First Impressions

When I first received this cd in the mail, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I didn’t think it was goin to be bad, it was just that I was a bit unsure, as I had previously only heard two songs by these artists, one of which didn’t quite have a hip hop feel to it, but both songs were quite good. I think most of my apprehension stemmed from the fact that I had come to know and like one of the artist, and it was that whole “what if it isn’t good thing”…how am I going to tell him in a good constructive way. Needless to say once I popped the cd in to listen to as I rode around town running errands, those apprehensions and uncertainties were all put to rest. As the cd opened with a prayer [Lord's Prayer] and then jumped right into a bangin track [Searching for Love], a serious track dealing with man’s misplaced affection and his futile search for love in all of the wrong places. Not too bad I thought, and I did a quick scan of all of the tracks and I noticed a consistent theme throughout the entire cd…the message of Christ. I think what I enjoyed even more was the way the Ugandan accent/dialect and the way they flowed on these tracks. By the time I made it to the end of the cd it was clear to me that these cats were really serious in their claim to share the gospel, and even draw a line in the sand offering a challenge to other Christians [Ministry vs Industry] All in all this is a good cd…so lets take a closer look.

Closer Look

As I mentioned above this cd clearly is aimed at presenting the message of Christ to the listener. With each new listen I was impressed with the heaviness or the weight of the lyrics in the songs on this cd. There are a lot of Christian rappers and Holy Hip Hop artist coming out, many of them have mastered the skill and have a nice flow but seem to be a bit unbalanced when it comes to substance…and then there are others who are biblical powerhouses and have a very powerful message but their delivery skills/presentation is less than impressive. That was not the case with Christ in Da Youth Culture. Da Levite Clan tackled some serious issues and did it in such a way that I was head noddin and singin along in agreement on more that a few tracks. Clearly this was aimed at a generation that has grown up in the Hip Hop era, as most of the messages in this cd deal with the false ideology that is spread through hip hop music, but the message is applicable to to all cultures not just the hip hop culture. Using a combination of bass bangin tracks and smooth melodic worship tracks the Levite Clan have created a cd filled with “music that yo momma don’t mind and yo grandmomma will be shakin her head to!”

Da Breakdown

One of the things I look for in music is re-playability, that is songs that you can play over and over again and it still speaks to you. “Christ In Da Youth Culture” is one such cd. I really enjoyed this cd in it’s entirety, but I had several favorites like [Time To Worship] a bangin track about how God is worthy of our worship and Praise and the ways we tend to place the things He has made on the Worship Pedestal. I get a 4 minute Praise & Worship session every time I listen, and it puts things in perspective for me. Another favorite is [Is God Really Good?], this song tackles the question that people always seem to ask when bad things happen. It’s a question that people who are not in relationship with God often struggle with, I mean how can God be good if bad things happen? I think the Levite Clan does a pretty good job of answering the question. The music and the hook are without a doubt infectious and you can’t but sing along…I must confess I even try to sing along mimicking the Ugandan accent One track that I think really got my attention was the outro which was a Spoken Word track featuring God’s Child, it was pretty deep and I could feel the pain and the triumph as the track unfolded, I’m captivated, and saddened and then hopeful every time I listen to this track. Here’s a breakdown of what you can expect on “Christ in Da Youth Culture”

Love isn’t found in material possessions or even in people it’s found in God [Searchin for Love]

Worshiping God, the Highest place of importance/worship belongs to God [Time to Worship]

Which side are you on? Are you about Ministry or is it Industry(fame and fortune) that you seek? [Ministry vs Industry]

How can we say God is Good when bad things happen? [Is God Really Good?]

Following after and modeling life after Christ example [I wanna be Like You]

Final Thoughts

It was kind of hard for me to believe that this was a debut cd, the Levite Clan sounded like they were Holy Hip Hop veterans. This cd serves as my reminder that while we tend to take Holy Hip Hop, or even hip hop in general for granted here in the states, that the musical ripples extend worldwide. The young artist from Uganda have taken up the Cross of presenting the Gospel of Jesus Christ to a culture that has been drowning in negative imagery, materialism, pleasure seeking and self worship. “Christ in Da Youth Culture” is definitely going to get some major rotation in my music playlist, and if you are lookin for music “music that yo momma don’t mind and yo grandmomma will be shakin her head to!” and music that speaks to your heart, you should add it to yours as well.
For more info regarding Levite Clan or how to purchase Christ in Da Youth Culture visit them at

http://www.myspace.com/theleviteclan

http://www.myspace.com/reneedasage

http://www.myspace.com/nohell01