Comfortably nestled somewhere between “I want it” and “I’ve got it,” Reuben Vincent is a dynamic young star among today’s Hip-Hop milieu.
Upon signing to Jamla Records in 2016 and then to Roc Nation in 2021, the 22-year-old rap phenom was taken under the chief wing of some of the best and brightest of the genre: 9th Wonder, Rapsody, Young Guru and more. Under their tutelage, Vincent is a leading poster child for artist development as he has been able to carefully hone his lyrical acumen, take his time with the craft and ultimately perfect what he does best: rap.
Irrespective of his status as one of Roc Nation’s youngest signees, the Charlotte native is resolute about forging his own distinctive path and taking the road less traveled, especially among the modern music industry.
Over the course of his career, he’s already dropped myriad, critically acclaimed projects. Some of his records include Myers Park (2017), Boy Meets World (2020) and his most recent, Love Is War (2023).
Whether it’s speaking on the treacherous nature of dating on “Trickin” ft. Domani or talking about the ills of chronic drinking on “Bottle Service,” the young prodigy proudly wears his heart on his sleeve and isn’t afraid to delve into hot button topics of vulnerability.
Seamlessly shapeshifting between poignant thought processes and intimate highly personal subject matter, Vincent has a penchant for more nuanced, deeper level rhetoric. As far as his catalog and musical prowess is concerned, there’s nothing one-dimensional or myopic about it.
During the last year, Vincent has been a member of the “TIDAL RISING” Program, which has prided itself on “highlighting up-and-coming artists across every genre, using the tools at hand – playlists, video content, online articles and marketing – to help musicians take that crucial next step.”
This year, the program has expanded its offerings to include “amplification, education and connections.” Some of the tangible resources are “workshops, attendance at the inaugural TIDAY Artist Summit, master classes, hands-on training in partnership with Dolby, and opportunities through TIDAL’s editorial department.”
In recent times, culture journalist JaJuan Malachi was afforded the opportunity to speak with Reuben Vincent. What ensued shortly afterwards was hearty conversations about a bunch of different topics. Some of the matters they spoke about include his latest single: “Grand Cherry,” the impact Jamla Records has had on his career, who he would love to collaborate with on a track dead or alive, his future and much more.
Here’s how the conversation went.
JaJuan: What’s good Reuben!
Reuben: What’s good.
JaJuan: Where you at right now?
Reuben: Uh, I’m in Charlotte.
JaJuan: Ahhh ok, back home back home. I peeped that you were in ATL recently.
Reuben: Yeah, I was just down there like two days ago. I did the Pass Da Aux thing with Nyla Symone.
JaJuan: I peeped. That was fire.
Reuben: Where you at right now?
JaJuan: I’m over in BK right now.
Reuben: Ok, fire fire!
JaJuan: I’m so glad we were able to bring this into fruition. I know I’ve been knocking on your door about it for a little minute.
* mutual laughter*
Reuben: Right!
JaJuan: So my first question, I wanted to know. What was the motivation behind your recent single: “Grand Cherry”?
Reuben: So for me, “Grand Cherry” is a song I wrote earlier this year. As an up and coming artist, you have the trouble of like “when is this going to work?”, “how are things working?”, “are things working?” “Grand Cherry” was just an affirmation and on top of that, I had just got a car last year, which was my Grand Cherokee Jeep. So that’s why I say, “they didn’t know what to think when they saw it was me, hopping out the Grey Jeep, Grand Cherry it’s sweet.” I’m just playing off of it being a Grand Cherokee. You know the goal was to affirm myself. You know, all the work I put in. All of the time I put into this being away from home. I wanted to bring it back to that center. I’m knowing my worth and valuing my worth.
JaJuan: I noticed that it was dedicated to a friend of yours. Would you feel comfortable expounding on that a little bit?
Reuben: Oh yeah, it was my whip. It was just a play on the words. In the beginning of the video, I said dedicated to a friend but I was just talking about my car.
*mutual laughter*
JaJuan: lol, ohhhh. I thought there was a deeper meaning. For my next question, I know you’ve been at Jamla for a minute now. It’s been a good good minute. How has your tribe over at Jamla kind of impacted your career?
