The story
Before he was REKS, Corey Christie was a b-boy from Lawrence, dancing with a crew called Funk Town Connection. By the time he got to UMass Amherst he had a name in Boston's rap scene, and he left school to record for Brick Records, a small Boston label. In 2001 Brick released Along Came the Chosen, the first album it had ever put out by a solo artist.
It was a record made among friends. Former classmates, the Soul Searchers and Fakts One, made the beats, and a teenage Statik Selektah landed his first production on it. The guest list maps the independent hip-hop of the time: Edo.G, Esoteric, J-Live, Rasco, Pace Won, Young Zee. It earned REKS Boston Music Award nominations for Hip-Hop Album and Artist of the Year.
“This is an MC who takes his job seriously, and he’s quite good at it”
A long career on his own terms followed: Grey Hairs; R.E.K.S., short for Rhythmatic Eternal King Supreme; The Greatest X; and records with DJ Premier and the Alchemist. This fall Brick reissued the debut on double vinyl for its 25th anniversary. "This album allowed me to establish my own voice and identity," REKS says.
He celebrates it with Boston rapper Dio Gin, Nickali Vocals and Truck Julius, and DJ Rec on the turntables. Come hear where that voice started.