Manafest is reaching for the "Top of the World"
Posted June 30, 2008
By Nathan,
In a world where Christian rap is mainly run by KJ-52, tobyMac, Grits, and John Reuben it’s easy to pass by Chris Greenwood (Manafest). While his debut was pretty much under the radar he earned some recognition for his sophomore effort Glory. Now trying to get a larger a fan base, Manafest is out with his third studio release Citizens Activ.
Employing rap with a mix of rock and hip hop, the result isn’t always top notch but it moves enough to keep the listener interested. Citizens Activ rocks the hardest on “kick it” which features Trevor McNevan of Thousand foot Krutch, FM Static, and pretty much a guest star on every other rock album. But his presence helps the formula as the song is a tremendous rock/rap tune. Some of the latter tracks sounds too similar with “lean on me” being the absolute worst in terms of simplicity and plain boring. “Top of the world” has a smooth up beat rap thing going in the verse, the chorus, however, is more hip hop and reggae. The opening to the hit “so beautiful” sounds like KJ-52, but the chorus sounds like John Ruben; the song itself is more rock with a rap influence than the other way around.
“Steppin' Out” isn’t very impressive, as the sound is a little annoying, and with the exception of a girl singer, “good day” is simple and fades into the worse half. “Free” works well because of the way Manafest worked in the “frees” into the chorus and the rock into the bridge and “break up”, which uses a more upbeat tune like Rueben, stands out some. There are some songs that Rappers can pull off that, people who don’t even like Rap can really appreciate like “live on”. The music shines, as “live on” seems to be the most complex song where Manafest has everything working for him.
Most Christian rap, like mainstream rap, is lobbied toward those closer to the streets; that’s the reason for all the modern phrases and expressions. Manafest uses a similar style to try to relate better to his fans. “1234” seems like an utterly useless party song, but make no mistake about where his heart is because “So beautiful” could have been a worship song without the rap beat (‘When I try to climb, feel like I'm losing my mind /You I can always find, your beautiful’). Manafest wants people to know that they can rely on him in tough spots on “lean on me”, and even though he is Canadian Manafest recognizes God’s influence on America (‘Shouting out to God for a nation through was founded’) on the thoughtful song “turn it up”. While “top of the world” makes a humanistic statement for the chorus ‘Show you the way, every day is a mission to be/On Top of the world’, it puts an emphases on Christ (‘I wanna live forever, while storing up some treasures/I wanna go to heaven and never be abandoned’).
Even people who are not fans of the rap genre may find themselves hopping on Manafest’s band wagon -- at least for Citizens Activ. His tunes are just diverse enough to move past basic rap, and the rock he sprinkles in is also helpful. Add his meaningful lyrics and you have got a solid album despite the repetitive beats.
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