John Reuben

Last updated

John Reuben
John Reuben at a LifeLight Concert April 2009.JPG
John Reuben on LifeLight tours in Huron, South Dakota, in April 2009
Background information
Birth nameJohn Reuben Zappin
Born (1979-01-14) January 14, 1979 (age 45)
Columbus, Ohio, U.S.
Origin Pataskala, Ohio, U.S.
Genres Hip hop, alternative hip hop, Christian hip hop
Occupation Recording artist
Years active1994–present
Labels Gotee
Website www.johnreuben.com

John Reuben (born John Reuben Zappin; January 14, 1979) is an American Christian hip hop artist signed to Gotee Records until late 2010. Reuben has sold over 200,000 copies of his first four albums. [1] [2] [3] He released his sixth album, Sex, Drugs and Self-Control on December 22, 2009. The album was nominated for a Dove Award for Rap/Hip-Hop Album of the Year at the 42nd GMA Dove Awards, while the song "No Be Nah" was nominated for Rap/Hip-Hop Recorded Song of the Year. [4] [ better source needed ]

Contents

Reuben continues to tour, and has played and recorded music with many popular Christian music artists such as Five Iron Frenzy, Relient K, The O.C. Supertones, Luke Dowler, Hawk Nelson, MC Lars, and TobyMac. [1] [5] [6] [7]

Background

Reuben is of Jewish heritage [8] [9] and according to his MySpace, his mother is the owner of a Christian Death Metal record label. [10] [11] [ non-primary source needed ] His brother is Maker Studios CEO Danny Zappin. [12] Raised in Pataskala, Ohio, a suburb of Columbus, Reuben got his start in rapping by taking the bus into the city to rap on open mic nights and participate in rap battles [1] at the age of fifteen. [13] Reuben later released Monuments, an independent EP, which caught the attention of Gotee Records. They took a chance, signing him to the label and releasing his first project, Are We There Yet? , in 2000. [1] TobyMac, the founder of Gotee Records, provided vocals for the album's final track, "God is Love." The album was nominated for a Dove award in 2002.

Reuben in September 2005 John Reuben.jpg
Reuben in September 2005

Reuben's next release, Hindsight (2002), continues his use of a wide variety of musical genres and thoughtful, often funny lyrics. The album was praised as a "truly eclectic and creative hip-hop album that blends old-school sounds with progressive production." [1] Once thought to be a Christian version of Eminem, [13] Reuben's first two releases established him as an original, witty, sarcastic musician, as well as Gotee's top-selling solo rap artist. [14]

Reuben in 2005 JohnReubencropped.jpg
Reuben in 2005

Professional Rapper (2003) marked Reuben's debut as a self-producing artist. The album is noticeably different from his previous efforts, using more instruments and less DJ sampling for the tracks. Along with these differences, the album is noticeably darker in both lyrics and feel. It includes several somber tracks which allow a glimpse into Reuben's struggles and self-doubt. Adrienne Camp of The Benjamin Gate contributes vocals to two tracks on the album. [14]

The following year Reuben released So In Hindsight the Professional Rapper Isn't There Yet (2004), an album of remixed versions of songs from his first three albums. [15]

The Boy vs. The Cynic (2005) continued Reuben's trek from the non-serious songs which characterized his earlier work to music that's far more somber and meditative. Reportedly, when the time came for him to submit his work for the album, Reuben turned in enough tracks for two albums, one light hearted, the other more serious. Rather than releasing a two disc release, the label decided to splice them together into The Boy vs. The Cynic. Relient K's Matt Thiessen contributed to the album's second track, "Nuisance". Tim Skipper of the band House of Heroes appeared on the track "So Glad". [2] On this album most of Reuben's songs used more "traditional" musical instruments, typically the guitar, though he experimented with many different instruments and musical styles.

At this time Reuben also filmed and released the pilot for a reality show detailing his "rise" to stardom while poking fun at many of the conventions of reality television. Though the show was never picked up, the pilot was released on YouTube. [16]

Reuben released his fifth album, Word of Mouth , on February 6, 2007 which took on more experimental characteristics, with the aid of Beck producer Joe Baldridge. [17] Allmusic.com called Word of Mouth an "unqualified triumph" and said that "You won't find a truer, more honest, or more celebratory album this year." [18] Two songs from the album, "Focus" and "Good Evening," were included in the 2007 video game, Thrillville: Off the Rails .[ citation needed ]

Gotee Records released Reuben's sixth studio album, Sex, Drugs and Self-Control on December 22, 2009. The first single, "Town Folk" was released on July 14, 2009. The next single, "Jamboree", was released August 18, 2009. Followed by "Confident", which was released September 15, 2009, "No be Nah" was released October 14, 2009.

