Lecrae – Rehab: The Overdose [Review]

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Okay, lemme give you some info on Lecrae just in case you don’t know. He is a Christian Hip-Hop artist who has released 5 albums with Rehab: The Overdose being his fifth, and he sells! He usually gets the top spot in iTunes Hip-Hop sales and I remember his album Rebel outselling a lot of major albums (At one point it was even more then T.I.’s Paper Trail). His music is Godly and focuses on bringing the glory to God and not himself, for Christians like me, he is a perfect example of what one should be. Don’t sleep on his music though; he got lyrics with beats that wreck. So without further ado, here’s a review of his latest, Rehab: The Overdose.

1. Overdose
Produced by Street Symphony
This song begins with a hard beat with Lecrae talking about he is overdosed on God, meaning his old self is gone. He talks about how rappers now a days is just talking and don’t live how they say while addressing how people may consider him lame cause he runs with the Lord (But he unashamed). The chopped up chorus is a good addition. Good start.

2. More
Produced by Kadence for ATP
This is my early favorite. Lecrae just explains how every part of God he needs more. The beat has a dark feeling with hard bass and a haunting choir singing in the background. This song holds true to its meaning and it just sounds so climatic you gotta nod your head.

3. Battle Song
Featuring Suzy Rock; Produced by Tony Stone
This song starts off with a battle chant and a chorus by Suzie Rock. I love Creas opening line, “I was taylored to smash the mic swiftly like Ye did”, Lecrae got some good lines on this one, its mainly about how we go to war for God and if we die, its our gain.

4. Anger Management
Featuring Thi’sl; Produced by D-Flow (Thebrassman)
This song has a good message and awesome beat. It’s about how we get angry and need that one thing to help relieve us. Which is God if you dont understand this album yet. Thi’sl and Lecrae drop some gems here; I love this one.

5. Blow Your High
Featuring Canon; Produced by Street Symphony
Now this song got a nice melodic beat and a feature from Canon. If you cant guess what it’s about, its about weed and how he has some real truth for those who just smoke to get away. Canon has a great verse and I think he steals the show.

6. Strung Out
Produced by CheeseBeats
The beat on this one isn’t as good as the previous songs. The songs about how the world screws him over and leaves him in the dust (Haven’t we all been there before?). He thanks God for being there with him through the healing process. Alright song. The world can be a messed up placed sometimes.

7. Chase That (Intro)
Produced by Joseph Prielozny
Just a instrumental intro for the next song. Nice beat.

8. Chase That (Ambiton)
Produced by PK
This song might be the best on the album; he talks about when he was coming up battle rapping in school and chasing the fortune and fame. The story is a great one as he turns his life around and chases for God’s glory. He regrets how he acted and is glad to keep going for God. The beat here is probably the best production on the album.

9. The Good Life
Featuring J. Paul; Produced by DJ Official
I like how this song starts off, smooth ass beat (Can I swear on a Christian review?). Crea tells a story about fame and how it lies; when you get there it aint what it seems. Without God you cant have it all. J. Paul does a great chorus.

10. Like That
Produced by CheeseBeats
This song is basically Lecrae telling a girl to leave the guy she is with behind because she doesn’t need to dedicate her life to a abusive man when she can live for God and feel his never ending love. This song would probably be eaten up by the radio if Christian artists got their due. The beat is great and the message I believe needs to be heard. Great song here. Catchy chorus too.

11. Going In
Featuring Swoope; Produced by DJ Official
Last song on the album. Does it deliver? This is exactly what it sounds like, Lecrae dropping some dope knowledge and him going in on the track to make an awesome ending. This Swoope dude who is featured sounds like Lupe Fiasco to me (Not a bad thing).

Bottom Line:
I know this type of album isn’t for everyone (I’m looking at you Big Brother Verbose) but it’s definitely what Hip-Hop needs. I believe Cota said positive music needs more plays and I truly believe that. Religious or not, this album is great. I know it’s not for everyone but its definitely a must hear and I can honestly say this man’s music has changed my life.

nappyPicks: “The Good Life”, “Chase That”, “More”

Tags
Spyzyda Myzayne
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26 Comments

      2. Not the same thing… btw, “dickhead” was your choice of words.
        Underground has a wide variety of music, from Gangsta to philosophical, abstract and everything in between. It’s a whole music genre, this is about Faith. 1 topic. I honestly don’t know how you can compare that shit.

        I hope you read this cos I ain’t finished, still wanna make a comparison.

