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Triple O: Flatline

  For someone who's been ever-present in the
  Hip Hop and Grime scenes of Gospel, it's a
  surprise that Triple O drops his first-ever full on
  album in 2011.

  From EPs to mixtapes in addition to live
  performances, the east End rapper has become a
  favourite due to his highly charged performances and
  the depth of Christian teaching which is embedded
  in each verse.

  But will Flatline ensure that the years of grafting pay
  off in a breakthrough album or will his recent string
  of impressive releases fall short at the first great
  hurdle?

Musically Alive

For an album entitled 'Flatline', musically its as alive as ever with huge, speaker battering productions and the rappers skippy flow making up a majority of its content.

The self titled opener explains the meaning behind the term 'Flatline' over a weighty beat and the calamitous offering is further compounded with a riotous chorus.

The lyricist continues to remain immersed in crafting impactful bars promoting the gospel, mixing doctrine and personal experiences to aid.

'As The Heartbeats' is a lush, warm dedication to God for the many trials He faced for man, whilst the poppy 'Kiss Of Life' boasts a large production and strong chorus from G Kid to make it a potential lead single.

Taking on Secular Stations

He also takes aim at the secular radio stations on 'Clear The Airwaves', where he and Faith Child campaign for their message to be heard on a larger platform. Sounding more electronic than his previous material, Triple O dives deep into Dubstep and murky Grime drones in addition to his trademark Hip Hop-meets-Gospel sound.

Whilst he doesn't sound like a stranger on such productions (check 'One Way Road' for a typical Triple performance) at times its formula doesn't succeed as it should do.

The east Londoner brings on board sublime vocalist Bobby Bovell on 'Let Them See', but the electronic inspired production takes away from the talented duo's performance.

Emotive 

Triple is at his best when forming emotive, stirring material. With Coco Dupree bringing an extra dimension to 'Real Talk', Triple O is allowed to vehemently express his frustrations and pangs, as well as getting serene on 'First Cut'.

For an album which has been delayed for much time, Flatline still remains a solid and exciting album which truly highlights Triple O's talents.

Eclectic

Very forthright in message and eclectic in music choice, Triple O creates a balance of heavy Hip-Hop and Grime orientated tracks as well as the more sombre recordings.

Whilst the rappers choice of overcooked beats at times drowns out his message, overall, the young rhymer is still able to transmit his clear and powerful messages.

Although lacking the theme which held 'The Overnight Garden' EP so well, 'Flatline' still conjures up enough highlights to result in a successful first album outing.

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

Henry Yanney

Henry contributes to the UK gospel industry through album reviews, scriptwriting, interviews, podcasts or mingling with the scene's movers and shakers.
 
He also critiques and rambles on all things gospel on the blog.

A radio obsessive, Henry’s aim is to have his ideas and creations transcend through your DAB radio.

Follow Henry on Twitter: @Henryx85

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