Braille (Cloud Nineteen ) - Reviews

Braille
Cloud Nineteen

Braille, hailing from Seattle, has been rocking the underground Hip Hop circuit for a good number of years now. He has also been able to participate in the mainstream Warped Tour, mixed into his own extensive touring schedule. He even has a song on NBA Live '09.

He has been doing all this without compromising his beliefs, standards nor the strong bond between him and his wife. Now Braille hooks up with producer Symbolyc One (S1) to drop Cloud Nineteen, a project full of vintage Hip Hop, dope beats and songs that minister and speak to the hearts of many.

Braille breaks it down real heavy on "From the Pulpit", letting rappers now that they are all preachers —whether they are preaching the wrong thing or the Truth of the Word. He also speaks to believers, encouraging them to pray and encourage pastors, but not to worship them. "For Life" has that simple banging beat with some sped up samples which allow Braille to spit the reasons why he raps and rocks stages.

S1 delivers one of the craziest tracks for the lead single, "Work That Way". His eerie synth loop, mid-tempo beat and samples go perfectly with the Braille's lyrics about a girl who has been taken advantage since the age of 13. This one deserves several repeats and it goes right into the heart of what goes on with some young ladies and what they do when they have low self esteem and looking for love.

My head could not stop bobbing to the hard hitting and properly titled, "Hardrock" featuring his partners from Lightheaded.

Braille is not an emcee that spits scriptures on all of his songs, but rest assured, he has songs that speak life and his relationship with God. "Heart of God" is a prime example; he speaks candidly of how he sometimes "fails to represent" God's heart, but strives to do so. He also warns the church from going off focus to concentrate more on their buildings than fulfilling the Great Commission.

Fellow emcee Theory Hazit joins Braille on the uptempo jam, "That's My Word" and of course, they both deliver impressive lyrics.

Cloud Nineteen is an album that Hip Hop heads are salivating over. Braille has been going around the country ministering and giving the CD away to youth. He and S1 have produced an instant classic.

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Production: S1 album release date: April, 2009
independent

— review by Dwayne Lacy —