I am far from a music critic or an expert on the genre of Hip Hop. What I do consider myself is a lover of written art that can often be expressed in lyrical form through the medium of Hip Hop. New music is often reviewed as a comparison to current trends, or the next progression in the history of an artist’s discography. At times this causes us to fail to look at each collective work of art as its own pure statement of the artist’s truth at a snapshot in time.
I first encountered Eshon Burgundy the artist during the Truth Music Tour in the spring of 2017. You can typically find me on stage, or serving my friends by assisting with their merchandise sales. During this event I had the pleasure of assisting Hog Mob frontrunner Sevin and watching Thi’sl, Datin, Bizzle, Eshon and other local artists engage with the crowd.
I left the event with a new appreciation for a number of artists and an expansion of my social media interest and music playlist. Eshon Burgundy continued to peak my interest due to my preference for east coast hip hop and relocating back to my home just an hour from Philly. Eshon’s words of wisdom, faith-saturated black consciousness, family focus and advocacy for mental and physical health kept me engaged.
Then after three years of development and maturation Eshon Burgundy released For The Love of Money on September 20, 2019. This lyrical anthology begins with a worship ballad and transitions immediately into the title track that hits the Hip Hop community square in the chest with convicting bars about the depiction of Jesus Christ on a necklace. Balancing the weight of the message with a melodic chorus the song communicates like a sermon with gospel intermissions.
Let them fall challenges the suppression of healthy emotion and calls for men to not be afraid to “cry like a man.” “Love ain’t a feeling it’s a disposition a gift” is the line the reverberated in my spirit in the song Ghostface where Eshon challenges us to walk in forgiveness. The transparency of our daily fight against our own will in Nothing Above You still speaks to the concept of putting anything above God keeping the album theme consistent from Devoted to Humbled.
Powerful messages and features from familiar Christian Hip Hop artists like Steven Malcom, Jeremiah Bligen, and S.O. make this twenty track release a unique work of art for 2019. After a long period of silence Eshon Burgundy delivers a message across twenty tracks like well structured chapters of a novel. This album touches on so many topics impacting the black community while preaching accountability and positive change in the same breath.
If this album is a reflection of his passion as an artist, we look forward to future projects from the creative community NFTRY on and off the microphone. In a culture obsessed with fame, luxury, self indulgence, and greed Eshon’s album is setting new expectations for every listener, that will prayerfully raise standards.
For the Love of Money is available on all digital outlets, and I suggest you carve out time to sit down and absorb these lessons with a warm beverage of your choice.
