''Sinema'' is the second studio album by the

Christian hip hop Christian hip hop (originally gospel rap, also known as Christian rap, gospel hip hop or holy hip hop) is a subgenre of contemporary Christian music and hip hop music. It emerged from urban contemporary music and Christian media in the United S ...

musician

Swoope Lawrence Allen Swoope II, mononymously-known as Swoope, (born April 2, 1986) is an American hip hop Christian singer-songwriter and producer born and raised in Akron, Ohio. He was a member of the rap collective W.L.A.K. and High Society with ...

, released on August 5, 2014, by Collision Records. It is a follow-up to '' Wake Up''. Highly praised by critics, the album reached No. 3 on the U.S.

Christian Albums Top Christian Albums is a weekly chart published in ''Billboard'' magazine that ranks the best-performing Christian albums in the United States. Like the ''Billboard'' 200, the data is compiled by Nielsen Soundscan based on each album's weekly ...

chart, No. 1 on the Gospel chart, and No. 4 on the Rap Albums chart.

Critical reception

''Sinema'' met with critical acclaim. On behalf of ''Jesus Freak Hideout'', Mark Rice gave the album a full five stars, writing that "...if there is any justice in the world, Sinema will mark the big break for both Swoope and Collision Records thanks to it being one of the best hip hop albums released in recent memory". Jeffery Scott of ''The Christian Post'' also scored the album favorably, giving it eight out of ten and writing, "From top to bottom, it is a solid effort in storytelling and conveying the struggle all believers have with sin." Writing for ''

Rapzilla Rapzilla is a Christian hip hop online magazine. The website contains many sections such as latest news, album reviews, articles, interviews, music downloads, videos, release dates, and columns. Rapzilla is known for its up-to-date news. The we ...

'', Nyon Smith considered the album a worthwhile listen, as it asks hard questions that cause the listener to examine themselves as to what selfish desires they hold, but qualified that overall, he considers Swoope's previous album, ''Wake Up'', as a whole, a better album than ''Sinema''. Dwayne Lacy of ''New Release Tuesday'' gave the album four stars out of five, concluding, "The album requires a dedicated listen from start to finish to get the concept, and if you do that, it will be an enriching experience." ''Indie Vision Musics Anthony Peronto gave the album a perfect score, cwriting, "It may take a few spins to recognize it, but ''Sinema'' may be Swoope’s true magnum opus. For now it remains the defining artistic statement of the Christian’s struggle with sin. And so far, most likely the best full-length hip hop album of 2014. I give it two thumbs up!" On behalf of ''

Cross Rhythms Cross Rhythms is a Christian media organisation based in Stoke-on-Trent, England. It operates an FM and online radio station, produces radio shows sent internationally, and its website has resources about contemporary Christian music. Hi ...

'', Steve Hayes rated the album a full ten squares and described it as an ambitious concept album. Calvin Moore of ''The Christian Manifesto'' rated the album four-and-a-half stars out of five, and noted that while the lyrical material is not easy listening, ''Sinema'' is still an excellent project, and though Swoope sounds very similar to

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...

, he is "coming into his own".

Commercial performance

For the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' charting week of August 23, 2014, ''Sinema'' charted at No. 3 on the

and No. 1 on the Top Gospel Albums charts, No. 4 on the

Rap Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a music chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales in the United States and is compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated Jan ...

, and No. 6 on the

Independent Albums The Independent Albums chart (previously titled Top Independent Albums) ranks the highest-selling independent music albums and extended plays (EPs) in the United States, as compiled by Nielsen SoundScan and published weekly by '' Billboard'' maga ...

chart. It also hit number 55 on the ''Billboard'' 200.

Track listing

Charts

References

{{reflist, 30em Hip hop albums by American artists Albums produced by Swoope 2014 albums