In 2010 a best of collection entitled Zappin was released, before Reuben entered an unannounced musical hiatus that would span until fall of 2016. It was at this time that in anticipation of his next album, Reuben released two singles, "Old as Religion" on September 16, [19] [ non-primary source needed ] and on December 9, a collaboration with Issac Ryan Brown and Aaron Cole, titled "Angel and Drums". [20] On May 19, 2017 Reuben independently released his seventh studio album Reubonic. [21] The album stirred minor controversy for the inclusion of several curse words within the lyrics; Reuben quickly responded on Instagram and was unapologetic. [22] Reuben released a self-titled album in early 2020. [23] [24]

Discography

Studio albums

EPs

Compilation albums

Music videos

Guest appearances

Related Research Articles

Christian hip hop is a cross-genre of contemporary Christian music and hip hop music. It emerged from urban contemporary music and Christian media in the United States during the 1980s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TobyMac</span> American Christian rapper and singer

Kevin Michael McKeehan, better known by his stage name TobyMac, is an American contemporary Christian music singer, rapper, songwriter, and record producer. His road band is known as Diverse City. He was first known for being a member of the Christian rap and rock trio DC Talk, staying with them from 1987 until they went on hiatus in 2000. He has since continued a successful solo career with the release of ten studio albums: Momentum (2001), Welcome to Diverse City (2004), Portable Sounds (2007), Tonight (2010), Christmas in Diverse City (2011), Eye on It (2012), This Is Not a Test (2015), The Elements (2018), Life After Death (2022), as well as five remixed albums: Re:Mix Momentum (2003), Renovating Diverse City (2005), Dubbed and Freq'd: A Remix Project (2012), Eye'm All Mixed Up (2014) and The St. Nemele Collab Sessions (2019). He became the third Christian artist to have a No. 1 debut on Billboard 200 chart with Eye on It.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KJ-52</span> American rapper

Jonah Kirsten Sorrentino, better known by his stage name KJ-52, is a Christian rapper from Tampa, Florida. The "KJ" part of his name refers to his old rap alias, "King J. Mac," a name which he later described in one of his podcasts as "horribly cheesy." "52", which is pronounced "five two", not "fifty-two", is a reference to the Biblical story of Jesus feeding the multitude with five loaves and two fish, which is also sung about in his song "Push Up" from The Yearbook and in the "KJ Five Two" on It's Pronounced Five Two. He was awarded the Rap/Hip Hop Recorded Song of the Year for "Never Look Away" and Rap/Hip Hop Album of the Year at the GMA Dove Awards of 2007. On July 28, 2009, KJ-52 released "End of My Rope", which is the first single for his album Five-Two Television.

Mars Ill is an emcee/DJ hip-hop duo from Atlanta, Georgia. The duo consists of Gregory Owens (Manchild) and Nathan Corrona. They are also part of the hip-hop collective and supergroup Deepspace5.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gotee Records</span> American record label

Gotee Records is a record label of Christian hip-hop, based in Franklin, Tennessee in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lecrae</span> American rapper (born 1979)

Lecrae Devaughn Moore is an American Christian rapper. Since having began his career in 2004, he has released ten studio albums and three mixtapes as a solo artist, as well as three studio albums as a lead member of the hip hop group 116 Clique.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Family Force 5</span> American crunkcore group

FF5 is an American Christian rock band from Atlanta, Georgia. The band was formed in 2004 by brothers Solomon "Soul Glow Activatur" Olds, Joshua "Fatty" Olds, and Jacob "Crouton" Olds along with their two friends, Nathan "Nadaddy" Currin and Brad "20 Cent" Allen, who was later replaced by Derek "Chapstique" Mount. The group has released five studio albums, nine EPs, and two remix albums. They are often noted for their raucous, party-centric personae and eclectic mix of genres, ranging from rap metal to dance-pop.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GRITS</span> American Christian hip hop group

Grits is a Christian hip hop group from Nashville, Tennessee. Their name is an acronym, which stands for "Grammatical Revolution In the Spirit". GRITS is made up of Stacey "Coffee" Jones and Teron "Bonafide" Carter, both of whom were DC Talk dancers.

