When I first was introduced by Dwayne Tryumf, I didn’t find him, he found me on Myspace and reached out to me with a comment, saying my name and all [I say that because when artists promote they keep it nameless and in a few comments] he ended up sending me a link to a free download of his debut album “Ghetto Scripture”. This was at a time when there were very few people who had even heard of him, and now I am proud to be here reviewing his new album “777 Mark of the Peace”!

The Lord of Lords doesn’t need to get our attention with a bunch of hoopla and special effects. Instead, like Elijah, we should listen out for His still, small voice and react accordingly. Adjustments must be made on our end to stay in communication with The Father, not the other way around. This is the overriding message and intent of Osaze “Oppose” Murray’s new project Speak Lord.

If we could all be honest, we could admit that cultural diversity sometimes causes divides in every area of our lives. At times those divides seem to threaten years of progress we have made in order to try to move forward as the “Human family.” It often complicates things even more when we add a spiritual component. People of faith tend to glaze over things like race and ethnicity like they are not there. We pretend that differences in culture and race do not affect how and where we worship and interact. Quietly, even though I think things are better now, Church is one of the most segregated places in this country. I believe if we would embrace cultural diversity we could learn from each other and understand why we think a certain way while others have another view of the same topic or event etc.

Being attached to the vine is a good thing during the growth cycle of a fruit or vegetable. With the vine, there is nourishment and support. Vitality courses through the network of stems, providing the vine’s progeny with all it needs to grow big and strong, becoming vibrant, nutrient-filled produce.

To some different is not good! In fact different can be weird and even down right awkward. For Atl word smiths Niles Grey, Adam Genesis and Just John A.k.a. The Remnant, Being different is refreshing and invigorating. Not fitting in a particular category sometimes gets confusing for the artist as well as the consumer but that formula seems to work for them. In the vain of legendary hip hop groups like De la Soul and Tribe Called Quest, The Remnant appears very comfortable in their own skin. They say “What you see is what you get” With this group of self professed Geeks turned rhyme slingers there seems to be “More than meets the eye.”

The art of marketing is at times subjective, especially when it comes to music. There are artists that storm the scene from left field with well- crafted singles along with a buzz- inducing, all original full project. Some artists do plenty of collabs with the purpose of creating a “where’s the solo joint” whisper. Then there are artists like Kambino, who do just enough to stay at the edge of people’s minds- always holding at least a couple song slots on iPods- perfectly timing his Reach to chin check the unsuspecting (and even suspecting). To be point blank, there are very few artists that make debuts as strong as this one from Kambino.

The Waves Mixtape fam I must say it's hot. Donel Cogdell known as Reflect puts out a lyrical arsenal in this mixtape. Reflect touches on some real pivotal and real situations expressing himself with a rare transparency not really manifested by Christians today. Reflect even talks about being held accountable, now how many of us are truly disciples. I'm talking about how many of us have someone in our lives that ask us the hard questions well from Reflects testimony he has that. Reflect hails from New York and you definitely get that flavor from ya boy. Some of his flow reminds me of a little 50 mixed with a little Jay-Z but kid definitely can flow.

Have you ever watched a war movie? Sure you have! In every war there comes a time when the troops are restless and discouraged. They don’t know where to go or what to do. They sit aimlessly thinking or looking at their enemy contemplating their demise. In every war movie there is a leader. The leaders job is to keep the troops encouraged, charged and ready for an attack or ambush. It is the leaders job to never let the troops become restless. The leader then begins to strategize how to revive the hope of their troops. Reminding them of their purpose. Pointing out their ability to crush their enemy. Refueling them with words that shoot right to their hearts.

Pettidee is back!!! Why is this something to be excited about? CHH and rap in general is a genre/industry where many do not stand the test of time or struggle to find their artistic identify. There can be many storms to weather such as public opinion, ministry scrutiny, record labels and records deal. Needless to say, seven albums later, Pettidee has weathered them all. The veteran is still here and keeping it true and more real than ever with his latest release “Race 2 Nowhere.”

Florida, how the Son shines on your state! It seems as if talented artists from here are equal in number to the grains of sand on Miami Beach. Breyan Isaac, though originallyBoston- bred, is the latest as he brings something Extraordinarily Average to the Florida music feast.