Reviewed by Debbie Edington

When I looked at the video in the box I thought okay, it's just another rap video with some backstage footing. How wrong can a girl be? Rap On The Road features DOC, Stephen Wiley, Michael Peace and One Way Up. The term rap is perhaps too generalised as these four acts span a variety of sounds. DOC -short for Disciples Of Christ - provide a brand of hard core rap. Although I found that the sound was slightly overpowering, the rap itself was effective and relayed a strong message. "Satan's about destruction, Jesus Christ is reconstruction," - get anointed. One Way Up also have quite a hard core sound although they prefer to be described as hip-hop rather than rap. One Way Up's "We're On A Mission" use mixing and scratching to provide a diverse sound and a constant reminder that "This isn't a publicity stunt". The rap sound of Michael Peace consists mainly of rhythms but also incorporating bass lines, this makes an interesting sound as it is quite complex. However, my favourite act on this vid was Stephen Wiley. His style is a much lighter form of rap. It is a fusion of many brands of sound. A mixture of funky rhythms and saxophone, soulful vocals and Stephen's overlay of rap, created tracks which really made me want to get up and dance. I enjoyed his contribution to the video. However, this video is not just about music. Not only does it show live stage performances from all four acts but also let's them speak and express their views. In this, the artists are brought out of their ivory towers and lets them speak as well as rap what God has put on their hearts. The audience gets to see and hear why these people are in the business and what they are about. I would seriously recommend this video for people who are not familiar with rap but want to know more. For me, this video was an interesting eye opener.

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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