Album Overview

My brother Excelsius is back on the scene with his third album. Very quietly he put this project together only contacting those emcees & producers that would appear on the album, along with contacting select individuals to have them join in prayer for the end result of his latest project: seeing souls get saved. With that in place, Excelsius worked on putting together this project that would set out to see lives changed. The name of said project? It's aptly titled Liberation, and it is aimed at doing just that, for both the believer and unbeliever.

With this album, Excelsius showed a lot of growth, and I was excited to see it. One of the first things that stood out to me about this album was his delivery. He's always been one of those emcees with a unique sound and style (a breath of fresh air in these days of hip-hop where everyone seems to copy everyone else), but this time around he seems to have stepped up to a new level. How so? Well, he appears to be a lot more confident and comfortable around the microphone, and his rhymes are a lot clearer and targeted. You can tell that he's a man on a mission and it shows through in his lyrics. In terms of the production on this album, I would have to say that it's some of the best that he's had. It's not that the production is anything overly complex, but it is simple and effective, meshing perfectly with his lyrics. Examples of this appear in two songs, "Grace That Reigns" and "Pick Up the Phone." On the first song, there is a constant sound of rain in the background that emphasizes the fact that God's grace is "reigning" on us; the second has a phone ringing to open & close the song noting that we need to do just as the song title suggests and listen to what God has to say.

One of the things that I really enjoyed about this album was the guest spots, or the lack thereof. On previous albums, Excelsius had a lot of guest spots, which clearly shows his desire for fellowship and unity in the body; but, this tended to overshadow the overall appeal, as we weren't hearing all that he had to say. This time around the guest spots are kept to a minimum, with guests appearing on only two songs: "3rd Coast Cypha" and "Lead Out." In doing this, we get to hear a lot more of what Excelsius has to say as a minister of Christ, as he definitely has a lot to say on this album, which you will see as you give it a listen and see down below in the Spiritual Significance section.

Overall, I was very pleased with this project. Since receiving my copy, it has remained in heavy rotation as I've just let the message marinate to the depths of my soul. I love it when I see growth in an artist and Excelsius has shown just that. In many ways, I don't know how he does it with all that he has on his plate, but that just goes to show that he moved himself out of the way and let God shine through.

Spiritual Significance

The album kicks off with a wake up call via X's alarm clock, and he starts just how any believer should start their day, with prayer, recognizing that he can do nothing in his own strength. From there, the album jumps right into the heart of the matter offering up in your face rhymes packed with the truths of God's Word.

The content of this album is divided into two very clearly segments. The first half of the album (tracks 1-9) is targeted at the unbeliever who has yet to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. He starts off the album with songs like "Set Free" and "Change or Die" that both encourage and challenge the unbeliever with the truth of the gospel. "Set Free" encourages the listener to be set free from their sins and come join in on the liberation that God has so graciously supplied through salvation. "Change or Die" reiterates that message as the hook proclaims that we must change or die; either we will change through the acceptance of the gospel, or we will die in our sins and face an eternity in hell. This section of the album ends with the song "FAQs," which is very mellowed out, as Excelsius answers many of the common objections to Christianity, proving that they are not a barrier for accepting the gospel.

After an interlude and clear break in the "3rd Coast Cypha: Liberation," Excelsius jumps right into the second half of the album (tracks 10-17), which is aimed at encouraging the believer to also find liberation. This section is kicked off with an interlude that depicts how we can be addicted to things without even knowing it, which opens the door for the message contained in the remainder of the album. The first area that the believer needs to find liberation is in witnessing, instead of being someone who is a closet Christian afraid to share their faith; "Out of the Closet" is a song that deals with this harsh reality, as Excelsius encourages the believer to get over their fear and live out their Christianity in freedom, being unashamed of the gospel message. This is followed up by the song "Lead Out," which urges the believer to be a disciple and to then start discipling others, fulfilling the Great Commission of Matthew 28:19-20. From there, you also get a handful of other songs that push the believer toward liberation from sin and addiction, including a heartfelt bonus song titled "Draw Nigh" that you can download for free from the Joined at the Hip Ministries website.

From start to finish, this album is about getting "Set Free" and finding Liberation in and through Jesus Christ. For the unbeliever, they can find Liberation from sin through the atoning work of Jesus Christ. For the believer, they can know Liberation from addictions and sinful pitfalls through knowing Christ more intimately and walking in the power of His Holy Spirit. Don't overlook the message of this album, as it's a very powerful and timely one. Buy a copy for yourself and also buy a copy for someone that you know who's an unbeliever so that you can both get liberated!

Topics Covered

Although this album is primarily focused on the idea of Liberation, there are still a number of topics covered on this album, and here are just a handful that you'll find on this album.

• The true marks of a disciple of Christ (Lead Out)
• Salvation messages (Set Free, Change or Die)
• The grace of God (Grace that Reigns)
• Overcoming pornographic addictions (Draw Nigh)
• Reaching for the prize of the heavenly call (Get Focused)

Key Tracks

Lead Out, Change or Die, Be Set Free, Out of the Closet