Riding the buzz from his Obama-fuelled "The Audacity of Hope" track and the similarly titled Audacity of Hope EP, released earlier this year, Toronto, ON-based underground hidden gem King Reign fires off another audio salvo with the free to download Reign Music EP. Known most for his distinctive voice and flow, the enigmatic Reign keeps his monotone musings on the inspirational meets philosophical tip. The seven-track EP serves as an appetizer of sorts, what with producer du jour Rich Kidd providing beats on satisfying tracks "Somebody Lied," "My Baby" (featuring the always welcome Slakah the Beatchild) and the aforementioned "The Audacity of Hope." Long-time collaborator Pharoahe Monch blesses the project with "One More Time," and T-Dot crew conspirators Saukrates and Drake show up on the revisited "Fades Away." With Reign Music, King Reign notes that he's leveraging a strategic online strategy, with two more EP project offerings set to drop in the very near future. The only complaint would be that perhaps Reign Music relies a bit too heavily on stuff we've already heard and less on new material. In the meantime, the laid-back brother from the BrassMunk collective delivers a missive that will tide us over.
What is the strategy behind releasing the EP at this point in time?
Well, for one, I feel that I had a good buzz from the Audacity EP and I wanted to continue that. And I've been planning for a minute to put out music that I already had. So it's more like I spent the last year planning and packaging stuff to put out this year. And right now, with the outlets that we have with the internet, it was time to put things out.
You're obviously known for your inimitable vocal presence. How do you describe your sound?
It's conversational melodic; I like to follow the music when I rhyme. I like to let it breathe. With that, I can go from very energetic conversational to a laid-back conservation. My biggest influences were Rakim and Slick Rick, and from that I came up with my own thing. I try to talk about anything that inspires me in my life, good or bad, and I don't limit myself to any topic. For me, success is being able to make music and build something from it.
(Independent)What is the strategy behind releasing the EP at this point in time?
Well, for one, I feel that I had a good buzz from the Audacity EP and I wanted to continue that. And I've been planning for a minute to put out music that I already had. So it's more like I spent the last year planning and packaging stuff to put out this year. And right now, with the outlets that we have with the internet, it was time to put things out.
You're obviously known for your inimitable vocal presence. How do you describe your sound?
It's conversational melodic; I like to follow the music when I rhyme. I like to let it breathe. With that, I can go from very energetic conversational to a laid-back conservation. My biggest influences were Rakim and Slick Rick, and from that I came up with my own thing. I try to talk about anything that inspires me in my life, good or bad, and I don't limit myself to any topic. For me, success is being able to make music and build something from it.