S.O.H.L. (Straight Out Hard Lyrics) 4UR Tribe's Syke and Sevin have entered the Christian hip-hop arena with 2Tha Bazix. They also may have set a record for the most uses of "JC Junkie" on one album.
Their use of musical melodies helps draw an immediate comparison to D.C. Talk. Where D.C. Talk brings their sung choruses to the front, Syke and Sevin hand several of the choruses to Eden. Her vocals are excellent and blend in well between the raps, leaving the choruses more in the background, letting Syke and Sevin pack the punch with the verses. While they use plenty of beats, breaks, and scratches, they avoid the overuse of samples.
The raps tend to speed by, but they are quite easy to understand. "Sohl 4UR Tribe Iz Funky" talks about reading the Bible, Christ's Salvation and how we need to be devoted to Him. "Funky Hometown Pinnochio Blues" makes the analogy of Satan as the champion of lies--Pinnochio. They show how we need to stop ourselves when we become angry and are tempted to curse to ask "Lord Have Mercy." "Heaven Sent" reminds us to wait for a mate given by God and avoid unwholesome relationships. "Let The Love Flow" encourages us to let God's love flow through us when we are deeply hurting inside. Syke and Sevin diss "puppet" government officials, urging them to wake up in "Stix and Stones" and sum up their feelings in the statement "stix and stones may break my bones, but politicians can never hurt me," and then diss selfish televangelists in "Nonsense." "Papa Dios" speaks of the realities of life on the streets and how it would be to die on the streets without securing a place in heaven. They wrap (or is that rap) up the project with an up-beat gospel-ish tune about how they use their rap in ministry to their friends.
Like D.C. Talk, they add several humorous tracks such as "Introduction," "The Producer Didn't Show," and "Intermission" which really get old after the third time that you hear them. Stick to the rap music, and leave the humor to comedians. Also, once you remove these tracks, the album comes up well under 40 minutes--a little short. Apart from that, it's a great hip-hop project.
