We featured Minneapolis rapper Status Reign a week or so ago on The Round Table, and he was good enough to come back this week and answer some questions about his new release, Brutally Honest, in addition to some miscellany. Thanks to David Jones for setting it up!

You’ll be able to catch more Status Reign shortly, but in the meantime …

Status Reign – The Story Ft. JL Magee

Status Reign – Wizard of Laws

Status Reign: Origins – tell us about how you discovered your powers, maybe fought them at first, but then decided to use them for good – adopting the name “Status Reign” in the process.

A combination of fear, trying to fit in, and a gamma ray all brought my X-Men genes to the surface. I went to a school where you either had to make great effort to fade to obscurity or get super dope at battle rapping. Instead of one or the other, I decided to just be good at battle rap, and be somewhat aloof.
Having said that, I actually grew up on classic rock. My mom was always playing some hair band super loud and I was exposed to hip hop by my peers, and I think that’s a pretty good way to describe how I came into my style.

As far as how they’re “used”…I have been a lot of places and done a lot of shows, and since I first hit the stage I knew I had to do it forever… and a super hero was born!

You’ve got a new album, “Brutally Honest,” coming out soon. What was it like heading to the studio by yourself to record your first full-length, solo album? Any tracks you’re most excited for people to hear?

Its actually been really great, and very streamlined in how its all been coming together. I may be the only feature emcee on the album, but I would say I’ve been the exact opposite of alone going into the studio. I’ve had the great honor and fortune of having some of the most supportive musicians available lending hands and ears to this project. I’ve been working hard on really trying to stay honest on the album, and as a result I’m excited for everyone to hear ALL OF IT… but at the same time I constantly want to keep the album locked away under wraps.

Its like writing in a diary for a year and then all of a sudden its an album… I’m excited to share it, but super scared and nervous at the same time.

My friend mentioned that “Tonight” reminded him a lot of Aesop Rock, mostly in the level of acrobatic verbosity and streamlined delivery. First, what’s your songwriting process like and, second, do you ever forget words on stage? I mean, I could barely remember three lines in a row during Sunday school Christmas pageants.

For this particular project the writing process was actually really difficult and painful compared to all the other stuff I’ve done. The album is constantly referencing a lot of personal aspects of my life, and sometimes telling the blunt truth about these things can be a little overwhelming. I wonder what people are going to think as I’m writing it, and how I’m gonna respond to people saying “how could you write about that” after I record something, makes it tough to remain honest while putting it on paper. Ultimately I end up pushing through the hesitation and hopefully come up with something worth recording.

As for forgetting words on stage… I’ve had my moments… Overall I don’t think anyone ever noticed though.There have been times where I would jump on stage after having had one too many and I would start a song with the third verse and have to do the rest of the song constantly saying in my head “the third verse is the first verse now” or “don’t forget to switch the verses at the end”, or maybe add a verse from a completely different song, but I take performing very seriously, and I put in the rehearsal work to back that claim up. So long story short, no, I generally don’t have problems remembering my lyrics.

I know you’re busy preparing for the release of “Brutally Honest,” but what’s next on your calendar? Any chance we’ll see a C.A.S.E. release in the future?

Working closely with a lot of different artists provides me the opportunity to jump into a lot of different projects. There is Definitely a C.A.S.E. album down the pipe, but with me working on a lot of different things and Analyrical always working on a new project, the C.A.S.E. album should be done by Nevuary 2036.

Other than that, there is a Background Noise Crew album that should be coming together at some point soon, an acoustic hip hop cover album called “Stolen Money,” and the project I’m most excited for is the upcoming “Super Incredible” album. (Check out some Super Incredible, below.)

Getting back together with the guys that I first started rapping with years ago – after learning, growing, and defining who we all are as artists separately – is going to be a really fun project. All in all, the plate is pretty full, in the most excellent of ways, and I’m super excited to see whats around the bend.

All right, tell us anything we forgot to ask – release party info, favorite food group, thoughts on Inception or Scott Pilgrim vs. The World …

As far as a release timeline is concerned, we’re setting up a tour for the album that should take place in either late March or early April. It will encompass the Midwest area, coinciding with the release of the album around the same time. My favorite food group is unhealthy, and I’d love to weigh in on Inception and Scott Pilgrim, but I’m a rapper… so I haven’t had the funds to take the lady to the movies in some time.

Need more? You may be able to find Status Reign …

• tweeting from a top secret location, somewhere in the Midwest
• building the new Kiss Army on Facebook
• being discovered on KDWB

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