Acclaimed Rapper Announces Father Figure 2: Flourish, Featuring Appearances From G-Eazy and Russ, for November 17th
The Former Division 1 Football Player and Current Rising Rap Star Relaxes in a Rowboat on Oakland’s Lake Merrit in the PUB-Premiered Video for “2 Free”
10.11.2017
Critical Praise:
“[Rexx Life Raj] is for anyone who likes breathing and/or good music” – Noisey
“Rexx Life Raj is one of the most impressive young MC’s in the industry right now.” – XXL
“But while many of these artists channel a revivalism — Cash Money energy for Nef, g-funk for Kamaiyah — Rexx Life Raj is content to push forward confidently into the unknown.” – Mass Appeal
“Rexx Life Raj (yeah, it’s a mouthful) is the up-and-coming Bay Area artist to know.” – SF Weekly
“Trivial daily details get painted with a generous eye and addressed in smooth tones on songs that feel like falling into a pile of pillows. Raj is perceptive, empathetic, and open about his feelings; he’s also quick to tackle the tropes of contemporary rap with a winking eye.” – Noisey
The Announcement:
One of the most acclaimed and respected of the Bay Area’s new wave of emcees, Rexx Life Raj specializes in impossibly smooth investigations of the soul. After a year spent raising his profile, collaborating with some of the biggest names in rap music, and growing as an artist and a human being, Rexx Life Raj announces Father Figure 2: Flourish, his upcoming project. With contributions from some of the Bay Area’s most innovative producers, including Mikos Da Gawd, JULiA LEWiS, Ian McKee, Drew Banga, Kyle Betty, and more, Father Figure 2: Flourish is the product of pure, attentive listening and an exploration of the nature of shared wisdom. Inspired by his own parents, who have a history of political activism and who make cameo appearances throughout the album, Father Figure 2: Flourish pays tribute to mentors of all genders and ages, as Rexx treats the listeners to the game he’s learned from the father and mother figures in his life.”The main message I want people to take away from this project is that everyone is on a journey,” explains Raj, “and very few people have it figured out. But that’s okay. That’s life. It’s about how you deal with it and maneuver through it.” Featuring appearances from G-Eazy, Russ, and Iman Europe and distributed by EMPIRE, Father Figure 2: Flourish is a major statement from an important young artist, combining innovative production with hooky melodies and generation-defining, soul-searching concepts and lyrics.
“Typically a father figure is someone who gives game and wisdom in hope that it makes life’s journey easier for other people,” explains Rexx Life Raj. “My dad used to always tell me, ‘You shouldn’t have to hit yourself with the hammer to know it hurts. Learn from my mistakes.’ And he’s continued to give me the game that has turned me into the man I am today. I felt it was only right for his voice/thoughts to narrate the project. These songs are grounded in real feelings and real life-experiences that I’ve been through and learned from. I want to share those with the world. It’s easy to rap about material things, i.e. money, jewelry, clothes, but it’s harder to be vulnerable and open about trials, tribulation, and emotion. But the funny thing is that’s where the gems are. Thats where growth stems from. Thats where true understanding is.”
To accompany the announcement of Father Figure 2: Flourish, Rexx Life Raj shares “2Free,” a cinematic and thoughtful new video. A stream of consciousness burst of lilting melodies and memorable lines (“I never a scored a touchdown playing on O-Line/But I been checking these goals off, I was good on the goal line”), “2Free” is a perfect opener for Father Figure 2: Flourish, recapping major events in Raj’s life and contemplating a potential way forward for the young rapper. In the video, premiered by The FADER, Raj floats on Oakland’s infamous Lake Merritt on a rowboat, taking in the sights and thinking deeply about his and society’s problems.
“Lake Merritt is literally a lake in the middle of the city that people chill, walk, and jog around,” explains Raj. “Definitely a Oakland staple. If you haven’t burned one at Lake Merritt, I don’t trust you, at all. Sometimes I find myself floating through my mind, on an undersized children’s canoe, in an ocean of irregular thought, which is probably why a lot of people think I’m irregular. Like this one time in 4th grade, when we took a field-trip to the petting zoo, I had an intense 11-minute conversation with a goat named Jezebel, who told me that Jezebel was a slave name given to her by her captors and her real name was Matilda of The Green Hills, and that if I kept writing I would eventually understand the true meaning of being a GOAT. I wanted to bring this into the physical realm which is why we shot at Lake Merritt.”
