On his twelfth studio LP in nearly 20 years, Reks sounds just as hungry and passionate on T.H.I.N.G.S. (The Hunger Inside Never Gets Satisfied) as he did when Along Came The Chosen dropped back in 2001. Perhaps even more so. There seems to be a fire that gets lit under the Lawrence, MA native whenever he begins crafting a new album.
“While my conceptualizing process has grown over the years, the actual approach to getting stated has remained consistent,” Reks says. “There’s a youthful eagerness that comes over me every time I’m about to start a new record.”
That feeling is palpable throughout T.H.I.N.G.S., especially on the project’s official lead single, “The Complex,” where Reks teams with Pharoahe Monch for a gripping concept that tackles different, but similar ills within our modern society. Monch starts the track by embodying a soldier suffering from PTSD who’s ostracized by his community, while Reks outlines Big Pharma’s growth and damage over the stellar instrumental produced by Statik Selektah.
“This song is valuable now in 2020 where we have a paradigm shift in people waking up. It is a great accomplishment for hip-hop and we are proud of this song,” says Reks. In speaking with Statik, the acclaimed DJ/producer adds, “It’s not a song for the light-hearted but needs to be addressed.“
For Reks, it’s all about delivering the best possible music to his fans while staying true to himself. And he does exactly that not just through his own gifts, but with the help of Monch, who delivers one of the more powerful tracks of the year. “There’s been plenty of exceptional beats that I’ve heard that haven’t motivated me to write. But when I heard this track, and how Reks approached his verse, it helped push my pen. The vibe was there…It’s a transformative record,” says Monch.
T.H.I.N.G.S., which also includes collaborations with Lil Fame, Nottz, Evidence, and Marco Polo, among others, is available now for pre-order and becomes available on CD and through all major digital retailers and streaming platforms on Friday, September 11. A deluxe splatter Vinyl LP will be available in limited quantities on Friday, October 23, via Brick Records. Vinyl pre-orders will be announced towards the end of August.
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