Trailblazin Ministries

Redeemed Thought - Truth Beauty Goodness

Written by LaRosa Johnson
Thursday, February 02, 2006

Album Overview

I was first introduced to Redeemed Thought on Cross Movement's album Higher Definition when they collaborated with the crew on the "My Life Cypha" at the end of the album. After hearing that track, I just to learn more about these guys and check them out. As a result, I found their website RedeemedThought.com and downloaded their free album The Body of Christ EP. After listening to that album, I was rather impressed with the crew, and waited with anticipation for Redeemed Thought (muzeONE and Stephen the Levite) to drop their debut album titled TruthBeautyGoodness. Once the album became available, without delay, I was on my computer to purchase it! Now that it's had some time to marinate and permeate through my spirit, I present to you Redeemed Thought's debut LP TruthBeautyGoodness.

As can be seen from the crew's website, their vision is "to see a revival take place in the Hip-Hop Nation that grows to affect the whole world for Jesus Christ and His gospel." It is from this vision that Redeemed Thought has set out on the mission to restore the balance of truth, beauty and goodness; which has manifested itself in the form of their album TruthBeautyGoodness. It's in this holy hip-hop album that Redeemed Thought lays the groundwork for bringing God's people back under the harmony of these three essentials.

Truth: Serve God through the preaching and teaching of the Gospel and other relevant doctrinal truths, to both save the lost, and build up the believers, using Hip Hop and any other platform the Lord wants us to use. Sounds simple enough, right? Well, it truly is and this aspect of their ministry is clearly seen throughout the whole of this album as they effectively preach the gospel of Jesus Christ over hot hip-hop beats. If I were to pull out a few tracks that eximply the truth aspect of this album I'd immediately point you towards: "The Anthem," "Christ Control," and "Keep it Simple" to just name a few. "The Anthem (Build Up!)" is exactly what it says it is; it's the anthem for Christians that encourages us to build up one another in our faith in Jesus and to not stop until we reach heaven. "Christ Control" serves its purpose by beckoning us to allow Christ to have control over our lives. I really like this track and how it was put into rhyme form as it's taken from the viewpoint of Christ driving the car and taking us down the road of life, and how we tend to argue with Christ and attempt to get Him to take us on an alternate route or speed up. It's definitely one of those tracks that can hit home with everyone. "Keep it Simple" is a track that features doulos of The Process, and serves as a track that tells us to keep the gospel simple; there is a lot that's in the Bible but there's no reason for us to make it all complex because at its heart it's very simple. What makes it so simple? All we have to do is believe in Christ's death and resurrection, isn't that simple enough? Another track worth mentioning here is "Same God," which is a declaration by the crew that they are indeed serving the same God that was worshipped by those written about in the Scriptures. This is a very dope track, and definitely one of my favorites on the album.

Beauty: To allow God's creativity to make itself manifest in every work He leads us into, setting an example of God's original plan for music for all who listen, and using it to draw attention to Him and His gospel. The beauty of creativity is definitely not lacking on this album; every track can stand on its own merit as a work of creative and divine genius. Each song is intriquitely developed with a concise message in mind and then draws upon the creativity and beauty of God in order to relay the message that God has chosen them to deliver. If I were to pick songs that displayed beauty from this album, I'd have to say that "Bang ya' Head" and "More than Music" would definitely fit the mold. "Band ya' Head," which is probably one of the strongest tracks on the project, is a song in which Redeemed Thought shoots down those that claim that God is dead. The hook for this song sums up the entire message: "Bang ya' head, who said God was dead?! // Tell 'em to shhhh! That's how rumors get spread..." You can't get a much clearer message than that, and the manner in which they relayed this message is so unique that you can't help but to be fascinated and bob your head. "More than Music" is another memorable joint from the album, which features J.R. (from Cross Movement Records) on the hook. It's in this mellowed out track that the crew lets you know that this is more than just music to them, but this is a ministry commissioned to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ. The beauty of this song simply shines through and once again the message of the gospel is effectively ministered.

Goodness: For our lives to be modeled after God's character that He may raise up disciples of Christ under us that will be able also raise up disciples, fulfilling the Great Commission. After getting to a certain point in the album, you can't help but to realize that muzeONE and Stephen the Levite are sold out for Jesus Christ and that their music is only a witness to the kind of life that they lead outside of their music ministry. It's this life of theirs that is modeled after Christ that can be an example of goodness. This goodness can also be seen in songs such as "Still in Motion" and "Dove Soap." "Still in Motion," which is preceded by the a cappella "In Still Motion" by muzeONE, is a song that tells how the crew is going to keep their hands to the plow in their work for the kingdom. Even in the midst of sharing the gospel, the greatest witness that we have is our lives, which is exactly what "Dove Soap" is all about. Stephen the Levite takes control over this track in which he is checking up on a friend who has fallen, but then goes on to share his own testimony about similar situations that he's been through. The greatest thing that is brought out in this song is that even in the midst of our failures, God still uses them for His glory and His grace and mercy continue to cover us.

The Balance: The balance is the harmony of truth, beauty, and goodness and is displayed in its perfection in the life of Jesus Christ. Just like Jesus is the perfect example of the balance of these three essentials, the production and rhymes on this album also produce a similar type of musical balance. With production being handled primarily by DJ Official (of Cross Movement) and DJ MVP (of Holy Culture Radio), as well as selections from muzeONE and J-Red, Redeemed Thought is given a solid foundation over which they are able to spit their lyrical gems of truth, beauty, and goodness. Without the superb production to match the eloquence of the lyrics there would not be a balance and harmony in this album; but because there is, this album is a perfect musical example of the message Redeemed Thought was trying to convey.

Truth... Beauty... Goodness... I can't think of three better words to describe the work of this album. Redeemed Thought surpassed any expectations that I had for TruthBeautyGoodness and I am thoroughly impressed. This is 20 tracks of lyrical genius (don't forget to listen for the hidden track at the end of the album because it's amazing!) The theme of this album was carried out from beginning to end, and the music was varied enough to keep me wanting to listen from start to finish. muzeONE and Stephen the Levite are truly blessed with a gift for ministry through hip-hop and I would have no choice but to recommend that everyone pick up this album. This is only the beginning from these guys, and I look forward to hearing more from them in the future.

Key Tracks

Bang Ya Head, More Than Music, Same God, Philadelphia