A SEASONED YOUTH: Reuben Vincent

CHAROLETTE, NORTH CAROLINA | REUBEN VINCENT

INTERVIEW KB TINDAL

When we talk about the next wave of great artists in this generation, Reuben Vincent who hails from Charlotte, North Carolina will more than likely have his name in that conversation across the board. He came into the industry at the age of 16 under 9th Wonder’s tutelage, and he signed to 9th’s Jamla Records in 2016. He then signed to Jay-Z's Roc Nation in 2021. He has released three projects to date, Myers Park in 2017, and Boy Meets World in 2020 under the Jamla umbrella, and his most recent offering is his first Roc Nation release titled Love is War. He has received a lot of praise from the legends, like Swizz, Busta Rhymes, and of course, Young Guru. He has barred it down on every freestyle platform that you can think of. He is a compelling lyricist that is not compromised by today's norms. His insightful wittiness and musical dexterity makes for some great conversational pieces of art. He is consistently pushing the envelope when it comes to song concepts and bar play, and he is sure to be a household name soon enough. In this issue of Validated Magazine we tap in with Reuben Vincent.

Validated: First of all, let me say that your body of work is impressive, bro.

Reuben Vincent: Thank you.

Validated: Very impressive. 11 cuts, and I think I was probably vibing to like nine of them hard.

Reuben Vincent: Oh, wow. Thank you.

Validated: Am I correct in assuming that Reuben Vincent is your birth name?

Reuben Vincent: Yes.

Validated: So, you're 22, you got signed at 16. When did you first start rapping?

Reuben Vincent: Shoot, I've been rapping as far as I can remember, honestly. But, music was always around the house. my dad, played all the legends, the 50, the Jays, the Nas, the Pac, you know what I'm saying?

When he would pick me up from my mom's crib and then my mom would play like all the R&B stuff. So, I think I wrote my first rap when I was like four or five years old. I didn't start recording myself. I went to the studio the first time when I was like 10, you know what I'm saying? Got to see what a 16 bar is and what a hook is and stuff like that. So, then by my teenage years, I started to experiment.

Validated: That's what's up. I could tell you you've studied the culture heavily. Just with a lot of the bars that you throw out there, a lot of the homage that you paid to a lot of the legends. I could tell that you've studied the culture, and you are at the point where you’re perfecting your craft, that's dope. Charlotte, North Carolina; Tell me about your neighborhood growing up and how that influenced you.

Reuben Vincent: Being from Charlotte, North Carolina, it's the south, so, you got that and I grew up on the east side of Charlotte, so, you know a lot of Hispanics, a lot of blacks, you know what I mean, a melting pot of that. And then also too, I think it was just a melting pot of cultures because Charlotte is like a place people come down and they move to, so you got people coming down from New York, people coming from down in the south and stuff like that, you know what I mean? So you had that. And then also I grew up in an African household. So I think those things balance it out, you had your people who got in trouble, you know what I'm saying as the usual neighborhoods do, but I wouldn't say it was all bad, you know what I mean? It had its 50/50.

Validated: So, when did you meet 9th Wonder, and sign to Jamla? I know you signed at 16, but did you already have some music floating around the city? Were you doing shows? Like, how did you get in 9th's ear and how did that deal come about?

Reuben Vincent: So I got to 9th's ear by the power of the internet because I was putting out some music when I was like 13, like some mixtapes online, and somebody tweeted 9th, I don't know this kid from anywhere, but he's from North Carolina. You should check him out. And It just happened to be on an off day on his tour, and he was like, you know what, I'm going to click play. And he was impressed with what he heard. So, then he started DMing me on Twitter. I started driving up to his studio and stuff like that, which was like two hours away from where I live. And, started locking in with him and started recording. At first, he was just giving me a place to record, but then he saw how hungry I was, then he was like, we got to sign this kid. So, it was the internet, honestly. And I was working on stuff at my house with my cousin and stuff like that, but it's the internet that put me and 9th together.

