Reks
R.E.K.S.
Sometimes the challenge of the shriveled critic, holed up in his flat listening to a record, is to envision a wider audience. Inhale. Reks has been one of those MCs whose endorsements from big-name producers have helped hone his writing considerably. Here is a thoroughly East Coast hip-hop album that reinvents tired themes and refuses to lean too far in one direction. 16 tracks with a lot of steam, strong emotional content and driving production jewels from various angles. Expectations for a potentially middling lyricist officially surpassed. The Premier-produced leak “25th Hour” sets things off nicely and the thematic “Kill ‘Em” further satisfies; Alchemist, Pete Rock, Statik Selektah, Fizzy Womack, Hi-Tek and Sha Money XL all dispense with some rarer stock out of their beat cellars. Stat Selek notably raises eyebrows on “This Or That,” a beat worthy of his growing New England prowess.
There’s something in this record that brings a little love back. A blue-collar underdog session with a sturdy pulse. A pulse that generates an impression that maybe, just maybe, the worst is behind us. We’ve made it through the “Wonder Years” as Reks so eloquently puts it. Should that feeling be fleeting this record does have the power to keep you in an optimistic place and let a little hope creep in. Fuck winter, embrace Spring directly. 15 out of 16 solid tracks. Can’t ask for much more for your money these days. The misplaced “Limelight” is the only track this listener skipped. Can you dig it. Exhale.
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