Reuben: For me, I was always younger than everybody who was on Jamla. Like for me, they really gave me like big brother/big sister energy. They always gave me older siblings energy. You know when I’m making my decisions, they’re not sitting there tryna tell me what decisions to make but kind of guiding me in the right direction, making sure I’m not making mistakes they may have made and stuff like that and just also keeping my head sharp. You know I picked up a lot of wisdom from being around everybody in the Jamla camp. That helped me further grow my wisdom and why people be like “oh, you have an old soul and all that.” It comes from the wisdom and the game and the knowledge that I got from everybody over there. That’s what they were for me. Just family, continuing to give knowledge and pass it down from generation to generation.
JaJuan: It seems like y’all have a really strong bond over there. A lot of genuine energy and camaraderie. It doesn’t feel forced or anything like that. Moving on, I peeped that you had two freestyles for this year’s BET Awards. A lot of legendary artists have been down this same path. I know we spoke about it over at the TIDAL event. How was this experience for you?
Reuben: For me, it was just dope. I had did the actual cypher last year. And this year, they called me back to do something on stage, I think was pretty dope. To get that call back and just to see the value in my talent and my work ethic made them call me back. And I think it was just dope, continuing to put my eyes in front of people who may not know who I am. I am more than grateful.
JaJuan: That’s super dope. You really did your thing. How do you feel about the execution and reception of your latest record: Love Is War. I know it’s been out for a little minute now. I guess enough time has passed for reception to be a thing. I think Pitchfork did a piece on you as well right?
Reuben: Right.
JaJuan: I guess a motif that I noticed is that a lot of the tracks are super poignant. Incredibly thought provoking. A lot of nuanced meaning behind it all. I was actually just watching the Trickin’ video for the first time.
Reuben: Oh, forreal?
JaJuan: I was like “yo, is this how it is in the music industry”? But then I was like nah.
*mutual laughter*
Reuben: Nah, that’s just everyday life forreal.
JaJuan: Yeah, yeah. That was a turn of events that I didn’t see coming and that was like a super clever concept. But yeah, I just wanted to take on how people have been perceiving it.
Reuben: As an artist, you’re always going to feel like you could have did this better but another thing as an artist is when you put music out, it’s not yours no more. Love Is War has slowly become an if you know, you know music project. I’m not gon’ sit here and say Love Is War did the greatest year. Not saying to the music side but to the marketing/promotional side, that it had a great album run. If you know you know and if you did listen to the album, you did respect what was on there and I think it’s just going to continuously grow over time as I continue to grow in my artistry. I feel like I’m still on a discovery level and I feel like Love Is War, people have discovered me. If you discovered me, you did but I feel like a lot of people haven’t yet. The concept. The execution of the project. I feel like it went over everybody’s heads a little bit. And some people are going to go back to it as time goes by.
JaJuan: No, for sure. I think it’s one of those projects that require a deeper level of commitment to thought, which channels the golden era of Hip-Hop in a way. I feel like a lot of music back in the day was like that. It wasn’t so evident in terms of like the meaning behind it all. And that was the allure, being able to find those nuggets of wisdom. I feel like a lot of your music kind of follows that trend.
Reuben: It’s definitely a battle and I’m also trying to figure out how to navigate it because I want my music to continue to channel a deeper level of thought but I also want to get as much ears on it, you know what I’m saying, without the expense of the music. If I could have improved upon anything with Love Is War, I wish I could have been able to keep off what I feel I needed to get off but get it off in a way that I feel like everyone was able to digest it.
JaJuan: I feel like that kind of requires a bit of trial and error and also just fine tuning the process.
Reuben: Right! Nah, I feel you.
JaJuan: So for my next question, if there’s anyone you could collaborate with dead or alive, who would it be?
Reuben: Man! That’s such a hard question because I be wanting to collaborate with a lot of people. I want to collaborate with Pharrell. I want to collaborate with Jordan Ward. I want to collaborate with Kendrick Lamar. I wanted to collaborate with Bob Marley.
