E Reece

E REECE HAS MOVED VOCATIONS ALMOST AS MUCH AS HE’S MOVED LOCATIONS, WITH A PAST THAT INCLUDES JAZZ, MODELING AND A LIFE ON BOTH COASTS OF THE US. AND ALTHOUGH THE EAST IS WHERE HE FIRST LEARNT HIS ROPES HITTING CYPHERS IN NY, IT WASN’T UNTIL HE WAS BASED IN LA THAT HE REALLY PUT PEN TO PAD AND STARTED HONING HIS OWN SELF TITLED BREED OF ‘ORGANIC HIP-HOP’. ACCLAIM TALKS WITH E REECE ABOUT HIS NEW ALBUM, CONCRETE STEPPIN, EAST VS WEST AND THE CHALLENGES OF BEING AN INDIE ARTIST.
For those that aren't familiar with E Reece, how would you describe your sound?

My sound is more universal than anything. You can't really pinpoint where I'm from from [with] the music I make and it doesn't really alienate anyone or any one region. It appeals to everyone, from East to West, from young to old. I call my music ‘Organic Hip Hop’ because it's true school hip-hop without all of the negative additives and preservatives that feeds your mind, body and soul. It’s just good music with a heavy jazz influence.

Do you still play the Saxophone? What part of your musicality did you walk away with from your time with that instrument?

I don't really play anymore and have kind of retired. I hope to one day pick it up again on a more consistent basis. From having grown up playing in bands, I can spot great musicianship and dope musicians, this has helped me form my live band Core Elements. I have good timing and rhythm and playing the sax has helped me with my delivery, tone and inflection when I rap.

Having spent a bit of time between both New York City and Los Angeles what do you think some of the biggest differences are when it comes to the people and the lifestyle?

Well NYC and LA are night and day. In NYC you have the subways, cabs, people walking the streets, the hustle and bustle attitude and a fast paced lifestyle. The people are a little brash, but for the most part they are good and honest. In LA you have freeways, everyone's in a car and the city is large and spread out. It closes down early so people can get their beauty sleep! (Laughs) It’s kind of disconnected in a way and it doesn't have the same energy as NYC. But you can't beat the weather and the scenery. You just have to love being able to ride around town on your bike without a shirt on in October! The people are more relaxed and love to see a smile. How can you not be chill with the beach right here?!

Is the West your new home or do you see yourself moving back East eventually? How has your time in LA affected your music?

The West is my new home. I don't know if I will move back. If I could tell the future I'd be a lot richer! (Laughs) I just had a child and most of my family is back East in Maryland and I'd love him to be around them for a portion of his childhood, but we'll have to see. The West has been good to me and I've had constant elevation and steady progress since I've been here. I guess its made my music more carefree in some ways. I think I'd really make the same music anywhere I was in the world because it comes from me and I am who I am no matter where I am ya know?!

Give us the low on the new album Concrete Steppin'. Who you got on there and what can we expect when we give it a listen.

Well I've got production from the likes of Oddisee, Kev Brown, Presto, Proh Mic and others, with features from Buff1, Othello, El Prez, Tunji and more. It’s a solid hip-hop album from top to bottom and a real cohesive listen. You can expect to hear dope beats and dope rhymes, with subject matter that you'll be able to relate to.

What has been one of the biggest challenges of being an independent artist?

The lack of proper marketing and promotions [that comes] without having a big-time budget. There are hella dope indie cats out there, but a lot of them go unnoticed because there is such an unbalance between what you hear and see on commercial radio and video. Plus there is a real unbalance in underground hip-hop being heard on major market radio. More and more major market radio stations are not playing underground music and have cancelled a lot of the shows that showcase indie artists. Plus, a lot of promoters don't book indie artists because they haven't heard of you, even though your music is dope as hell! There's a real unfair mindset in the heads of a lot of people who book shows. I can confidently say that I can out perform a lot of more well known MCs out there and have better music than them, but because they have a bigger name, they get the booking. It’s a real catch 22 that you have to deal with as an indie artist. You just have to believe and have that confidence in yourself.

In terms of your own listening habits what's been on rotation? Is it predominantly older material or do you listen to new artists? How do you let new music inspire you, if at all.

