Lyrycyst’s new album Masquerade is a concept album of sorts, designed around a cutting edge combination of rap, hip-hop, pop, and alternative rock, loaded with thematic references to society and spirituality. The Kikstart Records release (which streets October 30th and is distributed nationally through a partnership with Infinity Music Distribution) is not only an exceptionally ambitious offering, but one that hits home with remarkable relevance for today’s generation and beyond.

“I was up one night during the whole Terri Schiavo situation and was thinking about the state of America,” Lyrycyst remarks, citing that scenario and a post September 11th world as the album’s partial inspiration. “America always appeared so perfect as the place to fulfill your dreams, but in reality, it got swallowed up by all that stuff. Basically, I’m addressing the issues America is facing and want each song to represent a specific issue: poverty, lust, greed, abortion, violence and corruption. It’s more than just clever rhymes and will hopefully give listeners a thought they can take with them.”

The project comes four years after Lyrycyst’s indie disc Broken Chains, which broke out with a bang in the Kansas City area, selling over 3,000 copies and taking the hopeful emcee throughout a whirlwind of local concerts, club dates and collaborations (including regional hero Tech N9NE). And throughout that time (which also included over 100,000 downloads), the singer/songwriter soon saw his distant dreams being conceived in reality, along with all the bells, whistles, bling and green.

“In high school I had pretty low confidence and found hip-hop as a release and way to get ahead,” he admits of a challenged childhood. “I actually first started as a songwriter because I was afraid to get out there and be a white guy rapping, but I worked my butt off and proved to them I could be just as legitimate.”

With continued practice, a little bit of luck and a whole lot of recently found faith, that legitimacy was proven time and time again, landing Lyrycyst a slot on the mission oriented Impact World Tour, which has been showcased in over 40 states and 45 nations across the globe. The success reel also includes first prize placement in the Inspiration Network’s 2003 talent search, along with concert appearances opening up for the likes of Relient K (Captiol/Gotee), Todd Agnew (Ardent) and Jeremy Camp (BEC Recordings/EMI). And then came the deal with Kikstart Records leading back to the present and providing additional ammunition for the MAsquerade project. Songs such as “Showbiz,” “New Hit,” “All In Vain” and “So Hard To Love” are sure to resonate with fans of Eminem, Jay-Z, John Reuben and Grits, while the entire album is stacked with culturally applicable examples.

“Besides my thoughts of the world’s current state, the record also covers a lot of ground that I’ve already walked through first hand,” he relates. “I have big dreams for this record and really want kids to know that everything you struggle with and might even blame on God, He can give you back the minute you let Him.”