Trailblazin Ministries

Da' T.R.U.T.H. - Open Book

Written by LaRosa Johnson
Tuesday, July 10, 2007

Album Overview

I've been following the career of Da' T.R.U.T.H. for a while now. I remember when he made his debut some six or seven years ago on MP3.com with his four track EP that was a smashing success on the Christian rap charts. I knew right then that this brother was talented and had a bright future ahead of him. Fast forward to 2004 and he is the first artist (outside of Cross Movement) to be signed to Cross Movement Records and released his debut effort titled Moment of Truth. That release had everything that you could possibly expect in a debut and it put Emanuel Lambert, Jr. on the map for the world to see. Follow that up with a late 2005 sophomore album titled The Faith, along with a tour with gospel sensation Kirk Franklin, and you can quickly see that this brother is going to reach the masses.

That leads me to today, July 10th, and the release of Da' T.R.U.T.H.'s junior album called Open Book. What is Open Book? The core of this project can be summed up in the album's concept statement: each of us is writing a book with our lives, but the question is what kind of legacy are we leaving once we are gone? That is what the heart of this project is all about as it spans the course of thirteen glorious tracks and four complimentary interludes that are broken down and labeled as: preface, chapters, narrative, commentary, and conclusion. From start to finish, this album truly reads like the autobiography of a great man of faith who has trusted in the Lord for all that he has.

Musically, this album isn't like anything you have ever heard in the Christian rap community. Yes, it has your standard hip-hop tracks that make your head nod, but there is also a massive crossover appeal towards the gospel market that takes place on this album. Alongside your normal hip-hop collaborations featuring artists like the Ambassador (Da' T.R.U.T.H.'s pastor & father in the faith), Trip Lee, and the Tonic, you also get a myriad of collaborations from the gospel arena as well. The notable names from the gospel side would be: Tye Tribbett, Donnie McClurkin, and Izzy, as well as Lisa McClendon and Tia Pittman providing female accompaniment on a couple tracks. In terms of the flow of this album, things are pretty seamless, including the interludes, as each track leads into the other and continues the story of Da' T.R.U.T.H.

Spiritual Significance

As I already stated, the concept of this album is that of our lives being an open book and exploring the legacy that we will leave once we have left this earth. What will people have to say about us once we're gone? Will it be positive or negative? Will we be an example of great faith and how to be a believer, or will we spoken of as examples of what not to be? This is what Da' T.R.U.T.H. seeks to wrestle with throughout the course of Open Book. In the midst of doing that, he opens up some of his own life and shows that he truly is an Open Book, while also taking the opportunity to explore the Scriptures and uncovering its truth on the characteristics that men & women of the faith should have if they want their lives to read positively.

It was with great consideration and prayerfulness that Da' T.R.U.T.H. put together this album and opened up his own life to show us how he was raised in a Christian home and how he was able to maintain a life of integrity throughout his childhood and into adulthood; with that, he also exposes many of his own personal struggles and sins, which is quite unique for a project of this caliber. There are a lot of Christian rappers out there today who would much rather have their sins brushed under a rug, instead of living a life of openness before his/her fans and exposing their own struggles. As a listener, this is something that can be truly appreciated, and gives me another avenue by which to keep my brother lifted up in prayer. Plus, you have to applaud the manner in which he did this, doing it in a very godly manner. In essence, by doing this, Da' T.R.U.T.H. is leading by example and giving wisdom by showing you the kind of life to lead and how to not make the same mistakes that he and others have.

Topics Covered

For the believer, this is one of those important albums that you "must have" in your collection. I don't say that about very many albums, but this is definitely one of those few that should be. There is a lot of spiritual meat and wisdom that is contained in this album, and it is one that we can all stand to learn from. Open Book is an album that shows us how we are to live as Christians. Like Da' T.R.U.T.H. says in the outro, he is living his life for One (God), but before many. That is something that we have to always keep in mind; we are living our lives for the Lord, but we have to constantly be aware that there are others examining our lives to see if we are living the kind of life that we talk about. With that in mind, here are a few of the topics that are covered in this project:

• Living Introspectively and Wisely (Who Am I?, Click)
• Living Strong (Man Up)
• Living in Awe of God (Star Struck)
• Dying to Self and Living for Christ (Price Tag)
• Living with a Since of Urgency and Not Wasting Time (13/30)
• Living Life with Purpose and Focus (Every Day, Why I Do)
• Living and Serving Faithfully and Obediently (That Great Day, Open Book)
• Living a Life Dependent Upon God (I Need You)
• Living Virtuously (Rose)
• Living Fruitfully (Fig Tree)

Key Tracks

Who Am I?, Man Up, Why I Do, That Great Day