I.S. The Wizard "Journey of the Prodigal Son "

The hip hop culture gets a lot of criticism for it’s vulgar and violent content, but they never take the time to consider the fact that there are many different types of rap music. I.S. The Wizard, aka Manoj V. Mathew has emerged on the scene to spread a positive godly message. It’s refreshing to hear artists that aren’t afraid to be themselves, whether it’s popular or not. Let’s dive into the album review!

“Patience is learned versus earned very delicate / I wish I knew that before my pride made a mess of it”

I.S. The Wizard – “Prodigal”

I.S. The Wizard “No Face” | Rap Nerd Review

With 15 tracks and a total run time of about 42 minutes, I.S. The wizard wastes no time letting you know what he stands for and represents. On the opening track he uses clever wordplay to aggressively describe how he is a warrior for God. The stand out tracks on the project to me were “1 Day” , “Grind”, and “Patience”. Patience has a creative concept, because it almost seems like he’s talking to a therapist. My actual favorite and most complete track is the last song titled “Prodigal”.

“Imprison me, beat, but you can never kill me/ ’cause I’m eternal through God’s power who fills me”

I.S. The Wizard – “Power“

There were a few things that took away from the overall quality of the album. With my well trained audio engineer ears, I can tell by the sound quality that it’s not properly mixed and mastered. Also, I’ve noticed a few different rap styles from I.S. The Wizard. Sometimes he’s a little more chilled and laid back, and others where he is more aggressive. Personally I prefer the more calm flow, like the one used on Track 8, “Life’s Plan”. The lyrics aren’t bad, but the delivery needs some fine tuning.

Overall I still do like the positive message that the album conveys. We all see things differently, and it’s always good to hear a new perspective.