The Oceanside native returns with another vulnerable project and a challenge to Christian culture
Five years ago, John Givez wrote an open letter to the Christian rap community.
“Embrace people like me,” he wrote in it, challenging his audience. “‘It wasn’t until God showed me he understood me that I could love Him & further more love people like yourselves. The ‘good’ ones. I want you to listen to my music & think about all the kids out there that you would ‘shut up’ because they aren’t up to your standard (that you so effortlessly call Gods).”
In the wake of that letter, he released “Soul Rebel,” his second album with the Southern California label King’s Dream Entertainment. This album gave a vulnerable testimony to his life and walk with Jesus. While it garnered much success and even peaked at #10 on Billboard’s Rap Albums chart, many Christians were critical of the album’s themes, which included details of a turbulent upbringing, the loss of his virginity and troubles with the law.
But since Givez left the label in 2017,he tweeted “IT’S BEST I TELL Y’ALL I’M NO LONGER W/ @KINGSDREAMENT. DREAM JUNKIE IS TATTED ON MY SKIN. I’M 4EVER ONE. BUT IT’S TIME I DO MY OWN THING.” His content shifted to being more secular as well. The profanity he began including in his lyrics caused many to believe that Givez was no longer a follower of Christ.
Despite these changes in Givez’ content, his belief in God is still evident in his latest project “Tha Collection Tape Vol. 1.” Released on March 27, his album picked up right where he left off five years ago in “Soul Rebel” proclaiming, “Preacher told me crouch and pray/ Devil be workin’/I stray from servin’/ yeah I’m just bumpin’ God’s property/ I’ll know when God gotta see my struggle with hypocrisy,” showing that the only thing that has changed is that he no longer tries to fit the mold the Christian rap community placed on him.
The first time I listened to his mixtape, I was only looking for parts that mentioned Jesus. That’s when it hit me. I realized that that could be the exact reason why he felt unaccepted by Christian communities, because his testimony was not treated with the same validation as those of other believers. Listening to the tape the second time, I did what I should have done in the first place: listen to what he had to say.
In the opening track , “Tha Payment,” Givez starts off the mixtape with a hypnotic beat that is accompanied by the melodic lyrics, “Yeah, I’ma be laughing straight to the bank with this/ So unpredictable I’m like a tranquilist/ Flow so calm ’til I replace the pace.” The third track on the record, “Givez 4 President” leaves you nodding your head to a bridge that is an ode to Biggie Smalls’ “Hypnotize.”
His tone switches in “09 Freestyle,” where he reminiscences about his childhood. With lyrics opening up the track saying, “Mama had told me that I wasn’t needed but I didn’t wanna believe/I remember back in ’09, I shoulda been dead in the streets.’ ‘ It gives his listeners a snippet of the realities he faced growing up.
“Sunday Service” gives us a beautiful track about his walk with God. Showing that just because his walk with God looks different to those of others does not mean it is inferior. His poetic lyrics preach, “I’m just bumpin’ God’s property/ I’ll know when God gotta see my struggle with hypocrisy /Yeah/ got prophecy/ I put it in these songs just to get it off properly/ Yeah/ just my ghetto doxology” and “I ain’t claiming Christian/(Love is my religion).”
In the love song “Keep Up,” Givez’s vocals are on full display. The verse proclaiming “Girl you’re so special/ Make me wanna/ clear my schedule/Make me wanna /turn my phone off” delivers to listeners another great R&B track.
Finally, “Save It” does an excellent job of closing the project out with lyrics that address both his faith and his critics, “I had to calculate my faith before I made a statement/Yeah/ that’s my problem with my generation/speak before they think, they beg for vindication/Only thing I’m beggin’ for is victory and luckily that ain’t up to y’all/it’s up to history.”
All in all, “Tha Collection Tape Vol. 1” is another great project in which Givez wears his heart on his sleeve and captivates the audience with his artistry. Though a lot has happened in these past five years, his journey shows that he is still continuing to grow as an artist and in his faith.