JaJuan: I think that kind of emanates a lot of your various influences forreal forreal. So being such a young prodigy, it kind of gives me like a Nas Illmatic kind of vibe because I remember when Nas dropped Illmatic, he was super young as well. And in some ways, you kind of remind me of him a little bit. How does that feel and how do you combat the natural pressure of it all?
Reuben: You do combat the pressure but the pressure never goes away. I think the best way to combat the pressure is to not allow the pressure to become your identity. I think for a while when I was younger, I had the pressures of being under 9th, being under the Jamla crew and then on top of that joining Roc and Guru. I feel like I always had the pressure to be. I don’t have any room for error because of the set up. You’re signed to Jamla. You’re signed to Roc. You cannot mess up. In the beginning, it kind of drove me a little crazy because my mentality was. I cannot f**k up. I’ve gotta make sure I’m delivering on all aspects but at the end of the day, mistakes are inevitable in the human process and the artist process. As I got older, the way that I combat the pressure is by making mistakes and being open to making mistakes and learning through my process. The Roc has built their name. Jamla has built their name. 9th has built his name. I don’t always want to continuously live off of. I don’t want people to think of me as “oh, he’s the prodigy of 9th Wonder” and he’s signed to the “Roc” but when people say Reuben Vincent. They can just say Reuben Vincent and stand on it. Just removing the pressure of thinking there is pressure and being ok with mistakes. I think that’s how I’ve been able to combat the pressure and stuff.
JaJuan: I feel that. Mistakes are an essential part of the process.
Reuben: For sure.
JaJuan: I feel like you’re definitely on the verge of forging your own path. I feel like you’ve already done that in a lot of different ways. Last time, I saw you was at the TIDAL Summit. I guess since joining the TIDAL RISING Program. What would you say has been the most impactful or valuable thing about it for you?
Reuben: The most enticing thing about the TIDAL RISING thing I’ve been doing the whole year. They’ve been giving me resources, platforms to share my voice, open my fanbase. Figure out how to be a better businessman. How to be a better person. How to become an all around businessman to help fuel the art. One thing that artists suffer with is the business versus the art. Me and my manager have a good perspective and bird’s eye view on how the playing field needs to be ran. I feel that. It sounds like a comprehensive training. I think it’s definitely needed.
JaJuan: I never thought about that concept of the business versus the art being a thing. There are a lot of artists that have come into conflict with that element and that’s kind of sullied their careers in a lot of different ways. Just not making the right moves.
Reuben: Yeah bro. You’ve gotta be aware at the end of the day. This thing is a business. At the end of the day, people could be like “I don’t care about money.” You tryna get paid bro. We all tryna get paid. Yeah, your music might not be driven off the money but you care about the money, so in order to get the money right you’ve gotta get your business in order.
JaJuan: That’s a fact! Shoutout to TIDAL for establishing a platform like that. So what do you think about the current landscape of Hip-Hop today? There’s a lot of different sounds and a lot of different waves. A lot of different subsections of the genre.
Reuben: A lot of different opinions too.
JaJuan: Coming from Reuben Vincent and you know where you stand in the equation of Hip-Hop, I’m really curious to know what your thoughts are on the overall state of the genre.
Reuben: The genre is in a transcendent place right now. And the reason that I say that is because I feel like there’s a new era. There’s a new emergence of young artists that are making their way and paving their lane. And when a new generation comes around, the other generations aren’t familiar with what to do with it, so it becomes a thing of we miss this thing or we want this thing. Or Hip-Hop is dead and whoppty whoop but I feel like Hip-Hop is far from dead because there’s so many avenues. There’s so many original ideas being put out now. And on top of that, not even just on the mainstream side. I feel like people listen to music in their own bubble but if you really dig and find music, you can find great music. I think the thing that is the problem is more so the accessibility for everything. I think also another problem is we don’t have proper measure of music right now and marketing the music. Everything is online, on social media. All the songs that people are listening to or gravitating to are on social media. I think that is mainly the problem more so than the good music. Things that were important, like album sales are becoming less important. What’s becoming important is either A) How much you’re pulling in on your tickets or B) How much you’re pulling in on a social media presence and how much can we accumulate on both to make a star. And another thing is because of that, there might be someone who makes a crazy song on TikTok but they may have just started rapping twelve months ago. Now you’re putting this artist in the studio and expecting them to become something as quick as possible. It’s ruining the growth and the journey of somebody who could potentially be a great artist. But because we’re tryna milk the game and get money out of it, that’s how it’s looking right now. But I don’t think Hip-Hop is dead. I think the problem is accessibility. Being marketed on the mainstream forefront and on top of that, the measure that makes music successful these days.
