John Reuben - John Reuben
“There’s always something to get nostalgic about” sings John Reuben on track 9, Looking at Now. I remember sitting in the lounge of a Uni dorm in Illinois, two hours outside Chicago back in July 2000 and my friend from Ohio hands me a CD with a grayscale photo of a beanie wearing man staring at me on it. My friend was keen for me to hear it, the artist was a fellow native of Ohio and had just released their debut album two months before. It was of course John Reuben, and once I first heard “Do Not” I knew the first thing I’d be doing when I got home was buying that CD!
John Reuben has always had a tongue in cheek style, he just has funny bones it seems. He sees the world slightly sideways, and enjoys it. But that’s not to say that he’s a comedy rapper - far from it. The guy has bars, and knows how to write a hit record that’s for sure. Which brings us onto the track I linked in the video above - Secular Music. It’s classic John Reuben, it’s funny, but it’s also got some cutting insight into the Christian Hip Hop scene. “How you gonna front when the church nursery's your green room. And the set time's early cause the kids got curfews?” Good question John, good question. At a time when some artists seem to carry themselves with a slightly self important air, John Reuben is a breath of fresh air. His self awareness and willingness to say what others are not saying makes this whole album a joy to listen to.
But don’t go thinking that this album is all style and no substance - that would be a mistake. Other people (featuring Alon) is an excellent example of John tackling big issues with just as much skill and deftness of touch. He and Alon ask the question: “who are my people?” To be honest, I found the song pretty moving and really appreciate the honesty both artists show.
If you hadn’t already guessed, for me the three tracks which have stood out over the first week of listening would be:
Secular Music
Other People
Looking At Now
Those are the tracks I’ll be adding to our TOP3 playlist. I’d also like to give an honourable mention to Highlight Reel. But don’t take my word for it, dig into the Spotify playlist below and pick your own TOP3.
Before I go I can’t help but get nostalgic and say… basically John Reuben was ahead of his time. Do yourself a favour and go and check out his back catalogue. His old music videos are gold! Watch: Good Evening, Doin’ & Word Of Mouth for your homework.
Check out these lovely links:
instagram.com/johnnyreubonic/
twitter.com/johnreuben
youtube.com/JohnnyReubonic
#MusicWeLove by Dave Hellyer
