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Reks: Strolling Through A Damaged Past

In "Like a Star," rapper Reks wonders if he's made the right career choice, only to prove he's done just that.
Courtesy of the artist
In "Like a Star," rapper Reks wonders if he's made the right career choice, only to prove he's done just that.

Every day this week, Song of the Day will showcase a track by an artist playing the South by Southwest music festival. For NPR Music's full coverage of SXSW — complete with full-length concerts, studio sessions, blogs, Twitter feeds, video and more — visit npr.org/sxsw. And don't miss our continuous 100-song playlist, The Austin 100, which features much more of the best music the festival has to offer.

Language Advisory: This song contains lyrics that some listeners may find offensive.

The third album from rapper Reks, Rhythmatic Eternal King Supreme is built loosely around two themes. Its first half goes full-throttle, taking clever shots at modern-day hip-hop: A bell tolls for the genre's golden age in the opening "25th hour," while murder raps are satirized in "Kill Em." Some of the lyrics even tease red-carpet-walkers like Kanye West and Nicki Minaj, questioning the public's obsession with celebrities.

On the album's second half, though, Reks points the microscope at himself, as he strolls through a grim and damaged past. The untimely death of his father and his mother's struggle with lupus represent just two chapters in the story he tells. "Like a Star" serves as the album's epilogue, as Reks wonders if rap was the right career choice for him — after all, he's got kids to feed. But he's come this far, with songs this powerful, so why stop now?

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Anthony Fantano
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