At the end of April, East Coast based emcee Rep released a new single titled “Be The Christ.” For this song, he tagged in Bumps Inf and SweetTee. In the fight for one’s life we need God to be who He says He is. His son Jesus is the Christ or “anointed one” and that’s who Rep needs to help him right now. The beat has a somber and serious feel to it and the guitar helps add to the feel of the song. Rep starts off talking about thoughts of a “permanent vacation,” a way to leave this life that is filled with strife and trauma. He knows he needs to get back in touch with his faith, but he feels like God and him have been playing phone tag and they keep missing each other. He’s trying to break through but being told not to be weak is not helpful at all. When Rep feels dazed, he takes a minute to think about what he sees and then he goes to the hook. It seems like a flip on “O Holy Night,” but Rep is saying he wishes things were silent and bright, but that’s not how life is playing out for him at the moment. SweetTee picks up the last part of the hook asking for protection as she runs through these streets.
God Over Money’s Bumps Inf hops on the second verse and opens up with thoughts of the same permanent vacation. If you know Bumps, then you know whatever he is going through will find its way into his music. I love the lines where he says it’s difficult to whether he is swimming or drowning. Either way, you are in the deep surrounded by water. He knows God has never broken a single promise but that doesn’t seem to make it any easier for Bumps Inf to serve God completely nor change his behavior. This makes Bumps wonder if he was ever truly serving the Lord and he ends his verse calling out for forgiveness from the Lord. SweetTee closes out the song on the third verse. She too has been thinking about going on a vacation and she lists some places she would like to visit. She wishes she could write her wrongs and make them disappear. SweetTee ended the verse and song by singing the hook.
Rep released a thought provoking single. All three artists talked about a vacation, which sounds alluring at first. Many go on vacation to get away from these things and problems, but they are still there when you return. Many times the problems get worse, which is why the thought of going on a permanent vacation sounds good. The artists realize that can’t happen and turn to the Lord. This was a good song overall but not without its missteps. Out of all of the verses, SweetTee’s was the weakest. Rep and Bumps went deep with their insecurities and struggles while it felt like SweetTee just played it safe and stuck to the theme of wanting a vacation. She sounded great on the hook but her verse could have been cut from the song and the record wouldn’t be compromised. If you are looking for an encouraging single to throw on repeat, check out Rep’s “Be The Christ” featuring Bumps Inf and Sweet Tee.