<i>Dichotomy A</i> 2004 studio album by GRITS

Dichotomy A is the first album in a two-part series of albums released in 2004 by the Hip hop group GRITS. The second album is Dichotomy B. The song "Hittin' Curves" won the group's second Dove Award for "Rap/Hip Hop Recorded Song", awarded in 2005.

<i>The Boy vs. the Cynic</i> 2005 studio album by John Reuben

The Boy Vs. the Cynic is the fourth album by John Reuben released in 2005 on Gotee Records. It features the hit "Nuisance".

<i>Word of Mouth</i> (John Reuben album) Fifth album by rapper John Reuben

Word of Mouth is the fifth album by rapper John Reuben, released on February 6, 2007.

<i>Redemption</i> (GRITS album) 2006 studio album by GRITS

Redemption is the seventh studio album released by American Southern rap duo GRITS for the contemporary Christian music market. It was co-produced by GRITS.

<i>Reiterate</i> 2008 studio album by GRITS

Reiterate is the eighth full-length album from the Christian hip hop group GRITS. It was released on September 16, 2008, and is the GRITS first release on their newly formed Revolution Art label.

Flynn Adam Atkins is an American producer, singer and rapper originating from Los Angeles, California. He is currently independent and has released an EP: Bang the Drums. Flynn Adam has also been featured numerous times on RadioU and TVU for his music video, "Such a Time", and is an active member of the hip hop music duo Rootbeer with fellow LA Symphony member Pigeon John. Flynn is also a member of famed Hip Hop crew LA Symphony.

<i>Sex, Drugs and Self-Control</i> 2009 studio album by John Reuben

Sex, Drugs and Self-Control is the sixth album by rapper John Reuben, released on December 22, 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jamie Grace</span> American musician

Jamie Grace is an American contemporary Christian musician, singer, rapper, and songwriter from Atlanta, Georgia. In 2010, TobyMac found her songs on YouTube and signed her to his label Gotee Records for two albums. She released the song "Hold Me" in 2011 which landed her a nomination at the 2012 Grammys and won the 2012 Dove Award for New Artist of the Year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andy Mineo discography</span>

The discography of American Christian hip hop artist Andy Mineo, formerly known as C-Lite, consists of three studio albums, three mixtapes, one compilation album, twenty-one singles, including seven as a featured performer, fourteen music videos, including six as a featured artist, and fifteen guest appearances on various albums. Originally from Syracuse, Mineo initially achieved success as a producer in Upstate New York, and was a member of the hip hop group Fat Camp, signed to Syracuse University's Marshall Street Records. After moving to New York City where he re-dedicated his life to Christ, he closed down his production studio and restarted his career. He released his first mixtape Sin is Wack Vol. 1 in 2009. After providing sung vocals for the song "Background" by Lecrae from the album Rehab, he experienced a surge in popularity and became highly sought after for collaborations. His 2011 single "In My City" featuring Efrain from Doubledge also garnered attention, as did his appearance on the song "Reverse" by Tedashii from Blacklight. He signed to Reach Records in 2011 and dropped his stage name "C-Lite" in favor of his legal name. Under this name he released another mixtape, Formerly Known, in 2011. In May 2012 he debuted a four episode web series entitled Saturday Morning Car-Tunez in which he remixed classic hip hop songs. The four songs were subsequently released for free as a compilation album. His debut full-length studio album, Heroes for Sale, was released April 2013.

<i>Tunnel Rats</i> (album) 2004 studio album by Tunnel Rats

Tunnel Rats is the third studio album by West Coast underground Christian hip hop collective Tunnel Rats, released on March 3, 2004, through Uprok Records. Featuring several new members among the group's ranks, the album was well received by critics, with Christianity Today and Rapzilla considering it the best album so far by the group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NF (rapper)</span> American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer (born 1991)

Nathan John Feuerstein, known by his initials NF, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He has released two EPs, I'm Free (2012), and a self-titled EP in 2014 with Capitol CMG. His second and first major-label studio album, Mansion, was released on March 31, 2015. His third studio album, Therapy Session, was released on April 22, 2016, and peaked at number 12 on the US Billboard 200. His albums have earned several accolades, some of which include the Gospel Music Association Dove Award for Rap/Hip Hop Album of the Year in 2016 and the Rap/Hip Hop Recorded Song of the Year in 2017.

