Trailblazin Ministries

Excelsius - The Final Evolution

Written by LaRosa Johnson
Saturday, April 01, 2006

Malcolm Marshall has been a friend of mine for quite a few years now. I met him online when I was still a babe in this genre we call holy hip-hop; I was browsing the former mp3.com and found an artist by the name of Excelsius with a song called "Holy Ghost Party." I really enjoyed the song and asked him if he would be interested in doing an interview for my ministry website. He agreed, and we've been friends and ministry partners ever since. Since that time, he's released a mixtape called The Burn Up!, and now he's finally ready to release his debut album titled The Final Evolution.

I've been waiting for this album for some time, so it feels good to finally have my hands on it. So, what is The Final Evolution? It's simple; over the years, hip-hop has evolved into many different forms, but it has made its final transformation by becoming something that is a tool being used by God to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ. The album cover represents the separation that used to exist between hip-hop and God (because of sin), but we are now witnessing history in the making by putting God into the mix, creating the final evolution of hip-hop. So, throughout the course of this album, we get a clear example of how God is being glorified through hip-hop.

After the brief "Introduction" where Excelsius gives us his thesis for this project, the album quickly jumps to the hit "1st Round Draft Pick" produced by Cincy emcee/producer Lesun. As one of the chaplains for the Houston Rockets, X uses this track to parallel being born again in Christ to being drafted to the NBA. Using several references to NBA players and language, X explains how Christians run the race and keep it crunk in the Spirit. Towards the end, he then gives a shout out to many of the NBA players who are representing God and the faith. This is one of my favorite tracks on the album, as it's both a great song and gives love to my favorite pastime. On the next track, X teams up with Vic & C-Now (with production by X7 Productions) to let us know that it's "All About the Most High." Here, each of these emcees spit bars to let you know that it's not about them, but it's all about representing the Most High in everything they do, and anywhere they are. I really like this track because it's very laid back and lends itself to allowing you to meditate on the goodness of God and making sure that everything is done for the right purpose.

Shifting gears a bit, Excelsius gets things crunk again with the track "Hands Up!" produced by Decadez. This is a Christian party anthem where Excelsius pumps up the crowd by encouraging them to get crunk for the Lord and throw their hands up. This is going to be one of those songs that gets mad love at Christian parties and gatherings because you can't help but to nod your head & pump your fist. Following "Hands Up!" is another one of my favorite tracks, and it's called "Changes" featuring Focus of Holy Hit Makerz. This is another laid back & sultry track, which really allows the message to come across about how the Lord is able to change lives around. Both Focus & Excelsius use this song as a platform for sharing their testimony, telling of where the Lord brought them from and how they came to a point of accepting Christ and turning their lives around to serve Him. Trailing "Changes" is the track "Hit the Road," which is the perfect follow-up song; this is a song based on the old school song of the same title, telling satan to hit the road.

After that, Excelsius really digs into the Word with the song "The Evil That Men Do" using Proverbs 7:21-27 as the basis for his song. This song really makes you think about the things that you've been through and encourages you to keep your eyes fixed on Jesus so that you don't fall into the same evils that sinners do. This song is really powerful and something that every Christian should be required to listen to. Following that track is a much smoother song that takes you behind the veil and brings out the heart of worship. The name of the song is titled "In Your Presence" and features the soft vocals of Damon 'O. This song gives praise to the Lord and lets Him know that in His presence is where we want to be. This is basically a remixed version of the gospel song, and I must say that it's eloquently done, and definitely shows that you can use hip-hop to both get crunk, as seen on other tracks, and as a tool for worship.

"Freaks of the Industry" is the perennial shout out track. This is a very funky underground track that speaks about how Christians are the freaks of the industry. He explains that they are different from the rest because they rhyme for the sake of the cross and are souled out believers; then later in the song, Excelsius shouts out a long list of those involved in the genre (myself included @ the 3:08 mark) who are repping Christ to the fullest. It's at this point that you're only halfway done with the album, but things only get better from here. This is immediately seen when Dkun Frost makes an appearance on the Platinum Tips produced track "Holiness." On this track, the two emcees declare that holiness is God's standard and they challenge every believer to walk in holiness. And from there Excelsius starts to step outside the box with the song "Calling Out Names, Part II." Here, Excelsius calls out all of those secular emcees who claim to represent the Lord but continue to make music that is full of filth and garbage; he also depicts what the industry would look like if all of the secular artists we know & love started spitting for Christ. He then tells all those that have a problem with the song to just go ask the Lord who they should be praying for.

After appearing earlier as a producer, k-Drama now comes in as an emcee on the track "Diablo" where k & X drop straight ministry heat. Words can't describe this song, so you'll just have to check it out for yourself. Following that are the tracks "Give Up the Praise" and "Forever." "Give Up the Praise" encourages believers to give praise to the Lord, and "Forever" proclaims that we can sing of His great love forever because He is worthy. "Forever" is yet another great example of how we can worship through hip-hop. The album then rounds out with three final tracks, starting with "WWIII" (World War 3) featuring Satizfyed. On this song, the two emcees speak of having WW3 going on inside of themselves, basically giving a lyrical depiction of what Paul speaks of in Romans 7. Next is "Walkin' Round Mad" where Excelsius speaks of how he was able to forgive his father for not being around during his youth and how he was able to find his peace in Jesus. And finally, there's the bonus cut, a chopped & screwed version of "Hit the Road."

Now, this album isn't just about the music; there is some heavy preaching going on in this project as well. There are three "Music" interludes where Excelsius gives legitimate & Scriptural reasoning for why hip-hop is a viable medium for evangelism & discipleship. He deals with three areas: the affect, the origin of music, and its new birth. These three tracks are the most important pieces on this album, especially for those who have come to question hip-hop and its place in the church.

In summary, all I can say is that this album was a long time coming, and I'm glad that it's finally here. You can see that Excelsius put in a lot of work to make The Final Evolution what it is. What I enjoyed most is that you could see the heart of a preacher, and on many tracks both Excelsius and his altar ego the Reverend Malcolm Marshall shine as the Word of God is clearly and eloquently depicted. I loved the southern twang that was brought with this album. For those that love the Word in their music, this is a must have for your collection. This is just the beginning, so look for Excelsius and Joined @ the Hip Ministries to bring more heat in the future!