        It’s like me saying I don’t like music where the artist talks about sucking dick, cos I’m not gay and I don’t wanna hear that bullshit. Then you come along and tell me that, just cos I don’t like that 1 topic, I can’t tell you anything about, for instance, Rock music. Which is a whole complete genre where many different things are said; there is no common overarching theme.

        So go ahead dude, try to prove how u are justified in comparing a single topic to a whole fucking genre of music.

        Reply

  2. I’m not bothered by Christian Rap and all up for positive rhymes, so I decided to hear the snippets on Amazon… and i’m not much impressed. As not a big fan of southern-fried productions, most of the beats on album were jus dat – with scattering snare hits, hi-hat driven, synth backing instrumentals in PREDICTABLE arrangements.

    I just might look for FREE mp3s of “Chase Dat”, “The Good Life” & “Going In” cos they sounded better & different (from rest of stuff, not to be confused with uniquely/progressively different). That’s all !!

    Reply

  4. i agree this isnt for everyone, and the 4 star rateing was my personal choice. not everyone is gonna agree or like it, but a chance should be given.

    @ the watcher

    i understand what your saying. but i actualy know alot of atheist who like christian hip hop and respect it because they like the fact those people are dedicated to their cause.

    @ a reader

    its not the beats you should be loooking for, which i agree is a major help dont get me wrong, but its the words that keep me listening. i know it dont apply to everyones life, but its a chance and opportunity to maybe learn/

    Reply

    1. Word, I do respect people who are dedicated to their faith, making music about it and so on. As long as people are passionate in what they produce, I’m all for it, it’s better than that formula driven, soulless bullshit that mainstream radio seems to latch on to, but I guess that’s just cos most people are shallow, so they prefer simple and shallow music. However, having said that, it doesn’t mean I have any interest in actually listening to someone praising their deity. I can’t relate to that so why would I spend my time listening to it?

      Reply

      1. It’s cool bro I understand if you don’t want to listen to us praising our God, just how I wouldn’t want to listen to a Muslim praise their God. That being said, not all the songs are praising Him. Some Christian artist make songs that just have an underlying message to them.

        Reply

    2. Haha, yeah. Religious or not, the beats are wack as fuuuuck. C’mon, enuff with this Christian Rap label…

      Reply

  5. One of my friends is really into a Lecrae, for a christian rapper to keep my attention they need to have interesting concepts, I don’t wanna hear the same song about how good god is with a different beat 10 times. I’ve hears good things about Lecrae though so I’ll check this out.

    Reply

    2. wow dude. this “nigga” actually walks the talk. whats the point of writting christians music other than for God? it doesnt give u fame if you are a christian rapper.

      Reply

      1. DEAR LORD! Im sorry going staight to church! I need to be forgiven! We all know good lucks down on the slander of Christian rappers

        Reply

  7. Wont even bother to comment on @P-Rob

    But for @spyda man — your reason is exactly why smart hip-hop lovers have trouble getting with “Christian Rap” and “take back to 80’s/golden era shit” … Read your response again.

    “its not the BEATS you should be loooking for, which i agree is a MAJOR HELP dont get me wrong, BUT its the WORDS that keep me listening.”

    Jus cos rapper is bringing positivity to world (which i’ve already stated is all good by me and hip-hop could use some more of it) OR jus bcos underground rapper is not abusing “sex,money,bling,hos,whips” subject matter he should be given a pass for having stale, generic sound (i.e. southern-fried AND 4/4 drum patterns with sliced-n-diced soul samples) that has been heard numerous times prior and more importantly done better. Thats my whole issue – production on album is nothing new, it doesnt need to be new, its just not upto my liking!

    You can deal with it, but I cant. I need the whole package. For true hip-hop heads, the amount of monotony in this genre is overwhelming and tiresome than anything else !!

    It may seem im against you. No, cos truly im with you all up against ignorant rap, thus I would like to bring your attention to these good-quality releases :

    http://mikedreams.bandcamp.com/album/dreamers-poetry
    http://jasonjamesrodneyhazard.bandcamp.com/album/marvelous-world-of-color

    I would really like to know your constructive opinion on these two albums.

    Reply

  8. THIS ALBUM IS THE BEST!! BUMP ALL YOU HATERS THAT SMOKE WEED ALL DAY AND STILL LIVE IN YO MOMMAS HOUSE YOU FAKE WANSKTAS!!!

