Listen Up

Description

Listen Up is the full-length debut album by the American hip-hop group S.F.C. (a.k.a. Soldiers for Christ), released on Broken Records in 1989, a Brainstorm Artists International imprint manufactured and distributed by Word. (The group independently released a 9-track cassette in 1988, entitled Fully Armed.) The album was recorded by Jimmy Robinson at Hot Tracks in Pomona, California. Mixed by Ojo Taylor (of Undercover fame) and Super C at Whitefield Studios in Santa Ana, California. Produced, written and arranged by Super C, Brother G, S.F.C. for G-Force Prod. Additional arrangements and production on “Listen Up” and “No Stoppin'” by The Dynamic Twins.

Keyboards, scratches, raps, and beats by Super C, keyboards on “You Are Worthy” by Jimmy Robinson, lead guitar by Sean Silas and Jimmy Robinson, bass guitar played by Paul Valadez of Adam Again. Background vocals provided by Marcos Lemone, Dynamic Twins, Everlasting Joy, M.C. Peace, and D.J. Dove. Singer on “Slow Jam” by Chris Rodriguez (Unity III).

The SFC crew consisted of Super C (Chris Cooper), QP and DJ Dove. Super C is also known as Sup Everyday Remembering Christ or later on as Sup the Chemist. After three albums DJ Dove started another crew called the Gospel Gangstas and Super C produced albums for the Dynamic Twins and Freedom of Soul until he went solo later on.

“I rock the mike/ But I do it in a rap/ Why?/ Because I don’t sing,” explains Super C in this debut’s signature piece, «No Stoppin’». Soldiers for Christ use a stripped back drum and bass line construction for straight ahead raps that draw largely on smooth rhymes and vocal delivery to put across a solid and imaginative, “holy hip hop.”

While «It’s Like That» makes thoughtful use of the theme to Happy Days, «Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now» gives a scratched song direction to «No Stoppin’» and I know I recognized the «Hello Mudda, Hello Fadda» melody in «Dope Dealer», S.F.C.’s strengths are in Super C and Brother G’s vocal banter. «This is What He Went Thru», a slow rap in the mode of Michael Peace, tells the story of Jesus’ sacrifice, but «Plain & Simple» presents a rather literalistic interpretation of the book of Revelation’s end-time teachings. Other tracks deal with social issues and speak of living for Christ amid wordly temptations. ‘Listen Up’ turns out to be a fine debut, and S.F.C. a welcome face in the growing genre of Christian rap. [Brian Quincy Newcomb, CCM, January 1990]

> Apple Music (https://music.apple.com/us/album/listen-up/647484922)

CD tracklist:

01. Listen Up
02. Drugs
03. No Stoppin’
04. Say Ya
05. Transformed
06. You Are Worthy
07. Dope Dealer
08. It’s Like That
09. Mr. Brain
10. This Is What He Went Thru
11. Plain And Simple
12. Brothers & Sisters
13. Fully Armed
14. I Don’t Know

Note: Simultaneously released on cassette and CD by Brainstorm.