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JFH Indie Review

JFH Indie Inspection Review

A New Beginning

Vernon Little
A New Beginning

Street Date: November, 2011
Style: Hip Hop
Artist Website: SonicBids.com/VernonLittle
Buy It: Tate Music Group

New York-based pastor and hip hop artist Vernon Little has been involved with hip hop music since 1985. With a long history of the music under his belt, he's scheduled his latest solo album, called A New Beginning, for a November release. The first thing to say about A New Beginning is that you can definitely hear his 80s roots throughout, from the beats and music to Little's rhyme style. It's pretty old school, with a flow that can best be described as a tamer and less-refined Run DMC. To his credit, his flow does work well enough for most of the beats. There are a couple tracks that have decent beats, but the majority of the beats have poor production. The beats in "Words To Live By" and "Proverbs" halfway remind me of those old pre-programmed beats you could find on electronic Casio keyboards. It's in these tracks that Little's flow tends to be a lot weaker. While A New Beginning doesn't display Little as all that good of a rapper, it almost feels like the strength of his flow is directly proportional to the strength of the beat. At least, that's how it seems in this batch of tracks. The beats are all pretty under-developed, but the stronger tracks are in the first half of the album, with "Double Minded" starting off the weaker portion of the album. As far as lyrics, he's focused on spreading the message of the Gospel; however, some of his message seems more like milk than meat, making it difficult to really get a whole lot out of it. For instance, in "Words To Live By," the lyrics "Cause gettin' to Heaven is the purpose, and in the end it'll all be worth it" place more emphasis on the destination rather than developing a relationship with our Savior Jesus. Another example is "Double Minded;" I like what he attempted to do with the song, rapping from the perspective of a so-called Christian who spends his life indulging in sin but goes to church on Sunday. While the idea is good, and we all know there are people that live that lifestyle who need to hear the real message of Christ, the finished product is less-than-impactful, with a lot of the sins being mentioned in an almost one-liner sort of presentation, rather than a convicting one. In the end, Vernon Little's album is, unfortunately, pretty weak. With close to thirty years of hip hop under his belt, I expected to hear an emcee who would just about be an expert on the microphone. It almost seems as if Little just hasn't adapted with time; as I mentioned, he tends to keep the overall style in the 80s hip hop realm. The old school sound can be done well in today's culture (see Theory Hazit's EP The Rock Is Steady), but it takes some skill and a lot better production than what Little has here.

- Review date: 10/4/11, written by Scott Fryberger of Jesusfreakhideout.com



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This Friday, October 17, 2025
ALBUMS
ANTHNY DIARY ENTRY 1 [Provident]
AOH Music BEHOLD (Acoustic Live), Vol. 1 (independent)
Blanca Full Bloom [Curb]
Chris Blue Every Day Is Christmas [Gaither]
Geoff Moore and The Distance Foundations (Re-Release) [Girder]
Geoff Moore and The Distance A Place To Stand (Re-Release) [Girder]
Vince Gill 50 Years From Home: I Gave You Everything I Had - EP [UMG]
Nate Parrish Make Me A Mountain (independent)
Psallos The New and Better Way: Hymns of Hebrews (independent)
Anne Wilson Stars [Capitol CMG]
Megan Woods The Truth EP [Fair Trade]

SINGLES
Elevation Worship Jesus Be The Name - Single [Provident]
F'rael God's Wheel (ft. TRYBISHOP) - Single [Syntax]
Brandon Lake When A Cowboy Prays (Amazon Music Songline) - Single [Provident]
LEON Undefeated - Single [El Rescate Music]
No Vain Glory UNLEADED - Single [Syntax]
Park 7 The Hope Is On The Way - Single (independent)
Rave Jesus & Gracie Binion Need Your Love - Single [Provident]
REFVGE, Cyfë II & WAY? U P W A R D S ft. Bianca Silver & Josh LeCroy - Single [Syntax]
Rhymes In Harmony & MAYIA My Sister - Single [Syntax]
Rock City Worship Gravestone - Single [Capitol CMG]
Anton Scholl Born To Love You - Single [Near Kingdom]
Nathan Sheridan Don't Lose Hope - Single [WieRok]
SNT. VINCENT Feast of the Saints - Single [Syntax]
Vertical Kings Faith In Stereo - Single [Covenant]
Vic Lucas, Essence Natay & Ashleey Barnes Let it Rain - Single [Syntax]
Zane Vickery All Things New - Single (independent)
Aaron Williams Abide (feat. CAIN) - Single [Integrity]

DVD
Chris Blue Every Day Is Christmas DVD [Gaither]

Next Friday, October 24, 2025
ALBUMS
John Allan untitled EP [Centricity]
Dan Bremnes The Villain - EP [Curb]
Clear Convictions Endure [Resuscitation]
God Behind Bars Music Live From Angola Prison Vol. 1 [Provident]
Fepeste This World Ain't Mine to Change [Velvet Blue]
gio. FINE BY ME [Capitol CMG]
Brandon Lake Amazon Music Songline [Provident]
Tyson Motsenbocker Modern Worries [Tooth & Nail]
Smalltown Poets St. Augustine (independent)
Zahriya Zachary Rediscovery [Bethel]

SINGLES
29:11 Worship, Zion Rempel You Never Fail (feat. Emily Guy) - Single [DREAM]
Joe L Barnes Grief, Joy, Gratitude - Single [Provident]
Chad Cory, Zacardi Cortez My First Love (Remix) - Single [DREAM]
Leanna Crawford Beginning Of Your Grace - Single [Provident]
darthy Juniper Tree - Single [WieRok]
Emerson Day Midnight Hour - Single [Fair Trade]
Good Weather Forecast lows2highs - Single [DREAM]
Grace + Max Rich - Single [WieRok]
Mercy Tribe Music The King is in the Room (feat. Ayiesha Woods) - Single (independent)
Mountains in the Sea You Never Fail (feat. Emily Guy) - Single [DREAM]
Seph Schlueter Already On The Way (feat. Benjamin William Hastings) - Single [Provident]
Tomb Slayer The Christmas Lamb (feat. Khristian Dentley & Sarah Whittemore) - Single [Tomb Slayer]
The Undertaking! All Smiles - Single (independent)

VINYL
Clear Convictions Endure [Resuscitation]


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