Dre Sr. - Juneteenth: Review by DJ WanablessU
Artist: Dre Sr.
Album: “Juneteenth”
Label: Kingdom City Records
Link: http://www.myspace.com/dresr82
Date: June. 2008
RATING: 8.5 out of 10 B+ (due to needing more universal music production)
****THE BACK DROP****
This album BANGS. …SIMPLY PUT!
This album is experimental, confident, charismatic, exciting, surprising, and it packs substance at the same time.
I can’t lie. Cats that I know had said a few words in my ear telling me that they thought this record was WACK.
DOOOOO NNOOOOOOOTTTTT BEEELLLIEEEVVEE THEEEEE…HYPE!
So…what exactly is Juneteenth as it pertains to the United States? Well…Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day or Emancipation Day, is an official annual holiday in 29 states of the United States. Celebrated on June 19, it commemorates the announcement of the abolition of slavery in Texas.
Now…what is Kingdom City’s recording artist Dre Sr’s meaning of Juneteenth? Well…it’s Romans 6: 6-12. Those verses read thusly (AMPLIFIED):
6 We know that our old (unrenewed) self was nailed to the cross with Him in order that [our] body [which is the instrument] of sin might be made ineffective and inactive for evil, that we might no longer be the slaves of sin.
7 For when a man dies, he is freed (loosed, delivered) from [the power of] sin [among men].
8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him,
9 Because we know that Christ (the Anointed One), being once raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has power over Him.
10 For by the death He died, He died to sin [ending His relation to it] once for all; and the life that He lives, He is living to God [in unbroken fellowship with Him].
11 Even so consider yourselves also dead to sin and your relation to it broken, but alive to God [living in unbroken fellowship with Him] in Christ Jesus.
12 Let not sin therefore rule as king in your mortal (short-lived, perishable) bodies, to make you yield to its cravings and be subject to its lusts and evil passions.
Dre Sr. gives an honorable effort to put this TEXT on display by way of his own life. He conveys to us listeners his complexities. He does this with much clarity I must say. However, I don’t agree with the wrestling of Him against his own flesh. Musically it’s entertaining but, exalting GOD it doesn’t quite fulfill that requirement. I say this based on verses 6, 8, 10, and 11 of the above chapter 6 of Romans.
We are dead to sin and flesh BY FAITH. IT’S A FAITH THING! Dead beings don’t respond to attacks, slanders, ideas, etc. unless it’s witch craft ! Nor are Dead beings overtaken or overpowered by their lack of response to such things. THEY’RE DEAD…Period!
So, verse 8 and 9 say that we died with Christ and we (BY FAITH) believe that we NOW also live with HIM. In living with and in Christ…PRESENTLY, Christ will NEVER die again. Thus we, being in CHRIST, don’t DIE DAILY because verse 9 is true. Therefore, we reckon ourselves just as Christ was and that is DEAD to Sin and any relation to Sin based on verse 11. This is not a contradiction of the Holy Scriptures because the Living Word (JESUS) is the author and perfecter of our FAITH. (Hebrews 12: 2).
Now…That is TRUE FREEDOM.
In light of those scripture findings, I was still very inspired and proud of Dre Sr. for tackling such scriptures with poise, excitement, and gentleness. He did a lot of looking at himself, which I thought was RAW. I thought it was RAW because just as I pointed out in the above scriptures, if we don’t get the proper view of our GOD and ourselves being reconciled by, in, and through HIM…then our view and perception of everything going on in, around, and outside of us will come from a defeatist angle. Thus we will have seemingly been given the MINISTRY of RECONCILIATION for naught because we would view this world and all of its wows as IRRECONCILABLE.
But, Dre’s Valiance to honor the authentic, unmatchable-freeing-power of GOD can not be over looked. Juneteenth is clearly ONE of THE BEST RECORDS TO COME OUT IN 2008, at least in the Mid-Dirty or Dirty South vein. This album might be under the radar but, I’m pretty sure that the Lord is going to help Kingdom City Records see to it that that won’t be the case very much longer.
The album Juneteenth is just starting to ripen in respect to how long it’s been in the market place. So, lets take a bite of this fruit and see if we can savor it’s juicy goodness.
****FEATURED RAPPERS, SINGERS, and PRODUCERS****
The Producers on this album are phenomenal. Every producer seemed to contribute a track that kept this album in it’s lane. Sippi Boi produced a silky smooth beat that puts you in the mind of something JODECI era on Track 9 “Restoration.” Chrys Jones has some of the hardest hittin-amped beats on this album with Track 17 “Beat Drop,” Track 7 “Resurrected,” and Track 3 “Cross On My Back.” Pee Dee has an arsenal of production on this project that brings a gang of flavors like snap music to King Kong pounders on Track 1 “Not A Slave,” Track 14 “Know You More,” Track 11 “So In Love,” Track 2 “OHH,” and Track 15 “Phenomenal.” Biz contributes a beat that is gangsta-bananas on Track 13 “Die.” Elekt put a Christian Club, Non Alcoholic, Dance Crew blazer on this album with Track 10 “Devoted.” Boom Squad rightly earned that name cause their tracks GOT THAT BOOM and neck hypnotizing effect. They produced the Me Vs Me interludes Tracks “4, 8, 12” and a Christian skating jam on Track 5 “Worthless Purchase.” Now…Dre Sr took a stab at some of the production on this album. Now I respect Dre’s efforts. However I can’t honor them because the beats that he produced really aren’t that attractive. One thing that I can honor is Dre’s move not contribute more than two track on this 17 track disc. That was a very smart move. He produced Track 6 “Slave 2 Up” and Track 16
“Outro.”
