Anyone who is an avid fan of hip hop whether its Christian based or secular can agree that there’s a shortage of personality.  Many people become rappers and take no thought of what it takes to become an artist.  One vital aspect of being an artist is having a distinctive voice and method of delivery and it’s obvious that Humble Tip has taken this into consideration.  Tip has a delivery style that is sure to set him apart from his rap colleagues.  High energy, great hooks, and versatility are what will capture your attention upon first listen of S.H.O.C.K.

1. Culture Shock – This high energy beat drops with power and creates anticipation.  Horns blaze and hard hitting kicks burst on to the track along with a rather catchy hook.  It’s clear that Tip has put thought into how the album will begin.  If this is the first time you’ve heard him you’ll quickly see that he knows what he’s doing.  Lyrics are very catchy and well-timed and he wastes no time in displaying his verbal arsenal.  This is good music.  My only knock on this song and most all the others is that the drums are too loud.  I know this sounds funny but the drums have to be clipping as I could hear the distortion when I turned the volume up and even at low volumes I found it a bit distracting.

2. Christians Rock – This song continues to show Tip’s range in personality and intelligence as a lyricist.  The beat is enough to get you to move if you play it during a party.  The features are great and go very well with the song.  Everybody seems to agree that punch-lines are the order of the day and deliver effectively.  

3. Contagious – This song offers a good hook and should prove to be quite contagious ;-)  The beat is quite eclectic and offers a refreshing sound with nice synths and a melodic piano line.  Lyrically, I’m finding that Tip seems to rely heavily on punch-lines.  I’m not knocking it but it’s a little over the top.  There’s plenty of personality offered to go along with a great beat and catchy hook.  

4. High Beams – This song takes a more serious tone compared to the previous songs.  I believe this song refers to always being watchful in a dark world.  This is a creative way to remind Christians to do what Jesus told us to:  WATCH!  The rock guitar and low octave piano make for an interesting beat.  I did notice that the kicks seemed to be panned all the way to the left.  Not sure why but this does not make for a good sounding mix in hip hop.  This technique was used by soul bands from the 60’s where all of the percussion would be panned to one side but I’ve never heard it done in hip hop.  This leads me to believe it was a mixing mistake.  Nice song with good message but the drum mix detracts from the song.

5. Head High – This song aims to pull at the heart strings of the listener.  Tip aims to give listeners encouragement by serenading them on the hook.  I’m a big fan of harmony and the vocalist delivers a great vocal recording.  This shows me that Tip knows how to make good music.  It was good to see Tip adjust his tone, volume, and delivery to match the mood of the song.  However, I must say the vocalist becomes the star of this one and carried the song.  

6. Put In Work – This will get the crowd moving.   The hook is catchy and I think all ages could jam to this one.  Lyrically, I like some of the punch lines used and I think they’re rather memorable.

7. Lyrical Pornography – Here Tip sheds light on a very common problem amongst teens today.  We are bombarded by sexual music daily and Tip shows how this music affects those young men and women that have a desire to live Godly but are given to the powerful negative effects of this music.  I like how Tip changes to meet the gravity of the song and message.  Great song and should serve as a powerful warning to teens who listen to sexually charged secular R&B.

8. Lost and Found – This song gets back to the up-tempo sound of the album.  This song reminds me of good workout music.  High energy, filled with party type chants and a hype hook.  I must admit when I first heard Tip he kind of reminded me of the Young Cutty D-Maub.  To my surprise D-Maub makes a guest appearance on this track and it gave me a good chance to compare and contrast the two.  I’ll just say they’re similar in some ways but quite different but they work quite well together on a track.  Good song and should most definitely be used by DJs all around the world.  

9. Running After the Father – This song gives the listener an opportunity to hear Tip’s more hip hop side.  He delivers a consistent flow with fewer punch lines.  The hook is good and well sung.    Nice song.

10. Christian Girlz – I could see a nice video for this song.  Great lyrics and great beat.  The synths give the track a pop vibe but the drums are pure hip hop.  This might be one of the strongest songs on the album.  

11. Our Turn Pt. 2 – Here Tip lets the world know that its time for a new addition to the music landscape by proclaiming it’s time for Christian Music to join the game.  He shows why there is a need for positive music in a music scene that is riddled with negativity and foolishness.  

12. Keep It Movin – More party music in this one.  Horns and strings create a beautiful landscape to this up-tempo dance track.  The flow of both artists is right on time and is filled with substance.  

