Reason the Citizen

As Denver’s blossoming music scene continues to grow, more and more artists are making the leap of faith and moving their music career from all over the nation to work here in the mile high city. San Diego-based hip hop artist Reason the Citizen is one of those artists who has decided to move his hip hop career from his roots in southern California to the burgeoning rap scene in Denver.

With opening performances for national acts like Machine Gun Kelly and Hieroglyphics, Reason is beginning to pave a lane for himself in Denver hip hop and people are beginning to take notice. After the release of his latest track “Airplanes” on April 22, 2016, I decided to catch up with Reason the Citizen and get a feel for why he moved to Colorado, and what he’s got in store for the future. - 303 Magazine

Just like any other night, Cervantes was buzzing with people. Curren$y was the performer of the night and it wasn’t hard to tell that there were a TON of fans in the building!

The venue was pretty full and I caught 2 of the many openers for the night. At some point it felt like we had been waiting forever for the headliner but this one opener, Reason The Citizen, was really dope! The better the opener, the better the energy will be for the main act. The vibe was good after him. - Lizzy Brodie

Next stop, the “All 3 Coasts” show at Warehouse on Auburn, a quick 0.4 mile walk around the corner. I was there to check out Lyric Michelle, a truly dope young lady from Houston that I met at an A3C or two ago. Great show, which is always better when you’re familiar with the artist’s work, which I am from her EP she gave me some time back. She’s definitely worth clicking the hyperlink. I also discovered Denver rapper Reason The Citizen at this one. His stage show was high energy and he really rapped like he meant it. I took a copy of his CD, probably check it out when I get back to Dallas. - CosignMag.com

Last out for the local artist showcase was Reason the Citizen—a very talented emcee originally hailing from San Diego, but who recently transplanted to Denver. Reason started with an emphatic opening verse that thoroughly impressed the crowd. The rapid fire flow and clever wordplay continued throughout the set and left many fans in the crowd going “woah” after many of the punchlines. Highlights from the set included “Unlikely” and “Airplane Mode,” but also included some other great tracks from this rising artist’s growing discography. - 303 Magazine

From a hip-hop perspective, the Wells on Warped tour was straight heat. Amplified, Andrew Bigs, Reason the Citizen, Lost the Artist, Pure Powers, Def-i, and Mazzi all rocked a stage dedicated to the #H2FLOW movement, spitting rhymes that made underground hip-hop fans of thousands of Warped Tour attendees across the country. Keeping the atmosphere collaborative and deeply hip-hop, other MCs and local artists joined the stage at each stop, all delivering on point performances. All working towards the same common goal: promoting #H2FLOW’s aims and raising funds to provide clean water around the globe. - TeamBackPack

Reason The Citizen is a Denver-by-way-of-San Diego rapper that I’ve followed since I first caught his captivating Westword Music Showcase set 3 years ago. Growing up in San Diego, Richard John Martinelli found himself immersed in Skate and Hip Hop culture. Paired with an introduction to a speaking and debate club in High School he suddenly realized that he had a love for linguistics and wordplay that would come to define his art.

Listen above as we discuss Reason’s navigation through both the San Diego and Denver hip hop scenes. We also talk some of the differences between the hip hop and rock scenes, opening for larger acts (NAS, Mac Miller, Macklemore, Ghostface Killah), knowing when to move to a new city/market in order to open up opportunities, and how having a child impacts your drive and decisions when it comes to your craft. Reason also gives some excellent advice to up and coming artists about maintaining confidence and going after what it is you want. - coscene.net

Hopsin w/ Reason the Citizen, RimeS, Diviine and Dassaro
@ Cervantes' Masterpiece Ballroom - Denver, CO
by Nic Vasquez | 06.23.2016 - The Rooster Magazine

Richard John Martinelli, aka Reason the Citizen, is a southern California-born emcee who has recently been creating a lot of hype in the city of Denver. With years of performance experience under his belt and an unmatched flow and delivery, Reason the Citizen should definitely be on every hip-hop fans’ watch list. Touring with the Vans Warped Tour and speaking at this year’s RiNo Ted Talk event are just a few of the huge accomplishments for the young emcee who is certainly blooming into one of Denver’s most promising hip-hop acts. He released a music video for his latest single, “Airplane Mode,” on April 22, 2016 — a perfect example of the talented wordplay and lyricism in Citizen’s arsenal. But don’t take it from me; check out the music and judge it for yourself at his upcoming show in Civic Center Park. - 303 Magazine

Reason The Citizen is a Denver-transplanted — by way of San Diego — emcee with a splitting fast tongue, thoughtful bars and bounceable beats for days. This morning he dropped his new track “Broken Bones” (produced by Handbook) in anticipation of his next show with Grieves at Cervantes’ Masterpiece Ballroom.

Listen. Learn. Love. - The Rooster Magazine