Validated: Well, after you released the two projects under Jamla, your buzz is growing and everything. How did the subsequent deal with Roc Nation happen? Like, take me through that process. Up until that deal happened.

Reuben Vincent: We were just working super hard. We were working super hard and like, obviously just doing the groundwork and I had put out a video called “State of Mind” that the president of the Roc had seen. And he was just impressed with what he saw. And he was aware of who I was because I was dealing with 9th. So, he called 9th, and at the time I was still like tied to an independent label, so I was still working, I was working a job back in the city and I remember I was clocking out and I got a call from 9th saying the president just saw the music video and was asking 9th was he good with me. Like, so we went up to LA, went to the office, played in the music, started having talks, going back and forth, making sure paperwork was straight, and then the rest is history.

Validated: That's what's up. Have you met, have you talked to Hov at all?

Reuben Vincent: Yeah, I talked to Hov when I first signed, like, we talked, I had met him right before, even before I had signed. Because I had gone to the office one time with Rhapsody. So, I had met him during that encounter, but then by the time I signed, we met again and we spoke. I just was like, thank you for the opportunity and stuff like that.

Validated: Absolutely. Did he drop any gems in your ear?

Reuben Vincent: He just told me, congratulations. He said, let's keep going. Let's push the ball forward. That's all I needed to hear.

Validated: What's your earliest memory of hip-hop and the culture since you grew up in a household with a lot of that music around you?

Reuben Vincent: My earliest memory I remember is like, my dad picking me up on weekends because I didn't live with my dad, but him playing “All Eyes On Me” when I get in the whip. Or like, me being very super young and watching “Fade to Black,” while my mom is at work or something like that. Stuff like that. Or even remembering when Kanye and 50 was going, back to back and stuff like that. And when “Get Rich or Die Trying” was out all like moments from the early 2000s where I was a little kid and I was getting to see some of that stuff happen.

Validated: That's what's up. that “get-rich-or-die-trying” wave was insane.

Reuben Vincent: Yeah, absolutely.

Validated: So, you got the album“Love Is War.”  I know it came out a little bit ago. I told you earlier, it's a great body of work. It shows, like I said, that you studied the art form and the culture. You're perfecting your craft. As I said, you shout out some of your influences, you talked about LL, you talked about TI,  you talked about B.I.G., and you mentioned Q-Tip, just to name a few. And I love that, you know what I mean? I love that you've paid attention to things. Some of my favorite tracks include “Butterfly Doors,” and “Geechie Suede,” which was like the first time that I heard about you. “Just Like a Dream” featuring Ant Clemons. I love the way you flip “Mon’e,” with money as a female concept. That's probably my favorite joint on the album. That shit goes hard. “2ime Flies” with the Janet Jackson reference for the hook. And I'm going to jump out on a limb right now and say you and Domani, y’all blacked out on “Trickin.”

I would love to see a joint project with the two of you all. Y’all just flow effortlessly together when y’all are on the track. so, I'm going to throw that out there in the air right now.

Reuben Vincent: Everybody has been around us saying that man. We got so many records together just because that's like one of my bros. So, they are like, y’all might as well do something together for real. So, that could happen for sure.

Validated: Yeah, I could see that. Definitely. And of course, I like “February 13th” with Rhapsody as well. What I want to talk about though is the latest single the “Bottle Service” featuring Reason and Stacy Barthe. I know you said that you grew up with your stepdad that had a problem with alcoholism and you wanted to bring more awareness to the issue that doesn't get enough light shed on it. Both your verse and Reason's verse touched on a lot of trauma and a lot of scenarios where drinking occurs and it's not always a happy ending. What made you want to talk about it in that way considering that most artists in hip-hop glamorize alcohol as opposed to talking about it truthfully.

