E Reece under the Life Cypha spotlight…

The first artist under the Life Cypha spotlight is a Midwest born emcee that was raised in Maryland and schooled in Brooklyn, New York. His hard penetrating, self-reflective vocals reflect the original mission of the hip hop culture and prove that hip hop is alive and well. E Reece is unlike most artists we have ever heard or seen. This talented, hard-working lyricist keeps your attention at every turn and will make you challenge yourself. His music speaks of love, life, and staying true to yourself. E Reece’s interests in music started at age 12 when he began studying the saxophone.  His music influences range from classic jazz artists such as Charlie Parker and Gerry Mulligan to hip hop pioneers like Run DMC, Special Ed, and A Tribe Called Quest.

E Reece entitles the style of his music, “organic hip hop” because it “feeds the mind, body, and soul with no additives or preservatives.” His music transcends all cultures blending new school hip hop, east coast insight, and west coast love. He and his band, Core Elements, have blazed several Los Angeles underground hip hop stages and have performed at music festivals and universities across the globe. His music can be heard on 2K Sports’ College Basketball ’08 and is supported by radio stations from Los Angeles (KPFK 90.7FM) to London (Nicci Cheeks’ 97.9FM).

A love for hip hop has developed into a promising career for E Reece, with growing success at the underground level. What keeps him going is his passion for the original form of the hip hop culture, and with a love for rhyming that’s deeply rooted in the essence of the genre, it’s going to be hard to stop his star from rising. E Reece believes that there is power and influence in music and hopes that once people have heard his music they will also.

“Once they’ve heard my music or seen my live show, I want people to believe in the power of positive music”
–E Reece-

Interview:

LC: What up Reece? Thanks you for doing this quick interview with us.
E Reece: No problem brother, anytime.

LC: So let’s jump right in; can you give me a brief summary on the current state of hip hop through the eyes of E Reece.
E Reece: Hip hop is the most popular style of music in the world.  Its everywhere and has come a very long way from the parks in the Bronx.  But what the masses think hip hop is, is very different from how it was birthed.  A non-hip hop fan, thinks all rappers talk about is money, cars, guns, etc. But in actuality, hip hop grew out of the party vibe, having fun and being unique.  Today, the mainstream “rappers” talk about the same negative things and their music is all over the radio all day, while true MC’s who represent the true essence of the culture and have respect for it, don’t get the same level of attention. There just needs to be A LOT more balance.  I’m done complaining about it though, and instead will just make the music I want to make.  If you like it then cool, if you don’t, that’s cool too.
LC: Wow… I couldn’t have written that better myself. This is one of many reasons why we chose you as our featured artist.

LC: Your verse on the song “Never Mind That” could be the theme song for Life Cypha because it speaks to our mission. I know that was a while ago, but do you believe hip hop is dead, dying, demonic?
E Reece: No not at all.  Like I said it’s everywhere and as long as me and my people continue to make the music we make, it can never be dead.  There are just some demonic people within the culture, but the art form and the music itself is very healthy.

LC: Why do you think hip hop is being excused of these things (dead, demonic, etc.)?
E Reece: Well the force feeding of the mainstream has many people thinking that what you see and hear all day, every day on the major market radio stations and the video shows is what hip hop really is.  But I feel as though a lot of people, at least the people I deal with, desire more from the music they listen to. People excuse hip hop in the mainstream force feeding the masses BS because it has taken so many brothers from the ghetto and made them millionaires, so it seems like its providing opportunities to those who otherwise would be in jail or dead, which it is, but it still doesn’t negate the fact that the majority of mainstream hip hop today is weak.

LC: What do you think about the Life Cypha movement?
E Reece: I’m all for what you’re doing.  You’re giving your honest opinion on an art form that you love and respect.

LC: I got a chance to check out your newest mixtape release and think its hot. You made mention of a new album coming soon. What can the Life Cypha and your fan base expect from your new project?
E Reece: Well this new LP will return to the boom bap style of hip hop I grew up with and that made me love it.  Its dope beats, matched with dope, elevating, insightful lyrics.  Its kind of a return to the cipher movement I came up in the game with. Just going strong with the verses, while opening up and letting the listener in to some personal topics.  It’ll feature production from Oddisee, Kev Brown, Proh Mic, Presto and others, and feature MC’s Buff1, Othello, Medusa and others.

LC: Well it’s been a pleasure chopping it up with you, sir; any last words for the Life Cypha viewer?
E Reece: Thanks for taking time out to get to know me a little better. Check out my sites, spread the word and thanks for the support.  ”Concrete Steppin” coming summer ‘10.  1 luv and blessing to Haiti!

Check out the following sites for more info on E Reece:
Website: www.ereecelive.com
MySpace: www.myspace.com/ereecemusic
Vimeo: www.vimeo.com/ereece

Also, be sure to check out his latest mix tape release entitled, “Art & Commerce: The Mix Tape”
Free Download: Click Here

Check out a couple songs from E Reece’s catalog:
“Never Mind That” ft. Buff1 & NowOn (from “A New Breed”)

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“How We Do” ft. Core Elements (from “L.I.S.n2This Live.In.Studio.”)

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…interested in knowing anything else about  E Reece. Feel free to ask away using the comment section…

Tagged as: Art & Commerce, Buff One, Core Elements, E Reece, Is hip hop dead, Life Cypha Spotlight, Mixtape, NowOn, Organic Hip Hop