    Reply

  9. @ a reader

    i will def check those out tonite and let you know what i think fam, good lookin out. plus i dont think lecrae is for hip hop heads, even though i am one and really enjoy the music, i think phanatik and the cross movement are for the heads. psyche check by phanatik is amazing.

    Reply

  11. I can dig religous rap if its good. I like alot of Muslim and 5% rappers, (tho I’m neither), I also dig some Satanic rap like TripleSix and Jay-Z too (haha, just playin’ stans, heel)

    I’m just not feelin’ this brother Lecrae doe, no offense to the reviewer. hes just not my taste.

    My best example of good “christian/spiritual emcees” would be Mr.J Medeiros, Braille, Ohmega Watts, Othello (and their Lightheaded crew (aka Braille, Ohmega Watts and Othello)), Swamburger, Qwel, Arrested Developments later stuff, Basehead’s later stuff, Adeem and Shalem, Glue, Pigeon John and on and on. These are my favorite types of “christian emcees” because you cant really TELL they’re “christian emcees”. they’re just more on the spritual tip and try to craft their songs in a way that doesnt cast out anyone that isnt die-hard or born again. Because speaking as an Ex-Christian/Current Agnostic, (whos open minded to spiritualism and loves philosophy) if I’m skimming thru a playlist and see “God” or “Jesus” listed more than a few times, I’m turned off (just as I would be if I saw 5 or 6 songs with “Allah” or “Satan” or “Rosie O’Donnell”)

    guess for me it boils down to: I feel like Christian Rappers are preaching AT me, trying to re-convert me (which is a waste of their time and mine). Whereas a dope emcee, who just happens to be christian/or muslim and therefore raps about it sometimes because its a small part of his greater whole, doesnt bother me in the slightest and can actually make for some really peaceful and uplifting music.

    Reply

    1. Shit, I know I’m replying to damn near every comment about a month too late, but I can’t stand ignorance… Satanism as a religion doesn’t have anything to do with the devil. See, look at it logically, if you believe in the devil, then you also must believe in god, which basically makes you Christian, albeit a little fucked up for supporting the dude that wants to torture you for a millennium. Satan is a Latin word, which translates to “Adversary”, not the pitchfork dude rocking the red horns. As a religion, it is very egocentric – it’s not about believing in a god or any other form of deity, it’s about believing in yourself, your power to control the world. Basically, the only difference between a Satanist and an atheist is that the former are generally selfish, arrogant assholes who only care about making themselves feel better, which the latter are just people that don’t believe the hype.

      Reply

  12. Watcher, don’t feel bad about responding late I missed… I almost missed the whole boat! 🙂

    Everyone, this is for anyone who openly declares their faith in OUR Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ and is by design a hip hop head. An openly professing Christian rap song is as appealing to an avid secular rap lover as a healthier habit is to any addict.

    A few years ago money, hoes, and clothes was all I know; because that’s what I could relate to. Once I confessed my faith in God there began a transformation of my mind. Now I’m not after the old triple threat ( money, hoes, & clothes) I’m after the original triple hope ( Father, Son, Holy Ghost). After cold turkey, withdrawals, & DTs…YHWH is enough!

    So yeah, I got all the albums because now I can relate. I been checked in, released, overdosed, now the old me is comatose – Holy Spirit

    Reply

  13. somehow this one missed me.

    dunno how I feel about Spy glarin’ at me (lol, props for the shoutout tho), and then Easy posting a link to a forum post where I ranted about religion, but whatever, I re-read what I said and totally stand by it.

    as far as this album goes tho, I dug the review SpizzeyedaMizzanny (even if you have a tendency to overrate the stuff you’re into. its cool, we all do it. thats why B cant review Jay, and KJ cant review Ross)

    everyone has already said everything pretty much. I dig every one of artists Nino White listed, Mr.J Medeiros album Of God and Monsters is one of my all time favorite albums (maybe you could do a Classic Review for it Spy. I’m curious how you like it) but those emcees dont push their faith so blatantly on thru the microphone.
    when ANY emcee only pushes one subject that I’m not into, it just makes it hard to hear. I couldnt listen to a solider rap about ONLY war or a republican rap about ONLY social conservatism. not because they dont have talent, just because it doesnt interest me. its funny, cause the same reason I couldnt get into this is the same reason I cant get into your other favorite sub-genre of rap (all that “murder, murder, torture, kill, kill!!” BLH/Tech dark stuff)

    But I will say this, if it was something I was into, then your review wouldve peaked my interest to check it out.
    and it takes balls to stand there and say “this is me, what I’m into, and i dont care what you think”

    Reply

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