Album Overview

This year has been a pretty slow year for Christian hip-hop. There hasn't been much released that has piqued my interest, other than an album here and there. So, admittedly, there was a good deal of interest in knowing that the group Hazakim was finally releasing their anticipated follow-up to Hip-Hologetics, titled Theophanies: Hip-Hologetics Volume 2. The album has been years in the making and fans have been patiently waiting for a long time to get their hands on this album, myself included. I mean, it's not everyday that you get to hear two Messianic Jews spit bars over hip-hop beats.

Now, typically, most artists tend to have a bit of a sophomore slump when it comes to releasing their second album; but, this isn't one of those albums. One of the advantages that Hazakim had is that they took their time putting this album together. If you remember, Hip-Hologetics was released in 2001, and it's now eight years later that they're releasing their next album; that definitely has to be to their advantage, even though most fans will agree that it's a project that is long overdue.

So, what is it that you get with this album. Of course you get a heavy dose of lyrical theology, I mean, that's a given when you're talking about Hazakim. If you give Theophanies a good listen, you'll find that this is an album that is intent upon giving the listener the tools that they need to be a better apologist of the Faith, especially when speaking with those of Jewish descent. It also serves as a great reminder of why it's important to study the Old Testament and not simply focus on the New Testament.

Content aside, since we'll discuss that more later, this album brings the heat in both the lyricism and production departments. Starting with the production, it's simply bananas. While offering a diverse sound that ranges from your typical East Coast hip-hop to Middle Eastern tunes, they bring the kind of production that leaves your speakers rattling. Their selection in music is great on this album, as the tempo and style varies from track to track, which definitely keeps things fresh. As far as the lyricism, I love how Hazakim is able to masterfully blend the old school and the new school without sounding dated or corny. What I really love is that even with all the truth they give you, their rhymes are still witty and in your face, in true hip-hop fashion. With the two combined, there's a lot to like about this album.

Spiritual Significance

The meat of this album is really where it's at. Forget the banging beats and the ill rhyme schemes; those are nice, but they don't hold a candle to the weighty spiritual meat that you're going to find as you listen to this album. One of the things that I like about this album is its title; there are many artists who will put out an album with a cryptic title that you have to decipher, or have something that relates in no way to the album's content. Hazakim kept their title straight to the point: Theophanies. As you look at the album title, there's no question as to what you're getting, unless you have no idea what a theophany is. If not, let me help you out. A theophany is a physical appearance or personal manifestation of God to a person. This is an interesting study because we find God telling Moses in Exodus 33:20 that no man can see Him and live; yet, we see all of these physical manifestations of God throughout Scripture. Well, that's what Theophanies is all about; walking you through some of the theophanies of Scripture and giving you clear biblical insight & understanding.

As you listen to this album, there are four theophanies in particular that Hazakim chooses to focus on, and they can be found in the songs that contain Bible passages for their title: Genesis 18, Genesis 32, Exodus 3, and Judges 13. Each of these songs takes the listener on a journey back into Bible times as Hazakim describes the events that took place in each passage and vividly illustrate the theophany that took place. For example, in "Genesis 32" you get to hear the story of Jacob and the encounter he had while wrestling with a man, who turned out to be a physical manifestation of God. In doing this, the two brothers do an excellent job of bringing the stories to life and unveiling the truth to be had in these passages.

They don't stop there, seeing how that only covers four songs. The rest of Theophanies builds upon the truths depicted in the four stories. In true Messianic fashion, Hazakim use the Old Testament Scriptures to show the listener how it all points to Jesus Christ, the Messiah, even the theophanies. Songs like "Fulfillment," "Salvation Plan," and "Passover Lamb" make it abundantly clear that the Torah, the Writings, and the Prophets were all pointing forward to Yeshua ben Yosef (Yeshua ben David), the Messiah. For many believers this is simply remarkable because they have never seen the relationship between the Old and New Testaments, since so much focus is given to the gospels and epistles.

There are also many other enjoyable and thought provoking tracks on the album. Each one is designed to reveal Biblical truth and show you that you need the Messiah. It isn't enough to know that Yeshua (Jesus) is the Messiah, but you need to understand your need for Him, and Hazakim does a good job of doing that with their music, and the interludes that they included throughout. The album's body of work then gets summed up in the end with a spill by Dr. Michael Brown called "Summary of the Evidence," which breaks it all down, if you didn't already grasp it from tracks one through nineteen.

The bottom line, you'll be feasting for days, weeks, months, and years as you listen to this album. And, I'd also encourage you, as you listen, to dive into the Bible for yourself and investigate all of the theophanies that they presented, and seek out the others. It's a fruitful study that I'm positive will be a blessing to you.

Topics Covered

• Theophanies of Scripture
• Plan of Salvation through the Old Testament
• Heaven
• The Crucifixion
• Bearing Burdens & Carrying Your Cross

and so much more

Key Tracks

Shamayim of Gold, Salvation Plan, Genesis 32, Crucifixion Description