Since this is my fourth TBT review, I decided to be a little creative and pick Braille “The IV Edition” for album review. It was 2008 and I was still in the process of finding myself as a Christian, as well as a Christian artist. I remember walking into my local Fred’s and picking up The Source. It was always exciting to read and get to the end of the magazine to see the album reviews and indie spotlights. It helped turn me on to some new artists. I remember seeing Braille in one of the article reviews. I didn’t know anything about him, but I was extremely interested in him and something in my spirit said that I needed to check him out. I went home and listened to his “Calculated Risk” and “The IV” tracks on his Myspace (Yep… Myspace) and instantly liked his music. As soon as the album dropped, I was at Sam Goody to purchase it.
I loved the “Beautiful Humanity” intro, as it showed Braille was not only cultured within hip hop, but within world travels and unity. “Remember your Path” took me down hip hop memory lane. “Constantly Growing” explained growth and life through metaphors of seeds and photosynthesis with guest features from Speech, Sojourn and Surreal. This album was also history in the making, as Braille hooked up with S1 on “Blessed Man” and went on to do future projects together including “Cloud Nineteen.” Braille’s storytelling skills shine on tracks like “Many Stories,” ” Get it Right,” and ” the artist anthem “Restless.” Braille also ends the album on a high with “ADDvice.”
As I look back at this project, this was one of the greatest albums that ever dropped in hip hop…period. I love how he selected a different producer for every track, making every track fresh. Each feature fit perfectly and I love how well Theory Hazit and Braille collaborate on tracks together. Also, his reasoning for coming up “IV’ in the title of the album, is genius! It will always be in my top 3 albums of all time, because of the influence it had on my walk as a believer and as an artist. If you haven’t heard this album, I suggest you do. Whether you like CHH or hip hop, Braille’s “IV’ album will be a remedy to the sick state of hip hop and will become a milestone in your listening experience of the culture of hip hop and Christ. Spread The Soup!
You can check out the album >>>> HERE
