“Ghetto misery over Alchemist symphonies…”
Revolution is a buzz word these days in the media. It’s a concept that’s thrown around too freely from those not truly understanding its ramifications. Revolution is a struggle, a willingness to face death to champion ideal(s) that you and your comrades in arms feel will liberate your family, block, city, country or the world. The specifics of those ideals aren’t disclosed on this song, but REKS and Styles P speak on why a revolution is needed in the inner city with “Why Cry.”
The revolution REKS alludes to here is one needed for our very own broken neighborhoods. He uses words like “rebels” to connect the listeners to the images of the various revolutions going on in Africa and the Middle East. The murder and mayhem is right here, and it leaves the “soldiers” of street life shell-shocked (“My city stains my memory…Brother kill brother/ Yep I’m talking Abel Cain…”). While REKS mostly holds the role of an observer, Styles P takes the persona of the rebel, the “ride or die” gunslinger in the midst of the madness. But even with his cavalier fearlessness, there’s a sorrow for innocence lost, as Style speaks on the aimless youth (“Little niggas is different/They got me tripping because/ they don’t know tradition/And they don’t know addition…But they know the limited edition of a new whip…”). Alchemist appropriately laces these two with some sinister boom bap. The looped melody is straight-forward, but has an alarming tone that meshes with the dark lyrics.
REKS’ album R.E.K.S. (Rhythmatic Eternal King Supreme) drops on March 8. His international tour dates are listed below.
REKS X STYLES P “WHY CRY” (PRODUCED BY ALCHEMIST)
Weds Feb 23rd Artisti Club Salerno, Italy
Thurs Feb 24th Big Bang Rome, Italy
Fri Feb 25th Mono Club Stuttgart, Germany
Sat Feb 26 Princeville Vicenza, Italy
Tues March 1 Bar Nada Stockholm, Sweden
Weds March 2 Rust Copenhagen, Denmark
Thurs March 3 Sommercasino Basel, Switzerland
Fri March 4 8 Below Munich, Germany
Sat March 5 Hard Club Porto, Portugal
Tues March 8 In-Store Newbury Comics Salem, NH 4pm
Weds March 9 Santos Allhiphop.com New York, NY BIGGIE TRIBUTE CONCERT
Thurs March 10 The Big Easy Portland, ME
Fri March 11 In-Store Ughh Boston, MA 6pm/11pm WERS interview
Sat March 12 Middle East Cambridge, MA
Weds March 16 Austin, TX SXSW w/ 1982, DJ Premier, Foreign Legion
Fri March 18 Austin, TX SXSW 2dopeboyz/djbooth/last rights event
Sat March 19 Austin, TX SXSW w/ Statik Selektah
Weds April 13 Bishops Lounge Northampton, MA
Fri April 15 The Honeypot Seabrook, NH
Sat April 16 Positive Pie Montepelier, Vermont
Beats, Boxing and Mayhem 