Dillon Chase : The Light CD

Let me be blunt: when you listen to music that contains both an abundance of superior music tracks and lyrics that are uncompromisingly biblically Christian, you've heard a chart-topper in my book. All I could really say when I first snooped this work of art was, "whoa." Admittedly, my response was rooted in the fact that I had been previously unfamiliar with Dillon Chase and because I started listening to this project prior to discovering this rappers' links to the brothers of 116. Because of the latter, I'm glad but not surprised that "The Light" encapsulates crisp nuggets of truth, authentic southern flavor, diverse tunes, and spiritually enriching themes all rolled in one good album. Here's an idea of what to expect when you pop in the disk and allow the resonance from the surrounding speakers to greet your tympanic membrane. One of the first things you'll notice is that there are feel-good tracks here of every distinction. From "Believer's Anthem" to "We Surrender," this project was produced with no apparent fear whatsoever of having a mix of traditionally southern hip hop tunes with instrumentation that isn't traditionally hip hop. But an even more noteworthy point is the sheer encouragement this entire album offers believers through lyrics that drive the Truth home on each and every song, and the insistence on the doctrines of grace that God can clearly use to invite future believers. My favorites? "We Ain't Good Enough" was a pleasant surprise when I first heard it. Seldom do we hear lyrics that explain the true purpose of the Law and the subsequent grace of Christ. With its steady production and addictive hook, this song both captures the mind and bobs the head. Speaking of pleasant surprises, I have to add "Christian Rap Fans" in that creative mold. This joint instructs us to remember that the purpose of music (and any other resource given by God) is to direct people to the Lord. The plea, "don't stop at music" sinks into the brain with a thud on this one. Check Dillon's take on the importance of Christian hip hop verses devotional time in God's Word: "Before I pump Flame/ Who spit them Heaters// Imma dissect Romans/ And read some Peter" I was glad to hear Dillon spit such simple but profound words. "Conviction," featuring Lacrae, is a fantastic rhyme about the insistence of some folks to live in God's world their way. It's one of my faves on this album because of its content and my own love for seeing the result of a man's work with one of the greatest influences in his Christian walk. Which brings me to the sweetest interlude I've heard to date. I call it the "discipleship dialogue," and am thrilled to recount how Dillon includes a conversation between he and another brother during which they discuss their plan to go out witnessing. They talk about their biblical theme for spreading the Gospel and let the listener peer into what is clearly a weekly or regular conversation. This interlude goes to show what our bottom line as believers should be: knowing the Lord and reaching the lost. Overall, "The Light" is an easy listen and edifying to the spirit. Though I reserve some concern for the sameness of some of the content (a few of the rallying-cry songs could have been combined into a medley), I must admit I enjoyed this project. For its lyrical depth and talented production, this contribution to holy hip hop comes highly recommended.