Review – Lecrae ‘REHAB: The Overdose’

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Lecrae returns with fifth solo album: Rehab: The Overdose. The grammy-nominated Rehab sold over 25,000 in its first week while charting on the Christian, Gospel and Billboard Top 200 charts. The follow up sold just over 21,000 in the first week. The Overdose conveys the message of recovery and redemption.

Overdose starts out hard with the Street Symphony produced response record to Rick Ross’ BMF. Responding to a song by rhyming with a similar flow may not have been the best choice but the message was conveyed. Lecrae says: “you think your ballers you just some foul shooters.” More of Christ is essential in our daily lives. Lecrae brings the fire and passion over the Kadence produced cut. This track sounds like Go Hard 2.0. Perfect track leading into the Battle Song. With the Kanye style flow Lecrae states, “They can kill us now go get the yellow tape/A put me 6 feet in the group and watch a great escape. I promise aint a sick shooter that can keep me down/My God is so official that’s a technical foul.” Suzy Rock on the hook adds flavor however her verse was too light for this Tony Stone produced song. D-Flow provides the soundtrack to Anger Management. I love the concept and content with Lecrae and Thisl sharing about dealing with anger. Lecrae adds, “People pop off at the mouth I tried to keep it cool/All I want to do is fix’em trouble shoot’em.” At the end of the song Lecrae offers a mini sermon about the song which I felt could have been left off because the lyrics effectively articulated the message. Blow Your High is a cool song about the danger of engaging in sinful acts to achieve a high. The hook is catchy and adds depth to the song. Canon’s twista-like verse was good but I would like to have hear with more punchline style flows instead of fast moving rhymes. Strung Out is a Cheesebeats produced banger. Personifying sin as a lady fits perfect with the hook saying, “how could I love when I you ever did was wrong/how could I trust you you lied to me all along.” Lecrae articulates what sin does but faith in Christ can set you free. Selfish ambition can cause a person to Chase That instead of Christ. The PK produce song allows the listener to see ambition from a biblical lens. When Christ guides your vision then then you can experience The Good Life. Dj Official offers his production expertise on the J. Paul assisted song. Lecrae tastefully uses autotune on Like That as he encourages ladies to look at Ephesians 5 as their base for how a man should treat his wife. Overdose ends with Lecrae and Swoop Going In.

Overdose is the latest installment in the Rehab series. Lecrae experiments with a few new topics while remaining content in familiar territory. High quality production with razer sharp lyrics cuts through your ears. Several songs didn’t have commercial appeal sonically and lyrically. The big question to fans is whether Rehab is more enjoyable than Overdose. My view is Rehab overall is a better project than Overdose. More bangers doesn’t mean better album. Rehab tackled more issues and concepts with intriguing guest appearances. Overdose at times didn’t feel like a new album. With 11 the great songs overshadow good songs. Lecrae is consistently producing great albums. New album 2012?

Purchase on iTunes, AmazonMP3, or discountmusic.us

Release Date: January 11, 2011

Label: Reach Records

Tracklisting
1. Overdose
2. More
3. Battle Song ft. Suzy Rock
4. Anger Management ft. Thi’sl
5. Blow Your High ft. Canon
6. Strung Out
7. Chase That Intro
8. Chase That (Ambition)
9. The Good Life ft. J. Paul
10. Like That
11. Going In ft. Swoope

Chad Horton
Chad Hortonhttps://rapzilla.com
Chad Horton has been in the music business since 2000 with a focus on digital distribution, streaming, playlisting, and social media marketing. Chad is currently a Partnership Producer at hi5.agency working with clients such as Blizzard Entertainment, Google Pixel, and more. Chad also owns and operates Rapzilla.com. Originally from Northern California, Chad became a San Diego resident in 2004 where he currently resides with his wife and children.
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