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”!

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 first thing I want to touch on is not even the music yet, but the album cover itself. I was amazed at the amount of thought that was put into the cover and the symbolism it contained. The picture is basically saying that Dwayne is heavenly minded, being focused on the things of God, and the animals represent the characteristics of Jesus Christ which was very intricate to be able to convey that. It may be lost on some people, but it certainly caught my attention. Here on Dasouth when this cover was revealed, people hoped that the album would match the exquisiteness of the album cover and I must say you will not be disappointed!

The first track I want to highlight is the single “Never Be The Same” which never gets old to me! The track just blows my mind, but even more than that is the fact that Tryumf produced this track himself! If you don’t know, it is very rare that you get an artist that produces his own track and can do as great as he did on it. One that comes to mind is Mouthpi3ce and his track “Okay”. Dwayne isn’t short on lyrics either, like for instance on “He’s the King”:

“The Lion of Judah/the conquering ruler, the King of the Jews that’s got more jewels than Jacob the Jeweler/He’s able to break open the scrolls and will take over the globe”

When listening to this song and even throughout the album you can tell of Tryumf’s interest in the Book of Revelation. Where other Christians don’t even want to dig into that book, not only does Dwayne want to, throughout the album he uses many of the symbols involved in Revelation. The only thing that I would have changed would have been a line where he mentions that when Jesus comes back He will have tattooed on him the title “King of Kings and Lord of Lords”. While the Bible says that this will be on him, it doesn’t mean a tattoo, and this has been a view put forth that I’ve heard about recently.

This album’s sonic appeal is in Tryumf’s ability to blend in tracks that are soothing yet firm when it hits, and because of that I believe that it will be able to touch a wide audience. The beats just offer something different and you can tell. From the song “Find My Way” to “He’s The King” and “Jesus is Alive” you can see what I mean by that blend. It provided the right platform for a singer to come through and be soothing, while Dwayne comes through with lyrics of firm conviction. He used producers from Philly to even Germany if I read correctly on his Facebook. Rocksoul’s Lee Jerkins brought a great beat, and of course feeling Tryumf’s own production.. This album also has great featured artists on this as well, many of whom I haven’t previously heard of and will be looking forward to hear more. One feature with Jahaziel on the so9ng “This is For You” was interesting because the verse that Jahaziel spit I already heard over a year ago and at first was pretty disappointed with that. But then when I realized how much it fit with the song, it really didn’t make any sense to write a new one, when this verse really conveys the concept of the song

Another thing that really strikes me with this album is the quality of audio production, in that no one sound is overpowering another, and the mixing and mastering is very well done. If you haven’t been up on the UK and what they bring, it would do well for you to check out what God is doing over there, and for artists in the U.S., see what you can learn over there. Christian Hip Hop has been here in the U.S. longer than in the UK, yet the speed at which quality has come from the UK has been faster.

Another song I’ve really been feeling has been “Trust in Me” and the way Tryumf presents the love of the Father I felt was very touching. What I also liked about the song was the part where he mentions this:

“So what’s it gonna be/sin or me/we can cruise the stars and galaxies throughout eternity”

That part really caught me, because many of us can fail to see the true weight of the redemption of God through Jesus Christ. We see the universe which is still expanding even in a fallen world and we can mistakenly assume that when God remakes over everything that He will take away the Earth completely and our eternal existence will be non-physical, when that is very unbiblical. Not only did God redeem us through His blood, but He will reverse the curse because of His blood and we will enjoy this universe as God always intended.

One more highlight that is worth mentioning would be the interludes with Comedian Chris Williams from NY where he plays “MC Hate-A lot” and if you have seen any of the Youtube videos with MC Hate-Alot, you know what to expect! I don’t want to give it away, but it was very funny and was glad that Tryumf was able to get him on the album!

Truly it can be said that the best things come to those who wait, and this album has been long overdue. It is rare that I even give projects 5 stars, but I truly feel that this album deserves 5 stars, for this album will be remembered by many and used by God to draw men to Him. Tryumf took his time with this album and invested into what he was doing and I am glad that we are able to enjoy this!