divad23's Full Review: Are We There Yet? by John Reuben
I don't exactly look back on the 80's with wistful reminiscence. However, one thing that I do have to acknowledge about that era in the history of modern music is that rap was fun. Perhaps it was really cheesy - look how much time we spend today making fun of Vanilla Ice or MC Hammer. But they definitely weren't gangstaz. They may have had their share of questionable songs, but compared to what's hot in rap music today, the ratios of swearing, drug and alcohol abuse, misogyny, and violence were much lower compared to the most popular rap music of "Y2G".
The Christian market arrived a little late to the hip-hop party, as they have to pretty much every musical genre until recently. To be honest, they probably still haven't fully arrived. I don't know - I don't claim to be an expert on rap. I used to think I was cool for liking early dc Talk and claiming to people that I had diverse, multicultural tastes in music. Well, dc Talk is a multicultural group, but they appealed much more to the youth group pop/rock crowd, which explains their progression into alternative rock music. Most of the other Christian rap music since then has either been a bunch of silly, cheesy anthems about how much God loves everybody, or downright frightening and apocalyptic, mirroring the disturbing world of mainstream hip-hop. I might get flamed for saying that - this is not so much a moral judgment as it is my personal reaction to most modern rap music. My point is that I've never been big on rap. Enter John Reuben, who is as much of an anomaly in Christian music today as dc Talk was 10 years ago.
It's a logical progression - white Messianic Jew from Columbus, Ohio gets signed to Gotee records, which is run by the Gotee brothers - a group of white rappers. Do I like him because he's white? No. I can't stand Eminem, but that's pretty obvious, given my religious beliefs and so forth. And I digress again. Do I like him because he's different? Definitely. This album is fun, though it does have its darker moments. Yet it makes you think if you listen carefully. And while many Christian rappers can coin a clever rhyme or two, John Reuben never seems to run out of them. Sure, it's cheesy sometimes. I'm okay with that. True fans of rap and hip-hop will probably laugh at this like they laughed at dc Talk years ago. John Reuben makes it quite clear that he doesn't care from the get-go, which is what makes this CD so refreshing. He's honest, and he doesn't care if people dislike him for that. He doesn't throw out grim, disturbing tales for shock value, though - instead he describes his own personal struggle as a Christian, as someone who is not really used to fitting in and being able to hold his own in the world.
Divine Inspiration starts off the CD with a little whistling and a happy, upbeat feel - just John and his buddies hanging out and inviting you into the party. You realize pretty early on that the man can rhyme, and he can handle some fairly tongue-twisting lyrics. So can plenty of other rappers, but there are also goofy little "yes y'alls" and chuckles in between lines here and there that will make you laugh. This is a guy who would rather have fun than sound macho, and he wants you to know that if he comes up with anything clever or inspiring, it was God's inspiration and not his own. Listen at the end of this song for a few words from "The Kleeze", a nay-sayer who pops up at a few points during the CD to dis John. He's an amusing character.
Do Not chimes in after the Kleeze interlude with a catchy female vocal and a healthy dose of attitude. This song was inspired by John's early days trying to break into the hip-hop world and realizing his style didn't entirely fit in. He doesn't like to brag; he just likes to be himself and try to do something original. "Do Not" is John's mission statement - he doesn't want to be told what he can and cannot do. He makes that abundantly clear as he tells off his naysayers - "I create for my Creator and not to impress you/Challenge your thinking but not to test you/You might not like me, I'll still say God bless you."
No Regrets is a mellower song with (gasp) a real guitar line that helps to make this one of the most melodic rap songs I've ever heard. It's a song about growing up and being told by adults around you that you're worthless and you'll never get it together and make it on your own. John realized he couldn't make it on his own, and this song is an encouragement to pick yourself up, learn from your mistakes and move on, knowing that the future is "Out of my control, in the palm of God's hand."
Him Her He She is another party-style song, though it stumbles along a little more awkwardly that some of the others. It's basically another autobiographical song about what it was like for John growing up in "the land of corn" (when's the last time you heard that in a rap song?), realizing what God had created him to do, and wanting to make music for everyone (him, her, he or she), which is a nice counterpoint to a lot of the misogynistic lyrics in mainstream rap. I love the sing-songy bridge in which John's got "eight bars to fill in" and basically seems to be making up cheesy rhymes as he goes along. It's just that the chorus is a little awkward.
