CJTopOff is an up and coming artist from Fort Worth, Texas. He’s created a truly unique piece of work with his project God Is Love. There are 12 tracks in total that take you through a process of self-discovery and honesty. He has masterfully created a project that gives off the feeling of curiosity about religion and spirituality that leaves listeners wondering “What is life really?” The project propels you into an existentialist state; similar to that eerie feeling of thinking too deeply about death.
A key element which runs through the entirety of God Is Love is the ethereal productions. There are tons of guitar samples on tracks like “Spiritual Miracle” and “Hell Hotel”. “Hibiscus” has tons of sounds that are all over the place but still work well together. That song in particular sounds like sitting out in nature while receiving a sermon from CJTopOff himself. The tracks are experimental with unorthodox flows scattered within , however you can still see the traditional skills that he possesses. The lyrics are metaphor heavy and thought provoking, feeling like they come straight from the soul. You can hear hints of the classic Texas influence, but he manages to make it his own. “Hell Hotel” and “Death Is Life” are also great tracks that close out the album. CJTopOff is brutally honest on these songs, almost like a therapeutic session. All in all, everything blends together quite nicely.
With a project like this it is important to learn more about the concepts and get into the mind of the artist and the approach he took. CJ was kind enough to speak with us about God Is Love and give a few of his own thoughts about the project and the message that he wanted to convey.
“All of my projects have either a concept or a message that connects all the songs and and attempts to create an experience for the listener. For this project I made a statement “God is Love” and my goal was to explain the title of the project. I try to lace all my raps with philosophical and meaningful bars, so during this project I was tripping on shrooms and listening to spiritual teachers a lot. I recorded the whole thing in a week once I knew what I wanted to say.”
He takes a peaceful approach in regard to the conventional idea of religion.
“The message I want people to get from this tape is God is not what most of us were taught as children. God is not something to argue & fight over. God is also real and not something to ignore. There’s only one religion, love. Universal love that contains truth, wisdom, peace, & enlightenment. It’s a spiritual underground rap album”.
“A few of my favorites that highlight the tape are “Spiritual Miracle”, “God is Love”, & “Repent Thy Sins”. “Spiritual Miracle” is classic CJTopOff sound, guitar samples, bass & trap drums, & super positive hippie-like bars. God is Love is a good song that captures the message of the tape in one track. In the lyrics I reference all the religions of the world in order to show the unity of the message. “Repent Thy Sins” is another song that shows one of my styles, the lyrics are positive and negative.”
“Sometimes I mention tripping and being one with the universe, other times I mention feeling meaningless and isolated. Yin & Yang is a big theme in my music”.
As for the features on this tape, he decided to keep it local in order to showcase some of the other artists in this area, “The features are mostly underground artists in the Dallas/Fort Worth area where I am. Auntie AJ & Trezmane. Trezmane appears again on “Psychedelic Squad.” I don’t feature much so I try to keep it close and with artists I think are talented and deserve more shine. DFW underground definitely contains lots of talent.”
He also spoke shortly about the Fort Worth area and the local scene. With limited opportunity he has had to get creative and travel to get the word out about what he has going on, “Honestly it’s somewhat stagnant. It’s peaceful because I’ve lived here the majority of my life, but the only opportunities here are 9-5 jobs. There aren’t many clubs & party spots like Dallas has. I go to Dallas for most of my shows & music video shoots, Fort Worth is my home though.”
Dive into the psychedelic realm of CJTopOff by listening to God Is Love below.