1. Everyone and anyone who is interested in hearing and supporting an album that serves as a change of pace in a genre where we tend to support so much negativity, and still wants to hear good raps, flows, lyrics and beats should go cop “Pastor of the Trapho, Review by Soprupradio.com

   When taking a glance at the life and times of F1 Diamond, there is a lot more than meets the eye. Some may write off his story as just another aspiring rapper who is preaching the fact that he turned his life around for the better; something that the average rap fan hears a million times a day. However what makes F1 Diamond different is that instead of just preaching his changes, he instead put his words to action – and actually became a preacher. Just as a cool fact, the name F1 Diamond comes from the fact that in the different classes of diamonds, the “F1” has gone through the most heat and pressure; totally irrelevant to the review, but that was way too cool to be left out.
   
   Let’s finally get into it. The title of the album is “Pastor of the Traphouse”, a nickname given to F1 Diamond by the kids in his youth group and it drops September 29th.
   
   The album opens up with the self titled track that sees the beat build during its opening stages and sets the tone for the project. Very intro appropriate indeed, F1 Diamond starts this one off by backing his actions and explains why he preaches his good word on the streets to the people who need it most rather than doing it in church.
   
   “Mama Cry” reminds me much of Jay-Z and his “December 4th” track off his “Black Album” which is a good thing. In similar fashion to “December 4th”, the song features F1’s mother’s commentary throughout the track and in-between verses. F1 Diamond uses the soulful instrumental to tell his tales of the wrong he was doing as a young teen in the streets as his mama would pray for him to turn out better than what he was doing in the streets; your wish has been granted mama F1 Diamond.
   
   “Pray for Me” paints a picture of what the average life is like for a young man stuck in the hood.” Feeling stuck in the ghetto during the recession, can’t get money in the streets and too much pride to get a job” is the type of content and lyrics you can expect from this song. Acting as the bigger man, F1 Diamond isn’t afraid to admit that praying during such times comes in handy.
   
   The meaningful content is continued with track four, “Life Circumstances.” With a break in-between lines, F1 Diamond gives advice regarding the fact that although life circumstances may go back and forth, by no means should that hinder your hope of possible advances for the better. With a unique beat that many rappers would likely be unsure of how to flow over, F1 Diamond does it with precision and sounds like a veteran.
   
   Dave Hollister comes through on “Finally” and delivers an impressive hook on what sounds like a potential single.
   
   Enigma is the credited producer on “Let It Shine”, a name which should be familiar to you all for his work with the legendary Scarface on his “Made” (Who Do You Believe In and Git out My Face) album. That sure is one thing that impresses on this album thus far; production has been stellar and F1 Diamond has not been anything short of great.
   
   Things slow down on “Turn Back Now” and it begins with a very impressive hook by an unrecognizable, but soulful voice. F1 Diamond uses a rapid flow this time around which also works well for him and matches the track and its placement well.
   
   How can you preach the good word through your raps without a track titled “Heaven?” Enter track number eight. Using a rapid flow once again, F1 Diamond goes through the names of who I assume is a combination of both friends and family that he misses in the heavens. B. Jackson serenades the hook with his powerful voice which fits well to go along with a powerful message.
   
   For the first complaint on the album, the beat on “Believe” comes off as slightly rocker-ish during the verses and doesn’t fit F1 Diamond or the vibe of the album at all. With the content being the same and the hook being impressive once again (this time by a female named Erika), this comes off as the worst track on the album due to the out-of-place beat.
   
   Next up is what I assume a tribute track to the female on the last track, Erika who seems to be the love of F1’s life. Although I’m not really feeling the production or track overall and once again it sounds out of place. I’m sure this one means a lot to F1 Diamond though.
   
   Things are back on track with “Help is on the Way” which comes off as a positive and soulful song but does well to not sound preachy or cheesy in any way, shape or form.
   
   Dave Hollister comes through for his second and final guest appearance on “Where Do I Go from Here” and I prefer this one to his first appearance. With another polished hook delivered, the production on this one is more soulful and comes off as less radio friendly (which is a good thing).
   
   “God Love the Hood” should be an anthem for everyone who lives in the hood and has not done wrong. A firm believer in God and his love for everyone including the people stuck in the hood, this is certainly a standout track.
   
   The album ends with “Gimme a Minute” with F1 Diamond asking for 60 more seconds of your time and with such a stellar album, there is no reason why you shouldn’t give it to him. With an impressive trumpet on the beat, this outro leaves you wanting more.
   
   Overall, F1 Diamond has put together a very good album that has very few mishaps. “Pastor of the Traphouse” fits F1 Diamond perfectly as he certainly preaches the good word and positive messages throughout the album (“pastor”) while at the same time, his flow and voice are awfully close to that of Young Jeezy (“traphouse”). Perhaps the most accomplished feat of the album is that F1 Diamond has released an album filled with positive messages in his raps that don’t come off as preachy or lame; Everyone and anyone who is interested in hearing and supporting an album that serves as a change of pace in a genre where we tend to support so much negativity, and still wants to hear good raps, flows, lyrics and beats should go cop “Pastor of the Traphouse” on September 29th. (Posted on 1/7/10)

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