The songs off Reid the Martian’s first full-length release Excuses Not To Sleep follows a slight gimmick with the song titles. They list reasons why you should stay awake and stay alert for the duration of the album. The tracks themselves are daring and explores all types of boundaries within popular music. He uses air-tight rhymes in a matter of under 30-minutes for the entire album.
Born Reid Smith, Smith is a rapper/singer/songwriter/musician originally from South Bend, Indiana. He comes from a rich musical background. His father played drums for Davy Jones of the band The Monkees. Growing up, his parents gave him his first drum set at the age of 3. By age 5, he could be seen acting and singing in musical theaters and plays in his hometown. His first stage appearance happened to be a production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat as a part of the children’s chorus. During his high school days, when he and his family moved to Kansas City, Missouri, he co-founded and played drums for an alternative rock band, Auburn Skies. During that same time period, Smith founded the first drum line to the high school he attended.
With such a prevalent musical history, Smith uses many of the techniques he learned earlier in his musical career. On this new release, RtM took it into his own reins to produce and write all the songs. He also played all of the instruments except for the trumpet.
Towards the beginning, “Distractions” is a fresh take on the hip hop scene with sparkling drum lines and dancing keyboard melodies that corresponds to his rap style. RtM’s spin on raw truths really demonstrates his musical talents. “Way Up” is a great ode to old school and classic hip hop. The great tunes he produces are delivered through a carnage of words, which may reduce the regular commoner dumb-founded. The tight rhymes and solid delivery go on to reinforce this hurricane of words.
The most popular song on this album is “The Other Side” with over 6,500 views and growing on Soundcloud. The vocals are accompanied with keyboards followed by drums. Then, the escapade of lyrics is funneled through soaring beats. The track is slow and has great dramatic build-up.
“On the Fly” showcases the blaring of the trumpet horn that adds a mournful element to the track. The song soon transgresses with an electric, dramatic flair with the jazzy flavor of the trumpet in the background. The unnerving lyrical release and the stealthily rhymes are eerily contagious. With such insightful lyrics falling from RtM’s lips, it may give the caustic effect of driving his fans off the wall.
The way RtM is able to redefine the genre is bewitching itself, but it goes to show that Smith’s down-to-earth lyrics really internalizes who he is. His album gives him a plausible vehicle in which to voice his sure-fire rapping style. In Excuses Not To Sleep, Smith mediates on what lies on the surface and on this side of the fence of real life. With great, catchy hooks that have plenty to say, he is truly a contender in the hip hop field.