Employed and Awaiting a Promotion
Posted August 27, 2014
By MarcusHathcock_NRT,
With Employed by the King, South Florida indie rapper J-Giles Son is continuing a message he began in his previous record, Kingdom Work: "Whatever setting we're in we could actually really be working for the Lord primarily, even though we might get a paycheck from a certain place or the government or wherever you're employed by," J-Giles Son told NRT in a recent interview. "The main person you're employed by is God. You're representing Him and you're a light and you need to shine."
On this record, the message vacillates between giving a presentation of the gospel--that is, Jesus' saving power through His death and resurrection--and admonishing believers to shine for Christ in the way they live.
Highlights of the album include the aggressive "One Mo' Gynn," which bombastically boasts in Jesus and how His grace changed the lives of J-Giles Son, Dee Black and T-Word.
J features a number of guest vocalists and rappers on the album, and Alysia Ferrari provides some spot-on, powerhouse hooks for J-Giles Son, the best of which is the welcoming opener, "Hello," which is geared towards believers and spends the verses contrasting the life of faith with the destructive passions of the flesh.
With title track "Employed by the King," listeners enjoy fast-moving video game-type sounds that complement J's ambling rap lines. In this song, J-Giles Son and Victor Cornelius talk about how that despite having jobs in the world, God is ultimately their boss and provider. J raps about how he could lose his job (which is in a public school) if he doesn't "switch sides," but notes, "My CEO is the Most High... Christ is the One, He would never leave me with zero." Cornelius echoes that sentiment: "On sick days You heal me, and on hungry nights You fill me."
J-Giles Son isn't your rapid-fire rapper. He's the kind of laid-back lyricist whose word hit like waves upon the shore--slowly, steadily, but exactly. That works sometimes, and other times, it leaves for a lot of silence between beats, interrupting what could be a pretty good flow. Truth be told, at times, the album sounds more like it was recorded live during a rap battle than during a deliberate studio process.
Undoubtedly the strongest track on the album is "Why Stop," which features Reflection Music Group rapper Swift (formerly known as R-Swift). A slower beat pushes J-Giles Son to throw a faster, more creative, ear-pleasing beat over the jams that really stands out. Great production, instrumentals that change and push the song along really add to the overall experience. Swift, of course, shows up with great Jesus-powered swagger. The song's theme proclaim's Jesus's victories and then asks, "Now why would I stop following the Christ?"
I also enjoyed J's preaching track, "Bitterness," where he basically talks about how bad it is to keep bitterness inside, and the soulful oohs in the background accompanied by piano, brass and drums is a nice touch.
Closing Thoughts:
Employed by the King shows flashes of brilliance by J-Giles Son. He knows how to pick his collaborators. He has the best subject matter in the world. Now, his task moving forward is to transition from sounding like a spontaneous rap battler to an intentional lyricist who uses as many beats as possible to deliver a consistent, uninterrupted flow. He proved that he could do it on "Why Stop," and I'd love to see more creativity that way.
There's no doubt that J-Giles Son has all the pieces (and weapons?) to make a splash in Christian hip-hop. He has the unique sounding voice, access to decent production, connections with great collaborators and the ability to craft an aggressive hit. Now he just has to put the pieces together in future efforts, believing that the beat, the flow and the production will serve as a gateway to the life-giving message he brings.
We believe J-Giles Son when he yells loudly on Employed's final track: "This is the beginning!"
Song to Download Now:
"Why Stop" feat. Swift (Get it on iTunes here.) View All Music And Book Reviews By MarcusHathcock_NRT | View MarcusHathcock_NRT's Profile
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