X-Ray takes on a darker tone, beginning with real drums, bass, and electric guitar, and then overlaying a programmed beat as John starts half-rapping, half-speaking. This song would work well in a progressive Christian rock radio format - it's a chilling reminder that any attempt to make it on your own away from God is pointless, and all the mistakes you make can't be hidden from God, no matter how unbreakable you may appear on the outside. You get a real sense of desperation listening to this song, as the intensity builds towards the catchy shouting in the chorus. It reminds me of a lighter version of Project 86, for those of you that are familiar with some of the harder Christian rock bands.
Gather In does a full 180 and yanks us back into the party with some catchy "da-da-da"s to get the people jumpin' and bumpin'. Some of the more party-style songs get old, with seemingly little more than a beat and vocals and little chord changes, but once again, listen to the rhyme schemes and be amused.
Rest Easy is a simple, slightly more melodic tune that puts a modern spin on the idea that if God is for us, no one can be against us. It definitely fits with what seems to be one of the main themes of the album - that John considers no man to be his enemy. This is what enables him to stand confident in the face of so many nay-sayers - like he predicted ahead of time that he'd have a lot of people making fun of him for not sticking to straight rap.
Hello Ego is probably my favorite track on the album. This song is downright hilarious! It's basically the transcript of a phone call between John and "The Kleeze", who John refers to with, "Hello there ego - why it's a displeasure to meet you!" Perhaps John really is speaking to his own ego - making sure he doesn't let having a record deal and a bunch of people who think he's cool go to his head. This song has some great lines like "there's only so many ways that you can tell me you're the best" and "I don't care about your personalized hip-hop rule book", as well as some remarks from the Kleeze that just crack me up, because John really doesn't give him much room to get a word in edgewise. He tells him off and then hangs up, leaving the Kleeze with his ego knocked down quite a few notches. If I could get Eminem, Puff Daddy, et al into a room, strap them down, and force them to listen to this song, I'd get more than a little satisfaction, though I doubt they'd listen. I'm just sick of hearing rappers brag about themselves. You're the richest, you're the dopest, yeah, yeah, whatever.
Jezebel is another darker tune, personifying lust in a female character of Biblical origin. It's clever, but it plods along at a bit too slow of a pace. I relate to what he's saying, because I think all men known how temptation works, but this is still probably my least favorite song on the CD. I like the record scratching on this tune, though.
Draw Near picks up the pace with real guitars once again and a 6/8 tempo (when's the last time you heard someone rapping to anything other than 4/4?) The lyrics are mostly Biblical, with John abandoning the rhyme scheme altogether to shout out a Psalm in the middle, but just hearing him keep up with the odd tempo is a treat. It is definitely one of the more daring, non-traditional songs on the record.
Identify sort of reprises the theme of "X-Ray" in a more streetwise fashion, though the guitars and shouting get a little intense towards the end. It's basically about dying to self and letting God take over. Again, this would work well on Christian rock radio.
Place to Be takes us back to the party one last time, for a simple beat-box-and-vocal freestyle session that John and a couple of his "homiez" (man, I'm really terrible at this hip-hop slang) likely made up as they were recording it. This one is a blast - basically each rapper takes his turn at the mic between choruses, throwing out rhymes until they can't think fast enough and they screw up (and trust me, hearing them screw up is the funniest thing!), with their buddies cheering them on in the background. When's the last time you heard a rapper screw up on their own CD? I rest my case. However, if you're turned off by bad grammar, you might want to skip this one: "We are steppin' to the party, the place to be/The crowds are packed, and people lookin' at we." This drove an English major friend of mine up the wall!
God Is Love rounds out the CD with a guest appearance from dc Talk's rapper (and John's record label boss!) Toby MacKeehan. This song is fueled by a simple beat and a simple acoustic guitar, and has done fairly well on Christian pop radio. The message is simple but fun, and a nice way to wrap things up. The funny thing is that Toby actually sings here (like he's been doing with dc Talk recently) instead of rapping. Ironic, isn't it?
I would recommend this CD for anyone who thinks most Christian rap is either way too cheesy or way too scary, but who can tolerate the sometimes repetitive nature of rap music. Think of it as dc Talk in reverse - their main style is rock, but they mix in a little rap. John Reuben is mainly rap but mixes in elements of rock and pop. And I think it's a good combination.
TRACK REVIEW SUMMARY Excellent: Do Not, No Regrets, Hello Ego, X-Ray, Place to Be
Good: Divine Inspiration, Gather In, Draw Near, Identify
Decent: Him Her He She, Rest Easy, God Is Love
Weak: Jezebel
Skippable: NONE
Website: http://www.johnreuben.com
Great Music to Play While: Chillin' wid da homiez and frontin' yo' not no white boy!
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