I listen to a lot of golden era hip-hop just because that's the music that I like and that moves me the most. I do hit the blogs and stay on top of the new cats that a - Acclaim Magazine Interview by PJ Smith

Hip Hop from the West has undergone much repackaging since the mid ’90s. Now when rap comes from the sunnier sides of the US, it usually comes in the more conscious, uplifting format from the gangbangin’ early days. Fashawn, Blu, U-N-I and Little Brother have all contributed to the new movement and now Los Angeles’ E Reece hopes to make a lasting mark with his third offering, Concrete Steppin.
A prominent figure in the subterranean levels of West Coast rap, E Reece’s laid back style aims to spread beyond his L.A. hometown into the wider Hip Hop market.
A killer hard hitting beat opens up the album, which E Reece slays with rhymes which pack enough punch to reel the listener into his concrete surroundings. Concrete Steppin is blessed with a vintage flow from Reece as an enthusiasm and passion is evident in everything he delivers.
The authentic feel of tracks such as “Up 2 The Sun” and “Confessions of a Dreamer” makes E Reece stand out above the many “underground” MCs who have worn out the head-in-the-sky motif, delivering remarkably.
Whilst the messages and rhymes are in check, it’s the beats which also help to orchestrate a somewhat quintessential album from E Reece. Dipping into the old school format on “Don’t Front,” complete with DJ scratches in the chorus, E Reece exemplifies the classic emcee that is able to dominate a track and still allow the beat to shine through.
Other exemplary cuts include “The Game” and “Don’t Front” which all boast a spirit of ’90s Hip Hop whilst “Feel Good” featuting Othello is an all night jam session which is pulled off convincingly.
It’s so often been said that the underground produces the best material. Boosting that statement’s credentials, Concrete Steppin is filled with pulsating rhythms and great lyrical displays from E Reece whilst emancipating a lost spirit of charm, which the genre has lost.
The few low points of the album are that new school enthusiasts may feel the album sounds dated and tracks such as “Fantasy Girl” seem unnecessary. Look past both of them and you have a brilliant gem which, hopefully, will be discovered by fans looking for golden material in a genre mired by robotic, shallow music.
- Henry Yanney

E Reece is next in line to represent the new Hip-Hop movement. His music isn’t the average sounds heard in rap today. It’s organic in its feel, naturally groovy when you hear it up close. This is feel good music from a tight band of like minded souls. Core Elements are the backbone to E Reece’s live show, and they bring real music to the party with a DJ to match. I got a feeling you might see and hear of these guys a bit more in the future.

Reeces’ first album, A New Breed, drops on July 24th on EMH Recordings. The album is a cross between east coast underground and west coast vibes. When I say east coast, think A Tribe Called Quest, and when I say west coast, think Heiro. Reece keeps it oh so positive and conscious, no blingin’, hustlin’, killin type ish is present here.

A New Breed lives up to its title, by re-introducing a new breed of emceeing in it’s opening title track. By the time “The Get Up” gets you up, you learn it’s just a set up for the back in the day cool out of “Happy Dayz”. Other heaters on the disc are “Make A Change”; "Get Into It" featuring Hilsyde; "Survivors" featuring Buff1; and the crowd rocker “Never Mind That” featuring Buff1 and NowOn.

The Temple Bar vet has put together a cool intro album. Judging by the way Reece and the Core Elements crew had the Grand Star crowd jumping last Friday, July 13th, his organic Hip-Hop should spread through the world soon enough. He performed to a ready crowd that roared their approval. Not a bad way to set off his record release party.

A New Breed is a nice addition to the underground sound, one that won’t stay buried beneath the surface for long. Support this new breed of positive music and get that new album by E Reece. - by Laron Cue

E Reece's new album is one of those projects that make you "wow" in awe. The album is exquisitely embedded with what could become several California joints. It is luminous with playful and melodic pianos which foster the transgression of the album.

As the album builds, it becomes an interesting amalgamation of several elements of music. Hip hop, soul, jazz, blues combine to create a very distinct wavelength of music which is appreciated by young and sophisticated audiences. It is an almost perfect combination of sounds of the streets and the sounds of the past. Laid back enough to chill with and upbeat enough to not cause you to fall into an sativa coma. Its a really nice balance of hypeness and harmony which makes it great for operating on a daily basis.

I am not usually a fan of rock-type hip hop songs, however The Get Up (ft. Mateo) got me pretty hype with the production alone, but once the rhyme hit I found that it was a ballistic-ass track. Also, making my head nod (which is hard to do for the record..haha...sick joke forming) was Is Is, the piano work was a lovely focus for the production of this track. Then came Good Music (ft. Jamal) which took me back to the heartfelt, jazz era of hip hop but with a much richer tone. The project was wonderfully mastered and the entire album sounds are very clean. It was an astronomical experience to listen to the streets of MD, NYC and LA collaborate in this project best of the best cities. I have officially reconnected my umbillical chord back to my mp3 player. Thank you E Reece...that is love, man.