Now…as far as the featured artist there are some bright shining moments and then there are some cringing moments. Dillon Chase has great content in his verse on Track 6 “Slave 2 You” but, he falls off beat a couple of times. I probably blame the beat more than I do him though. Biz killed his 16 bars on the same Track 6 “Slave 2 You.” Dub Jr. put some of the most perfectly soft vocals on the hook of Track 11 “So N Luv.” I’m praise GOD that Pee Dee is a humble cat because he is just SLAM TIGHT as a rapper and producer his swag is lovely on Track 5 “Worthless Purchase.” Dry Bonez Live could possibly go down in HHH history as one of the rawest Duos to grace this genre. Both of these cats are simply sick with their 16 bars on Track 3 “Cross On My Back.” Eric Ashby can really sing. At moments he puts me in the mind of Charlie Wilson from the Gap band. However I will say this that he needs to exercise a little more vocal control, rhythm, and softness on Track 9 “Restoration.” I really don’t want to make secular comparisons but, those are the best descriptions of the exact sound of these next two singers. Terrance Golden sounds like a Christian version of Chris Brown. He is vocally KILLING it on Track 14 “Know You More.” And Micah Smith is a guitarist how sounds like a Christian version of John Legend. But, he is singing so dominantly on Track 15 “Phenomenal” that you thank GOD that we have a voice like this in the KINGDOM.
****TRACKS TO WATCH FOR and OVERALL QUALITY****
Tracks that jump off of the CD player are Track 5 “Worthless Purchase tt. Peed Dee,” Track 10 “Devoted,” Track 13 “Die,” Track 7 “Resurrected,” Track 11 “So N Luv ft. Dub Jr,.” Track 3 “Cross On My Back ft. Dry Bonez Live,” and Track 17 “Beat Drop ft. Tre, Isaiah, and 1-Lyfe”
Once again Kingdom City solicited the services of Top Spin Productions to mix this album. I take my hat off to TSP. I got to, because after what they did to azriELicia’s album “Help Wanted” I wouldn’t have used them again if I was KCR. But, I have to admit TSP did the SLAM thang on the mixing of Dre Sr’s “Juneteenth.” This record sounds beautiful to have been released by an intimate record label with humble resources. There is no other way to put it! TSP met the challenge. I don’t know who did the mastering but, “Juneteenth” bangs hard as well.
Dre Sr’s lyrical flow and rhyme swag is fluent, attractive, explosive, crafty, and multi-talented. Out of 17 tracks he only dips in the quality of his delivery on about 3 songs. For the rest of the 14 his flow and delivery are pretty solid and he rides the beats well.
The album artwork is gripping. Yet, for a 3 page fold-out, the graphic artist doesn’t utilize the space very well. People want to see pictures of the artist; especially, if the label is going to go through the expense of printing a 3 page fold-out. The credit listings should’ve had a more manageable font so that there could be more room for pictures of the artist. The overall graphic art-direction and look is nicely done though. It’s like Dre said, “Elekt is a “Beast” with graphics.”
I couldn’t give the record a solid “A,” technically. But, in Essence I can. What I mean is this… this album is flawless for the Mid –Dirty, Dirty South lovers. For the Mid-Dirty and Dirty South genres, I could give it an “A.” However as a whole album in the market place I don’t think I’d be justified in giving this record an “A” because it doesn’t have enough Universal appeal. There’s no East or West Coast flavor on this record. Which doesn’t make it a bad album just not a flawless one, from an artistic point.
This album BANGS HARD. It was exciting to listen to. I didn’t get bored. I didn’t’ skip every other song. Dre even attempts the use of the famous AUTO-TUNE voice amplifier. He actually sang on a song…WOW! The song I’m referencing to is Track 5 “Worthless Purchase.” He did an awesome job. Who ever mixed or recorded his voice in AUTO-TUNE did a GREAT Job.
The interludes on this album are “SICK.” They sound so professional, interesting, entertaining, and intriguing. And the beats in the back ground are monstrous.
So, when it’s all said and done Dre’s sophomore album “JuneTeenth” is a Stellar effort. The veterans of Holy Hip Hop should be glad that new comers like Dre Sr. are putting out product that enhance the quality of the genre and Lift of the Uncompromising Standards of the KINGDOM of OUR GOD.
As a music lover and consumer, you have to buy this album!!!
Dre Sr is talking about NOT being a slave in reference to Romans 6 but, to me this album promotes Luke 6:42 Or how can you say to your brother, Brother, allow me to take out the speck that is in your eye, when you yourself do not see the beam that is in your own eye? You actor (pretender, hypocrite)! First take the beam out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother’s eye.
For a Believer/Christian to have that activated and animated in their life, that is a FREEDOM worth celebrating!
That’s a JuneTeenth for your Momma!
BUY YOUR CD or DIGITAL ALBUM: (CLICK ONLINE STORE)
or
Written By: DJ WanablesU for DJ WanablesU Reviews
http://www.MySpace.com/DJWanablesU
djwreviews@gmail.com
