Who out there are you most looking forward to working with? Who would you be most excited to collaborate with next?
REKS: If we are talking brand new, I’m a big fan of Big K.R.I.T., big fan of Kendrick Lamar. Just had the opportunity to work with Jon Connor on a track that hasn’t been released yet. I’m a big fan of his music. As far as legendary, who wouldn’t I want to work with? Nas, Scarface, you know, just about everyone. Just got the opportunity to work with AZ which was dope. I like the legends, Kool G, you know, Slick Rick.
As far as production, just about all these cats. DJ Khalil, Jake One, Apollo Brown. Surprisingly, we linked up at SXSW and plan on putting in a lot of work, coming soon. I’m a fan of a lot of cats.
And are you seeing a lot of these opportunities come together as you go?
REKS: Definitely, also just putting yourself in the position where opportunities can be given to you. No one is just gunna hand you anything, you gotta go out there and get it. And my whole thing at the moment is to get out to SXSW, A3C, and these other events that take place on a year-to-year basis, or a monthly basis I should say. That’s one of my goals, to get out there and to just take it.
You’ve put out these albums pretty quickly, with two in the last year and another on the way. Is this something you plan to keep up, or is that just how they came together?
REKS: I mean the reality is that I live in the studio. I was in the studio earlier recording with a group of kids, recording with these kids from my hometown Lawrence (MA.) for their record, it’s part of an after-school program to keep them off the streets. Last night I was in the studio for Terminology and his crew’s project. I just consistently remain in the studio, and July 24 I’m dropping a brand new project called REBELutionary with Numonics. Numonics is a producer from Florida, and I feel like it’s an amazing album. I have no reason to stop, you know? When there is momentum, it means you continue forward, you don’t fall back or sit still.
Is there a point when you feel like you are releasing too much?
REKS: Never, I mean, I know the saying goes “quality over quantity”, and I repeat that, but I really feel like what we’re putting out IS quality. You don’t just throw out a slew of trash, or throw out a bunch of material I don’t believe in, I just consistently go into the studio and I feel like I consistently try to bang out the best music for my listener’s ear. If you are doing that, I really don’t feel like you’re doing yourself a disservice.
And I know a lot of people are looking forward to that new music. You mentioned earlier that you were working with kids, and I’ve read in interviews that you are careful with what you play for your sons. What’s one album that you most look forward to playing for them?
REKS: Wow, that’s a good question. You mean of my music, or any music?
Any music that you’re excited to be able to play for them and for them to hear.
REKS: When it comes to me picking the genre that I do, I really believe it’s important to start them with the beginning formulas that were laid for us. I mean, something probably from KRS-One, Return of the Boom Bap or Criminal Minded, that’s when my kids are of age and can honestly listen to it, or [Public Enemy’s] Fear of the Black Planet. Things that can actually trigger something to connect to the world they actually live in. There are a million records, [Ice Cube’s] AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted, I could go on and on.