JaJuan: I mean that was an extremely well thought out response. You touched on a lot. I definitely appreciate you sharing those thoughts. Going back to that sentiment about artist development, I feel like if anyone knows about artist development, it’s you.
Reuben: Oh fasho
JaJuan: Yeah, I can definitely see how that can be a bit of dilemma for some people that are coming into the game. Personally, I feel like there’s a chasm between the elder statesmen and the new era so to speak.
Reuben: Right.
JaJuan: And just finding that middle ground. People in both parties need to embrace each other.
Reuben: Let’s think about it bruh. At the end of the day, young n***s is gon’ be old n***s one day and old n***s was young n***s one day.
*mutual laughter*
Reuben: Forreal bro! Let’s cut the bull because y’all acting like wasn’t there before and we acting like ain’t gon be there before and I’m guilty of it because I be joking on old heads sometimes. It be harmless. I think both perspectives have a perspective we can embrace and I’ve never been someone who s**ted on the old heads or nothing like that. I think both perspectives offer something we can both respect and embrace. I think my disagreement with elder men is the people who didn’t embrace what was new. Just because I rap a certain way. I listen to Chief Keef. I’m not tryna be woke 24/7. Sometimes, I just wanna turn up or just hear some s**t that bumps in the car. We also have to give credit where it’s due. I feel like it just needs to be that. And the elders need to understand that they’re not young no more. I’m not saying you can’t be apart of the activities. If you’re 40 something years old, you’re obviously don’t know what kids is tryna listen to right now. You not outside. Your daughter might be. Your grandchild might be. So just pass the torch to them and keep it moving from that. I don’t think we need to continue to have the back and forth.
JaJuan: Yeah, I definitely agree. It’s going to require some compromise on both ends. Hopefully, the community can make it happen but yeah, where do you typically find your inspiration for music from?
Reuben: As of lately, as of the last year or two, what I find as inspiration for me is honestly, the gift of life. Just living my regular day. That’s where I get my inspiration from more so than “oh, I’m listening to an artist and oh, I’m inspired now.” It’s more so a thing of what did I go through today. What did I live through today. What have I experienced. That has been fueling inspiration for what I do more so than anything honestly. And just other means of art: movies, poetry, reading, fellowshipping with your brothers/sisters. That’s what I’ve been inspired by more than anything.
JaJuan: Gotchu. That sounds like a healthy collection of influences. I think that bolsters your relatability too, which is great. I see that you have a penchant for covering other people’s tracks.
*mutual laughter*
JaJuan: I peeped you just did the “8AM In Charlotte” joint and the “Secret Recipe” joint. Quite frankly, I think it’s a genius idea. I think more artists should be doing that especially younger artists but yeah, where’d that idea even come from?
Reuben: It came from Lil’ Wayne. I was a big Lil’ Wayne growing up. You know, he used to kill everybody’s beats. I was just reminiscing on the mixtape era and how he used to dominate. And I was like man, we need to bring that back. Just the concept of people wrapping on other people’s beats. I was like, I’m gonna do it reels and the rest is history.
JaJuan: Wow! That’s like a full circle thought process for me. I ain’t think about Wayne but he was definitely one of them ones that pioneered that trend. So I know we spoke about what’s been going on in recent time but what do you have going on for the rest of the year/top of the year/Q4 going into Q1?
Reuben: Just more music. More activities. More things where I’m able to learn who I am as a person and to help the community. I think those are avenues I’m trying tap into more. I’m just tryna be more community based. More collaborations. I just wanna continue to grow the fanbase, grow this community and give back to it in as many ways as I can. I just wanna continue to get discovered and continue grow and just continue to become a better artist. You gon’ here me producing more.
