Drawing us in with an intricate and dramatic piano performance and a captivating monologue, Regen Ryan opens Universal Christ with the thought-provoking words, “I can feel the pendulum swaying back and forth, Luciferic Ahrimanic energy, I’m calling in the Christ force, I journey in to the evil and return to the centre, exorcising my soul for the next grand adventure in this universe or the next…”
Poignantly released on 11.11.1(2+0+2+6), the opus expands into an assertive and self-realized hip-hop energy as Regen Ryan takes us on a journey of darkness to enlightenment with epic flow. We appreciate the candour of his prose and the conceptual depth that manifests. In essence, the track is about re-connecting with the divine within.
This comes at a very poignant time as we tip into the Age of Aquarius. It is about moving through our own shadows and finding our way back to universal oneness. Ryan calls this the Universal Christ: a consciousness that belongs to everyone, regardless of religion, background or creed. This is also rooted in ancient Taoist and Vedic philosophies and feels consciously enlightening.
There is something powerfully intelligent about the message. Ryan invites us to recognise this within ourselves. The song also touches on shame, spiritual disconnection and the importance of finding our way home. Ryan’s delivery is direct and unapologetic and features brilliant cultural and spiritual references. There are plenty of memorable hooks and the idea of boomeranging back to Christ feels like a mantra.
For some context, the song arrived organically the day after Ryan’s own ceremonial practice of gratitude. His spiritual path has also been influenced by The Chosen, the television series that helped deepen his connection to Christ-centred mysticism.
On his social media, Ryan wrote, “The Christ path is the CENTER: the balance point. Not rejecting the body. Not rejecting the spirit. But walking as Heaven ON Earth.”
He adds with reference to his writing, “I just wrote an article about this: how sacred s3xuality, death-rebirth cycles, and embodied Christ consciousness help me return to center again and again as I unashamedly swung on the pendulum.” More can be learned via Ryan’s Substack: ryanbartlett.substack.com
Recorded at Minnesota’s Hideaway Studios with Joe Mabbott, using a beat supplied by UK producer Yung Helf, Universal Christ seamlessly fuses together conscious hip-hop and spiritual exploration. Ryan cites 2Pac, Illuminati Congo, mgk and Forrest Frank as his influences, and we can also imagine fans of Akala, NEO 10Y and Brother Ali connecting with his approach.
With its hard-hitting hip-hop production and spiritual intensity, we can imagine Universal Christ landing a sync placement in films such as The Book of Eli, Creed, 8 Mile, Southpaw, Training Day and The Equalizer. On television, it could work well in episodes of Luke Cage, Power, Top Boy, Wu-Tang: An American Saga and of course, The Chosen.
Needless to say, we are obsessed with what Regen Ryan is creating, and have added Universal Christ to our New Music Spotlight playlist, and our TIMELESS playlist, whilst we continue to stream the wider discography of Regen Ryan, including Queendom Come, and the entirety of his album, Inner Marriage.