<i>Back to Dust</i> 2007 album by Sev Statik and DJ Dust

Back to Dust is a studio album by Albany, New York-based rapper Sev Statik and Atlanta-based producer DJ Dust, originally released on October 9, 2007, through Rawkus Records. It was the fourth studio release by Sev Statik and the second studio release for DJ Dust. Back to Dust features numerous guest appearances, including Manchild and Playdough of Deepspace5, Theory Hazit, Supastition, LMNO of The Visionaries, and Raphi, Griffin, and Triune of Tunnel Rats. The album was selected by Rawkus for inclusion in its "Rawkus 50" promotional campaign, and was released as a digital download. A physical version of the album was released on July 7, 2008, through Braille's Hip Hop IS Music label. Back to Dust met with critical acclaim. In 2010, Theory Hazit released a remixed version of the album.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Breimeier, Russ (May 2002). "John Reuben - Hindsight." Christianity Today . Retrieved February 6, 2007.
  2. 1 2 Farias, Andree (2005). "John Reuben - The Boy vs. The Cynic." Christianity Today . Retrieved February 7, 2007.
  3. ↑ "Biography of John Reuben." Christianity Today . Retrieved February 6, 2007.
  4. ↑ "--- 42nd Annual GMA Dove Awards on GMC ---". Archived from the original on July 10, 2011. Retrieved April 2, 2012.
  5. ↑ "Fundraiser focused on fight against slavery". Daily Herald Tribune.
  6. ↑ "industryinsider - Five Iron Frenzy Headlines 'THE ELECTRIC YOUTH TOUR' - Christian Activities". christianactivities.com.
  7. ↑ "The JFH Concert Reviews and Dates: Fly Me To The Show Tour (Hawk Nelson, John Reuben, Britt Nicole, Revive) in York, PA". jesusfreakhideout.com.
  8. ↑ "Cmusicweb.com". Cmusicweb.com. Retrieved March 14, 2013.
  9. ↑ "Crossrhythms.co.uk". Crossrhythms.co.uk. September 28, 2008. Retrieved March 14, 2013.
  10. ↑ Lifelight.org Archived February 3, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  11. ↑ "MySpace.com". MySpace.com. Retrieved March 14, 2013.
  12. ↑ Justin Sarachik, “John Reuben has Enough Songs for a New Album,” Rapzilla, March 24, 2016.
  13. 1 2 Powell, Mark Allan (2002). Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music (First printing ed.). Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers. p.  757. ISBN   1-56563-679-1.
  14. 1 2 Farias, Andree (December 2003). "John Reuben - Professional Rapper." Christianity Today . Retrieved February 6, 2007.
  15. ↑ Farias, Andree (December 2004). "John Reuben - So in Hindsight the Professional Rapper Isn't There Yet." Christianity Today Retrieved February 7, 2006.
  16. ↑ "The Professional Rapper" (The TV Pilot), May 17, 2006, archived from the original on December 21, 2021, retrieved July 4, 2017
  17. ↑ "Word of Mouth". Crosswalk.com. Retrieved July 4, 2017.
  18. ↑ Whitman, Andy. "Word of Mouth". AllMusic. Archived from the original on June 3, 2009.
  19. ↑ "Rapzilla.com on Twitter" . Retrieved January 12, 2017.
  20. ↑ "JFH News: John Reuben Teams With Aaron Cole for "Believe" Film Single" . Retrieved January 12, 2017.
  21. ↑ "Jesusfreakhideout.com: John Reuben, "Reubonic" Review". jesusfreakhideout.com. Retrieved July 4, 2017.
  22. ↑ "Instagram post by john reuben • Apr 25, 2017 at 3:18pm UTC". Instagram. Archived from the original on December 24, 2021. Retrieved July 4, 2017.
  23. ↑ Craft, David (August 6, 2020). "John Reuben, "John Reuben" Review". jesusfreakhideout.com. Retrieved September 16, 2021.
  24. ↑ "JOHN REUBEN – self titled album review". continuousthunder.com. February 26, 2020. Retrieved September 16, 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.