As a child of the 90s I remember hearing the sounds of the original West Coast rap as it was first blowing up. The distinct flavor to this sound is found in “Street Preacher,” by up-and-coming California rapper Wizzz.

It is gritty and dark at times, in content and melody, with that heavy West Coast rap beat driving each track. It is also very laden with upbeat tracks that bring a party atmosphere to the album.

There is a strong influence of the sound from back in the era of West Coast rap when Warren G and Snoop Dogg dominated the airwaves.

With a definite home-made feel to the recording, Wizzz brings in featured artists to help him put together an album at the grassroots level.

“Faith”, featuring John Bledsoe, gets its melody from the David Bowie hit “Fame”. Reworking this classic song demonstrates the old school feel on “Street Preacher”. Add to that vibe “Mama’s Prayer”, featuring the vocals of Crystal Harris and the tune of Marvin Gaye’s “You’re All I Need to Get By”.

If you were not sure if rap music could be praise music, Wizzz proves that it can. On “This Is”, Wizzz rhymes praises while John Bledsoe melodiously chimes a chorus of worship with a classic and soulful tone. “Somebody praise him ‘cus he’s worthy/...It’s worship time, time to shout ‘Hallelujah’/ This might be your last shot, so let it drop/ Just forget about yourself, concentrate on He.”

“Street Preacher” aims to tell a story about life on the streets and the lessons learned by rapper Wizzz during his experience with a life of drugs, and now as someone redeemed in Christ.