Album Overview

Da' T.R.U.T.H. is back with his fourth album release entitled The Big Picture! Check out some of the accomplishments of this album. On the first day it was released, it debuted #1 on the Christian and Gospel charts on iTunes. It reached #2 on the Billboard Gospel chart, #4 on the Billboard Contemporary Christian chart and #1 on the CMTA R&B/Hip-Hop chart. Those numbers are “off the charts!” Months before the album was released Da' T.R.U.T.H. launched The Big Picture tour which I got a chance to check out while in Dallas. Throughout the tour Da' T.R.U.T.H. is recording a mini-reality show called “Living The Big Picture” that is scheduled to be available to watch this fall on ILiveTheBigPicture.com. There was and has been a lot of promo for this album.

Now, does The Big Picture live up to all of the hype? I have read and heard a plethora of different opinions on this album both on the negative and positive side, but to answer the question, I am going to have to say... yes! It does live up to the hype. Da' T.R.U.T.H.’s purpose for to album was to encourage listeners to see and live the big picture perspective of life. Thus, the album is divided into two sections by interludes. The first encourages us to “see”. The opening song “U-Ready” ft. J-Soul serves as a track to get the listener’s attention and prepare them for the rest of the album. Next Da' T.R.U.T.H. goes back in time to the beginning of creation to give a first-person point of view of what went down, followed by the fall, the redemption, and finally the climatic return of Christ. The second portion of the album exhorts us to “live” the big picture. Some topics that are covered include submitting to government (“My President”), prejudice in the church (“Great Wall” ft. Freddy Washington), and experiencing pain (“Pain”).

This is not your regular Rap/Hip-Hop album, and you’ve already listened to it then you know what I am talking about. If you are looking for a gritty or hardcore rap album, I must tell you, this is not it! The Big Picture has a worship vibe to it. “Trumpet Blow” ft. Trip Lee , “My President,” or maybe even “U Ready?” ft. J-Soul may qualify as the “banger” tracks on the album, but like I said before this is not that type of album. There are a lot of songs with a smooth up-tempo beat which makes it different from other hip-hop albums. Da' T.R.U.T.H. did a great job of matching the beats to his lyrics and two prime examples of this are the songs “Tree to Tree ft. Tye Tribbet” and “Lost ft. Tia Pittman.” When you listen to the album in full you kind of get the feeling that you are in a movie theatre with all of the different sound effects. That made it a good experience for me but could be a drawback for some.

Lyrically, Da' T.R.U.T.H. is one the best in the game. He has a slow, smooth flow which has a variety of punchlines, plenty of analogies, and bangin' Scriptural content. The features (Trip Lee, Tia Pittman, Stephen the Levite, Tye Tribbet, Kirk Franklin, Jahaziel, and J.R. to name a few) added good quality vocals that helped to switch up the flow.

Even though this album is different, I think it did live up to the hype and that it’s definitely worth the purchase. There is plenty of meat to chew on for this album, and the worship feel that The Big Picture has, the production, and the lyrics all meshed together well to encourage the listener to see and live the big picture. I’d say this is definitely one of the top 10 albums of 2009 so far.

Spiritual Significance

Like said before, The Big Picture is loaded with spiritual meat. In the first portion of the album we are taken through creation and the fall of man which can be found in Genesis 1-3, the redemptive work of Christ, and Jesus’ return “when dat trumpet blows” as Trip Lee says. But what is the big picture? I think the interlude on the album called “Applying the Big Picture” ft. Kirk Franklin sums it up pretty good:

“Ok so you may be wondering, what does all of this have to do with me? I mean, how does this story really impact my life? See, seeing the big picture will always change the way you live because it shapes the way you think, about this life and the life to come. So if you are seeing the big picture when you are experiencing pain, you’ll think of Joseph who endured so much hardship in order that the generations of Israel might be preserved (Genesis 37-45). If you’re seeing the big picture while living in a world filled with prejudice and biased, you can always be reminded that God’s intention has always been for us to love our brother (Mark 12:31) and embrace each other’s differences, as long as our differences submit themselves to God and His Word. The big picture even addresses the eternal struggle between our desires and the will of God (Romans 7:18-25, Colossians 1:9, Romans 12:2). In all things, God wants us to see the big picture.”

One of the topics that stood out to me the most on the album was the topic of enduring trials and pain (“Pain”). A lot of times we see trials, suffering, hardships, or just overall pain as a bad thing but Da' T.R.U.T.H. challenges the listener to have a different outlook on pain because it can help us grow. In the Scriptures we see that God doesn’t just allow pain but sometimes He causes it. In Deuteronomy 8 God reminded the Israelites that He led them through the trials in the wilderness for the forty year period in order to humble them, to test them to know what was in their heart, and to overall do good for them in the end (verses 2 and 16). 1 Peter 1:7 and Zechariah 13:14 compare a believer’s pain to how silver and gold are refined by fire. Just as fire purifies gold and silver, Christians are purified and made more like Christ. We are told to consider it all joy when we encounter various trials because the testing of our faith produces endurance (James 1:2-3). God uses our pain for His own glory!

Da' T.R.U.T.H. also touches on the topic of being subject to the government in “My President.” When United States President Barak Obama was elected, there was massive excitement for some and extensive disappointment for others. Da' T.R.U.T.H. does a good job in speaking to both sides. For those who were excited, he reminds them that while it is a milestone to have a black President, not to forget that Jesus Christ is the supreme ruler. Psalm 146 reminds us not to put our trust in rulers because they are mortal and there is no salvation in them (verse 3 and 4). For those who were disappointed, Da' T.R.U.T.H. exhorts us to check Romans 13 and remember that everyone is to be subject to governing authorities and that the authorities that exist are established by God (verse 1). 1 Timothy 2:1-4 also exhorts us to pray for our leaders and other leaders around the world!

There is plenty of more meat in The Big Picture and it’s definitely worth the purchase!

Topics Covered

• Creation
• The Fall of Man
• Being Lost without Christ
• The Coming of Christ
• Submitting to Government Rule
• Prejudice in the Church
• Treasuring Jesus over worldly possessions
• Enduring pain

And more...

Key Tracks

Tree to Tree, Lost ft. Tia Pittman, Trumpet Blow ft. Trip Lee, You Made, My President, Fantasy ft. J.R., Pain