Label- Tryumfant Records
As a Nigerian I find it rather amusing that my country is a former British colony yet we turn to America for most of our music! Before I got into Christian music, I could barely list 5 British acts (outside The Beatles) that I knew and I think it’s a bit worse now! Nevertheless, I know that UK rap acts are gaining a solid reputation within the circles that matter and they’ve got ears prickling up in attention on both sides of the pond nowadays. In Christian rap we’ve seen Jahaziel and Dwayne Tryumf achieve huge crossover success and there are others following in their footsteps (S.O., Guvna B, E-Tizz, Gems, etc…) but all of them Dwayne Tryumf seems to be the poster boy for the UK’s Christian rap scene. He’s been on Katalyst’s album Death By Design, Lecrae’s Rebel, a couple of mixtapes here and there and his song “I Don’t Pack a Matic” off the Mark of Peace EP has solid credentials so dropping 777 was long overdue I guess.
From start to finish the album has your attention. The captivating “777 intro” which was released last year (and is on Uprise’s Video Lounge on OH TV) fittingly kicks off a hot collection of awe inspiring tracks. Possessing this Jamaican flavor (staying true to his roots) Dwayne manages to give us hip hop, reggae, dancehall all in one package with a little touch of gospel too. Some of the songs on the album aren’t exactly new but they are nice additions to the mix, “I Don’t Pack a Matic” and “Proverbs 31” fall into this class. “Never Be the Same” has Dwayne spitting in his signature rapid-fire staccato like way over an awesome beat and a wonderfully sung hook. “He’s The King” an anthem of Christ’s sovereignty is another beautiful banger. “African Drum” and “Sons of God” are two beautifully crafted songs with the aforementioned dancehall flavor and Mr Tryumf holding it down with his verses. As u go along its almost as if the album slows down yet it doesn’t lose its quality as songs like the melodic “Help Me Find My Way” and “Trust Me” round things up for us.
A noteworthy trait on the album is the rich cast of guest artists (nothing less than 14 of them) which basically consists of the “who’s who” in UK Christian music from Muyiwa Olanrewaju to Ryan Carty to Jahaziel. Even with this many guests Dwayne Tryumf still holds it down!!! Not an easy task. One drawback is the Comedian Chris skits; they seem somewhat subpar for a project of this caliber. Other than that 777 is a hefty album that is sure to launch Dwayne Tryumf to much bigger things in the future, it gets my 4 stars unapologetically.
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