FamilyFans Music
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WORD OF MOUTH
John Reuben / Gotee Records
Fan Appeal: Urban Teens,
and Suburban Teens who
Genre: Hip-Hop
Columbus rapper John Reuben has been busy sharpening his wit for the upcoming release of his fifth and most enticing project, Word of Mouth (set for 2/6/07 release). If you’re not familiar with Mr. Reuben, or Johnreu as some of his MySpace fans call him, let me share some of the ways he describes himself:
“I’m an underdog. I mean, I came from nothing.”
“I’m a six-foot-one, kind of slim, chiseled, kind of mysteriously good looking guy from Columbus, Ohio who raps”
“I’m unorthodox, I’m a mystery.”
“I’m a professional, I’m fun, I’m left-brained, I’m creative, I’m totally inspired, I’m doing my thing.”
“It’s like a creative hip-hop thing, like not typical, like yo-yo-yo hip-hop.”
“That’s my schtick: Unorthodox type emcee from Columbus who does things differently.”
“I’m totally unique.”
I don’t know exactly how this will go over with his fans, but Johnreu really reminds me of a Napoleon Dynamite character who can rap. His sense of humor is his greatest appeal, and he even has a video mockumentary on his site that is very funny. With this kind of personality and background, you can appreciate his unusual style (and satire) a bit better.
Reuben has an almost cult following and he’s sold over two hundred thousand records thus far. His fans have come to appreciate his passionate, emotional (if a bit unusual) songs. Ruben’s biography (courtesy of Gotee Records) says it best: “Perhaps Reuben’s chief accomplishment and area of expertise is in his role as wordsmith. He excels in crafting spoken-word poetry with hints of activism and social commentary, yet always with a hop-filled spiritual twist.”
Word of Mouth is full of candor and tongue-in-cheek wit. It’s a hard-to-classify commentary of spoken word combined with a diverse presentation of beats and samples. It’s very experimental and very interesting. The title track here is a hypnotic song that teeters on the edge between dark and fairy-tale-cute that really makes you think about the words we say (you have to hear the humorous ending for yourself). “Miserable Exaggeration” is a trance-like commentary about how we waste so much time trying to impress others, complete with ambient keyboards and a French girl overlay. You never know what to expect!
The first cut, “Sing It Like You Mean It,” has whips, cheerleaders screaming “OHIO” and a James Bond guitar riff. “Good Evening.” throws in a disco-esque moment or two. And the song, “Make Money Money” has a banjo riff over a heavy hip-hop beat and a silly chant – a kind of cajun bayou meets gangsta. See? Always unpredictable.
I’d describe this project as very creative and insightful. Reuben’s words really make you think. He presents himself as cynical and critical, but always very clever. He’s listed among Christian artists and he does mention God on occasion. However, he’s more political and philosophical than overtly Christian in his content. According to his bio, his goal is “to motivate anyone and everyone to uncross their arms, drop any attitude, and join with him in enjoying the music.”
If you’re looking for a good, clean alternative to the likes of Eminem, or if you’re a fan of KJ-52, The Roots, GRITS or even Steve Taylor, you’d likely find plenty here to enjoy. But given Johnreu's sense of satire and experimental style, don't expect Word of Mouth to have universal appeal among the members of your family.FAMILYFANS RATING: B-
--Eric Jaqua
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