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Album Review: Christ’s Off the Jeezy Jesus’s sophomore effort is ugly as sin. Most rappers have a God complex. But only one has him as a father. After dismal sales of his debut, The Carpenter: Wood ‘N’ Da Hood, Jesus Christ has resurrected himself with Off the Jeezy, a follow-up album aimed for the pop charts. In a maneuver that will likely shock his longtime underground constituency, Jesus has abandoned his message of love, peace and forgiveness in favor of a more club-savvy “jiggy-thug prophet” ideology. But it remains to be seen if exchanging his tattered robe for a Fendi smoking jacket and swapping his oaken walking stick for a Bulgari staff will garner the popularity he craves. It’s not that Jesus can’t make commercial music. It’s just that tracks like “J to the Motherfucking Christ -- I’m Rich” sound a little strange coming from the same artist who released “Alms 4 Da Po’” as a single. Likewise, “Turn the Other Ass Cheek” – which includes the lines “I mix the hash with the green/ pass the Vaseline to Mary Magdalene/ Now get daddy his cream” -- is slightly incongruous with last year’s abstinence anthem “Women are for Befriending Only.” Christ has also not been happy about the recent proliferation of artists comparing themselves to him. Neither Jay-Z nor Nas come away unscathed on “Lord Has No Mercy.” Jesus thunders down the insults: “Yeah, little homie, who’s God’s son? Such vitriol is par for the course on Off the Jeezy. The timid shepherd of the New Testament has been replaced by the scowling and petty God of the Old Testament. Utilizing his afterworld industry connections, Jesus brings both Tupac and Biggie back for the rowdy "Ambitionz az a Holy Ghostridah" where the trio threaten their impersonators (Ja-Rule, Shyne and the guy from Jesus.com all get unflattering mentions). Like so many young men who embrace liberal philosophies only to eventually mimick the conservatism of their elders, Christ is becoming his father. Read more articles in Arts » |
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