| After nearly 15
years of grinding, Papa Reu has forged his way to the front
line of the music
industry with his upcoming album, Life & Music. Marking
his first album for the power
house label, Sanctuary Urban, Reu is ready to show and prove.
Not to say that he hasn't
already done just that. He's released numerous albums throughout
the years, maintaining a
steady underground fanbase and managing to reel in some
new fans.
You have got to be one of the hardest
working brothas in the game.
Papa Reu: That ain't even the word
man. Non-Sleepers is a little more harder than hard work-
ing (laughing).
How did you get your deal with Sanctuary
Urban?
Papa Reu: I ended up doing a song
with Solange for the Fighting Temptations Sound -
track, and from there, we ended up touring with that song.
We did Disney World stuff, and a few big shows we did with
Destiny's Child. With all of that, Matthew [Knowles] saw
that I was a seasoned dude. That's how we all came together.
Now, you have been independent so
long. Most artists seem to make more money
independently, so why did you want to move to a major?
Papa Reu: I been putting out my own
stuff for the past four years. You only can do so much
independent, and after a while, you need the whole world
to hear you.
What's the biggest benefit of you
doing that?
Papa Reu: Having my music accessible
to everyone across the world. Before, it was limited. They
could pull my name up, but still not know where to get it.
I know you're residing in Houston,
but you also come from Trinidad. How long have
you been in Houston, and was it hard to make your mark in
rap ?
Papa Reu: I've been in Houston for
like 15 years. My sound was not a sound of the South.
You don't have a big island community this way. I made people
respect my sound for what
it was, so that was one of my biggest accomplishments.
Talk to me about the new album and
what we can expect ?
Papa Reu: Life And Music basically
shows you how Life and Music are intertwined. They work
hand in hand. Life can't do without music, and music can't
do without life. My style is like
Thughall style. That' where R&B, Rap, HipHop, and Reggae
meet. I like the way you phrased that.
Papa Reu: It's a trip man. You know
what, Reu is right. It's that stuff you put in to make that
Gumbo, and without the Reu, you can't get it. That's a trip
how my name is Papa Reu, and I
got all these different styles. That was coincidental to
me.
SO who produced on the album for
you, and are there guests ?
Papa Reu: Production-wise, I used
my own production crew, the Reu-Style Producers.
Feature-wise, I got Juvenile. I got my southside boys from
Houston - Lil Keke, & Lil Flip. I had
to do a song with all the guys that were underground when
I was. That just solidifies that we
all built the underground scene in Houston.
Sounds like it's going be crazy man.
Papa Reu: The album will speak for
itself. I put my foot off in this one.
So in other words, you put your foot
off in the Gumbo?
Papa Reu: I put my foot in the Gumbo.
I ain't even use no spoon, man! My album's never had a crazy
budget, but one thing I know about music, is it's just like
dope. If you got good
dope, it's going to sell. It might be a slow start, but
by the end of the day, it's going to be
around for a minute. I would rather have continuous sales,
than have a big lump sum in the
beginning and stop.
Well it's good to have a lower budget,
because all that advance money has to be paid back. You
make more if you start small.
Papa Reu: Exactly! Especially if
you know the album got substance. Take that chance on yourself.
Get out there on the road. The internet is so big now that
they will know you have a record.
Are you touring right now?
Papa Reu: I'm still trying to lock
down that Mike Jones tour right now. Then I got a few others
I will get on. The biggest thing to me is to know that my
album is available to everyone every
where. And if the store don't have it, they can get it the
next day. I ain't never had no distribution like that. I
had three records out, and did over thirty thousand records
for each.
I think the album will be big for
you, and with Matthew Knowles behind you, you can't lose.
Papa Reu: Exactly, and I just needed
that special attention. I could have signed with another
label, but then I would have been lost in the sauce.
Are there any final comments ?
Papa Reu: Keep your head up, and
keep striving for what you know. What the man has in
store, no man can stop it. No budget will stop it. Not having
radio play will not stop it. The
plan is the plan, so keep doing what you do. Be sure to
check out more information from
Papa Reu at :
WWW.PAPAREU.COM
WWW.REUMUZIK.NET
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