I remember the first time that I read that John Reuben's latest disc was to
be called "Professional Rapper." Of course, having heard his other discs, it
would be almost impossible for Reuben to take himself so seriously that his
music would be considered "professional." But after reading our interview
with him about the album, I learned it was just another ploy to tell others
not to take life so seriously. Also, if you get a chance, check out John's
video for "Move," his lead single in which he tries out for the cheerleading
squad. It's a hoot, and if you get the disc, you might even learn a bit too!

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PROFESSIONAL RAPPER - JOHN REUBEN (2003)
by Bert Gangl

The recording and producing of one's own musical endeavors can be something
of a two-edged sword. On the plus side, the autonomy it affords often spurs
an artist on to new levels of creativity (a la Stevie Wonder's string of
landmark, post-Motown albums during the '70s). On the negative end, its
pitfalls include the temptation to sacrifice listenability for the sake of
experimentation. And no small number of performers have been caught up in
endless cycles of recording, re-recording and tweaking of raw tracks, only
to watch their actual recorded output fall to near-zero (as Axl Rose and
Boston's Tom Sholtz can no doubt attest). The aforementioned risks
notwithstanding, Gotee hip-hop artist John Reuben has taken the short trip
down the stairs to his newly constructed basement studio to record and
produce his third album, Professional Rapper, on his own.

Fans of his first two recordings will be glad to know that Reuben's latest
undertaking marks anything but a complete departure from that which has come
before it. To be sure, Reuben's characteristic Beck-meets-the-Beastie-Boys
old school aesthetic and intermittent, half-spoken stream of consciousness
monologues are both present and accounted for on the new project. Likewise,
entries such as the eminently joyful "Treats" hark back to the irresistibly
light-hearted calls to celebration of tracks like "Run the Night" from the
Hindsight record. And "Life Is Short" ("Don't call it jiggy / Call it
danceable") and "Move" ("Just some wording to make me sound good / And pep
up the recording") illustrate the rapper's continued oscillation between
tongue-in-cheek braggadocio and self-deprecating humor.

None of this is to say that Reuben has stayed in one spot since the release
of his sophomore album. "Born, Live, Strive, Succeed" is laced with a
previously muted dark sarcasm that renders its treatise on materialism all
the more affecting. In the same way, cuts such as "I Have No Opinion"
("Grab your picket signs / Find out what you're protesting later") find
Reuben wading out into bolder, more confrontational waters. On the other
side of the coin, "I Haven't Been Myself" ("There was a time when I had
control / But I let it go") and the best-of-album "Five Years to Write"
("She's observant so she's seen my behavior / It's got me nervous wanting to
stay away from her") show the artist turning the spotlight inward to examine
his own shortfalls in both the spiritual and interpersonal arenas.

To be equitable, the Rapper record does lack some of Hindsight's endearing
musical eclecticism, and its more somber lyrical thread may ward off some
listeners. That said, the new album's weightier subject matter arguably
points to a certain artistic growth on Reuben's part. And the narrower
musical focus helps to make the third record his most cohesive project to
date. Admittedly, the differences between Rapper and the first two efforts
are probably too subtle to lure existing naysayers, and Reuben's decidedly
old-school musical inclinations and quirky lyrics tend to place him in
something of a niche market. But, as his solid and engaging most recent
offering attests, it is a niche that the Ohio wordsmith continues to fill in
decidedly first-rate fashion.

Read more about John Reuben at cMusicWeb.com (including an interview):
http://cMusicWeb.com/hiphop/johnreuben


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