Reviewed by Steve Hayes

Coming out of Brixton, South London, D7 brings an album full of his life, family, background, social issues ("Catacombs" ftg Washington) and faith. Using his MPC and other software and throwing in some classic influences, D7 brings some seriously sweet mainly boom bap and old skool breaks and production that are invariably on the money. On the mic, the rapper has a ruggedly smooth and engaging flow coupled with some memorable vocal hooks ("Real Feel"). Throughout the project, Soloman Gehazi guests and drops a number of quality rolling verses - the standout and perceptive "Stay Focused" and the boom bap "State Of Mind" being examples - "They took God out of school and said you don't need to pray/Then they wonder why the kids going the wrong way." There's a hint of R&B and soul in "My Peoples" and overall this is an outstanding example of the creativity and relevance of the UK gospel hip-hop underground.

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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