JaJuan: Dope! I’m looking forward to that. Definitely keeping my ears peeped. I know we spoke a little bit about you being in Atlanta with Nyla Symone. I guess I would just love to get a brief synopsis on the event and how the experience was?
Reuben: For me, the experience was I drove down to Atlanta that day. Nyla Symone and I have a very close relationship, as well as, Domani. We had a lot of college students, so we brought them there. We had some college students perform before us/open up for us. Then we went up there and had a question and answer session with her. After that, we performed. Me and Domani did a song that we have together and then we did two-three songs individually. And then we wrapped it up like that. It was pretty dope because a lot of the college kids were looking towards me as a source of inspiration because I come from a similar background. Like going to school and now I have my deal and my situation. They were asking questions from me. As an artist who comes from humble beginnings. Who comes from the South. Just having that mingle and then a little bit afterwards, we turned up and you know had a good time. Nyla is doing a great thing with Pass Da Aux.
JaJuan: Nah, she’s definitely killing the game with everything she has going on.
Reuben: Facts!
JaJuan: So I know that you and Rapsody are pretty close.
Reuben: Yeah.
JaJuan: I remember when she posted her latest single: “Asteroids,” you posted about it on your story right.
Reuben: Yeah
JaJuan: I’m genuinely curious to know your thoughts on that particular track. You know, just understanding her POV because I’m an avid fan of the track. I actually just made a video talking about it not too long ago. You know, just really going in-depth. I just feel like there’s been a theme in Rap’s career in where she hasn’t received the respect she deserves and I just feel like this track was sort of a tipping point for her. I feel like it was a culmination of those kind of thoughts. Shoutout to Hit-Boy. The beat goes crazy.
Reuben: Definitely shoutout to Hit-Boy. As far as my thoughts go, Rap has cemented herself as one of the best even if it might not accumulate in sales or money or whatever. I think she’s earned the respect far beyond that. And if you don’t respect her, that’s just on you and that’s really a “you” problem. But for me, Asteroids was a dope way for me to intro people back. Kind of a dope way to talk about what’s been going on. I think for Rap, obviously I want her to get her flowers because she is speaking for a certain type of people that could appreciate that. Sometimes, we’re not always showed the benefits in the moment. I want her to know she’s walking a road less travelled. And that’s the reason how things are aligning how they are. The reward down the line is gonna be greater.
JaJuan: Yeah, nah that’s a fact. I think she’s one of the dopest of her generation. Arguably, one of the dopest ever.
Reuben: Nah, she is.
JaJuan: Thank you for sharing your thought process on that. So when it’s all said and done, where do you see Reuben Vincent? When you’ve accumulated years and years in the game and you’re set up comfortable and have achieved everything you could ever think of.
Reuben: Hopefully, I see myself with some acres. I’ll own some land. Like a big a** fruit farm or some s**t. But nah, I definitely see that by God’s grace. That’s a deep a** question. I’m not gon’ lie but I think for me. I just want to be a vessel in making sure we got a step ahead and I mean that just for my family and my ancestors and everybody that comes from the generation before me and after me. Honestly, as I get older, I don’t want too much. I think I’m just happy with if I’m doing what I was served to do on this Earth and I know one of those things is making music and being respected for the work that I’ve done but I’m not doing it for anything from anybody honestly. I’m doing it to push the envelope for culture, for my family and for the generations. I hope I’m really old. I hope my family is healthy. I wanna be chilling at the end of this with a lot of money and a lot land forreal.
JaJuan: I feel that. I mean that sounds like a real wholesome journey but I just wanted to thank you brother for taking the time out to speak with me.
Reuben: Thank you bro! We finally got to do it.
JaJuan: Yeah, I know. I wasn’t too sure if we were gonna get it done before Q1.
*mutual laughter*
Reuben: But we got it fasho.
JaJuan: Fasho man. Well you know keep in contact and I wish you nothing but continued success and blessings.
Reuben: Definitely, you’ve got my #, so we’ll get up.
JaJuan: Fasho. Let me know when you’re in the city and all lat.
Reuben: For sure. I got you brody.
JaJuan: Fasho. Be safe.
Reuben: Alright peace!
To keep up with Reuben, follow him on Instagram.