When rappers give acceptance speeches or interviews, you’ll often hear them thanking God and crediting Him for all of their success. But rarely will you hear those same rappers doing that on the songs that glorify their Maybachs, models, and bottles. One Hip Hop collective that gives mad props to the Man above inside and outside of the booth is the Dream Junkies. The Oceanside, California collective is beginning to enjoy mainstream success fresh off a national tour and attention from non religious outlets. Composed of three MCs, John Givez, Beleaf, and Ruslan, the trio recently released their second album, Good Religion, as a group since each put out their own solo albums. They set out with a mission of making each project more cohesive and stronger than their debut, and they’ve accomplished that in many senses at a cost.
Much of the laid back production comes from a mix of names with Anthony Cruz’s appearing the most often. They take cues from darker hued production that Kendrick Lamar has often rapped over–chiefly composed of the bass drum and the lower end of the spectrum for synths. Regardless, the Dream Junkies did an admirable job of keeping one vibe throughout the nearly hour-long affair. While no track directly clones the other, the solidarity may bore some listeners in an age where music fans avidly seek out as many different sounds at one. The most aggressive songs happen to be “Boogie Man” and “Shoot Me” but that’s mostly due to the energy conveyed in each rapper’s voice. If you strip each track of the vocals, you would have thought one producer created a beat tape as his/her solo album.
As a collection The Dream Junkies’ work aims to provide the soundtrack for people to live out the dreams set out by God. And if you’ve gone to church recently or have Christian friends who are willing to share the good news, you would be familiar with the idea that God will not always make life easy by granting whatever you think you need and want in your life. Such lessons and more are expounded upon on the album from sharing memories of free government lunches on “Take Me Back” to mourning deceased friends in one of the country’s more naturally beautiful cities on “Left Coast,” the lyrics don’t come across as too preachy and the lack of cursing for the most part is refreshing. Other standout tracks include the travel weary “On The Road” and Outkast-esque “I Got The Juice.”
The Dream Junkies put a ton of pressure on themselves with the self-assigned task of dropping holy anecdotes while most rappers get by with simply sharing memories. Regular churchgoers may be able to extract the sermon but many others will be left wanting liner notes for direction (or bible verses). With the lack abundance of rewind-worthy moments, it’s easy to let the melodic raps go in one ear and out but a focused listen with an open heart and mind to ruminate over their words will place Good Religion in its proper context.
I. GOT. THE. JUICE.
5 stars all day. Worth a full listen.
Forgot to rate. 4/5
5/5 Love these guys as solo artist but their synergy when they get together on an album is amazing!
God workin through these souls, heavy hitters, strong message, love it
Great album! i like the upbeat tracks more than the darker ones but appreciate the transparency and a look into the Junkies life on tour
Great album! i like the upbeat tracks more than the darker ones but appreciate the transparency and a look into the Junkies life on tour
Uhh this deserves a 5/5
Forgot to rate lol
I pre ordered this bad boy in January. I can’t tell you how excited I was to look through my emails for the download link. I love this album! Definitely one I will listen to for many years to come.
Dope album! Raw bars and smooth vibes all the way through.
dudes have beats & bars.
5 outta 5.
Sope. (So dope)
haha love it!
Album is too dope. Definitely worth buying. Ruslan kills it in Shoot Me. Beleaf spits in Showbiz. Givez murders Going Left. All in all the Dream Junkies gave it everything they have. They were open, honest, and extremely transparent. Because of that they killed it. I would recommend this album to anyone who appreciates good music.
5/5 mics for the King’s Dream fellas
I can listen to this album all the way through…worth the space on my phone!
I’ve had this album on repeat since I’ve bought it.
One of the greatest albums I’ve heard in awhile! Clean too.
These guys have some of the most creative music you can ask for. They don’t sound like anyone else at all. Their bars are sick and the beats are amazing!
True rap group. These dudes are crazy creative and the album is blazing!!
Easily 5 outta 5 mics! Ru John & Beleaf murdered this joint! #DreamJunkies
Happy I bought this album for my birthday!! so worth it!!!
Saw these guys live recently.
Not really that good and Ru did a good job of alienating the high number of 80’s babies.
John Givez was pretty nice actually.
Wanted to like Beleaf because he seemed like a genuine nice guy. Hard to understand on the mic tho.
Didn’t catch much god talk, so that’s cool.
Live drummer was a nice touch.
Cool that they are from SD tho.
didn’t catch it cause you asleep
Was very awake. Drove from SD to LA to watch. Just heard a bunch of “God bless” at the end, not hating. Calm down and contribute buddy. Even Murs was half assed on a couple tracks during his performance.
Its a dope album. Not a classic, but I look forward to hearing more.
Dream Junkies are the best alive right now
Givez is the shit
Real dope hip hop. Cali stand up.
I stay looking forward to the release of their projects under both Dream Junkies and Solo albums.
dope!
fire
not impressed
it was a great album
I play “All’s I need” all the time, so good.