azriELicia

Artist: azriELicia
Album: “Help Wanted”
Label: Kingdom City Records
Date: Feb. 2008

RATING: 7.0 out of 10 C (due to needing better mixing, mastering, and compatible music production)

****THE BACK DROP****

There is so much greatness and sincerity that immerses from this husband and wife unit….azriELicia.

azriELicia are a husband and wife monadic that has met the Lord, like Paul on the Damascus road. I have been “Awe-StruKC” since I had the opportunity to witness the heart, ministry, and ability of azriELicia. They are truly beyond “on fire.” They bring such a fervent passion and soberness regarding the scriptures, the walk of FAITH, and Hip Hop. They strive to demonstrate and execute this in balance and they are so young.

The Lord is unveiling a generation of youth who are no longer satisfied with compromise. And azriELicia are just a few of the patriarchs or “first fruits” of that generation.

azriELicia is comprised of (wife) Elicia Horton and (husband) Damon “Azriel” Horton. They are from the Mid-West by way of Kansas City Missouri; and they are waving the Blood Stained Banner hiiiiiiigggggggghhhh!!! Their HEART is to present Christ in an uncompromised fashion 24/7. Their MINISTRY is to compassionately love, aid, and build their community through the Life given by the infallible
scripture with the loving arms of the Church they Pastor. That church is Mount Washington Baptist. Their ABILITY is to articulate and fuse that HEART and MIINSTRY into Holy Hip Hop rhymes with eloquent-rawconvicting-
intriguing precision and skill.

azriELicia has bottled all of those qualities into their Holy Hip Hop debut album, “Help Wanted.” They are pleading with the “unAwakened” to give The Bride of Christ (The Church) a second chance or a chance at all, if
they never have. Azriel and Elicia are soliciting their local and regional communities to help them (The Church) help them (The Community)…using this as a model or example for the American Church nationwide.

On this record azriELicia are even beseeching The Body of Christ to seek the Lord so that they can fulfill the need of HELP in every capacity.


azriELicia’s oldest daughter Bella says it best,”…We need more HELP, people! we need more GODLY men and women…!” Talk about training up a child.

It is gems like that the make this East Coast-favorable-feeling album a potentially classic effort.

Now…Christian female M.C.s (Shout out to Christian Female Rap Network) are probably in a ratio of 1 to a 1000 compared to Christian Male M.C.s. In that ratio you would probably still have to weed through them to experience which of them truly has the chops to execute Holy Hip Hop on a wide spread professional platform.

Well…Elicia is one that has the chops. Her swag is true to East Coast boom-bap form. She’s simply DOPE with her delivery, style, and ability to ride the beat.

Azriel is the exact equivalent of Elicia. Even though Azriel and His wife were born and raised in the Mid- West, their musical love has gravitated to the likes of East Coast lyricism and flavor. Another gem to be found in this album is how both Azriel and Elicia compliment each other as though they audibly accomplish Matt. 19:
5-6 as a reflection of their lives off record. Azriel is a rapper’s rapper, a preacher’s preacher, and a teacher’s teacher. Elicia’s bars are thought provoking and encapsulating. Azriel makes you drop your jaw how he
challenges himself outside of his musical preferences. He and Elicia both love that East but, this cat has successfully executed just about every lyrical delivery style from boom-bap, to snap, to crunk, to tongue twist all on this ONE album. This is what I wish Shai Linne would do. Cause in my opinion he’s too raw not to.

Elicia and Azriel have truly mastered the “back and forth” / ”give and go” rapping style. azriELicia should get
Emmys, Oscars, Doves, Stellars, and New York Times Best Seller awards for their impeccable story telling. I mean YOU WILL…press “rewind” to hear the tales they tell.

Once again it is gems like this that make this record a POTENTIAL classic.

Now…you’re probably wondering why this album got a “C” rating and is considered a POTIENTIAL classic. If it has all of these “gems,” shouldn’t it at least have gotten a “B?” I’m glad you asked. Let’s dig in…


****FEATURED RAPPERS, SINGERS, and PRODUCERS****

For the most part the featured artists make this record better; meaning they don’t take away from its potential.

