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DaSouth.com Stars: 
 Romans 8:18-19 (ESV): “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God.”
What does a son of God embracing his responsibility to Christ look like? How effective for the Kingdom could someone be who walks in obedience to the Holy Spirit, not quenching His holy influence? Why do people hesitate to embrace the authority of the King of Kings and be used as bold soldiers for His sake? Viktory addresses these questions and others from multiple angles on his new, top quality release Son of the King.
The intro song “Son of the King” presents the statement of the mission that Vik seeks to fulfill by the time the last second of track sixteen on this project plays. After listening to “Livin’ Iiit” one time with headphones on, I immediately moved to create a CD so that I could get the full effect in my car. This is one of those complete songs that exhort being true to His word as it catches the attention of anyone within earshot. “On Fire” is a necessary track that falls in line with Vik’s intent to show how crucial a righteous walk is. Steady in tone and serious in presentation, this is one of those songs that Vik’s hometown Bulls should make an entrance to. Next up, with Firstborn on the hook and the beautiful beat, “Soldier” brings strong words of encouragement to stay “real wit your boy”. Sewing up this section of the project is “What It Look Like”, featuring the always- effective Canton Jones, on a song that basically expresses that they are the spokesmen for effectively missional living. Vik throws some very well- placed punchlines throughout this song to help bring home his point of challenging Christians to be intense in their walk.
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Moving forward, Vik expresses some of that Christ-like love for his wife on “Good Thing”. With the standout voice of Marvin Winans, Jr. lacing the track together, this is a summer evening song that plays nicely on date night with the rib. Fresh off the mellowed out feeling of bliss “Good Thing” offers, Vik gets back into the mode of challenging his listeners with “Get Hot”. The hook goes a little something like this: “If you still living lukewarm, I think its time you pick a side… and all my people GET HOT!” There’s really nothing else that need be said beyond that. With harmony provided by Boulevard7, Vik goes in on those who abuse the office of leadership- from pastors to husbands- with a vengeance on “I Wanna Go”. He also tackles selfishness, the making of excuses, and neglecting to show love in a way that never gets old. The interlude that follows this song is relevant but the scenarios are a bit off the wall, something I’m sure Vik was going for.
With a sound that brings to mind something from the G-Unit camp, Viktory puts together a nice song that features stories in each verse. His storytelling always has been impressive since The First of Many, his debut CD, so this is right in line with his standard of application. “Watch Me” is a track for the woofers, featuring Wu10, that speaks from Christ’s viewpoint in the first verse and then takes a Pauline turn in the second verse as Vik is proclaiming to others the need to follow him as he follows Christ. Continuing with the storytelling, “Ghetto Boy” speaks thru the eyes of the dude on the block, a misguided hood girl, and then provides some commdentary that CNN couldn’t parallel. Lisa Kimmey provides a perfect balance to Vik’s grit on the hook and this is yet another above average song to soak in. “Rewind” is a track that takes the listener on a journey through the life of Sherrod Shackleford aka Viktory and with La’Crea taking the role of songstress, this is rewind- worthy. Winding the project down, Viktory looks into the lives of those who appear to know who the Lord is but push Him to the side in pursuit of their own will, with seemingly disastrous results. Sean Simmonds brings his unique R&P flavor to the table and expresses the characters’ desperate tone of reconciliation in the midst of those negative circumstances. For good measure, “Don’t Forget” brings home the point that “everybody can’t keep coastin’” in this race called life. Overall, this album speaks to the fact that there must be some passion to hold close to Christ and truly present one’s self as a son of the King.
One thing that I have to say about this album is that it brings solid wisdom over some very infectious beats; it virtually consists of thirteen forefront singles. With production by Wit (iQwit Productions), J.R. (So Hot Productions), Firstborn, J Pierre, Linx Kanek, Kelvin Wooten aka Wu10, Saint Man, and Mad Skrews this has to be the most impressive beat selection by a CHH artist. All of the music fits Viktory’s style, which is similar to Chauncey Billups in that he needs little flash to get the job done. Just as well, there’s no doubt about the work put in on the mixing and mastering, the vocals and instruments/ music fit together seamlessly.
Son of the King, the third project from Viktory, is a five star album that I would hand to anyone unaware of Christian rap, period. The approach that Viktory took for this album is worth the release date (June 16th) that seems to be taking an eternity to arrive. “On Fire”, the lead single for the album, has been in heavy radio rotation for months and created a nice buzz for this project. Just as it would seem everyone would have cooled down on that track, the video hit the scene hard and appeared not only on Christian sites, but also on allhiphop.com and SOHH.com. Hopefully this ingenious marketing approach will be embraced by more artists.
For More Info:
www.getvik.com
www.viklife.com
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Nah lemme stop. I pray this album is a blessing to many!
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