ALBUM DESCRIPTION

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Artist of the Year--MAJA Awards (Jamaica)
New Artist of the Year--MAJA Awards (Jamaica)
Reggae Vocal Performance of the Year--Marlin Awards (Bahamas)
New Artist of the Year--Marlin Awards (Bahamas)
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What does every successful dancehall deejay have in common? From Bounty and Beenie to Elephant Man and Sean Paul; they've all proven themselves by developing their own unique sound. On his debut release, "On the Shout," DJ Nicholas joins these ranks by flexing his HUGE vocal style with confidence and power.

Blessed with a passion for music from a young age, DJ Nicholas began his career as a dancehall artist by imitating top secular deejays and chatting negative messages of guntalk (lyrics promoting violence and lawless use of guns) and slackness (lyrics promoting sexual immorality). These lyrics, however, soon gave way to militant Rastafarian philosophy as DJ Nicholas began exploring his spiritual side on a quest to find God. Though his quest first led him to a violent interpretation of Rastafari, it was in reading the Bible that the true God was revealed to him. After reading Acts 4:12, which says "there is no other name in heaven by which man can be saved." DJ Nicholas had an intense spiritual awakening and realized that salvation came through Jesus Christ alone. With a firm faith in Christ, DJ Nicholas (also dubbed the "Rhyme Minister") is now taking the Gospel message all across Jamaica and beyond: from street ministry in inner city ghettos to stage shows all across the Caribbean!

"On The Shout" kicks off with "God Man," a blazing tune that finds the Rhyme Minister asking a brave question: "Where the God Man deh?!?" This song is one of the CD's absolute best and sets the tone for a top-quality dancehall album. Hard hitting songs such as "Mek Mi Gwaan", "Pop Off The Word" (a massive gospel reggae hit), and the addictive "Da One Yah" combine DJ Nicholas' original rhyme style and vocal delivery with consistent, undiluted messages that speak bold truths straight to the hearts of believers and non-believers alike.

On "Turning Around", DJ Nicholas does what many gospel reggae artists fail to do: he brings a hardcore conscious message from a Christian perspective, chatting "Turn it around / from war and violence to peace and serenity / Turn it around / from one bag a suffering into prosperity / Turn it around / from no ambition to real integrity / Turn it around!" The CD's fourteenth track, "Suffering", continues the conscious perspective by creatively and accurately describing various types of suffering that people from various walks of life endure on a daily basis. Though the song by itself may not seem particularly hopeful, one need only look to tracks like "Nah Bow" and "Testimony" to get the full range of DJ Nicholas' uplifting message. On "Nah Bow," featuring Katalys Crew, DJ Nicholas departs from his specialty dancehall style and slows things down with a beautiful message of encouragement to believers facing hard times. "Testimony "also stands apart as a moving account of DJ Nicholas' exciting personal testimony.

It's safe to say that with his debut release, DJ Nicholas delivers exactly what the gospel dancehall genre has been waiting for. Song after song, hype riddim after hype riddim, and boom tune after boom tune, DJ Nicholas proves himself as the most innovative new voice in the dancehall--PERIOD. Nobody cyaan' test the Rhyme Minister! Make sure to take a moment today and pick up a copy of this soon-to-be GospelReggae.com best seller!

Review by: D. M. Gahn