The Raven
2K A.D.
Reviewed by Devin Trask
With some catchy rhymes and a stripped-back style that some have compared to T-Bone or maybe Cypress Hill, Northern California's The Raven hits the scene with 2K A.D. The Raven's message is deeply rooted in his nom de rap; just as the raven in Gen. 8:7 was sent out by Noah to go to and fro until the waters of the Great Flood had receded, The Raven feels sent out by God to go to and fro preaching to a lost and dying generation, "until the waters of time recede and The Lord Jesus Christ comes back."
With some help from Deza, Lionheart and The Kodiakbear, The Raven has constructed a hip-hop morality play about the choice we all have to make about whom we will serve. Throughout, Raven contrasts good with evil, God with the devil, and the beauty of God's peace with the ugliness that corrupts people's souls.
While many of the innovations in Christian hip-hop involve experiments in melody and musicality, The Raven and Company are about simpler times and about zeroing in on the message.