Trailblazin Ministries

Stephen the Levite - ...To Die is Gain

Written by LaRosa Johnson
Wednesday, September 13, 2006

When I heard Stephen the Levite, of Redeemed Thought, had signed with Lamp Mode Recordings and was going to release a solo album, I was excited. After listening to him appear on Cross Movement's Higher Definition and then on Redeemed Thought's debut LP Truth Beauty Goodness, I had become very fond of this emcee. On both albums he really shined and proved to have very witty lyricism and a voice that was very appealing. With that in mind, I couldn't help but to be excited and see what he had to offer for his solo release titled ...To Die is Gain. Needless to say, I could not wait to get my hands on this album, and therefore I present my review of Stephen the Levite's debut album.

Now, knowing that Redeemed Thought had signed on with Lamp Mode Recordings, I had a very strong feeling that the subject matter would be very scriptural in nature. To my delight, this is exactly what you get with To Die is Gain. What Stephen the Levite offers with this album is a very introspective look at himself and his faith, as well as carefully examining the Scriptures and the beliefs within the Body of Christ. With songs like "My Life's Soundtrack," "KnA," and "The Darkness" you really get an up close and personal look at the life of Darrell the person, instead of Stephen the emcee. It's with tracks like these that he is able to eloquently give you his life's story of accepting Christ and explaining some of the struggles that he has been through during his walk with the Lord. Absolute transparency is what you get here; it is duly noted and appreciated, as this is something that many emcees are not willing to do.

Aside from giving his testimony in rhyme, Stephen the Levite also deals with the Body of Christ and many of the questionable teachings that are taught in the church today. He starts this with the song "QnA" (Questions and Answers) and works through a series of songs that ends with "DnA" (Demons and Angels). With "QnA," Stephen offers up a series of questions on behalf of the church assembly that bring to light many of the traditions and rituals that the church holds to today; he then ends the track by quickly going through a laundry list of Scriptures that you have to jot down in order to read them and answer the questions he posed. After going through songs like "Stained Glass Windows" and "the Choir," Stephen ends this section with "DnA" where he deals with the church's understanding of demons and angels. He directs the demon section at many emcees and teachers who are "demon killers" and then focuses in on an expository on what angels are scripturally. Stephen also closes the album with "RnA" (Reject and Accept), which is a plea for believers to accept sound doctrine and reject heresy.

There isn't much bad that I can say about this album. Since getting it in the mail, it has been in heavy rotation and it has brought out a lot of Scriptural truth and quality hip-hop music. Throughout the project, Stephen's lyrics and rhyme schemes are diversified and very refreshing; it's almost as if on every track he brings something new so as to not sound repetitive with his sound. As usual, the production is stellar and very fitting for this album. With DJ Essence handling the bulk of the production duties (with other guests such as Holy Culture Radio's DJ MVP), you're guaranteed to love the beats if you love east coast underground hip-hop. The only downer that I have on this album is that it can seem long and drawn out in areas when listening to it straight through, but other than that it's solid from start to finish. With this album, Stephen the Levite definitely showed that he is a superb emcee that can hold his own without his partner in rhyme; this is another great release from Lamp Mode Recordings.