Artist: Tedashii
Release: Blacklight
Label: Reach Records
Release Date: May 2011
Track Listing:
1. Riot
2. Rock a Bye Baby
3. Need It Daily feat. PRO
4. Can’t Get With You
5. That Will Be The Day feat. Jenny Norlin
6. This Is The Life feat. Sho Baraka and L2
7. Last Goodbye feat. Benjah
8. He Lives feat. Flame and Jai
9. Go Until I’m Gone feat. Thi’sl
10. Get Up feat. S.O.
11. Burn This House Down
12. Finally feat. Shane and Shane
13. You Know What It Is feat. KB and PK
14. Dum Dum feat. Lecrae
15. Reverse feat. C-Lite
16. Bravo feat. J-Paul
“This is for the people in the pain and the sorrow.
This is the haters who hate us for who we follow.”
Tedashii is back with his third solo release Blacklight, his Reach Records follow-up to Identity Crisis of 2009. Blacklight features a slew of guest artists from Lecrae to Thi’sl to Reach Records latest signing KB, and just as many producers. This plethora of creativity has culminated in a diverse and fresh sixteen track gospel album.
The theme behind the album title, Blacklight, and the whole album is that Jesus is sort of a black light to humanity, seeing things that are invisible to the naked eye. Tedashii wrote songs with the end in mind, the bigger goal. Following Identity Crisis where songs like “Make War” were a call to arms, Blacklight has the feel of a more relaxed mature feel. The first half of the album features songs with a live band feel like “This Is The Life” that has a guest spot from Sho Baraka. Tedashii’s unique delivery gives him the ability to go from super low raps (“Can’t Get With You”) to upbeat high-energy vocals (“Go Until I’m Gone”). There is definitely more emphasis on the music on Blacklight too, Tedashii did not settle for typical generic rap beats, but more spacey, sonic sounds somewhat reminiscent of Lecrae’s Rehab. Some of the best music can be found on “That Will Be the Day” where Tedashii is joined by the soulful vocals of Jenny Norlin and on the track “He Lives” with it’s sonic beeps and phasers.
While every track on Blacklight is well thought-out, a few tracks stand out above the rest. “Finally” features guest vocals from Shane & Shane, who are about as unique of a guest-spot on a Christian rap album as you can get. The track is amazing though, Shane & Shane might have to offer their services to more rappers, their hooks and talent are excellent. “He Lives” has a slowed beat but some very quicks raps from Tedashii, only to setup Flame for some even faster raps. The hook is super catchy too which makes this track one of the best anthem tracks out there right now. Flame’s punchline rap style is impressive “did you say Jesus is God? yes is said JESUS is GOD!” The best track on Blacklight however is “Last Goodbye” a story-telling song about a mother going off to deployment in with the troops. The track is emotional and the slowed-down feel is reminiscent of Eminem’s “When I’m Gone”, and the hook by Benjah is very effective. Tedashii really took his time making this track special “Close to zero five-hundred, her mind starts wanderin’/ butterflies, tummy starts rumblin’ / She doesn’t want her last moments here to be unpleasent.”
OVERALL Blacklight is excellent, a real emphasis on quality music and production. Tedashii really promotes gospel music as the same as the Gospel, “you need it daily” and his style of music is encouraging and affirming. Blacklight is solid all the way through, for fans of Lecrae’s Rehab, this album is even better; plenty of creative beats and songs but still a good dose of quality raps.