Reuben Vincent: I just wanted to get the truth off and be honest about it and kind of, talk about something that people can relate to but that's also what people try not to face. And we all have our forms of escapism, even me as an artist, music is one of my escapisms, you know what I'm saying? But it's like, I was around a lot of my homies and people that I was growing up around, family, seeing how much this was affecting them. And I was like, I'll be wrong if I don't talk about this. You know what I mean? So the beat had just like, drew me to have that conversation with myself from like, discussing the things that I've seen or people that were around me have seen. And I just felt like it was time. I think that the only way you separate yourself is when you tell the truth. Because not everybody always tells the truth and it takes a lot sometimes for you to get the truth out. People, especially in this industry, are always going to try to sell you the opposite, you know what I'm saying? So I was like, if I had that opportunity to take that risk, I'm going to always take that risk. And that's why I decided to.

Validated: Yeah, you got to watch the smoke and mirrors in this game for sure.

Reuben Vincent: Exactly.

Validated: You even mentioned Tina Marie on “February 13th,” which I thought was dope too. I saw your IG post the other day, you talked about The Spinners. Tell me a couple of your favorite groups or favorite artists from that soul era back in the day.

Reuben Vincent: I love The Stylistics, obviously Stevie Wonder, obviously the Isley Brothers classic, you know what I'm saying? I'll be bumping a lot of like, Patrice Rushen. Let me think about what else. Maze gets played, D Train. I got a whole playlist of stuff from that time.

Validated: Yeah. That's crazy, bro. Definitely. You won't find a lot of cats that are under 25 that vibe out like that, you know what I mean? Nah, That's crazy.

Reuben Vincent: Nah, that's the joints I be playing, bro. I'll be in the whip and I will be jamming bro, like an old head. All my friends be getting on me. (Laughs)

Validated: What's your favorite track on the album?

Reuben Vincent: Mine is probably, “Bottle Service” and “Point of View” because I produced that one. Yeah. I think I always bring up “Point of View” because that's the one I produced and I've been trying to get back into production way more, you know what I'm saying? So I always try to highlight that one. Because it just reminds me to continue to put the effort into myself when it comes to production and stuff like that, you know what I mean? But “Bottle Service” is that one just because of the reliability of it too. and what I'm talking about and people relate to it.

Validated: What kind of sacrifices did you make, or things that you had to go without because you were so focused on investing in your artistry?

Reuben Vincent: A lot of things, obviously hanging out with the fellas, all the homies back at the crib, you know what I'm saying? Like there were months where I went on without going and partying and hanging out and I'm locked in the studio, even relationships, you know what I'm saying, with girls or whatever. And even like times where I had to miss family events, you know what I'm saying? I had to do a lot of things where it was like I had to go and get this done, you know what I'm saying? To come back and bring something positive to the family and stuff like that. People don't understand the sacrifice until you do it, you know what I mean? So those things, and even moments in times where I'm like, yo, I'm not going, I'm not into any distractions, whether it's drinking, smoking, doing anything, hanging out with these shorties. I'm cool off it, I'm getting rid of all of that until I'm done with this project. So, I've done things like that too. So, there have been moments where I had to sacrifice spending time with people, sacrifice sleep, and all of that, you know what I'm saying? So sacrifice is people not understanding what you are doing. Everybody is not going to understand what you're doing and you got to sacrifice that and look crazy for a little bit just to get something done.

Validated: Yeah. Everybody doesn't always see the vision.

Reuben Vincent: Exactly.

Validated: Who's the one artist or producer or both that pushed you the most to step your pen game up when you're in the studio?

Reuben Vincent: I honestly would say, Kendrick Lamar. Hearing him, I feel like he always just takes things to a new level, takes things to a new perspective and he really digs deep and even can translate in certain ways that not every artist can translate it. Kendrick is the perfect example of somebody who never sacrificed the message but was able to translate it in different forms on different productions and still be able to translate it to different generations. So, I think, anytime I hear an album of his or hear a record of his, it just makes me go back like, all right, let me get back writing, like lock-in, know what I'm saying?

Validated: As a hip-hop artist, what do you feel your responsibility is to the culture?

