On his single “Down The Road”, Mr. Reaper, a hip hop/rap music artist from Woodbridge, VA, makes it easy to absorb his words as he spreads them over a blend of smooth cinematic sounds. On this project, as on his “Thru The Light” single, Mr. Reaper shows he is a lyrical and storytelling beast -a true wordsmith. As a matter of fact, along with his deep voice, his honest words are the highlight of this track. Mr. Reaper sets the bar high on this exemplary recording, proving that beyond the popular mumble rappers and psychedelic trappers, there is still plenty of room for classic poetic spitters.
One can’t help but fall in love with Mr. Reaper voice. On the track, he begins like an artist who knows he’s about to snatch the souls of listeners with his flow and lyrics. While most rappers aim to draw attention to themselves, Mr. Reaper opts to focus on the message and the audience who needs to hear it most. “We got to go, when we’re down this road. We can’t give up, we gotta move on.”
There is always so much to unpack on each project Mr. Reaper drops. From his alliterative rhyme patterns to his wonderfully woven metaphors and his thought-provoking words, he finds creative ways to keep the audience glued to his words and music.
One important ingredient that makes Mr. Reaper words glow are the various sounds fused into the beats. On “Down The Road” one can predict his smooth delivery from the foundation the beat lays for his bars.
Mr. Reaper is carved out his own little place in hip hop that plays to the great lyricists of the past while avoiding many of the draining modern tropes that can hurt artists. Mr. Reaper delivers consistently strong rhymes on this track, while holding down a pensive sense of class. “Down The Road” maintains a warm, summery sound that finds Mr. Reaper taking stock of his, and our place in this world, and what we need to do to move forward.
It’s a track that feels smooth and easy on the ear, but ultimately seeks to make an impact on a much deeper level. With an uplifting narrative at the forefront of the music, Mr. Reaper’s verses tread with integrity as they go from blunt confessions to references of the human experience on how to do better in this life that constantly feels like a losing battle.
It helps that the second you hear Mr. Reaper’s voice come into the song, there is a sonic gravitation to hear what he has to say. His keen ability to share his reflections will continue to reward both him and his listeners.
“Down The Road” is the type of song that you’ll have on repeat for days, as Mr. Reaper’s lyrical and vocal performance makes this a track that you’ll want to return to. The gorgeous production does the rest to convince you of that. The artist Mr. Reaper will eventually become, in this ever-changing hip hop and rap world, is exciting to see, or listen to, as his artistry becomes more refined with each new project.