 3 favorite tracks
Good Music (ft. Jamal) 
Is Is
BU

3 dope tracks
Everything
Get Into It (ft. Hylside)
Never Mind That (ft.Buff1 and NowOn) - by Brandie

Words flowed out like wine into a Dixie cup as E Reece sang songs that were as sweet as a tequila kiss but modestly held together by an urban neo-folk music foundation. With his counterpart Pedro Coiscou singing along side, and DJ Soups managing the music behind the turntables E Reece rocked the Irvine Commons Thursday night.
“I’ve coined it organic hip hop. It’s music that feeds mind body and soul. We leave out all the chemicals and preservatives,” said E Reece of his musical direction. “We’re taking hip hop back to when it was about fun, not about selling drugs and which females you roll with.”
E Reece and his small group brought a different sound to the usually off-rock dominate U of R music series. He and his backing group sang songs about love, religion, and other societal problems to music that changed pace while singing lyrics that were comprehensible.
“I like the fact that this is the real concept of Hip Hop,” said George Parker (09’). “A lot of the main stream hip hop, ‘rap’, you hear today on TV, and the radio is not the true ideals past artist had for the future of hip hop.”
E Reece grew up in Maryland, he and his group met in Los Angeles. His songs reflect the life of an intelligent young man and his struggles in life and the musical industry.
“I like that he’s an authentic artist,” said Jojo Chapman of E Reece’s songs. “I think it’s the best music series artist so far.”
E Reece’s music can be found on Myspace at www.myspace.com/ereecemusic and he’ll be playing many future shows around the LA area.
“They’re here in this era, bringing the true essence of hip hop to the lime light,” said George Parker when reflecting on the night’s performers. - Univ. of Redlands' Bulldog Weekly by Brett Lewis

Los Angeles-based hip-hop artist, E Reece and band Core Elements performed for the Nooner at the Bell Tower on Wednesday. There were various activities: a rock climbing wall, inflatable jumper, people spray painting T-shirts in protest against the fee increases, and student organizations taking advantage of the sunny day.

After a microphone check, E Reece told the audience "Put your hands up" as he began the set with the aptly named, "Mic Check," a laid-back ode to hip-hop. With fists in the air they shouted, "hip-hop you know I love you, you're my everything" on "Everything." Skateboarders, bike riders and passersby stopped to nod their heads.

Born in Maryland, E Reece began studying jazz at age 12 and cites A Tribe Called Quest, Run DMC and Michael Jackson among his musical influences. He moved to Los Angeles eight years ago and started acting and modeling between shows. Reece assembled his live band, Core Elements, through Craigslist and has been creating music with them ever since.

It could not have been a more perfect environment. The Wellness Expo provided massages, smoothies, flower pot painting and a range of other fun activities to take part in. The protesters of the fee hikes let everyone spray paint T-shirts in support. Sororities and frats chilled on the lawn-all with the backdrop of jazz-infused hip-hop.

During a brief technical difficulty, E Reece conversed with the audience and asked students who their favorite hip-hop artists were. Students yelled Little Brother, Pac Div and The Pharcyde among others.

People cheered as E Reece also mentioned that he'll soon be a new father, pointed out his girlfriend in the crowd who was 37 weeks pregnant.

Then, he said that the governor loved the group's music after hearing them perform. His hype man, Dro, did an uncanny Schwarzenegger impersonation that got laughs from the audience. By then, the crowd had doubled in size.

After E Reece performed "In Love," a down tempo love ballad, the band shifted into covering what E Reece called "organic" hip hop classics beginning with the groovy Digable Planets "Cool Like Dat" to Pete Rock & CL Smooth's "T.R.O.Y." then ending with the hypnotic backpacker classic "93 Till Infinity" by Souls of Mischief.

