Christopher Michael Hulvey, more commonly known as his stage name Hulvey, is an American Christian rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He has released eight albums, including his most recent album “CRY,” with about 118 songs total.
Hulvey’s musical career began when he dropped out of college in his sophomore year and moved to Atlanta, Georgia, supporting himself financially by working at a local supermarket. In August of 2019, he signed a contract with Reach Records and debuted his EP, Prelude, in January of 2020. In addition to his solo work, he has collaborated with Lecrae, Forrest Frank, KB, Ciara, and many more.
On Sept. 13, Hulvey released his sophomore album, “CRY,” in Atlanta. According to Rapzilla, “There’s a song for everyone,” he said. “I want listeners to find comfort in these songs, knowing that their tears aren’t wasted. Every tear is a prayer, and God is with you through it all.”
The 17 tracks encompass Hulvey’s own spiritual journey and are sectioned into three chapters: communion, reflection, and yearning, the first letters of which make up the name of the album. The songs on the album are a mixture of new songs and already-released fan favorites. It starts with a short song, “COMMUNION,” and ends with one of his top songs he previously made, “Altar,” featuring Forrest Frank. As of Wednesday, Oct. 9, the song’s YouTube music video had 7.2 million views.
The song “COMMUNION” is about placing our hardships before Jesus, who is the only one who can heal us and make us new. Le’Roy Broner II raps over a simple and chill drum beat explaining that idea for about 40 seconds until Hulvey comes in, singing a couple verses before closing the song out.
“COMMUNION” was a good choice for the opening song of the album because of how effectively Broner emphasized the message Hulvey wants to communicate to his listeners.
The next song is “World Hunger,” which is — so far — one of the most popular of Hulvey’s new songs from the album. I think the reason people like this song so much is the beat. The part I like the most is the change from a lower bass beat to a more upbeat song 53 seconds in, which also makes it easier to sing along to.
Hulvey sings, “World hunger, no slumber / Who could feed the world, I wonder,” talking about the struggles of the world right now and putting a lot of emphasis on the poor and those who do nothing about it, especially people who call themselves Christian but don’t uphold the values.
The following song is “Poor Party” and it is definitely my favorite from the album. The beat complements the words perfectly with a happy twang to it, showing that though he is talking about his sad backstory, there are always positives to take from bad situations. Hulvey mentions his financial struggles growing up as a kid and how he struggled to fit in, but he learned that it doesn’t matter, “’Cause money can’t pay for more love.”
Fast forward a couple songs to the second chapter, “REFLECTION.” Reflection is about our human perspective compared to God’s. I really like this chapter because it reminds me that there are always different perspectives to every situation. When I think bad about myself, God reminds me I’m His child, and that those thoughts aren’t of Him.
Though the song “REFLECTION” is only 40 seconds long, the lyrics explore the complex relationship between our own self-worth and the way God sees us. It really reminds us how blessed we are to be His children, because despite all our doubts about ourselves, He wants us anyways.
“True” is one of my favorite songs overall that Hulvey has previously released before the album. I put this song on whenever I’m not feeling well because of the upbeat feeling to it, and the lyrics remind me that when everything feels like it’s changing on me, I know Jesus will always stay true to me.
Jesus is constant and will always be there.
To end the second chapter, “REFLECTION,” Hulvey presents the song, “Anxiety.” This song is more deep and bass-heavy compared to his other songs to show a more serious side of the topic. Everyone experiences anxiety on a daily basis, whether it’s with school, work, studies, and more. It’s our job to not let it affect us, but rather let it die in us so it doesn’t pass on to other people through our bad attitude.
The final chapter is “YEARNING,” which talks about how everything leads back to Jesus and how we need him for everything we do. This chapter is my favorite because it has a few of my favorite songs and a great message to pair with it. When I fall off track and give in to the worldly things, it only satisfies my needs for a little while. I yearn to be happy forever, and I can find that in Jesus Christ.
This short song starts with water sounds in the background, because Hulvey talks about how rain is his favorite weather, singing, “’Cause maybe every drop that hits the ground are tears from heaven / Let ’em fall on me.” I think this refers to the Bible when we get to heaven death will be no more, He will wipe every tear of sorrow and pain from our eyes. To hear that makes me look forward to experiencing that moment of relief and pure love one day.
After “YEARNING,” Hulvey sings “Have Me.” The message behind this song makes it one of my favorite songs to scream out in praise. He says “Can’t stay away can’t break away ‘cause You’re right here / Have me, Lord, have me.” This resonates with me because I can’t do anything without the Lord, so I will give my life to Him so He can take control.
After skipping a few songs, the last song of the chapter “YEARNING” is “Altar,” a collaboration between Hulvey and Forrest Frank. As of Oct. 7, this is Hulvey’s top song according to YouTube Music. The chorus sums up the meaning of the song beautifully and is a great way to close off his album.
Hulvey leads the way by singing, “Glory to the Father / You deserve the praise.” To still be alive to this day after everything I have been through is something I tend to take for granted. We all make the mistake of forgetting to thank the Lord every day for even letting us wake up in the morning, and this song is a great reminder of that.
I definitely recommend that everyone give Hulvey’s album “CRY” a listen at least once, especially if you enjoy pop and rap songs on the cleaner side and need a little reminder to go back to Jesus, because he misses you dearly.
