Jessie Reyez has been making music since she was three, she has worked with Chance the Rapper and King Louie, and now she’s leaving her own stamp on hip-hop.
Last Friday Jessie Reyez released her debut, 7 track E.P. titled Kiddo. Reyez masterfully explores themes ranging from love and heartbreak to glorious boasts about her future on top of the music industry. Her throaty vocals combined with her acute lyrical skills are approached with power and confidence and she even manages to infuse a sense of sincerity in the emotional journey of the E.P.
Each track has its own power to stand alone from the E.P. itself. There are songs that are emotionally raw, stripped back and simple, like ‘Figures’ that showcase her lyrical strength. She lays her heart bare as she passionately sings,
“I wish I could hurt you back
Love, what would you do if you couldn’t get me back
You’re the one who’s gonna lose
Something so special, something so real”
‘Blue Ribbon’ and ‘Gate Keeper’ on the other hand are extremely powerful songs in their own ways. On ‘Blue Ribbon’ Rayez raps hard to a fast and commanding beat; asserting her dominance in the moment; “I’m nice if you don’t fuck around.”
While the song ‘Gate Keeper’ is not as obviously hard hitting featuring a more open sound that is broken up by a deep, intermittent, thumping beat. The contrast between the venom in the tone of the verses and the sweetness of her voice in the chorus gives the song an eery authoritative presence.
Reyez is Columbian but has grown up in Toronto, Canada and has had a relationship with hip-hop both as a musician and a dancer her entire life. Her focus turned to music as she sought an emotional outlet after finding herself heartbroken from her first relationship.
This E.P. is such a wonderfully impressive first project from Reyez, we are excited to see her career develop from here. If Kiddo is any indication of her future in hip-hop, Reyez is here to stay and she’s vying for a top position.
She has also released the official video clip for the first single from the album ‘Figures’ which you can watch below.
You can listen to the debut E.P. from Jessie Reyez below.