Hip Hop/Rap: Levi's Levi 101 and Another Jennifer

Levi (Jennifer Wilcox) is an indie Hip Hop artist from New York who doesn’t need a backup singer for the choruses and doesn’t need an MC to smash out the raps. Levi is both herself. She’s got clear-voiced raps that easily shift into a soulful R&B. This is most apparent on her 2004 release, Another Jennifer. Songs like “Made It to 18” and “How You Like Me Now” showcase her vocal range—from a little guttural soul to big ol’ R&B lungs. Yet, there’s no question that the MC is on the stage when Levi grabs the mic for “You Belong,” “Hick,” and “Ridiculous.” The rap-sing style of the title track (which tells the story of why she goes by Levi) invites you to groove along with her. Levi is backed up by the guitar of Mike Borgia which can rock out on a classic-sounding lick or jam out on a throwdown acoustic (“Lotsa Nothin’”).

Of course, I’m supposed to be here telling you about the new disc from Levi, Levi 101, the one with the “Parental Advisory: Emotionally Explicit Content” label on it. Unfortunately, overall this sounds like a sophomore release—not quite clicking. “Little Leelee” with its whistled melody and rapped life story comes on strong as the first track. However, tracks like “Contagious” and “That Wasn’t Love” darken up the guitar sound which is a little overpowering for Levi’s raps while also sounding less fresh and too derivative.

Yet, what draws me to Levi’s music is that her raps are down-to-earth and positive. There’s lots of negative things in songs like “Little Leelee,” exploring the tough parts of her childhood, but Levi has a way of lifting up the spirit, providing hope. Going back to Another Jennifer, the title track is about realizing that there are a lot of Jennifers in the world, but that she was going to be one of a kind. “Hick” is about being a country girl (from upstate New York), coming to big city (NYC), and not letting that big city kick out the hick. Even as she’s talking about lovers and relationships in “You Belong” and “Made It to 18,” there’s a sense that she knows that there’s a lot of empty promises in her world of modern relationships.

Levi was surprised when I wanted to find a way to use some of her songs in Bible studies because of their positive message. I may not find that everything Levi sings about matches what we teach in the Church, but in her music, I hear the voice of a strong young woman trying to stay strong against the world’s pressures. Those Bible studies or SongDevotions haven’t been written yet, but that would be their theme: where Levi tries to remain strong on her own, Christ comes to make women—and men—strong against the ways that the world may drag us down.

Thank you so much to Levi for the review copies.