Reuben Vincent: As a hip-hop artist, honestly, I feel like just going back to the history of hip-hop, like hip-hop was started to teach, you know what I'm saying? Especially young brown boys that look like me. Young brown girls that look like me. I think my job in this is to inspire, my job in this is to teach. I also don't know it all, but I could teach as I'm learning, you know what I'm saying? So I think those are two things; Inspire and teach, man. Because hip-hop is educational and hip-hop is one of the most universal languages out right now. This how the kids, that's how they talk about everything. Hip-hop is the lifestyle. It's not just music, it's a culture. So, I feel like my job as a person who comes from that culture and who was raised on it, I think I just have to continue to push it forward. And that's keeping the essence of what hip-hop is from where it started. And even in modernizing it and being in a new generation where the beats might sound a little different or, this person might dress this way, it's like, that's fine, but let's not forget where hip-hop comes from and where it starts and the roots of it. So, bringing that into the fold, always. I think my goal is to push it forward. Remember the lessons of hip-hop, hip-hop's here to teach, here for them to have fun, it's here to inspire, but then also, pushing it forward as in like, okay, this is 2023, and so beyond whatever year it is, how we looking into the future for the genre.

Validated: Yeah, absolutely. As I said, I love the project. It's going to get a lot of play in my ride, you know what I'm saying? When I'm moving around and stuff like that, because the levels that you have are super impressive, and like I said, it just shows that you understand what the culture's about, you know what I mean? And you know how to push that envelope forward.

Reuben Vincent: Absolutely. That's the goal.

Validated: I know you got the single “Humble Beast” out right now, dropped a few months ago. That also shows your range as an artist as well. So, tell me what's next for Ruben Vincent? Like, where do you want to take this rap shit? What other creative avenues are you interested in or are you already into or planning on getting into?

Reuben Vincent: More music and just showing the range and the variety I got. Always giving people the raw, the truth, you know what I'm saying. Things that hip-hop needs, but also I want to tap into like, acting. I want to tap into that. I want to tap into the sneaker culture and get into that and even just like building my brand, my homies, and the guys at the house that I'm creative with and, using this thing that I have called Third World as an outlet to kind of get different creative endeavors all but, just more music man and more of my face. I want people to continue to see me and see what I got going on and that I can continue to give people something to look forward to and something to hope for. And, start a movement that hasn't been seen in a while, you know what I mean? and just continue to make great music. So, that's my goal. And getting into more producing and stuff too.

Validated: Any words or jewels that 9th or Guru has dropped on you about how to maintain longevity in this game?

Reuben Vincent: Just stay the course. Stay the course. Don't forget what you came in this for and always do things with intention and purpose. Never do things just for the look. People are going to do things for trends and you are trying to do something to over stand that, and you got to just stay on your course and drive your car, you know what I'm saying? Don't look in anybody else's car.

Validated: So you mentioned Kendrick as your main influence, give me two more dead or alive-like artists that you, really, really look up to.

Reuben Vincent: OutKast and then the last one, I'm going to say, Jay. Definitely, OutKast just because they changed the game and them being from the South, and just how raw they were. Andre always gave you the truth and Big Boi came with the nastiest flows and then Hov man, he’s the American dream Like, that's the young black boy's dream come from nothing, you know what I'm saying? Get in the game and expand and extend it, elevate to the highest, to the top of the mountain, you know what I'm saying? It's still running. And beat all the cycles and beat all the things that certain people who reach those heights don't beat. Whether it's the drugs or the women. And then he also is one of the illest MCs.

Validated: What does hip-hop mean to you?

Reuben Vincent: Oh, man. hip-hop means, hip-hop saved my life, bro. Honestly. Like, that's what it means to me. Like, it's a lifesaver. Something that when I needed therapy or when I needed to express myself and I didn't have any other outlets who was there, and I think it helped a lot of kids growing up become expressive, and be able to show who they are as people, you know what I'm saying? And give them the character that of who they are, you know what I'm saying? And I think that's so powerful in itself that a genre that can come in and give impact like that on not just one person, but multiple generations. So, when you say what hip-hop means to me, it's a life saver bro.

Validated: Yeah, Same here, bro. Any last words for the people man?

Reuben Vincent: I'm here. Get used to this face. The Third World here. Now more music is on the way. That's all I can say right now.