Trailblazin Ministries

Da' T.R.U.T.H. - The Faith

Written by LaRosa Johnson
Wednesday, February 01, 2006

Album Overview

When Emanuel Lambert, Jr. first appeared on the Holy Hip-Hop scene in 2000 with his verse on Ambassador's song "The Light" on the Human Emergency album, he has been a hit with music lovers everywhere. After releasing his Moment of Truth EP and touring with Cross Movement, he became the first artist signed to CMR, which allowed him to release his full-length debut Moment of Truth. I was quick to pick up this album because I supported anything that CMR did and I knew that this was an up & coming emcee that was going to make some noise in our scene. Well, after his smashing success, he is now back with his follow-up sophomore release titled The Faith.

When I first got my hands on The Faith, I was very excited, almost like a little kid because I knew that there was something special about this album and I had a feeling that it was going to be something much better than his debut release. I mean, really, how many artists have followed up a great debut with an even greater sophomore album? Not many. For me, everything about this album just screamed success, even the cover art, which is so simple it's perfect. Now that my expectations were set, would the album live up to its potential, or would it flop?

To give the easy answer, the album lived up to its potential and then some. The Faith has everything going for it and lacks nothing. It is a perfect blend of Scripture and showing how to apply said Scripture to your life. And with that, one of the things that Da' T.R.U.T.H. wants to do with this album is bring non-Christians into our world, instead of it being the other way around. This intent and purpose is clearly exhibited with the track "Our World," where he goes on to explain several different aspects of the Christian faith, as well as clearing up some of the misconceptions that non-Christians may have about us. From this song, and the following interlude, you get the since that Da' T.R.U.T.H. is going to take you to school on what it means to be a Christian.

Indeed, Da' T.R.U.T.H. does just that, especially with the track "Incredible Christian." This track is basically a condensed version of the Bible showing how God and those who follow Him have been victorious all throughout the Bible; and then in the hook, he makes sure that every believer knows that they're incredible Christians because they're triumphant in God. Along similar lines, "Teacher?" is a track where Da' T.R.U.T.H. is calling on all of those who have not heard of the faith to come over and take a listen. He questions them on who's been teaching them, and asks them to take a listen to the truth before they meet death.

From start to finish, this is a very solid album. The lyrics are refreshing, scripturally sound, and thought provoking; the production is on point throughout; the album flows from beginning to end. I must say that I was very impressed with this album, as I wasn't sure that Da' T.R.U.T.H. could top his debut release, but he did just that. Da' T.R.U.T.H. has a bright music career in front of him and The Faith is just the beginning of it; this is one of those albums that everyone is going to be wishing they had a few years down the road.

Spiritual Significance

Aside from teaching about The Faith, Da' T.R.U.T.H. uses the album as an anthem for other believers; there are several tracks that serve to uplift those who are already members of the faith. Some of those songs include: "On Duty," "Civilian," and "Stand." "On Duty" is a catchy track where we're informed that Christians are constantly on duty for the faith; every moment of our lives we're being representatives of the Kingdom of God, and this song serves to remind us of that very fact. "Civilian" is a track featuring Flame, a fellow CMR artist; this is an upbeat dirty south type track. On this track these two emcees communicate the fact that they're not a part of this world, but since they're here they're going to do their best to build up the Kingdom of God by fulfilling the great commission. Also in this song they express the fact that they're trying to show people how awesome God is, but many people in today's world just aren't impressed by Him. And the Christian anthem for the year (at least one of them) is the song "Stand" featuring Midwest emcees Flame & Lecrae. Another dirty south bounce track, this track is sure to get the crowd moving!

Always keeping things relevant and in perspective, Da' T.R.U.T.H. takes time to dedicate a song to the two girls at Columbine High School that were martyred for the faith. "Legacy" is the name of the track and it is very reflective and proclaims the legacy that these two girls left; he asks if we are willing to be martyrs for the faith if the situation ever confronts us. Remaining on the sentimental side of things, "2 Is Better" is a track featuring J.R. of CMR, where Da' T.R.U.T.H. speaks about us, as a community, needing one another in order to build because "2 is better than 1." Keran and La Tia join Da' T.R.U.T.H. on the next track titled "Conversations." It's on this song where Da' T.R.U.T.H. speaks about praying to the Lord, having a conversation, and knowing that He's there hearing our every word when we talk to Him.

Topics Covered

There is a lot covered on The Faith, but the overarching theme is that of being in the Christian faith and principles on walking it out. If you're looking for some of the specifics, here are just a few:

• The Christian Faith (Our World, Classroom)
• Martyrdom (Legacy)
• Living the Christian Life (Civilian, On Duty)
• Standing for the Faith & Defending It (Stand, The Portrait)
• Choosing Your Side (Whose Team?)

Those are just a few of the topics, so grab the album to get the full picture of The Faith.

Key Tracks

Our World, On Duty, Legacy, Civilian