Trailblazin Ministries

Ambassador - The Thesis

Written by LaRosa Johnson
Wednesday, February 01, 2006

Album Overview

It's been six years since we've heard a solo album from one of the most prolific emcees in holy hip-hop, the Ambassador. Back in 1999, Duce dropped an album titled Christology: In Laymen's Terms which is now considered to be one of the few classic albums that we have in our genre. This time, he's back with The Thesis, which is a lyrical exposition of his master's thesis titled "Theological Implications of Hip-Hop Culture." With the album broken down into sections just like a book, you get a clear picture of how hip-hop can be submitted to the Lord.

What about the music? Simply put, the production on this album seriously has its ear to the streets and is up to par with anything that you'd hear in the secular market today. The production and quality of this record is top notch and encompasses several different styles ranging from old school hip-hop to new school hip-hop and from rhythm & praise to gritty east coast hip-hop. "Thesis Pieces" starts off the album right and you just go from there on a non-stop ride until you reach the end of the album. There really isn't a beat on this album that I don't like; they all are musically appealing and grab the listener's attention.

As far as the lyricism goes, I've heard a lot of people try to compare this album to Christology, but I'm not going to do that. With all due respect, Christology was done six years ago, and Duce has grown a lot since then; plus, with the intent of this album, it's not going to be as heavy when it comes to the lyrical theology side of things. Christology was intended to show the person of Christ through hip-hop, and The Thesis was meant to show how hip-hop can be redeemed for the purposes of the Kingdom. If you keep that in mind, you'll understand that the lyricism on this album is up to par, if not better than Christology. The lyrics are crisp and right to the point; listening to each song, you clearly get the picture of what is trying to be displayed and all of the hooks are catchy enough to stick in your head for weeks on end. After listening to this album thoroughly, you'll see that he has indeed grown as an emcee and lyricist; but I must say that I do miss his story telling, as there isn't any on this album.

In conclusion, this album is NOT Christology, but this is one of the most important albums to hit the hip-hop community. Why? With the events that have taken place as far as people trying to portray all hip-hop as being purely evil, this album is here to take a stand and show that hip-hop can be used for the Lord and His glory. The music and lyrics are solid and some of the best you'll hear. The Ambassador has done it again; and, as always, he's right on time with his subject matter!

Spiritual Significance

The introduction to The Thesis is the track "Thesis Pieces" which keys itself on the hook "and Jesus makes everything right." The purpose behind this bangin' track is to clearly lay out his thesis for you: that hip-hop can be properly submitted to the Lord, even though it can be scary for some (church) people to like. After listening to this track, you're geared up for the remainder of the album and get the feeling that this album is going to be something special. After the introduction, Section I of the album deals with "Calling the Ambassador to Serve." Tracks on the album that deal with this are "Amba-ss-ador," "Song For You," "Feels Good," and "Get You Open." The objective behind these songs is to let you know that Duce is here to serve as Christ's ambassador to the hip-hop community, as well as express the freedom that he has found in Jesus Christ which allows him to reach out to the streets.

Section II is one of the most important parts of the album, which is "Calling Hip-Hoppers to Surrender." With this section, songs like "The Elements" and "Crown Him" are beckoning all those that are involved in the hip-hop community to lay down their idols and to surrender to the Lord. The reasoning for this is because the hip-hop elements can best be used for the Kingdom of God. And after they surrender to the Lord, Section III consists of "Acknowledging and Addressing the Problems." Ambassador realizes that the problem isn't the hip-hop culture in and of itself, but it's the condition of the heart of those that are involved in the hip-hop culture; therefore, in songs like "Oh Wretched Man," "My Clothes, My Hair," and "Back Home" Ambassador is seeking to show the hip-hop community that they don't need to look like the church, but instead can simply submit themselves to the Lord.

Once all of that is said & done, Section IV is "Anticipating and Admiring God's Solution (Himself!)." This portion of the album is basically giving it up to the Lord and offering up some sincere praise through the medium of hip-hop; this section is to also show that your beliefs should control your behavior, instead of the other way around. Songs included in this section are: "We Worship You," "The Anthem," and "Body Talk." And then rounding it all out is "The Fall," which is basically a song stating that even though things have gotten bad in hip-hop (and the world in general), the grace of God can never fail and will always be there to lift us back up.

Topics Covered

This album is broken down into four sections, as we've outlined above, and I'll outline them again just as a recap:

• Section I: Calling the Ambassador to Serve
• Section II: Calling Hip-Hoppers to Surrender
• Section III: Acknowledging and Addressing the Problems
• Section IV: Anticipating and Admiring God's Solution

Key Tracks

Thesis Pieces, My Clothes My Hair, We Worship You, Get You Open