REED BENJAMIN "RXB" REVIEW
One of the busiest artists in the Twin Cities recently added to his growing number of EPs. Reed Benjamin released RXB on February 22. Initially set to drop on Valentine’s day, Reed chose to forgo the February 14th by 8 days in order to fine-tune the final mixes and tracklist.
A prominent staple in the Twin Cities Hip-Hop community, Reed wears many hats within its core. Reed throws his hand in as an engineer and producer on top of a decade-plus gripping the mic solo and as half of the group “Diehard” with his colleague Dr. Ew. Reed has made a great impact in terms of his live show events as well.
Before the pandemic, Reed hosted and curated a monthly show at Day Block Brewing by the name of “Bars & Brews,” bringing a wide array of Hip-Hop artists from around the Twin Cities and beyond for nearly three years. Backed by the Mill City Collective and the charismatic scratching of DJ Hayes, Reed Benjamin consistently threw an event that is hard to pass up and equally as satisfying to play.
Promotional Poster for Bars & Brews: Circa October, 2019
At the beginning of 2020, The Mill City co-founder had ambitious plans set for the course of the year with the “4x4” series. The series timeline was a new 4-track EP on the 4th day of every month of the year; that abruptly changed, however. The pandemic threw a wrench in the cog before the series could get its feet under it. What would have been 12 EPs throughout the year, was cut to just… 4. With it being a more fitting number of EPs, 4 projects in a year are nothing to scoff at.
While the “4x4” series subject matter ranges from family and love to legacy; Reed concentrates on intimacy with an experimental approach in this EP. Reed takes a swing at a more RxB sound rather than HipHop. Reed’s transition to the RxB heavy sound proves auspicious as his archetype of sound and cadence match seamlessly. Producer/loop maker and fellow Mill City Collective member BJ Mitchell contributes to over half of the sound with three tracks produced while DJ Chris Crave and City Up North round off the final two. The small list of producers gives a consistent sound that blends trap styling percussion with scattered trickles of hit hats to firm kicks and 808’s with titillating melodies and loops.
Tracklist for “RXB”
“Is it real love, or is it simpin’?”
Reed starts on an exasperated note with “Trying Times.” Delving into past hiccups and romantic misfortune, Reed not only airs out his frustrations but also reveals it’s left permanent scarring. Despite the dejected lyrics, the instrumental provides a glassy reverse melody that contrasts the grievances.
“Flame On” quickly ramps up the sound of the EP. Reed shakes off the somber sobriety of bittersweet memories and turns up the buzz. Enticing guitar strings and crispy percussion accompany Reed’s persuasive melodies about having a couple of drinks with that special someone. Reed and featured artist FreshV Sellers argue that no one should be drinking alone. The hook on this joint is a homerun. Reed administers a catchy chorus that sums up the overall direction of this track. This comes in as my favorite on RXB.
“BFF4EVER” is third in the tracklist, but sits in between the first two tracks in terms of point of view. Reed Benjamin shares his appreciation for his favorite lady. This woman has impacted Reed in positive ways long before a romantic relationship was initiated. Friends turned to Lovers is an endearing sentiment as two people who don’t have initial romantic intentions upon meeting can grow into a loving, sustainable relationship down the road.
“If this was Myspace/
You’d be in my top 8/
All 8 spots/People gonna hate/
Let ‘em hate, watch”
The fourth track, “Jacuzzi,” can best be described as a giant hot tub of innuendo. Dark, glossy synths and hollow snares make this track a fitting platform to describe provocative and saucy events surrounding the steamy water of the jacuzzi. Of course, we all know what Reed means by that.
Reed Benjamin posing for a picture while performing at Skyway: Courtesy of: reedbenji.com/photos
The final track, “No Closure,” brings the project back to earth. It seems as though Reed became love drunk at the start of “Flame On” and experienced the rush of endorphins of partnership, whether it’s the close emotional bond between two partners in “BFF4EVER” or the outright sexual satisfaction in “Jacuzzi.”
“No Closure” relates closely to the opening track, “Trying Times,” making them bookend songs. The song resurfaces the issues faced in “Trying Times” except in a different hue. The scars showed in the beginning still eat at Reed as he juggles with the numbing purgatory of not attaining closure of a prominent person in his past. Katrine adds a complementary feature with a luscious melody in her verse as well as blending her voice with Reed’s in the outro.
“Whatever you did/
I wish you let me free/
Cause one of us needs to end this/
And it ain’t gonna be me.”
From EPs to music videos and everything in between, Reed Benjamin along with Mill City Collective have collected a quite stacked resume. With this dropping in only February, I will predict that this isn’t the last time we’ll be hearing from Reed Benjamin this year. Work ethic not only shows in output but the quality of that output, and as far as that goes for Reed, he’s continuing to show tremendous balance with “RXB.”.
You can listen to “RxB” wherever you stream your music:
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Review by: Paul Thorson, Hip-Hop Writer @PaulyT03
Edited by: Andrew Perrizo, Owner @PlaylistTC
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