Let me take you on a small ride through a big album, The Creation by Tony Stone. But before we begin our journey, let's talk first about the artist Tony Stone. If you have been listening to any Christian Rap for the past 7 years, most likely he has been the one behind some of the soulful, funky beats you've enjoyed, powering the boards for artists like 2Five Tha Hood Rev, Braille, Trip Lee, KNINE, Flame, R-Swift, Mark J, Big R, Zee, Kdrama, The Much Luvv Fam and many, many more. I hope you get the point. This cat has been all over the place. If we ask for his production credits the list may be a block long. So after producing for so many T. Stone is now grabbing the mic. One unique thing about this album is it is only being released in Japan. Talk about Godly jealousy, Japan is in for a treat. Okay, strap in and let's see what this master producer has to say.
The Creation starts with We Made It featuring T. Stone's signature soulful sound. The first few bars explain it all:
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"The birds the Bees/ The waves the trees/ the cats the dogs the ants the flees/
everything in this order/ even the tape recorder/ even the phone lines tapped by
government enforcer/…….. Everything in this album is pointing to his power"
We Made It is about how nothing on earth would be here if God had not said those three words; LET THERE BE. The beginning of this album starts like the beginning of the Bible letting us know that the universal slate was clean but God is the artist of us all. The hook has Tony singing the tune of We made it. Now if you are a real singer don't fault Tony for trying those pipes out.
Two things really stick out on The Creation. One, is the production. As you may have guessed, there was no slacking on the production. The Creation could have been an instrumental album and it would still be hot. Beyond the fact that Tony produces so many other artist, The Creation shows what type of beats the producer prefers. A great fusion of early 90s mixed with 2010. The second is that the album was well thought out. From songs like Parts, Round and Round and D.I.C.E.; alot of thought and scripture were implanted in making this album.
For example, on the track Parts T. Stone goes through all the parts of body. He poses that all of the Parts of the body were made to give God praise. Tony also crushes the theories of the big bang, evolution, Darwinism and other things that challenge the Bible. The fast flow on Parts resonates that "The Bible makes it clear' and we have a purpose. T. Stone doesn't want the listener confused about what they were made for and why we are here. Whoa. Then Round and Round (Mr. Law) is a story about the towns people saying a cop named Mr. Law is too hard. No one was just in Mr. Law's eyes. So the towns people went to the Mayor and asked for another person to help them live. But Mr Law was just there to point them to the true reconciler Jesus Christ. So the law (Mr. Law) was only needed for a season until the time was right for the Messiah. GLORY!
Speaking of great components of this album; Lets talk about the guest emcees on The Creation. You know him from his future classic album "THE IV" Braille Brizzy. Braille is a good addition to this album. One of the top emcees in the game appears on the project on whopping five tracks. Like I stated before, Japan is in for a treat. One of his quotable verses is on the last track "I'M OUT" (one of my favorites). We know that T. Stone and Braille have a great working relationship just check the HipHop is music catalogue. Brotherhood at its finest.
This is a prize worthy CD. Don't get me wrong, there are a few minor areas that have opportunity for growth. Before you pick up your stones I said minor things.
One hard thing is trying to remake a classic song. O Miss Ginny from Verses The Listening Session is one of those classic songs. Word to the wise if you don't have The Listening session you need it. T. Stone produced the entire record. Back to O Miss Ginny part 2. The remake had a great beat but it didn't have the stellar appeal of its counter part. Even though Verses was featured with a great verse it didn't live up to the first one. Also, Tony's voice takes some time to get used to. And we already mentioned the singing but its better than listening to some of the secular guys that sing on every hook.
Every song on this album finds a way to point upward, giving God praise. All of the rhymes are driven by scripture even if they are not named. If you are a Bible reader you have read or heard all of these subjects. Tony Stone's The Creation with its spiritual content over blessed beats should please even the Great Creator.
Release Date: Summer, 2008 (CD released in Japan only, digital online is available)
Record Label: Indie
Track Listing
1. We Made It
2. Tapestry
3. Goodness (feat. Braille)
4. Round and Round (Mr. Law)
5. D.I.C.E. (feat. Braille)
6. Boast
7. Creation Interlude (Instrumental)
8. Parts
9. Thank You
10. I Know (feat. Braille)
11. Nobody
12. Look How Far (feat. Braille)
13. Miss O Ginny Part Two (feat. Verses)
14. I'm Out (feat. Braille)
