To say that Atlanta is merely having a moment would be to overlook decades of the region’s impact on hip-hop culture at large. From the emergence of Outkast and Goodie Mob in the early 90s to Ludacris and T.I. at the top of 2000, and more recently with Migos, Young Thug, Gucci Mane, and Future, Atlanta has proven itself to be an inimitable force.
A new breed of artists taking the trap sensibility and elevating it into a new sound called “Street Gospel,” a term coined by Atlanta based Reach Records artist, 1K Phew. 1K Phew’s smooth delivery, swag, and evocative vocals have an infectious quality that is streetwise yet commercially viable.
Reach Records president and co-founder, Lecrae describes Phew’s sound as hip-hop that is equally at home in the club or the church. “Our artists at Reach Records are continuing to prove that faith can exist beyond the pews of the church if expressed authentically. Rappers like 1K Phew are carrying forward the torch we lit with ‘Let The Trap Say Amen’ using their music to reach hip-hop heads with a spiritually that’s not forced or foreign to them.”
1K Phew’s new project collaborative album with Lecrae, No Church In A While, features 10 tracks including: “Wildin” “Ready Or Not,” “Move It,” “One Call,” “What We Gon Do,” “Amen,” “Blockhead,” “Born Sinner” “Save Us,” and “No Church In A. While.” Lecrae was recording his mixtape, Church Clothes 4, when it occurred to him that people actually hadn’t been to church to even put on those church clothes in a while because of the pandemic, church hurt, and other reasons.
The concept for their collaborative album, No Church For A While grew out of their conversations. “No Church In A While has all types of meanings,” expresses 1K Phew. “We just went through the pandemic and ain’t nobody to church in a minute. This album is for everybody who ain’t been to church or connected to God in a while who thinks they can’t go back. It ain’t really that deep. God is waiting for everybody to tap back in. No Church In A While is telling people there’s still hope, you can still turn to God no matter how long you’ve been away.”
The Single “Wildin,” releases November 17th and the album, No Church In While releases December 3rd. To stream now, click here.
