Shai Linne - The Solus Christus Project

Published Wednesday 27th June 2007
Shai Linne - The Solus Christus Project
Shai Linne - The Solus Christus Project

STYLE: Hip-Hop
RATING 7 7 7 7 7 7 7
OUR PRODUCT CODE: 22486-12463
LABEL: Holy Hip Hop LM003
FORMAT: CD Album
ITEMS: 1
RRP: £9.99

Reviewed by Greg Inglis

The 'Solus Christus Project' is the debut album from a Philadelphia emcee, a title derived from the Latin phrase meaning Christ Alone. Even a cursory glance through the accompanying album sleeve makes it abundantly clear that Linne sees his music very much as a ministry rather than sheer entertainment alone. This is demonstrated from the very first track proper "Random Thoughts", a scathing attack on hypocrisy and self-centred living, exhorting the listener towards a lifestyle of grace. Echoes of NAS, MOS Def and the seminal Public Enemy shadow this album though Linne is gifted with a unique creativity. This is expressed most strikingly in the hip-hop Bible study of "Justified", a clever and thought provoking exposition of Romans 3 v12-24. Props to DJ Essence for the scratching and turntable wizardry which add to rather than detract from some killer rhymes though the similarity in style means your mind tends to drift across the 15 tracks. If you like your old-skool thought provoking then this is well worth a shot but my feeling is that in the hands of a different producer there is the potential for an even better follow up.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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Reader Comments

Posted by Jason Raven in Northampton, England @ 16:19 on May 12 2008

Coming out of Lamp Mode (the same label as Timothy Brindle), I was not disappointed with Shai Linne. His lyrics are totally gospel focussed, the beats and rhythms all blending into a worthy carrier of the truth he speaks. The stand out tracks for me have to be \'Solus Christus\', \'My Portion\', and \'Angelz\' (feat. Timothy Brindle & Evangel), where he tackles the subject of the fall from a very interesting angle!
All in all, if you like your hip hop full of truth, you should check this out or miss it at your expense.



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