A former lawyer and convicted felon, Pastor Ayu is a Gospel Trap artist, and current pastor. The hip-hop artist and producer is busy crafting positive rap music based on how he turned his life around by putting his faith in Jesus Christ. His EP “Pray It To Existence” dropped at the beginning of March, while the full-length album of the same name will be released during the summer of 2020. This 4 track EP is the perfect preview to the upcoming project which will cover afflicting issues Pastor Ayu has suffered, such as unemployment, incarceration, divorce, poverty, child custody battles, and other challenging obstacles, as well as how his faith has, and is, assisting him through those complications.
Pastor Ayu is one of the most creative rappers, let alone Christian rappers, there is out there. He doesn’t compromise his beliefs for the comfort of the world. He is lyrically gifted and creative with his delivery styles. In this concise collection of songs, Pastor Ayu touches on so many topics, telling the audience that they should change their way of living and surrender their lives to the Lord. If you have faith, I really encourage you to get this EP, it’s going to change your perspective on how you envision things in your life.
Right from when the recording opens with the first track, “R&D Intake Intro”, Pastor Ayu transparently displays his struggles and how the Gospel carries him through those trials. This work is by far one of the best Gospel Rap recordings albums of the year. And it is rich in theology,without being preachy.
Leaning and trusting on the Lord despite difficulties. By the time we press play on the second track, “Gang-Gang”, it’s clear that Pastor Ayu is very inspirational without neglecting any of the craft that makes rappers fully competent and resonant. The production is solid with Pastor Ayu bringing fresh rhyme schemes and flows to each verse.
“Holy Ghost Music” comes in on an atmospheric backdrop with sweet flutes blowing above the beat and bass drop. Pastor Ayu paints pictures with his lyrics and just has something about him that makes you connect with this song.
The talented rapper isn’t content to copy something popular from the radio, but strives for originality at every turn. Pastor Ayu doesn’t mess around: he shares his thoughts plainly. Mixing hard-hitting theology with real life application and consistently tight production.
“Face 2 Face” is an introspective search for God in the midst of struggling with an issue: “I wanna talk to my God face to face, face to face, face to face, as a man when he speaking to his friend,” raps Pastor Ayu. His honest words are captivating and heartfelt. The song is also a tribute to Kobe Bryant.
Throughout “Pray It To Existence”, Pastor Ayu gets into details about his life, his struggles and victories and how we are blessed to be able to worship. This gives the album a certain harmony and consistency, while each song is separate from each other, yet containing similar stylistic elements. Pastor Ayu’s artistry and perseverance in life through faith, is present in every song.
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