Reke joins MOBS for the chance to be closer to her audience and make you feel special.
For Reke, rap is not entertainment, but a form of social transformation. This Venezuelan rapper makes the content of his songs a cry that awakens people from the lethargy imposed by the record market, the media, multinationals, banks or the political class.
Gustavo Alexis Ferrín Rentería, better known as Reke, was born in Caracas, Venezuela, and he tells us how his rap came from the street.
It was in the 90s when Reke had his first contact with rap and began to open up his musical path little by little. His first years in rap are supported by the group Guerrilla Seca , of which he was a part until 2008.
After that date, Reke decided to continue working as a soloist and in 2010 she released her first record called “El Astronauta”. From that moment on, other new albums and songs by this rapper would arrive, such as “La voz del pueblo” (2013), where social issues take center stage.
Reke's songs are an expression of the harsher reality of the neighborhoods of Venezuela, where violence and inequalities prevail among the underprivileged classes.
Reke believes in rebellious rap, rap that denounces marginalities and, above all, rap that promotes social awareness.
His work of social denunciation has allowed him to bring his public closer to the problems of his country as well as create his own brand in the world of rap for which he is today one of the best-known rappers in Venezuela.
« Ever since I got to know hip hop culture and got into it, I knew that I wanted to dedicate myself to this all my life»
Q: Hi Reke, welcome to MOBS! Explain to us, how were your beginnings? Was there a turning point in your life that led you to opt for rap?
A: I grew up listening to common styles of music around me, such as salsa, merengue, reggaeton or vallenato. However, my tastes were in rock music and other unusual musical styles, so I was a bit out of the ordinary.
In my country, due to the lack of information, rap did not emerge immediately, but it did so gradually. When I got to know hiphop I fell in love with its culture because it was more in line with my lifestyle. And that's how in the 90s, at a very young age, I started rapping.
Q: Where does that stage name come from?
A: Reke is short for Rekeson. That was how they nicknamed me in the streets from a very young age, and I already decided that this would be my stage name in rap.
Q: When you started, did you ever think that you would end up doing this?
A: Yes. Since I got to know hiphop and got fully involved in it, I knew that I wanted to dedicate myself to this all my life. I was totally convinced that this is what I wanted, so I went after it.
Q: Did you have any role models in 90's rap that inspired you?
A: In the 90s I was inspired by many rappers and groups, but without a doubt there was an artist that I consider my greatest reference: Tupac . This rapper was a source of inspiration when I started rapping and still is today.
« In my themes I want to denounce the social and political problems that we experience on a daily basis »
Q: You have been dedicating yourself to rap for more than 20 years, first in the duo Guerrilla Seca and then as a soloist, how do you think your evolution in music has been in all these years?
A: For me, Guerrilla Seca can be likened to "high school" and, when I finished my career there, it was like starting "university" as a soloist. I think that my evolution as an artist has been incredible because I feel that I have grown a lot musically and that on a personal level I have achieved many things. Whenever I think about my development as a rapper, I have to point out all the great strides I've had in writing and creating my songs as well as my desire to surpass my own successes.
Q: Your recording work has a strong social content. What do you want to denounce with these lyrics?
A: In my songs I want to denounce the social and political problems that we experience every day, such as inequality, corruption, racism, double standards, hypocrisy, cowardice, abuse of power, police abuse, life of the neighborhood youth, the negligent society where we live, life and premature death, pain, love or hope. These are the main topics that I like to talk about in my songs.
Q: What do you think have been your biggest challenges and achievements in your artistic career so far?
A: One of my biggest challenges has been making a name for myself as one of the best Spanish-speaking rappers in history. I think my great achievement was surviving the street, since the reality of the neighborhood where I was born and grew up was quite harsh.
Q: You have collaborated with numerous artists in all your years of musical career, is there one in particular that has marked you? Why?
A: Every artist I've collaborated with has been special to me in some way. Specifically, there was a rap singer who marked me a lot: Canserbero . Together with this artist I recorded two songs together and we wanted to continue doing things, but unfortunately his premature death did not allow it.
Q: Do you have any memorable anecdotes from your journey as a rapper that you want to share with MOBS?
A: I have had many anecdotes in my career as a rapper, but the most epic was when I was invited to go backstage with the famous rap group G-Unit on their tour of Venezuela. There I shared good moments with its members and I even did a freestyle that heated up the atmosphere to the point where 50 Cent himself, leader of the group, shook my hand.
« I am in the middle of recording my 7th album and soon I will be able to announce the date it will be released. I have also joined MOBS, which seems to me to be a proposal with a high social component. »
Q: What advice would you give to those emerging artists who want to follow in your footsteps?
A: I would tell them that the important thing is to promote culture and put aside the claim to become famous by making music without content.
Q: What do you think about what we do in MOBS?
A: I think MOBS's proposal to serve as a link between the public and the artist is great.
Follow Reke on her Instagram @reke1s and on her Twitter @REKESON .
When asked how she would define herself as an artist, Reke answers with four suggestive words: real, talented, authentic and inspiring.
His great journey in the world of rap has made this singer one of the best known and from MOBS we want to congratulate him and welcome him to our community of artists.