Imade iN Truth

When I first heard JGivens’ latest single, all I could think of was this is a nice smooth it out joint for the ladies.  But “Can’t Say” is much deeper than that.  The Saint City based JGivens offers his most intimate account of his Egyptian travels with a G-funk twist.  Yes, you read that right.  JGivens busts out Nate Dogg-esque vocals while providing a behind the scenes diary of what it means to be Christian in a Muslim world.  The soulful, mellow track produced by Evil Needle subverts Westernized Christian ideals of being unashamed of the gospel.  The (Romans) 116 lifestyle that Lecrae popularized has more expressions than “how loud you can cheer” but it stems from “how you live it”.  JGivens saw first hand how believers go underground while watching their loved ones get persecuted (even to the point of death) for their faith.  Though JGivens thought this was first the “spirit of fear”, he matured to an understanding that this is strategic wisdom.  ”Can’t Say” is an eye-opening lesson that following the heart of God takes many forms.   Twitter  Facebook  Soundcloud  Bandcamp     

I’ve been to a lot of Christian Hip Hop concerts, but JGivens is the sickest emcee that I ever saw live.  He is freakishly good.  It’s almost scary. 

JGivens has been releasing visuals for his #OccupyMondays mixtape in a completely unique way.  While most rappers rent a whip, start a cook out, or get a bunch of mindless people to stand behind them, JGivens uses none other than the ancient landscape of the Middle East.  He’s captured his travels to teach at a conference for Christian leaders braving persecution in Northern Africa.

JGivens’ booming, sample laden beats and complex 100 mile per hour wordplay is the soundtrack to his amazing pilgrimage.  His latest video, “Caught In The Reign” (produced by Mighty Jay Mac) shows JGivens casually strolling through Israel’s ancient ruins while a stunning temple stands behind him.  The dichotomy of an emcee saying “trying to season the earth like Ms. Dash” while standing in front of an ancient backdrop may cause a double take, but it actually makes sense.  His music is so vertically centered on God that it has to power to bring the listener back to the beginning, when it was nothing but us and our Creator.   

Once you check out “Caught In The Reign”, check out my favorite video so far, “Kill Bill Collectors”, which was resourcefully shot by an iPhone.  Website  Bandcamp  Twitter  Facebook 

Correction: JGivens’ “Caught In The Reign” video was shot in Israel, and not Egypt as I previously mentioned :-) 

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