E Reece and the band ended their set with "How We Do" encouraging everyone to put peace signs in the air. It was a sun-kissed day of peace, wellness, and organic hip-hop. - UC Riverside's Highlander by Aneesah Dryver

E Reece rides with an elegant grit on this debut EP. Conscious artistic flows to move the tainted heads. This is hip hop, honest and innovative. With songs like "Got Love," dedicated to his mother and father and party jointz like "La Di Da," my man spits with a maturity and vision rare and refreshing. A local talent who can often be found blessing crowds at Santa Monica's Temple Bar, E Reece doesn't mind paying them dues. With an energizing live show and beats to break any beat connisouier, E is ready for what's next. Crowning tracks like a high priest laying lines faultlessly, raising his far eye vision like a flag high in a jolted sky infested with choke and vultures. Ladies and gentlemen I'd like to introduce E Reece; a talent built to blast and definitely one to look out for! - by Marcus Gray

E Reece is all about keeping the essence of hip hop alive and straying away from negative stereotypes hip hop currently faces. "I'm big on keeping that fire that hip hop first sparked when it started," the up-and-coming underground artist says. "I'm not trying to take it back to that time, but evolve it and move it forward." Having fallen in love with the culture and music back in the mid 80's after hearing Sugar hill Gang's "Rapper's Delight," E Reece knew that hip hop was his passion.

With his latest album, "A New Breed," E Reece brings what he considers "organic hip hop" to the forefront. "It's feel good music," he describes. "It's music that feeds the mind, body and soul without additives. It's good and healthy for you, and will give you energy and great vibes that will allow you to have different perspectives; its good, solid music from the heart." As an artist all about the culture and being honest with his music, E Reece plans to make feel good music for years to come.

So for those who enjoy the golden era of hip hop will find E Reece a breath of fresh air with music reminiscent of a simpler time when good music was appreciated without all the commercial hype. - by Kristie Bertucci

This talented Los Angeles-based rapper hopes to move rap forward by looking towards the region's glourious past with his satisfying debut full-length album, A New Breed. E Reece spends a good amount of his fourteen cut set focusing on his love for rap in its purest form, and he relies on choice samples from old Eric B. & Rakim and Nas cuts, among others. He revisits his own relationship with rap's Golden Era on the soulful "Everything," where he traces his affinity for EPMD, Boogie Down Productions and the Juice Crew and boasts of his mic skills on the jazzy "Tha Feelin'." It's a rare balance of homage and braggadacio. He redirects his focus on the lady of his choice on the smooth "Get Into It," a solid song with romantic affection. Producers Leggo, The Fyre Dept., DJ Soups, Jamal, T.i.M, The Beat Ventriloquists and Brian Boland supply an enjoyable collection of mid-tempo, largely boom bap-type beats that fit extremely well with quality underground rap. - by Soren Baker

Born in the Midwest, rasied in Maryland, studied in New York and living in Los Angeles, it is not wrong to say that E Reece has seen various sides of U.S. life. In between open mics, modelling and acting E Reece found time to create an undetground hip-hop career. Showing that he is not one to throw in the towel E Reece has delivered his third collection of savvy, striaght-up hip-hop. Owing more to the likes of The Roots and Common than to Lil Wayne, E Reece brings a vintage purity to his sound as he drops clear bars over beats from the likes of underground stalwarts Kev Brown and Oddisee. Bringing a spiritually soulful edge to his rhymes E Reece brings mature moments like 'Celebrate' to offset the party-ready heaters like, the Othello featuring, 'Feel Good.' E Reece seems to have a strong understanding of real hip-hop music as he shows you can bring a street-savvy sound without having to resort to tired tales of gunplay or dipping into the latest fads and trends. Instead what 'Concrete Steppin' offers is head-nodding and, at times, emotive music that demonstrates that rap can deliver the words of a mature audience as readily as it can that of a club-orientated crowd. While the off-kilter beats and rhymes of 'Strictly Stunning' don't quite symnergize as hoped this is a minor stumble on an otherwise strong album. Beatwise E Reece sounds as comfortable over some synth lines as he is across hard-edged cuts and some Black Moon samples - demonstrating his own nomadic lifestyle through his musical versatility. Showing that there is still a place for pure listening hip-hop alongside the club fare, this collection should find it's way into the headphones of afficionados of straight-up heat. Check this... - Grindmodeconnect.com

Organic hip-hop, it may sound a bit trendy but it signifies a need for change. Similar to the food cycle and people getting sick off of food full of feces and filth, the public wants to know where exactly their music supply is coming from, to not getting something that's been hanging out on the conveyor belt. The term "fresh out the box" doesn't seem so fresh anymore, and fans are looking more than ever for albums with nutritional value. Nutrients, has it been lacking in your diet? E Reece knows very well what you mean, for he feels a lot of it has been missing from some of his favorite music too. But like a selective eater who is willing to travel a little further for something extra, E Reece is willing to go that extra mile to deliver something to your ears, with you the listener knowing damn well where it came from.