John Pallozzi adds this Brooklyn-Italian feel like he’s singing in a “Goodfellas Movie” night club on Track 12 “Uamazeme.” Top Spin brings that Mid-Dirty flow to the table with some on-point tongue twisting on Track 5 “Switch It Up.” Dre - DJ WannblessU

Album Overview

In all honesty, I wasn't too hyped up when I first decided to take this album. No one had taken it, and I couldn't really find any information on Azriel online. However, I was going on vacation and wanted to do a review while I was up north. As I put on my headphones and started the CD, I knew that I made a good decision in picking it up, and can't wait for Volume 2.

Azriel has a put out a great project that serves as a sort-of intro to the Christian faith and goes into various core beliefs. I was blown away by this guy's talent and knowledge of the Biblical text.

Every song is packed with tons of references. For every topic, he provides you with plenty of verses you can use to dig in to what he's spittin'. The album hosts a variety of beats. It has an overall laid back tone with lots of piano, but a couple tracks pick it up and have interesting flows, like "He Is" and "Fall of Man."

Throughout the album, you'll encounter unique styles and plenty of topics to keep your Bible open. If there was ever an album to give to a new believer or someone considering the Christian faith, this would be it. Or, for the seasoned believers, this album is good to sit down with and dig into the text. It's best digested slowly, track-by-track with time in between to check the Biblical references. For anyone doubting this album, I suggest you download this and dig in.

Spiritual Significance

As the title says, Azriel lays out Systematic Theology over beats. With Systematic Theology Volume 1, he gives a "systematic approach to studying God," his definition of Systematic Theology. He starts with the importance of the Bible, and how it is written for us to be used as a tool to live righteously on this earth (Psalm 19:8-12, Hebrews 4:12).

Azriel then goes on to God and explains how he is triune, 3 equal separate parts in one God. He gives examples covering the three parts in John 1:18, 15:26, and 17:11. From here, Azriel goes into Jesus and the Holy Spirit on the next two tracks, giving basic beliefs about both of them, including salvation through Jesus and the guidance from the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:15-21, John 15:26). After he finishes the trinity, he moves onto the fall of man and our need for God (Luke 11:9-13). This section of the album reminded me of Flame's Our World Fallen.

With the helplessness of man, Azriel also includes how God kept us although we were undeserving (Psalm 103:8-10). As we near the end of the album, Azriel brings the fact that God has chosen us and knows where our lives are going to go (Psalm 139:13-16). With the end of the album, Azriel gives a simple analogy of baking a cake that lays out the process of studying scripture.

He shows hermeneutics as the cookbook, learning how to bake the cake, that is, interpreting God's word. He then compares exegesis to baking the cake, taking His word to heart and putting it in you. Then, expositing the text is serving the cake, putting it to work for others, and finally, application of the text, which is eating the cake, which means to use it in your life. This song was like "Context" of Flame's album Rewind (great song too). He challenges us to "eat the cake" and help others to do the same.

Overall, 2/3 of the album deal with faith essentials, and the last 1/3 deals with the doctrine of salvation (this is his layout of the album). This is a great album that leaves us with the question, "Are you eating the cake?"

Topics Covered

"Intro"- A welcome to the project that defines the purpose of the album: to give us just enough to want more. "The tip of the iceberg."

"Word of God"- How great the Bible is, its importance and the need to use it.

"God Exists"- defines who God is, how he is triune. Also, he goes into the three parts of our One God.

"Gimme Jesus"- Gives the basic Christian beliefs about Jesus, including salvation through Him.

"He Is"- Defines the basic beliefs of the Holy Spirit, and how we should use this gift wisely.

"Ya Kept Me"- God kept us although we didn't want him, and how He sent His Son to die for us and save us even though we were undeserving.

"Fall of Man"- How man fell into sin, but Jesus died and saved us so that we could have eternal life.

"Radical Corruption"- The helplessness of humans apart from God and our need to come to Him to gain strength to survive.

"Election"- God had selected us as His own before we were born. He has already laid out our entire lives.

"Spill Outro"- Definition of hermeneutics, exegesis, expositing, and application of scripture. (Nice analogy of baking a cake).

