"Well, in my mind, a well-rounded MC will rock a crowd with no music, hype man, nor
choreography. To just simply use his/her gift of gab to keep the attention of the space is
one of an MC's cornerstones," Reallionaire Jream says while sitting at his dining room
table while we discuss the difference between an MC and a rapper.
Talking to Las Vegas-based Jream, you find it hard to believe he was born and
raised in a city known for its lights, glamour and a lifestyle made up of long, fast
nights. But that's what's so special about the city and its music. Vegas is a very
deceptive town. If you don't live here, you expect the stereotypical images that either
you've seen on television or heard about from an outsider just visiting. But the truth is,
behind the world-famous strip, with all the gaming and the club scene, there's a city
that's as diverse and creative as any. Which is why Reallionaire Jream both personifies
and stands out in Las Vegas.
"If I was stranded on a desert island and had only one album, it would be Pink
Floyd's Darkside of the Moon..."
Jream's choice of albums definitely isn't the first one you'd expect from the
former Southern Illinois University student. Which is why his debut album, Fresh Cutz: The
First Impression, stylistically fits the mold of not only an MC, but an artist searching
for a more rich, in-depth brush to paint music with. The tracks are so soulful that
producers like Pete Rock, 9th Wonder, Hi-Tek and even Kanye West come to mind. The beats
are not stereotypically West Coast, but rather represent a Las Vegas diversity you
wouldn't expect. Producers BPSB and Plastic Pete of Huh What give Reallionaire Jream
incredibly fluent and melodic beats with production that gels well with his heavy-handed,
smooth, lyrical flow.
On "Oxy-Moranik," he goes in and punishes lesser MCs with confident, regal rhymes
that could stand with the best lyricists in hip-hop today. And on "I Ain't Ready Yet," he
honestly tells his girl that being tied down to her, solely, isn't in the plans anytime
soon ("A prenuptial, I bet I do / but that's only when I'm standing close to a broom").
Sonically, with songs like "Water Me" - where he channels his inner spoken-word poet -
show that he's not afraid to test limitations and the listener's patience with him as an
artist. On "See Me Through," over a panicked, piano-heavy track, he struggles with young
man confusions about his own life and rhymes about the hardships of living day-to-day.
You'll want to listen to Jream's tracks over and over - either you would have missed
something he said because you're marveling at the line preceding it or you're able to take
what he's just said a completely different way the next time you hear it.
Jream's also the CEO of Reallionaire Entertainment and has a number of new artists
ranging from hip-hop to alternative rock slated to produce new music really soon. "I'm
happy in the position I'm at right now in my life," he says. "Instead of working for
someone else, I'm able to do what it is that I love to do and own it independently without
having to cater to what a label would want me to do or say."
Prepping to fly out to California to start recording his next album, Jream seems
only interested in exploring new sounds, styles and getting the attention of new "ears" to
try out his brand of music. He takes you deep enough into the ocean where you can
appreciate the danger, but not so deep that you'll fear returning - and he does this on
purpose. It has less to do about false bravado and urban violence and more to do with
where he is right now: ambitious, happily single and optimistic, with a focus on putting
himself in the spotlight without losing his sense of originality.
http://www.myspace.com/reallionairejream
Photographer: Jose Armenteros |