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Royal Priesthood - 'Empire of the Sun'

'Put the work in...'
  You may have never heard of Royal Priesthood,
  but in a scene where many a promising act is
  rarely around for more than 18 months this is a group
  whose input has been serious and significant for
  a fair while.

  For ten years they put the time and work in,
  collaborating and producing projects for and with the
  Urban gospel scene’s newbies and stalwarts alike,
  in addition to respected names across London’s
  dynamic mainstream music underground.

Signature Elements
‘Empire of the Sun’ retains all the signature elements that current (and new) fans will find familiar and attractive: Roucheon's smooth sung vocals, coupled with her impressively complex-yet-measured rhyming skills remain a perfect counterfoil to Smooflow's sturdy, sample-based beats as well as his dense, oft-challenging thought process and discourse.

Royal Priesthood has never been about comfortable, institutional Christianity, and their projects typically pose difficult, pointed questions. This release is no different as they deliver their trademark and highly personal, part old-school Hip-hop, part 'conscious movement' vibe, an approach that will no doubt appeal to those harking back to a period when Hip-hop sought to be intellectually stimulating. On the flip side of the coin, chances are it might also alienate the ‘Jesus in every line’ crew...

Early Christianity's Negative Cultural Impact
The group spent much of 2008 and 2009 researching Black history, and some of the resultant opinions are certainly leftfield... The negative cultural impact of early Christian missionary journeys on the African people it evangelised are explored in Give Me Freedom ft. Alim as well as Reflection, offering interesting perspectives on the coexistence of Christianity and Black history.

With Empire of the Sun you soon become aware this isn't music based on blind faith, but considered thought, personal experiences and, yes, forthright opinion.
 
A cursory glance at the track titles suggest a sombre, rather intense album (Our Time, Give Me Freedom, Hustle Hard). Questions posed in some of the songs themselves are uncomfortable, with the unspoken answers possibly even more so:

Kids are dying, mothers are crying
More guns on the street - someone’s got to be lying
Can’t be the government’s fault all of the time... (Pain)

Uplifting
However it's not all misery and delivery of prickly information. The stark reality surrounding this collection of hard stories is balanced with uplifting moments too: Roucheon, Love Movement, He's Calling and even the aforementioned Pain resound of hope.

The inclusion of their young son Kieyen on the opening title track (his prologue 'Introducing my mummy and daddy' will almost certainly raise a smile from even the most jaded), and Smooflow's solid, unwavering devotion to his wife and family runs strongly through the album.

Rise - one of my all-time favourite UK tunes - is oddly inspirational, given its dark subject matter:  

I spit the Da Vinci Code and the Dead Sea scrolls
While funny rappers prophesy death into your soul
I just wanna see you grow…

Another Great Product
All told, this is another great product from a group that has made significant contributions to UK gospel Hip-hop and - more importantly - life outside the walls of the church (See our Platform 2 Article).

To its credit Empire of the Sun puts forward issues around social justice, youth empowerment, real-life grey areas and Black heritage.

It’s up to you to grasp the nettle, explore - and indeed engage - with the dialogue…

Personally I'd have like to see a bit more variety in the overall tone of the project (it might have benefited from the input of more than one producer), and the inclusion of the track Roucheon from the previously released Thugs To Disciples album is understandable but possibly not necessary, in my view.

Overall though, this is a solid piece of work, an important landmark bringing constructive, deeply-researched opinion to contemporary Black social and historical Christian thought.

It’s a welcome component to a scene whose lyrical offering and creative interpretation is sometimes too predictable for its own good.

This comes highly recommended. Play History and Reflection least 6 times back-to-back. In your headphones. Undisturbed in a quiet room. You'll learn something.
 
Rating: 3.5 out of 5

BUY: 'Empire of the Sun' on UKGShop.com/hiphop
 
SEE ALSO: Royal Priesthood: 'Virtual History Book' video series

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Yinka Awojobi

Founder, UKGospel.com
and the UKG Group of sites.

That's really all I have to say :-)

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Yinka Awojobi

Founder, UKG/ UKGospel.com group of sites. 

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George Luke

Freelance journalist, all-round nice guy.

Has a weird obsession with international gospel music.

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