Mark J

Item: City of Pain
Author: Noel Lloyd

City of Pain

(2003)

Reviewed by Noel Lloyd

Discogs YouTube

Label Much Luvv RecordsThe Phantom Tollbooth2003

gospel hip hop rap

After a lengthy hiatus, Atlanta rapper Mark J blows back onto the Christian rap scene with his fourth album City of Pain. A native of Queens, New York, a hip-hop hotbed, Mark J is heavily influenced by the East-coast sound and this new offering is no exception. City of Pain features 25 tracks loaded with Mark J's able and, at times, rapid-fire, vocal locomotion. Throwing in occasional old-school beats and riffs, this album is a balanced mixture of intense, frantic-paced battle calls and laid-back, feel-good tunes backed by tinges of jazz and reggae.

Lyrically, Mark J makes no secret of what he and his message are all about. He is absolutely, irrevocably in the Christian rap music business. Holy hip-hop if you must give it a term. City of Pain is centered around the message of Jesus Christ and Mark J does not sugar-coat, use subterfuge, or artistically cryptic word-speak to get the message out. In fact, we are introduced to his "passion" in the very first song. While expounding a simple message, this veteran does not fall prey to the painfully obvious, but does a marvelous job of providing considerable profoundness to his work.

My favorite track on this album is the humorous "Passing Moments." The plot line? A man and a woman notice each other while waiting for a train and are immediately attracted. Cleverly told from both male and female perspectives, it is a scenario that many of us have doubtless encountered: "Should I or shouldn't I talk to her?" Other tracks address serious issues such as African American anger over this country's blemish of slavery, coming persecution of Christians, and the rapper's angst over the problems he sees in his environment.

City of Pain is filled with the usual hip-hop record accompaniment of guest stars and good will call-ins from Mark J's pals. With the help of such artists as Ty Scott of Platinum Souls, Dano and Neogen of Remnant, and Izrael, Mark J adds vocal diversity to his already stellar rhymes. All in all, a great return to the microphone.

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