There is no question that Reuben Vincent is an emerging star. After recently releasing his Jamla/Roc Nation debut album, Love Is War, Reuben’s been named one of HipHopDX’s Rising Stars Of 2023 and tapped by Apple Music/Ebro as a “Discovered Artist,” and his ascension has been documented by Pitchfork, Complex, Uproxx, Revolt, 2 DopeBoyz, Okayplayer, Essence, HotNewHipHop, Brooklyn Vegan, and Vibe to name just a few.
After his standout SXSW performances over the weekend, and before he performs at the Dreamville Festival on April 2nd, Reuben Vincent checked off a bucket list item by performing at halftime of the Charlotte Hornets vs. Indiana Pacers game on Monday, March 20th.
Coming up as an avid and obsessed student of music, sports, and sneaker culture, like many kids growing up in Charlotte, Reuben had his own Hoop Dreams. However, his urge to shoot jumpers eventually waned as he focused on his true passion; sharpening his pen and wordplay.
“This is for the younger me, who dreamt of these moments. Being able to perform at the Hornets Halftime show is a dream come true” Reuben joyfully confirms. “I remember being a kid loving the legacy of the Hornets, and feeling a way when we switched to the Bobcats. Then, feeling alive again when we brought it back. So to be embraced by the team is a dream the inner child in me is smiling about. My goal is always to make the city proud and this is one of the defining moments of that.”
Reuben’s Jamla/Roc Nation debut album, Love Is War, is a conceptual, yet subtly constructed project that will place him at the forefront of debates about the new rap greats. Unpacking relationships and romantic entanglements over warm, soulful beats from 9th Wonder, Young Guru, The Soul Council and his own production, whose collective work both modernizes and morphs boom-bap. With polished and varied flows, Reuben weighs the time spent on love against the hours necessary to pursue his art and dreams. Love Is War also features guest appearances from Rapsody, Reason (TDE), Domani and Stacey Barthe.
Reuben Vincent’s Love Is War is now available at all DSP’s via Jamla/Roc Nation Records.
© 2023, Seth "Digital Crates" Barmash. All rights reserved.
