A coffee house that normally caters to punk rock isn't the typical setting for a hip-hop show, but John Reuben is not the typical hip-hop artist. The MC makes the introduction and out steps John and his crew Scott Bellows and Gabe Patillo. " Wow," I think to myself. These brothers are different. There were no designer clothes, hype, or inflated egos. They sacrifice the image for the message. The message is delivered with steady beats and hooks that the crowd easily chants along with. John believes in audience participation. Don't go to a John Reuben show if you are too hard to have fun, because you will. In a crowd of about 50 people, there were only about 15 hip hop headz in the place, but before the show was over, John managed to get the people out of their chairs and on the floor. From the catchy "Hello Ego" to a powerful a cappella rendition of "Identify", I must say that the show was dope. I had the pleasure of chillin' with John and his crew after the show. They are the most genuine headz that I have come across in a long time.

 

Soldya: Who is John Reuben the artist? What is your vision?
John Reuben: As time has gone on, my vision has changed from trying to be the dopest to really just communicating. (I'm) Communicating my heart in all aspects; the joys of life, the struggles of life, and making sure it's put out there so an intellectual head can respect it and understand it and it's not too low for him, but as well as it's not above the average person. A broad message. Something that's creative and well thought out is my main goal... and to have fun on stage.

 

S: You have a lot of fun. I know you said you started off doing different styles of rap. How did you get started?
JR: I started off actually writing poetry. At a young age, like eight or nine, I was writing poetry. As time went on, I started hearing hip hop music. I heard some artists like BDP and really liked the militancy of these artists, so I tried to be militant. I started going to open mics when I was like 15 or 16. And I really got caught up in all the energy and the rawness; the ability to get everything out. Sometimes that wouldn't always be the best. The expression of anger I had I wasn't channeling through God's mind.

 

S: What were your musical influences?
JR: When I really got going into hip-hop, the groups I liked... I mean, I'm only 21. It would be nice to say, "Yeah, I'm from the old school man..."

 

S: Kurtis Blow etc...
JR: "Run DMC, Sugar Hill Gang... but I was one when that stuff came out. So I'm definitely from the new school. I liked the Pharcyde, Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, Arrested Development, S.F.C. and Dynamic Twins when they came out with "No Room to Breath".

 

S: How did you get together with Gotee Records?
JR: I actually stopped doing music for a while. I had moved to L.A. about a year and a half ago. Durk Brown (who managed GRITS) got a hold of my EP about a year before that and finally got around to listening to it. DJ Maj started spinning it on his show and DJ's were calling my old house in Columbus, OH. Then basically what happened was, a good friend was getting married back in Columbus and I was trying to make it back for the wedding and couldn't afford a plane ticket. So, I tried to book some shows just to cover my plane ticket. I booked a show in Nashville during GMA week and I started getting a lot of response from different labels. Gotee was actually one of the last labels to respond, but it really worked out.

 

S: Sounds like God's work.
JR: Totally.

 

S: How do you see the underground movement changing for hip hop artists, especially Christian hip-hop artists?
JR: I don't claim to be an underground artist. I claim to do what I feel God wants me to do and the music I like... respectable, artistic music. For what I see, I think it's sad sometimes how we bicker back and forth. But, I think there are a lot of positives coming out of the underground. I think seeing what the "Cross Movement" has done is unbelievable. How they came up without a huge label pushing them. Those guys have got good hearts and good quality, raw music. I saw them do a show in Columbus, Ohio. There were maybe 1,000 people there. You don't even see that in mainstream underground events. I think it's a matter of people setting aside their personal preference and recognizing quality and recognizing their heart. 

 

S: If someone picked up your CD "Are We There Yet" in the store and didn't know anything about you, what is the message you want to leave with them after hearing your music?
JR: I want the people that buy my CD to hear a real person. A real person that lives in a real world who has gotten a hold of something that has given him hope, that has given him peace. (Something that) virtually took him when he was on the brink of complete depression, maybe even suicidal thoughts, and enabled him to overcome that. I want people to see every aspect of what my life is about. Naturally, since my heart belongs to God, that's what's going to come out. The joys of life, and the struggles, but ultimately that there is hope.

 

John Reuben's debut CD is titled 'Are We There Yet' and is in stores. You can hear real audio clips at www.gotee.com 

  [  
Published by One Mind Magazine on 7/00. reprinted with permission