Trailblazin Ministries

shai linne - Solus Christus Project

Written by LaRosa Johnson
Friday, February 10, 2006

Album Overview

As a Christian and a fan of hip-hop, I've come to really appreciate those who use the medium of hip-hop to speak the truths of God. In that, there has always been a special place in my heart for those artists who aren't just spitting "feel good" raps, but are bringing the unadulterated gospel message in its purest form. It is for that reason that I'm a big fan of groups like Cross Movement, and it's always pleasing to hear new artists who take the mantle and run with the gospel headstrong. Enter another Philadelphia native artist by the name of shai linne (the lowercase emcee). I first heard about this guy on the first RockSoul Entertainment compilation album, and had been anticipating more from him.

It wasn't until I heard about the free Lamp Mode Recordings Grassroots sampler that I got another fix of shai linne. After hearing he and Timothy Brindle shred mics for Jesus, I just had to pick up shai's debut solo album The Solus Christus Project. Once I got this album in the mail, I couldn't wait to put it in my computer so that I could hear more ill tracks from this Philly emcee.

Upon first listening to this album, I immediately knew two things: 1) this album was all about Jesus Christ and giving His name the glory, and 2) this album was going to be full of east coast flavor! It turns out that I was exactly right and this was sweet music to my ears. To use some of shai linne's words, this album is pure "lyrical theology." With a very laid back feel, each track brings forth the gospel in a way that you've never experienced before. One such track is "Christ Crucified" whose message is intended for the unbelievers as shai linne seeks out to tell listeners that the death of Jesus Christ provides an answer to every problem we encounter because all of our problems have sin at the root. This is a very rowdy track full of scriptural references ranging from Jeremiah 2:19, 5:25 to 1 John 3:4.

Spiritual Significance

With "Solus Christus" as the centerpiece and theme for the album, you get a very clear picture of what shai linne is trying to get across with his project. "Solus Christus" at its essence is a Christ-exalting jam. The verse that he quotes at the very end (Mark 1:15) which reads, "...the Kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe the good news." Basically that verse is the entire message of the CD summed up in a single sentence. You then get tracks like "WorldWideWeb" with Cruz Cordero and "Mic Check 1,2" featuring Phanatik and Stephen the Levite.

Two of my favorite joints on the album would have to be "Justified" and "Angelz." "Justified" is basically a lyrical breakdown of Romans 3:12-24 in which he deals with the fact that we are justified in Jesus Christ and Him alone. The focus of this song is to show that we can't be justified on our own, but that we need Jesus because only He alone can make us justified. And "Angelz" is just a dope track featuring Timothy Brindle and Evangel. This track is a storytelling joint where shai linne's character is a self-proclaimed Christian who is still heavily involved in sin, and then falls asleep and has a dream where he's confronted by two spiritual beings: a demon and an angel. Evangel takes on the persona of the demon, and Timothy is the angel. The demon tries to challenge shai's profession to be a Christian, whereas the angel's verse is the key to the entire song as he lets shai know that it was God's mercy that saved him from death.

Man, I could easily go on and talk about every track on this album, but that would take all day. To sum this album up, I can honestly say that it's one of the illest gospel hip-hop albums that I've heard. From beginning to end I was captivated and fed the Word of God in a way that few emcees are able to do.

Topics Covered

There is a lot of weighty truth contained on this album, and with that there is a wide array of subjects covered, but they all keep the main thing the main thing. What is the main thing? The main this is that it is "Christ Alone," and that is the absolute heart of this project. From tracks like "Christ Crucified" to "Memoirs," each song is geared to point the listener away from the emcee and towards Jesus Christ, the King of kings and Lord of lords. Other than that, I'll leave it up to you to listen to the album and find out all of the ways in which shai linne is able to point the focus and glory onto the Christ.

Key Tracks

Solus Christus, Justified, Angelz, Christ Crucified