Key Tracks: Word of God, God Exists, Fall of Man, Spill Outro

- Trailblazin Ministries

Album Overview

So, I'm driving to work on the first sunny day in spring. I slide a CD in as I drive to the "8 to 5," then low and behold my ears got exactly what my mind had been thinking about for quite a while now. We need more Godly men, women, and kids... "we need more help people," is what I heard. I just about crashed because I was worshiping so hard! There are so many of us (Christians) that miss the mark when it comes to doing God's work. Either we refuse to or have not made it our personal mission to fulfill the Great Commission of making disciples happen.

AzriELicia make it plain on their newest project, Help Wanted, that we need more Christians willing to contribute and work for the kingdom. With the help of fellow Kingdom City Records artist Dre Sr. and other artists that include Top Spin, Seyko, T-Mission, and John Pallozzi, this album is pivotal for the hip-hop community in 2008.

Many preachers have taught about what our jobs as believers are, but none have come close to putting it in terms of hip-hop culture the way this husband and wife duo have. I guess when your name places God at the center (mathematically, 'EL' the Hebrew term for God forms the center) blessings rain down. In this case, the blessing is a message we all need to hear. Your job, as a follower of Jesus Christ, is to preach the Gospel. Not only did Azriel and Elicia bring solid doctrine that touched on a message which got me all hyped up, but they did it with music that is undeniably crunk!

Both of them have been spittin' since the 90's; now that their crafts are heightened at such a high level, God is using them to spread the Gospel. Their ministry not only is doing work in the center of Kansas City, MO but the whole nation. So trust me when I tell you, buy this album and then pray that it will help you grow your own or whatever ministry you are helping with. Help Wanted by AzriELicia will invoke people to seek out how God wants to use them in order to work for the kingdom. It will also encourage people who are already plugged in to work even harder!

Spiritual Significance

Like I said earlier, Help Wanted will be important to many youth workers and church leaders in 2008. Many of us struggle to try to find ways to communicate how the Bible explains our role in helping to build the kingdom. We cannot save souls, but can preach the Gospel. Spreading God's Word is our role while we live on earth.

AzriELicia make it a point to attack this issue, but also include some topics like "knowing who you are in Christ," "being willing to go where God wants you," and "relationships with the opposite sex." Many of the songs on this album ask the listener to apply biblical principals to the situation or try and understand the message through parable. Especially with songs like "Decent Proposal," the audience is expected to hear the song from beginning to end.

The true holy hip-hop listener will not miss the point each track is sending. I feel like this project addresses issues facing our nation's inner-city community, as well as the suburbs. Our country's urban areas are feeling the strain of church congregations not willing to do God's work. It's not a white problem or a black problem; instead, it's a problem that faces the American church (as the album suggests).

Think about your own church; is everyone who claims Christ as their Lord working toward the kingdom? I know I don't see it in my church or in my city. Some are really walking out in faith and some for whatever reason are not. When I walk outside I see no change in our neighborhoods. I see no one out there breaking it down for the gang banger, drug dealer, or the prostitute. I see people afraid to even talk to the sick and homeless for fear of getting their Sunday clothes dirty. I hope to use the message of doing your job (as it relates to God's commission) as my battle cry this year.

Praise be to God for Azriel and Elicia. Thank you two for being disciplined in the Word and walking out in faith with your ministry. I pray you stay on course. If you keep up the righteous work in your community and with albums like Help Wanted we will see a spiritual welfare reform!

Topics Covered

Help Wanted - The need of more Godly people

Who You? featuring Dre Sr. - Our relationship with God (being sinners)

Sent BaCK - Going where God sends you to do his work

The eXodus - Leave the worldly mind-set for a mind like Christ (follow him)

Switch It Up featuring Top Spin - Being all things to all people in order to reach the lost

Street Sweeper - Spreading the word of Life (Jesus) to the streets

I AM the God featuring Seyko- Loving God above all no matter your circumstance

Love Triangle featuring Dre Sr., T-Mission - Choosing a Godly man over a worldly man

Decent Proposal - Parable of How God views our sinful ways

I Still - Renewing marriage vows

Christology - Studying the life of
Jesus

Uamazeme featuring John Pa - TrailBlazin Ministries