July 31, 2026 Edition
Christian Media Weekly: 11 Stories Shaping Christian Music This Week
This week opens with TBK247’s full review of Plain James’ Keep It Pushin, a Southern and soulful EP built around grief, perseverance, biblical truth, responsibility and testimony.
Aaron Cole, Jonathan McReynolds and Tenroc take a familiar sound and redirect it toward worship, while Sam Purpose, Marquise Woods and Tony D tell the truth about change.
MotionPlus and Braille trust God’s timing. Jeannie Ortega confronts pride after conflict, while releases from Razzie, DTG Rich, 99 APEX, A Mose, JusRzd, Cyrus Sonata and Mic Wise bring energy, urgency, gratitude and the gospel into the conversation.
The issue closes with a Douglas Family Saga reflection asking a question every family should face: When did the house stop feeling like home?
Music, testimony, culture and real life—with Jesus Christ at the center.
Album Review by TBK247
Editor’s Pick • Album Review
Plain James Proves Testimony Still Matters
Keep It Pushin is Southern, soulful and grounded in Scripture, but its greatest strength is the way Plain James turns personal battles into testimony while directing the glory back toward God.
Across five songs, the EP moves through grief, depression, perseverance, humility, biblical love and the responsibility of continuing to care for the people who depend on you even while you are hurting.
“Drip Drop” becomes the emotional center as Plain James speaks about losing his parents, wrestling with depression and having to continue caring for his daughter before he had time to properly grieve.
“No Pain, No Gain” brings perseverance, while “Show Love” applies biblical maturity to real conflict. The record works because Plain James does not perform strength. He shows what continuing in faith can look like while pain is still present.
Kingdom Spotlight
Kingdom Spotlight • Hip-Hop • Gospel • R&B
Aaron Cole, Jonathan McReynolds & Tenroc Redirect a Familiar Sound Toward Worship
“usher in the spirit again” takes a melody many listeners already recognize and turns it toward God’s presence, grace, renewal and worship.
Aaron Cole’s lyricism, Jonathan McReynolds’ soulful vocals and Tenroc’s production come together across Christian hip-hop, gospel and R&B without allowing nostalgia to become more important than the message.
The collaboration grows from Aaron Cole and Tenroc’s original “usher in the spirit.” It pairs the gospel foundation of “Revelation 19:1” with a melodic reference to Usher’s “You Make Me Wanna…,” but the destination is no longer romantic desire. The destination is worship.
That cultural redirection is what makes the record worthy of a Kingdom Spotlight. The artists engage something familiar without copying its purpose, using recognition as an entry point while keeping God’s presence at the center.
Featured Song
Christian Hip-Hop • Testimony
Sam Purpose, Marquise Woods & Tony D — I’ve Been Changed
“I’ve Been Changed” does not clean up the testimony before presenting it. Sam Purpose names addiction, drinking, sexual sin, grief, false appearances and the spiritual resistance that continued even after he first gave his life to Jesus Christ.
The change became visible as he consistently spent time in Scripture and around other believers. When he returned to a familiar environment, the surroundings had not changed—but his desire to participate had.
Inspired by the late LaShun Pace’s version of “I Know I’ve Been Changed,” the record takes a familiar gospel declaration and places it inside a transparent story of sin, grief, responsibility and freedom through Jesus Christ.
New Christian Music Releases
Boom Bap • Gospel Banquet
MotionPlus & Braille — Overdue
Christian hip-hop veterans MotionPlus and Braille begin their upcoming collaborative EP with a sample-driven boom-bap single about trusting God’s timing.
Braille handles production while MotionPlus brings veteran lyricism and classic hip-hop delivery. A-F-R-O and SCAMM provide cuts.
Release information provided by FiveTwenty Collective.
Christian R&B
Jeannie Ortega — Sorry
“Sorry” captures the clarity that arrives after an argument, when proving who was right no longer feels as important as the relationship that may have been damaged.
Jeannie Ortega moves from vulnerable confession into a desperate vocal climb, trading pride and emotional armor for a plea to bring a partner home.
Hip-Hop
Razzie & DTG Rich — EEH
Razzie links with DTG Rich for a high-energy record driven by wordplay, aggressive production and a chant-ready hook.
Both artists bring confident verses while keeping the message centered on remaining grounded when pressure rises.
Cinematic Pop-Rap
99 APEX — Move
“Move” is an urgent call against spiritual complacency and the chaos that grows when people refuse to act.
Drawing from a low point at age 19 and the discipline developed by 25, 99 APEX commands listeners to wake up, reject apathy and step into divine alignment.
Afrobeat • Afropop
A Mose — Spirit Rhythm
A Mose brings hip-hop and Afropop together on a record shaped by gratitude, movement and the joy of creating from the heart.
A soulful lead trades lines with a large choir before the record reaches a high-energy finish with French ad-libs.
Hip-Hop • Gospel Message
JusRzd, Cyrus Sonata & Mic Wise — LHM
“LHM” centers the love of God and the sacrifice Jesus Christ endured for His people.
The collaboration brings together each artist’s lyrical, melodic and creative strengths while keeping the gospel at the center.
Beyond the Story
Douglas Family Saga • Psalm 127:1
When Did the House Stop Feeling Like Home?
A house can have walls, furniture and a roof while the people inside slowly lose the peace that once made it feel like home.
The latest Beyond the Story reflection examines the difference between having an address and building an atmosphere where people feel safe, loved and able to speak honestly.
Children may not remember the cost of the furniture, the amount of the rent or the size of the floor plan. They remember whether they could relax or whether they had to study every room before deciding whether it was safe to speak.
Homes rarely lose their peace overnight. The atmosphere changes first. Conversations become arguments. Silence replaces laughter. Doors close harder. Voices rise. Trust grows thinner.
The gospel offers more than repaired walls. Christ changes hearts. Forgiveness can replace bitterness, repentance can replace excuses, and gentleness can begin rebuilding what anger and pride slowly tore apart.
Culture Can Be Redirected, and Testimony Still Matters
This week’s music moves through grief, transformation, God’s timing, apology, pressure, spiritual urgency, joy and the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
Plain James reminds us that testimony is more than telling people what happened. It is showing them where God met us. Aaron Cole, Jonathan McReynolds and Tenroc show how a familiar cultural sound can be given a different destination when worship remains at the center.
Sam Purpose names what had to change. MotionPlus and Braille trust that what feels overdue to us can still arrive in God’s time. Jeannie Ortega lays down pride after conflict. Razzie and DTG Rich stay grounded under pressure.
99 APEX calls listeners out of apathy. A Mose chooses gratitude and movement. JusRzd, Cyrus Sonata and Mic Wise place Christ’s love and sacrifice at the center.
Then Beyond the Story brings the question home: What atmosphere are our words, choices and habits creating for the people living closest to us?
TBK247 will continue covering Christian music, books, stories, podcasts and culture with faith, family, redemption and real life at the center.
Changing the Culture 4 God. — TBK247
