As our industry continues to develop, the sound of Gospel music continues to change, and now includes the ever-growing art form of Christian reggae. Continuing to introduce this style to the masses is singer/rapper Christ Fa Real (aka Nakia Lunn). His debut effort, titled It’s Personal, is a 14-track project designed to make you dance and celebrate as well as reflect on your relationship with the Savior. This unique project fuses varying reggae styles with R&B and rap, making for a well-rounded project.
One of the standout cuts on the project is titled "Born Again". Here, Christ Fa Real enlists the help of Grapetree mainstays, Antonious and Prime Minister, who add their tight flows to the mix, making it a serious party track. Prime and Antonious also add their flava to "This Is How We Do It", a song about the unity of all from the East and West Coasts. The project also features a guest appearance from female MC, Xplicit. Her flows on "North West" and "Saint Saint" and make you look forward to a potential solo project featuring her talents.
In addition to focusing on rap-influenced tracks, Christ Fa Real fuses his reggae flow with smooth R&B grooves on others. An unmistakable hit is "If You Love Him", an infectious urban groove featuring a catchy hook and terribly tight harmonies. On top of this tight track, the lyrics examine a Christian’s relationship with God, challenging us to represent Christ unashamedly.
While focusing on both rap and R&B, Christ Fa Real definitely represents the reggae side with serious flava, showing the many sides of his reggae background. Some of his more edgy, hardcore, dancehall tracks include "Rock the Show" and "Demon Killa". These tracks are definitely directed towards the more urban ear and have powerful messages to boot. He also presents more relaxed and laidback cuts including title cut, "My Love", and "I Wanna Be Free". The "Marley-esque" nature of these particular cuts is appreciated and adds balance to the project.
The versatility on this project is noteworthy. Of the increasing number of reggae projects on the market (Papa San, deLANO, Blood Brotherz), this release aims to be the most listener friendly (especially to a hip-hop oriented crowd) and comes with strong recommendations.
Producer: Blaq Gold, Terrence Harper, Nakia Lunn
album release date: August 1999
Phat Boy Recordings
— reviewed by Gerard Bonner — from GospelFlava.com
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