E Reece isn't new, he has been involved in making music for the last few years, and he wants to let people know that this is "the dawn of a new era, the MC is back" with his new album, The New Breed (EMH Recordings/KSD Music.) What he brings to the table isn't new, but instead he brings on an eagerness that is very much needed in the marketplace, executed with style and a sharpness that singles him out from the rest. There's a younger generation who are quick to say that the old heads don't know shit about the new hip-hop, and refuse to acknowledge anything after 1989. E Reece is an old head who will not hesitate to say that he goes back to 1982 and clearly mentioned all of the artists and songs that moved him to become what he is today, as he does in "Everything". But being an old head doesn't mean he can be outdone or is too unaware of the movement today, in fact he should teach the young kids a new thing or two, and that's what The New Breed is out to do, entertain everyone and also get into the psyche of those who are brain dead to the cause.

Want some Rick Rubin-style hard rock mixed in with with the soul of Bilal? You get that in "The Get Up", where E speaks about keeping it true means taking the music seriously and not as a fashion statement. His flow here sounds like a cross between Kanye West and Geechi Suede of Camp Lo, as he rips into the guts of the vulnerable with the feeling of no self-control:

"Vocally I leave you open like ovaries, y'all brothers ain't holding me
Kickin' this real hip-hop like it's supposed to be
Taking this shit globally and overseas
Making the whole world bleed from that goodness that you need to
Feed your seeds and your whole families
It's like church, it'll have you praying on your knees
I take the key to my needs and question my wants
I'm wishing just once that my needs will be what I want
I'm never fakin' the funk, I do what I want
In mass consuption while the speakers be bumping
To me it ain't nothin' to have the party jumpin'
I gots to say somethin' and when the time is right, cousin
I'mma release the beast from the East to these streets
And unleash it to all my peeps for hours, days to weeks
We gonna bring the heat, bring you out your seat
Make you stomp your feet, lose yourself inside the beat"

It's the power of a battle MC, a power rapper, and someone who knows damn well what he's doing. He takes time to reminisce ("Happy Dayz") but also wants to inspire people to look forward and do something for the future ("Make A Chance"). It feels as if all he needs is a microphone and a place to plug it in, and he's set to conquer anyone and everyone. It's the rough, rugged, and raw feel of the East Coast with a bit of the open Pacific air that can only come from spending time on the West Coast (with roots in New York City and Maryland, E Reece now calls Los Angeles his home).

The down side? He says he doesn't rock stages with an 'ukulele present, but for now he'll be forigven. - by Da Bookman

So I promised earlier that I'd hit you up about this cat E Reece.
His new album is called "A New Breed" and if you've been buggin' out over the new Common, and the new Talib Kweli, and Pharoahe Monche's latest album then I suggest you get onto this kid right now! Not a lotta marketing and promotion just a lotta skill, heart, & soul.

The soul music foundation is deep on this album. Most especially on the track "Everything," produced by Leggo. E Reece is based in L.A. but his roots go back to the East coast and you can feel it in his flow. Reece works soulful smoothed out tracks like "Get Into It" without letting the vibe dissolve into simple head nodding. This stuff can definitely get the ladies dancin'. And right about the time you started thinkin' that he was just another smoothed out jazz cat he hits you with bangers like "Never Mind That," and "The Get Up" (a track that makes me think of Purple Rain era Prince). In years to come this is gonna be one of those artists that everybody name checks. A West coast Spit kicker with East coast cred. Check him out now and get on the band wagon early. You won't be disappointed. - by DJ Lazy

E Reece wanted to know what his work would sound like with a band, so he put together Core Elements, and after a number of successful live gigs they hit the studio to create "L.I.S.n 2 This Live.In.Studio." Using his previously recorded songs as blueprints, E Reece let the band flow freely, doing their thing as they saw fit. The result is a brand new take on his material. Fans have heard the songs before, but not like this. When emcees start working with bands there tend to be issues. It's almost as if they're two separate entities that just happen to be on stage at the same time. With E Reece and Core Elements, though, it's clear they work together and it creates an authenticity rarely heard in the hip-hop band scene today, making L.I.S.n 2 This... something hip hop fans, and even jazz fans, will want to L.I.S.n 2. - by Adam Bernard