The son of a Christian death metal record label owner, John Reuben spent his youth in a trailer park and a farm that doubled as a church/outreach program for troubled youth. He spent a lot of time with youth from the East Coast who helped turn him on to the golden age of hip hop. John spent his formative years writing poetry and admiring his older brother’s ability to turn a profit with his baseball card collection.
By the age of 18 he had started his own indie label, had released several EPs recorded by himself and other artists, and with his brother was running a hip hop night at a local club on the Ohio State campus.
Just before his 20th birthday, John packed up his recording gear and moved to Hollywood where he survived by doing extra work for movies and television. If you look close enough you can see him appearing in such classics as "Rocky And Bullwinkle", "Buffy The Vampire Slayer", "Melrose Place", and "Clueless." After receiving interest from a handful of labels, John returned home and signed a deal with Gotee Records. Since then, he has released numerous albums, toured the world, got married, and worked with his brother to produce comedy shorts, including the mocumentary "The Professional Rapper."
In 2000, Gotee released John’s debut LP, Are We There Yet?, an album that captured the young artist’s quick wit, personality over fun hip hop beats, along with some darker leanings as well. His second album, Hindsight, picked up where his last album left off, exploring his early 90s hip hop influences while delving into alternative pop. In 2003, John produced Professional Rapper. Some say this project is where he truly came into his own, incorporating more live instrumentation rather than samples and loops. He continued to pen lyrics with personal themes and an increasingly eclectic musical soundtrack on his next two albums, 2005's The Boy Vs. The Cynic and 2007's Word Of Mouth, both of which earned him enthusiastic reviews from the music press.
His last album was 2009's Sex, Drugs And Self-Control. Produced by John and his drummer, Seth Earnest, the album was recorded at his home studio in Ohio. With live instruments and drum loops, John achieved a sound that suggests the influence of artists like Beck and the Dust Brothers. His personality once again set this album apart lyrically and brought it to life. At times broodingly dark and at other times the life of the party, Sex, Drugs And Self-Control gave listeners a glimpse of who he really is.
Tree Cutting| Posted October 09, 2021
I first saw the music vid for 'Do Not' ages ago on TV. This past month my cousin let me borrow one of his CDs and I loved it.
Awesome, eye opener| Posted January 11, 2010
Even an old duffer like me has to appreciate this stuff. Not exactly my 'genre' of music. But I believe my Lord said to take this Gospel to all Nations, peoples, and groups. Here is one to definately reach the nations. Hallelujah! Praise the Liveing God!
Amazing Career| Posted January 04, 2010
My Comments have been short, so I thought I'd right A longer one :)
John Reuben has experimented with his style of music mixing Hip-Hop, with Pop, with a more darker side on some albums, then switching to a more pop friendly album, I mean he has been featured in plenty of contribution albums like
ConGRADulations! Class of 2009, Hip Hope 2008,
Friends With Microphones, Gotee Hits, Freaked! A Gotee Tribute to dcTalk's "Jesus Freak",
X2005, Gotee 10 Years Brand New, The Good, The Bad and The Ugly: Video Vault DVD, Smash-ups, The Ringleader - Mixtape Vol.03, Gotee Records: The Soundtrack, The Hip Hop Alliance,
'No Comprimise' Collection.
He's Released A Video and Some Collectors Items:
Professional Sampler, Hindsight Vinyl
Are We There Yet? Vinyl w/ 8 songs,
Soon To Be In Your Community DVD, 2003
John Reuben has truly had an amazing career and is still going strong, with his release "Sex, Drugs, and Self-Control.
OK| Posted January 02, 2010
OK I take back what I said I LUV John Reuben's Cd's, my favs are Are We There Yet, Hindsight, and Boy VS, Cynic
You ROCK/Hip-Hop
Different but cool...| Posted January 01, 2010
Love the unique music of John Reuben. One of my favorite music videos is "Good Evening." *Lol* It's hilarious!
I John Reu| Posted December 31, 2009
I first saw the music vid for 'Do Not' ages ago on TV. This past month my cousin let me borrow one of his CDs and I loved it.
Where have I been?| Posted December 30, 2009
I've been listening to Christian music for a while now and have never heard of John Reuben. Through newreleasetuesday.com I have discovered him and enjoy his music. His new album is great!