Liberation: the act of liberating or the state of being liberated. Throughout history we have witnessed and experienced many positive and negative liberations. Positive ones such as Black Liberation with the Civil Rights Movement and negative ones such as the Gay Liberation, which is being fought as you read this. Though the cause for liberation may be positive or negative, the act of being liberated is always a powerful one, especially if you are liberated by The One.

With his 3rd full-length release, Excelsius of Joined At The Hip Ministries and 3rd Coast Fiyah mixtape acclaim releases “Liberation.” This is an album that is sure to give you some ammo to cock back into the chamber and unload on the lost non-believer and the complacent believer. Always doing a great job at bringing Jesus to the forefront, this album is no exception.

In contrast to the Civil Rights Movement, the album begins with the track, “I Had A Dream Last Night,” where Excelsius begins with a prayer stating how is nothing without Christ and incapable of anything in and of himself. Yes, the prayer definitely lures you and has you nodding in agreement but then the hard-hitting beat that comes in shortly after has you nodding in approval. Excelsius then goes on to depict the dream he has and just like MLK Jr. his dream is one of freedom and liberation for those who are enslaved.

Throughout the album, you’ll find tracks that speak directly to those enslaved in bondage such as self-mutilation, sexual promiscuity (“I Had A Dream Last Night”) and thoughts of self-worth (“Yes You Are”) just to name a few. One of the aspects that I appreciate about this album is that there is a nice blend of songs that have to deal with the non-believer such as “Be Set Free” but then there are songs that are great reminders to the believer such as “Grace that Reigns”, “FAQ’s”, “Out of The Closet” and “Shame On Me.” Excel even has songs as blatant and bold as “Change or Die” for the non-believer and “Lead Out” featuring Oppose where he challenges the believer to disciple.

Lyrically, Excelsius isn’t anything too far above the average, at least in my opinion. It seems Excelsius doesn’t “ride the track” as nicely as I would have hoped. However, this minister definitely has a following due to his Christ-centered content and message-laced songs. On track 14, “Shame On Me” I enjoyed his transparency where he starts out the verse by saying “I plead to be free/ From the lust and the greed/ That arrives when I stride/ To achieve and succeed/ But the deed that was done/ Was indeed just a seed/ Now I’m pressed and distressed/ Cause the seeds growing weeds.” I don’t know about ya’ll but songs like this really get to me and Excelsius does an excellent job with his wordplay and flow as he shares situations that we ourselves find ourselves in often times then none. One thing that definitely sticks out is Excelsius’ voice. I can’t help but think of toothpicks when listening to this album as he is extremely reminiscent of E-40. However, the message definitely differs dramatically despite the shocking resemblance. Some other notable songs that are sure to stick out above the rest are “Draw Nigh”, “FAQ’s”, “3rd Coast Cypha” featuring DJ D-Lite, Big Nate, Gifted, Proof, Jacob Iz, 1God & Cy and “The Word.”

When it comes to production you can expect that dirty south feel in reference to the fast claps, rapid hi-hats and bumping bass. Again, in this reviewers opinion the production, although tight isn’t a nice contrast with the lyrics. However, with an album like this the focus should be more on the content then on the production. Some notable tracks production-wise would be “Change or Die”, “Yes You Are” and “Lead Out.”

For faithful fans of Dirty South music, this Texan’s release will be sure to wet your appetite. With the meaty content you can be prepared to liberate in the name of Jesus Christ or be liberated by Jesus Christ.