''The Art of Translation'' is the fourth studio album by Christian hip hop duo

GRITS Grits are a type of porridge made from boiled cornmeal. Hominy grits are a type of grits made from hominy – corn that has been treated with an alkali in a process called nixtamalization, with the pericarp (ovary wall) removed. Grits are of ...

. It was released in 2002 on

Gotee Records Gotee Records is a record label founded by Christian hip hop performer Toby McKeehan (known professionally as ''TobyMac''), Todd Collins, and Joey Elwood. The label began as a production company. At the time of the label's founding, McKeehan wa ...

and earned the honor of the Dove Award for "Rap/Hip Hop Album of the Year" and was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2003.

Critical reception

Awarding the album four stars at

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

, Dan Leroy writes, "They're hot here, on the most potent antidote to hip-hop's parade of pathologies in some time." Deborah Evans Price, reviewing the album for ''Billboard'' magazine, states, "Each track reverberates with personality and passion". Writing a review for ''

CMJ New Music Monthly CMJ Holdings Corp. is a music events and online media company, originally founded in 1978, which ran a website, hosted an annual festival in New York City, and published two magazines, ''CMJ New Music Monthly'' and ''CMJ New Music Report''. Th ...

'', Jessica Koslow says, "GRITS have crafted a successful formula for mixing the secular and spiritual." Demarco Evans, giving the album four and a half review from

HipHopDX ''HipHopDX'' is an online magazine of hip hop music criticism and news. The website's current president and publisher is Sharath Cherian and the Head Of Content is Jerry L. Barrow. ''HipHopDX'' is the flagship publication of Cheri Media Group. ...

, responds, "these southern cats have brought something new to the table--and we ain't talkin' about no catfish and macaroni & cheese." Tony Cummings, rating the album a nine out of ten for Cross Rhythms, states, "Coffee and Bonafide as usual transcend the stifling formulaic patterns of much low-budget hip-hop and fuse funk, rock and vintage soul music into their mix though this time out there are less of those vibey Coltraine-esque jazz touches which transfixed us in the past." Awarding the album four stars at Jesus Freak Hideout, Kevin Chamberlin writes, "the album is very good." Russ Breimeier, giving the album four and a half stars from '' Christianity Today'', says, "If ''The Art of Translation'' doesn't make Christian hip-hop viable, I'm not sure anything will." Indicating in a three and a half star review for ''The Phantom Tollbooth'', Ken Mueller states, "GRITS is at their best when the deliver their message in a more upbeat presentation, but they have just the right mix of semi-hardcore/street sense and pop rhythms to really make a dent in the music scene." Mike Rimmer, signaling in a five star review at ''The Phantom Tollbooth, writes, "GRITS have the chops to be a Platinum act without compromising their integrity."

Track listing

#"Here We Go" - 3:19 #" Ooh Ahh" (featuring

TobyMac Toby McKeehan (born Kevin Michael McKeehan; October 22, 1964), better known by his stage name TobyMac (styled tobyMac or TOBYMAC), is an American contemporary Christian music singer, rapper, songwriter, and record producer. He was first known ...

) - 3:53 #"Runnin'" (featuring V3) - 4:05 #"Tennessee Bwoys" - 4:05 #"Be Mine" (featuring Nirva Dorsaint) - 4:22 #"Ill Coined Phrase" (Interlude) - 1:08 #"Seriously" - 3:41 #"At the video shoot" (Interlude) - 1:28 #"Video Girl" (featuring

Knowdaverbs Michael Boyer II, better known by his stage names Knowdaverbs and later Verbs, is a Christian hip hop artist. He has recorded for Gotee Records. Background He started rapping at the age of twelve, and spent time dancing with GRITS during the ...

) - 3:50 #"Believe" (featuring Jennifer Knapp) - 3:19 #"What Do You Believe?" (Interlude) - 1:34 #"Get It" - 3:52 #"Make Room" - 3:31 #"Keep Movin'" (Interlude) - 1:02 #"Sunny Days" (featuring Nirva Dorsaint) - 3:39 #"Lovechild" (featuring Antonio Phelon) - 3:28 #"The Art of Translation" (Interlude) - 2:57

References

GRITS albums 2002 albums Gotee Records albums {{2002-hiphop-album-stub