13. Die Gain – Quite simply, this track goes hard.  Eclectic sounds mesh well with powerful kicks and stadium style claps.  I loved the first verse as the guest artist matched the vibe of the track perfectly.  Tip on the other hand missed the mark.  He implored too much high pitched yelling and other antics.  This track had the potential to be an anthem style single.  I think Tip should re-do this song with another second verse.  His third verse matched the vibe a little better.  Lots of potential in this track.

14. Snowflake – Sounds like the Memphis soul sound.  A blues guitar teams up with soft strings and a grooving bassline to bring a sound unlike any song on the album.  I was glad to hear this song as it showed a versatility in style and taste.  The message of the song is a powerful one focused on teens that feel they need to fit in and not be themselves.  He encourages this generation to not conform and aim at expressing who they really are.  Much needed message in a world filled with clones and lack of unique music and style.

15. New 30 – This song is quite creative in its message.  Tip aims at shining a bright light on materialism and how we sell out just like Judas did.  His message is simple:  When we deny Christ or His call on our lives for money then we’re no different than Judas.  This song will make even the most devout Christians examine themselves.  

16. Worship You – This is a good way to finish out the album.  The song has a nice subtle rock feel while vocalists try to bring us into worship on the hook.  Tip still delivers his variable pitched flow and stays true to form.  Youth groups should be playing this regularly.

Categorical Rating Breakdown:

Originality/Creativity (3/5) - Tip touches on some topics and presents them in ways that I’ve yet to hear from other artists.  He found creative ways to express his stance on very important matters facing young Christians today.  

Lyrics (3/5) - This one is tough for me.  Lyrically, I can’t take anything away from Tip.  His punch-lines are VERY clever and show he is highly intelligent and observant.  However, I feel like Tip uses WAY too many punch-lines.  So much in fact that I feel the album is missing meat on the bones.  It’s just hard to find lyrical substance in the tracks.  I’m not sure where this whole punch-line phenomenon came from but he’s not the only one using this Young Money approach to rapping.  A lot of rappers today sound like Nicki Minaj with their style of punch-lines.  I’ll give you an example: “I’m so mad I’m blowing out steam…Radiator.”  If you pay close enough attention you’ll hear this style all over the place and Tip uses it a lot.  It starts to get corny after a while and I found myself unmoved by them after hearing so many of them. 

Delivery (3.5/5) - Tip’s got great timing and uses voice inflections so you don’t get bored as a listener.  He’s able to spit fast or slow and can even carry a tune.  His delivery is probably his strongest asset and distinguishes him from just about everyone else in the game.  However, as he matures as an artist I’d like to see tip learn how to control the antics he uses.  Honestly, though his delivery is great, he hasn’t quite learned how to use it to get the most bang out of it.  I found his delivery quite comical at times and it started to get kind of corny as the album progressed.  At times it sounded like he thought of the craziest way to deliver a line and went with that.  Doing this while rhyming on time is tricky but he pulls it off.  I’d just like to see him use it more effectively and efficiently.

Beat Selection (2/5) - The beats on this album are really good.  There is a pretty wide variety of sounds and you can tell they are professionally produced.  The mixing on the other hand is not where I would expect it to be.  The drums on some songs are just too loud and affect the song negatively.  As a producer I can tell when something is clipping badly and it jumped out to me on a few songs as soon as the beat dropped.  

Concept/ Arrangement (2/5) - I’m not sure if this album will provide much “shock” to its listeners.  Sure, some of the topics were convicting but I can think of other topics he could’ve addressed that would’ve shocked some folks!  The arrangement of the album is ok.  I think there are some songs at the back of the album that should’ve replaced some songs at the front.  The album doesn’t flow smoothly but trying to make 16 tracks sound cohesive is difficult and few artists can do this.  

I believe Tip has a promising future as an artist.  He had displayed in the project that he knows how to make good music.  Some of the hooks on this album deserve to be heard in pop music on a global scale.  Lyrically, I feel he could match up against just about anyone in the game.  He just needs to cut down on the punch-lines and focus more on rapping with substance and showing he’s more than just a one dimensional lyricist.  The mixing issues will certainly throw some people off while others won’t notice but it hints at amateur engineering.  This aspect of an album is so important in a market flooded with cheap mixing and “mastering”.   This, readers, is the last thing you should ever go cheap on.  However, even with the mixing issues I believe this is an album that a lot of people will enjoy.  Today’s generation will be able to dance and sing along while the older generation may not gravitate towards Tip’s style and delivery.  Tip’s style will provide another option for the Christian Hip Hop faithful that are tired of the same ol’ sound and style jacking phenomenon.

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