The son of a Black Panther, a former athlete in Boise State’s Division I football program, and a next-level author of amazing Instagram captions, Rexx Life Raj is a major rising star in the Bay Area scene, racking up over 20 million streams on all platforms. In the past year, he earned glowing press coverage from Billboard, Pigeons & Planes, Pitchfork, Noisey, and XXL, and earned the cover spot on Spotify’s Mellow Bars playlist with his single “Handheld GPS,” which earned over 4 million plays on Spotify. Following the release of his debut album Father Figure in 2016, Rexx Life Raj garnered co-signs from the likes of Pharrell and G-Eazy, and collaborated with the likes of G-Eazy, Mozzy, Nef The Pharaoh (who frequently calls Raj his favorite rapper), Murs, ymtk, and others. Earlier this year, Raj kept the momentum from Father Figure rolling into 2017, earning over 1 million plays on his single “Waiting For You,” which featured an appearance from Russ. Most recently, Rexx Life Raj shared “Freedom Love,” a gorgeous collaboration with NeoSoul luminary Goapele. As he said to East Bay Express in a feature story last year, “I look at music as an opportunity to spread both wisdom and knowledge to the youth. A lot of times, artists get caught up in what sounds good, and in the process they end up feeding people — mostly kids — a lot of bullshit. I don’t want to make the same mistake.” Watch out for Father Figure 2: Flourish, releasing on November 17th.
Pre-order Father Figure 2: Flourish: https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/rexx-life-raj/id887653264
Watch “2Free”: https://youtu.be/8xr-RWubzIc
Listen to “2Free”: https://soundcloud.com/rexxliferaj/2free-prod-by-mikos-da-gawd
Check out the FADER premiere: http://www.thefader.com/2017/10/16/rexx-life-raj-2free-video-premiere-father-figure-2
Please contact Michelle or Isabel for more info.
The Background:
From the land of the Hyphy where slaps are king and going dumb is encouraged, Berkeley, California’s Rexx Life Raj stands out by making music for the brain and the heart that’s still pleasant to the ears. Raised by a God-fearing mother and Black Panther father in the mecca of progressive politics, Raj’s music uniquely illustrates his awareness of being a young, black male while also maintaining a sense of humor and joie de vivre.
Links:
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Pre-order Father Figure 2: Flourish: https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/rexx-life-raj/id887653264
“2Free”: https://youtu.be/8xr-RWubzIc // https://soundcloud.com/rexxliferaj/2free-prod-by-mikos-da-gawd
“Freedom Love” ft. Goapele (Prod. Kyle Betty): https://soundcloud.com/rexxliferaj/freedom-love-feat-goapele-prod-by-kyle-betty
“IDFWYN”: https://soundcloud.com/rexxliferaj/idfwyn-prod-by-kyle-betty
“Handheld GPS”: https://youtu.be/4CsOMbhDzQs // https://soundcloud.com/rexxliferaj/handheld-gps-prod-julia-lewis
Father Figure: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/father-figure/id1115464867&app=itunes
Listen to “On Ice” ft. ymtk (Prod. by Mikos Da Gawd, Ian McKee, and Ekzakt): https://soundcloud.com/rexxliferaj/on-ice-feat-ymtk-prod-by-mikos-da-gawd-ekzakt-ian-mckee
“Young Wardell”: https://soundcloud.com/rexxliferaj/young-wardell-prod-by-ian-mckee
“Moxie Java” ft. Nef The Pharaoh: https://youtu.be/yQn4b9xUaeI
“Shit ‘N Floss”: https://soundcloud.com/rexxliferaj/shit-n-floss-prod-by-kyle-betty
“Yellow Brick Road”: https://soundcloud.com/rexxliferaj/yellow-brick-road-prod-rexxliferaj
Dreamland: Telegraph Avenue: https://soundcloud.com/rexxliferaj/sets/rexx-life-raj-kyral-musik