.

The idea for this project came about when Rapzilla founder Philip Rood and his team was looking for ways to expand the website’s charitable reach. Rood’s grandparents were missionaries in the Congo. When he decided that they “wanted to give proceeds from a project to some kind of charity in Africa” they decided to collaborate with the school, Ecole de la Borne, his grandparents founded in Kinshasa, Congo, he said in an interview with www.christianscampus.com.

The benefit project features never before heard tracks from K-Drama, Theory Hazit, and Pro. Thus one would think King Kulture is sure to fit the taste buds of most Christian hip hop fans. This fan, though, was highly disappointed. Speaking as someone who owns all of KJ-52, Lecrae, Sho Baraka, Grits, and Pro’s albums, this variety mix was a complete letdown. It had the potential to be the best car-jamming, bump it in your room playlist but fell shy of worthy beats and memorable lines.

The lyrics are the only positive takeaway. Although the memorable anthems were missing on this album, there were some songs that slightly sparkled. More so, they barely glimmered like a tacky bedazzle, only because of the uplifting words in the song.

“Lift Up” is one example of these songs. It is a track featuring Braille. The Theory Hazit-produced track highlights Braille’s rapping abilities as he talks about pushing through adversity and uplifting others. “I won’t forfeit I push forward,” he rhymes on the hook. “When I uplift it’s only for his glory,” he continues. The background “oooo Lord” voices singing are the highlight of this song. Although I wouldn’t choose to play this throughout the day, if it comes up on shuffle, it’s a good reminder to lift up your negative circumstances and live your life.

“Get Wise” features former Reach Records artist Sho Baraka. The track is a call to all those who ask for change, to stand up and make something happen. “I’m sitting in this class, all the students want to argue about change but ain’t nobody doing it. I’m sitting in this church the preacher man is teaching about new life but ain’t nobody living it,” Sho rhymes. This might be one of my favorites on the album because the hook of the song draws you in. I love songs that are a call to action, and this is by one of my favorite artists. This track is a definite shimmer on the album, but it’s overshadowed by the dullness of the rest of the tracks.

“Don’t Leave the Dash Out” features K-Drama. This track is a reminder to those going through tough times to “endure the process” and continue to trust God. K-Drama says: “Don’t leave the dash out, I know it’s easy to look over when the cash is out. Trust God in the process and don’t lash out, cause he’ll hash it out!” I don’t like this song at all. It is a worthy track idea, but the intro totally ruined the song for me. K-Drama started the song saying “you know a pet peeve of mine is when people leave the dash out of my name.” Starting with the focus on yourself and your name when you’re trying to tell your audience to not focus on themselves but God’s plan seemed like a contradictory message.

Overall, the idea of an album like King Kulture is great, but the actual album itself is terrible. I love the idea behind the album which is the only reason I would support it. I compare the purchase of this album to placing $12 in a bin supporting a cause like the ones you can find at grocery store check-outs. I walked away with a happy heart and some background noise for when I’m studying, because none of the songs are catchy enough to get caught in my head. The positives of this album, like its cause and the positive lyrics, are immensely outweighed by the lack of anything memorable throughout the album. If you’re looking for something where you can walk away feeling good about where your dollar went, plus you can listen to music while you sleep and subconsciously consume positive messages, then this is your album. If not, I would stay far away and invest your money in one of Christian hip hop’s upcoming album’s like KJ-52’s Dangerous or Trip Lee’s The Good Life, set to release April 2012.

The King Kulture project released January 31, and can be purchased on itunes.