Reuben Vincent Delivers His ‘General Admission’
In case you missed it, Reuben Vincent dropped off his latest offering, General Admission. The 7-track EP finds the North Carolina upstart flexing his lyrical ability, ruminating on his Liberian heritage, culture, skill, and what the future holds for him. General Admission is Vincent at his most lyrical, reflecting on an inward journey with bars that cut deep on many levels. And did I mention he is one of the most exciting emcees of the new school of spitters?
One of the EP's standout tracks, "Grand Cherry Remix," perfectly explores this claim as Vincent, joined by SWAVAY and Chris Patrick, put on the game on notice of what Hip-Hop's future holds. Methodical and sharp wordplay fill out the 3-minute treatise about overcoming life's pitfalls to obtain a successful life in music.
"Pray 'fore I sleep, spark when I wake/Back when my plug used to bargain me shake/I put all in this art, then I caught me a wave," he raps. "Like Nas with the fade, couldn't fall for a thang/Salt in my wounds, I was caught in the rain/Treat it like VC, charge to the game/Rose from a home with a hole, left a mold on my soul, that I scold till the boy overcame, they was wishin' I fail/I throw coins in the well, talkin' to God about change, we was nickel and dimin'/Penny for thoughts, but my mind is tryna get out the cage/Out of the way, out the city, they tell me it's filled with envy and hate/Can't concentrate, in survival state, stay the same till the Jeep finally turn to a Range."
Along with bolstering witty wordplay, Reuben also uses the EP to reestablish his artistic vision with a name given to him by his devoted fanbase. The Jamla emcee elaborated on this claim in an official press release for the EP.
"The reason behind the title General Admission is, since building up my brand identity, when I go out a lot of people call me "Third World General,' when they see me, which lead me to play off General Admission; with admission meaning ticket, but also a statement of acknowledging the truth of something" Reuben explains.
"With the EP, my goal was to capture my mental state. With this career of mine, I have the premonition that I am going to break generational curses—and bring generational wealth. Though that's the underlying tone of these songs, on the surface, it's aggressive; ambitious, and assertive; and 75% high-energy records. I speak on my city, my upbringing, family ties, my cousins, beating depression, and generational wealth."
Listen to Reuben Vincent's General Admission above.