Praiz

Trackimage Playbut Trackname Playbut Trackname
Me and You 00:00 Tools
Sisi (feat. Wizkid) 00:00 Tools
Body Hot 00:00 Tools
Body Hot (Remix) [feat. Wizkid] 00:00 Tools
Oshé (feat. Awilo Longomba) 00:00 Tools
69 (feat. Burna Boy & Ikechukwu) 00:00 Tools
Shomolele 00:00 Tools
Epic (feat. Praiz) 00:00 Tools
That Stupid Song (feat. Praiz) 00:00 Tools
Me and You (feat. Sarkodie) 00:00 Tools
Show Me Love 00:00 Tools
can't let go 00:00 Tools
Rich and Famous 00:00 Tools
Mercy 00:00 Tools
Folashade 00:00 Tools
Praiz' 00:00 Tools
Sweet Potato (feat. Chidinma) 00:00 Tools
Amazing 00:00 Tools
More Than Conquerors 00:00 Tools
I No Use You Play (feat. Shaydee) 00:00 Tools
Deep 00:00 Tools
Deliver Me (Extended version) 00:00 Tools
I Don't Wanna Love You 00:00 Tools
An Ought? 00:00 Tools
Harder (feat. Patorankingf) 00:00 Tools
My Rod 00:00 Tools
I love you 00:00 Tools
For You (feat. Seyi Shay) 00:00 Tools
Selah, Selah 00:00 Tools
Victory 00:00 Tools
The Take Over 00:00 Tools
Deliver Me (Radio Edit) 00:00 Tools
Pere (feat. Iyanya) 00:00 Tools
Heart Beat 00:00 Tools
I Miss You 00:00 Tools
Champagne & Flowers 00:00 Tools
Rich & Famous 00:00 Tools
Lost in You (feat. Sammy) 00:00 Tools
Sisi ft. Wizkid 00:00 Tools
Woman's Need 00:00 Tools
Show Me the Way (feat. Wando Baloyi) 00:00 Tools
If I Fall 00:00 Tools
Hustle 00:00 Tools
Super Hero 00:00 Tools
Body Hot (feat. Jesse Jagz & Stonebwoy) 00:00 Tools
Ring on It 00:00 Tools
Physical Something (feat. Bez & Sound Sultan) 00:00 Tools
Save Us 00:00 Tools
Addicted 00:00 Tools
Afurumgi Anya 00:00 Tools
Dlilah (feat. Kayswitch) 00:00 Tools
Losing It 00:00 Tools
Jalabia (feat. Skales, Morell, Iceberg Slim & King) 00:00 Tools
Biggest Fan 00:00 Tools
Under the Sky 00:00 Tools
Rock My Life 00:00 Tools
Rich Famous 00:00 Tools
Remember 00:00 Tools
Sisi ft. Wizkid | tooXclusive.com 00:00 Tools
Stay (Rihanna Cover) 00:00 Tools
Hot Body (Remix) 00:00 Tools
This World 00:00 Tools
OSHE ft Awilo Longomba 00:00 Tools
Sisi ft Wizkid 00:00 Tools
Sweet Potato ft Chidinma 00:00 Tools
69 00:00 Tools
2 Minutes 00:00 Tools
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By Chris King Of the St. Louis American I realize it's not exactly doing this young man a favor to say this, but I can't resist saying what I have been thinking, and I have been thinking that Praiz' (aka V'land, or born to his mama as Vance Watt) is the Nelly of gospel. But the scope and power of this young brother's achievement on his debut record The Take Over make me reach for a comparison to someone who hit the market fully realized, with a detailed concept, a smooth but tight sound, and a double shot of STL love. That would have to be Nelly. But where Nelly came up with the club, the grind and the streets in his verses, Praiz' is all about God and Jesus and the Holy Ghost. What can I say? The Nelly of gospel is in the house - God's house, that is, but we get to listen, and it sure does sound good. I'm going to say what most everybody thinks about gospel hip-hop. It's like a two-headed bird trying to fly in different directions. The older heads would say it's a contradiction in terms. The sexiness of groove and the urgency of lyric that define hip-hop just don't want to go in the same direction as Jesus. Praiz' busts out of this contradiction with sheer force of talent, precision and energy of execution, and (it's safe to say) his love of God. His beats sound so good, his melodies soar so high and his verses have enough edge to make you want to go pretty much anywhere he's riding. It almost comes as a surprise that this ride is bound for glory. Gospel radio listeners will have been hearing Praiz's ballad "Deliver Me" on some local stations, but this elegant track, easy on the ears of ladies especially, provides no clue to what this dude is really up to. You need to start with him on track one, "Deep," which uses the sound gently slapping water as almost the sole basis for a deeply hypnotic track. "We started out with a bunch of fuss," Praiz testifies, destroying the club life that dominates most hip-hop with one simple, patient sentence. Without needing to name names (there would be too many to name), he has in his sights the kind of person who goes from grimy to flashy without a moment's reflection on grace, good works or guidance. Jam on this, St. Louis: "You can't get to heaven in your Escalade." Oooo. "You can't get to heaven in your Escalade"! The preacher, not to mention the aunties, have a powerful ally in Praiz'. He wrote the melody carefully and sings it sweetly, with a voice and flow just a little bit (once again) like Nelly's, and he sticks it to you in the middle of some beats that have you bopping. So you ain't ever gonna forget it. "You can't get to heaven in your Escalade"! And don't get me started on "Selah Selah." Actually, do let me get started, and then come back to it in a week or two, after folks have had a chance to hear The Take Over. Let me say it starts with an African pop chorus, turns into a Double Dutch rhyme, then into a cheerleader's chant - each of these parts a hook strong enough to hold together a song on its own - and then it turns into a bad-butt hip-hop anthem. The thing he is screaming, and making you want to scream while throwing sets up in the air, is ... get this ... "Ain't nobody mad but the devil!" I bet that old devil is mad as hell. Praiz or V'Land is out to get him, and he's got the power to take him out. This young man wrote, arranged and produced all eleven tracks on The Take Over (ten originals, plus a radio edit). You have to look past Nelly all the way to Prince to find a brother with that complete of a skill package. The Prince of Praise? And, dang, his two kids, Rock and Lil Pooh, laced up the best (or at least the cutest) skit I have ever heard on any hip-hop record, ever, and it includes an important piece of local history: the youngest person ever to say on record the word "here" with those hard STL R's - "Give it heRRe!" - that Cedric The Entertainer immortalized at the opening of (back to Nelly) Country Grammar. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.

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