In our special 7TH ANNUAL WE LOVE CHRISTIAN MUSIC AWARDS editorial series, members of the NRT staff have a back-and-forth discussion about this year's nominees. In the final part of our series, NRT contributors Mark Ryan and Joshua Galla discuss the nominees for The Hype Award (Rap/Urban Album of the Year).
Do you agree with Mark and Joshua? Vote in all 23 categories now through Jan. 25, 2019, at weloveawards.com! Your votes determine the winners, and you can vote as often and as much as you want!
Mark: It was a busy year in the CHH/urban world, and as seen by our nominees, the year started out strong with Sonshine from Swoope. I immediately pegged it as the high water mark that would need to be met by other artists throughout the year. Swoope's production, lyrics and overall content on the album checked all of the boxes for me. Another of our nominees, Social Club Misfits, released only one week later. With powerhouse tunes like "Tuyo" I think we knew fairly quickly that 2018 was going to deliver some special albums. What are your thoughts, Josh?
Josh: Busy is an understatement, Mark. Nearly 100 CHH albums and EPs were released in 2018 and it was beyond difficult to narrow our list down to just five selections. Our first two choices between Swoope and Social Club Misfits both possess a personal connection for me. With Swoope, I've followed him since his Collision Records stint and one of the all-time classic collaboration projects, We Live As Kings (W.L.A.K). I've been rockin' with Social Club Misfits for nearly a decade dating back to Marty and FERN's debut solo EP releases. Into the Night is a strong choice in 2018. Swoope had street anthems like "Hall of Fame" and "All The Time" while SCM stood tall too between "War Cry," "Tuyo," and "Happy Accident." Within the first two months of 2018, we already had two powerhouse releases that weathered the storm into the end of the year onto many AOTY nominations.
Quite a few female emcees are beginning to truly emerge. WANDE, Angie Rose, Sicily Styles, Kay Sade, and especially Jackie Hill Perry. In May, Jackie reminded us females can do anything males can do in the game, and on some tracks, even better. Crescendo was beyond it's time meshing boom-bap of the '90s, storytelling, and the edge of today bar for bar. How did her album hit you, Mark?
Mark: Jackie is one of my favorite artists. Her abilities on the mic and, more importantly, her writing, can easily be considered at the top of any list. I hate making secular/Christian comparisons, but I will in Jackie's case. She is CHH's Lauren Hill if there could be such a thing. I think Jackie's testimony is one of the strongest we have of God's grace in someone's life. The production on Crescendo hit all the high notes that an old head would want. You nailed it about that album. The album was always front of mind when people would ask me what I like or what I'm listening to.
One thing I noticed about our nominees list is that there is a lot of grown-folk rap in the mix. With the exception of Social Club Misfits, our other nominees had less commercial/radio-friendlyhits but hit the mark in terms of discussing current events. Derek Minor brought us The Trap while Christon brought us Clear The Heir. Both albums hit so hard on many emotional levels and maintain a high level of production. How did these albums impact your year Josh?
Josh: I agree that many CHH artists are stepping away from the "youth group" stereotype and focused on "grown-folk" music. Topics being spoken on range from racism, abuse, addictions, police brutality, suicide, and other weighty topics. This is especially true with Derek Minor's The Trap and Clear The Heir from Christon Gray.
Minor took a running start and dove into current events and relevant topics from start to finish. Doing so, I believe fans can directly relate to this project on personal levels. With Minor fine-tuning his production skills, yet another skill set was nearly perfected on the project. Several beat switches over a mix of boom bap and trap created a polished album for Minor and one of my favorites from 2018.
Gray took an emotional tour through the likes of divorce, depression, disappointment, and several levels of stressful life situations. Many of the same things the common listener copes with daily. Rewinding to Swoope's project too, most of the projects on the list require multiple listens to honesty digest what is being addressed bar to bar.
We as fans all love a street anthem, Friday night vibe, or summer banger, but it's the projects with depth that stick with you year round. Our list definitely has some depth to it. Which project sticks out the most to you, Mark?
Mark: A few stick out for various reasons. Sonshine dropped so early in the year, and it was so good, but I didn't expect to still be talking about it a year later, but here I am. And I'm still introducing friends to the album. Marty and Fern are always a fave around the house and we can all jam out to "Tuyo" and sing along with "War Cry." Clear The Heir was a personal favorite just based on my love of Christon and his team.
If I had to pick one album for me this year, it would be Sonshine. I think it was really unrivaled as a project, with tracks like "TSNK" and "Black Boy" sticking out on the album for me for the political message.
But, we all know that our views as reviewers aren't necessarily the popular view. If I had to put money on a winner that our audience will choose, it will be Social Club Misfits. Marty and Fern had some commercial radio success as well as a nomination for that other awards show. Final thoughts from you Josh?
Josh: From our list of five, it would be a tie between Sonshine and The Trap. Those two exposed the best lyricism, had a solid mix from anthems and thought provokes and exposed current events Christians should be attuned to. I'm a sucker for best switch ups and Minor perfected that art this go around. However, "Hall of Fame" is one of my all-time favorite tracks from 2018 overall.
Marty and FERN are two of my favorite people in hip-hop and you're probably right. Into The Night will probably win simply due to notoriety. Great overall discussion though!
NOTE: Voting is now open through Friday, January 25, 2019 at WeLoveAwards.com. Winners will be announced during our Facebook Live broadcast from Visible Music College's Memphis campus on Tuesday, February 26, 2019.
Assembled from the four corners of North America and many other corners in between, the NRTeam is comprised of staffers whose energy is equally dispersed towards loving music and writing about the music they love.
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