Album: Killah Priest - Behind The Stained Glass

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Who says religious Hip Hop is automatically Christian Hip Hop? For those that share such a philosophy and have overlooked the many African-American Muslim MCs, prepare to be proved wrong by Killah Priest (a Jew) – if you have not already within the ten years since the release of his debut album Heavy Mental. Priest has returned with his seventh solo LP, Behind The Stained Glass, and once again brandishes an arsenal of weapons – sorry, lyrics, but what is the difference in this context? Behind The Stained Glass is simply food for thought, so prepare for a feast.

Any long time fan of Wu Tang affiliate Killah Priest should be familiar with his music – heavy metaphors and raw underground beats in the midst of endless religious reference and social commentary. 4 Tomorrow is a track which is definitive of Killah’s style as he educates the listener on not only history and religion but also on the current problems of primarily – yet not exclusively – ghetto life over a simple yet fine, horn-driven beat which adds to the power and mood of lines such as “Hopes are hollow/The adolescent hand chokes a bottle/No role models, wherever the streets leads, he shall follow”.

Profits of Man is yet another song which stays in a similar spirit to the aforementioned cut. There is nothing breathtaking about any of the beats on the album, and this one is no different, but with Killah Priest’s skill, technique and a portrayal of the educated wordsmith that he is, and this is where Profits of Man hits the bullseye, with critical and reflective thought-provoking content examining the duality of man – a truly enlightening piece. Hood Nursery is also an important cut rich in symbolism not necessarily in each word, but the song as a whole, which contains ‘hood life’ remakes of children’s nursery rhymes.

If anything even remotely negative can be said about this album, it would be to say that almost every song seems similar. Each track contains similar religious content – which is of course Killah Priest’s style – which can at points get a tad annoying due to limited variety. Also, although it is all dependent on taste, one cannot help but feel the darkness of this album; while some will truly feel the spirit of this album and revel in it, others may get somewhat depressed by the general mood of it.

Underground, mindful Hip Hop is at its finest with Behind The Stained Glass. Intelligence is a prerequisite to nail such a dark album which is not for the faint of heart or mind, but is definitely enlightening for listeners who are after a mental and spiritual journey through rhyme. If you are such you must not continue living your life without having heard this album. This will undoubtedly fill that void in your soul which is begging for knowledge and wisdom.