As Chris Hooks drove his friend’s blue Hyundai Sante Fe around the lakes with Mr. MFN eXquire for a soundtrack, the local rapper and I talked about his new release, “All Black Jesus.”   

Formerly Truth Be Told (a name he never liked) of the emcee/producer duo The Tribe & Big Cats!, Hooks is putting forth slightly more experimental material than his former collaboration.    

While drama plays a part in every artist separation, this difference in musical direction was the primary reason he split with Big Cats! (producer Spencer Wirth-Davis).

“This city needs more grit,” Hooks said. 

That’s probably part of why the South Side of Chicago born Hooks didn’t like the name Truth Be Told—it’s a little soft.  (It should have been Tellin’ Truth or Truth Down Your Throat; he’s more that kind of performer.)  Now he’s simply marketing himself as Rapper Hooks.

The Twin Cities sound has been part of his life since moms moved him out of the way of the collapsing Chicago projects, but it looks like Hooks is now flipping the scales on which side of his life takes center stage in the studio.  

But enough beating around the bush: the album’s dope.  “All Black Jesus” is another well-produced platform for Hooks lyrical versatility (admitting that he sometimes rapped fast just to see how it went); his altering cadences sparring with the roving beats for track dominance (for more boxing references see his track “Mike Tyson”).  In the end though, he’s always the winner. 

The CD release party for Rapper Hooks’ “All Black Jesus” is tonight at 7th Street Entry.