REKS

Born and raised in Lawrence, Massachusetts, street lyricist Corey Isiah Christie, better known as Reks, started out as a breakdancer in his teens and was part of a local B-boy crew called Funk Town Connection. By the time he entered college at University of Massachusetts-Amherst, Reks had built a reputation for himself in the local Boston rap scene, but then eventually quit school to begin recording for Brick Records. A few 12″ singles, “I Could Have Done More” and “Fearless,” arrived first in early 2001, before Brick issued his debut LP, Along Came the Chosen, later that year. A cult favorite in Boston-area rap circles, the album earned Reks nominations for Hip-Hop Album and Artist of the Year from the Boston Music Awards. Even with all the accolades, as well as press features running in Source, XXL, Vibe, and URB, Reks’ career didn’t ascend to the national stage. In fact, he self-released his second album, Rekless (2003), and had no distribution other than from the trunk of his car. In 2004, he turned to the mixtape circuit, releasing Happy Holidays (2005) and the Rash Music series, the latter of which was under his new group, M Diesel (which included Lucky Dice and Chi Knox). In this time period, he also hooked up with fellow Lawrence native and national mixtape guru Statik Selektah, eventually signing on to the DJ’s ShowOff Records imprint. Reks made several appearances on Selektah’s Spell My Name Right (2007) LP as well as on material by the DJ’s up-and-coming protégé Termanology. Executive produced by Selektah, Reks’ ShowOff debut, Grey Hairs, was released in 2008. More Grey Hairs, a collection of tracks cut from the debut session, followed in 2009. It featured production by Selektah and DJ Premier. Reks’ fourth LP, Rhythmatic Eternal King Supreme, arrived in 2011. Along with the return of familiar faces like Premier and Selektah, Rhythmatic also included appearances by Pete Rock, Hi-Tek, and the Alchemist. The album was nominated for Hip-Hop Album of the Year at the Boston Music Awards and peaked at 41 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart. Selektah took the reins for the second time on Reks’ fifth effort, Straight, No Chaser, which was issued in 2012. REBELutionary arrived the same year. After 2013′s Revolution Cocktail and 2014′s Eyes Watching God, Reks unveiled his ninth album, The Greatest X, in late 2016. ~ Cyril Cordor & Neil Z. Yeung