All Eyez On Big Reeno!

Let’s hop right into this brand new single and video of yours; “Cold As Ice (The Layover)”…Tell me about this particular track — How did it actually come to fruition?

I have a lot of love for Rock music. On my first album, I had a song called “Get Your Rock,” which was a big fan favorite. Four years later, my fans still ask me why I never put out a video for that song!? *Reeno laughs* So, while I was making my new album, Watch My Indie Throne, I decided I wanted to make another fun Rap/Rock song. So, there wasn’t really a reason behind the song. It was just me in the studio in L.A., having a good time on a beat that I thought was really dope. I actually recorded it the same night me and Sean Kingston wrote and recorded our track “Celebrate.”

Reflecting, how did you first discover your musical talent?

I was about 7 years old at the time. I was a shy, quiet kid who was always lost in his thoughts and always daydreamed. I felt no one understood me at the time, and I had a lot to say but no one to say it to. Writing music became my outlet. My pen and pad basically became my best friends. I didn’t only write rap at the time, I also wrote R&B and Pop songs. Writing music became my favorite thing to do. The more I wrote, the better I got. I loved being able to express all my inner thoughts and feelings on paper, and I’ve always loved to perform and entertain. So, yeah, 7 years old was when I discovered my musical talent.

Who have been your greatest inspirations musically and why?

I don’t think I can pick just one artist who inspired me, because I was inspired by so many artists across so many genres. I was definitely inspired by the late, great Michael Jackson, Notorious B.I.G. and 2Pac! I was also inspired by the likes of the African legend Fela Kuti, Marvin Gaye, Puff Daddy & the Bad Boy family, Will Smith, Don Williams, Kenny Rogers and so many other artists. The reasons they inspired me ranged from their wordplay, lyrics, creativity, business sense, musical production, vocals, etcetera. When it comes to music, I’m like a sponge…I soak in everything.

Where did your moniker originally derive from?

The name Big Reeno was given to me by my older brother, who felt like my “rap” name at the time wasn’t cool enough. *He laughs again* He actually got the name from Reno, Nevada, which I’m sure you could have guessed, but I wanted the spelling to be different from Reno, Nevada. I wanted it to be unique. I wanted it to be “me!” So, I changed up the spelling. Even though computers and the internet weren’t big at the time, I was smart enough to know that for marketing purposes I didn’t wanna have the same name as a popular city. Thank God I was a smart young one! *More laughter*

How would you describe and/or define the style of music that you create and perform?

It’s Hip-Hop! There’s no other way to describe or define it. But, you can definitely hear all my musical influences in my music. If you listen to my new EP, Watch My Indie Throne, you’ll be able to hear the Soul influence, the Classical influence, the Rock influence, etcetera. My music is basically Hip-Hop on steroids! *Reeno guffaws*

What do you feel you offer the music industry that we don’t already have in other performers?

What I bring to the table is a different perspective. With me being born and living a lot of my life in Nigeria [Africa], and also living here in the states, and having family and friends in the U.K. etcetera, I have seen a lot and can bring all these experiences together in my music. This is something that has never been done before…At least not in the Hip-Hop world.

Have you encountered any problems in getting to this point in your career?

Oh, yeah, definitely! I’m still going through problems right now! *More laughter ensues* I’ve gone through the problem of people not taking me serious, because of the city I represent…I have gone through the problem of not having the financial resources to help push my career…I have gone through the problem of the radio stations in my city/state not playing my music at all, or as often as they should. Hell, I am still going through that problem right now even with all I have accomplished! I’ve kinda given up on them to tell you the truth. *Laughs again* I’ve taken my hustle to the internet and it has paid off big time for me.

What do you want people to get from your music?

I want people to get inspired. I want them to have fun. I want to provide them an escape from whatever they might be going through in life. Music helped me escape, (so) I wanna do the same for them.

When can we, the masses, expect some new music from you?

Well, I just released my new EP Watch My Indie Throne in April. It features guest appearances from Sean Kingston, Dizzy Wright, King Los and Stevie Stone of Strange Music. You can download it right now for free on my SoundCloud page: http://www.soundcloud.com/bigreeno. I actually just dropped a remix to Chris Brown’s new song “Loyal” last week. It’s on my SoundCloud, too! I plan to keep dropping freestyles and remixes at least a couple times a month. But, I also plan on releasing another album or EP before the end of the year, so watch out for that!

What has been your greatest achievement so far?

My greatest achievement so far has to be performing in front of 20,000 people while on tour in Asia — That was pretty damn EPIC!

If you could collaborate with any one artist, living or dead, who would it be and why?

It’s gotta be Michael Jackson, hands down! I mean, he is Michael. Need I say more? Biggie, 2Pac and Nate Dogg, would be close seconds though.

If you could play any venue in the world, which one would you choose and why?

Madison Square Garden. When you play “The Garden,” you know you’ve arrived! You know you’ve done it. What or where is better than “The Garden?” Especially if you play in front of a sold out crowd. Playing “The Garden” is my definition of musical success.

One track of yours that you think defines you and why?

I don’t think there is one track of mine that defines me, but I do have tracks that define me or my frame of mind at a given point in time. From my new EP, tracks like “Iron Man 3,” “It Was All A Dream” and “Home,” definitely stand out in this regard. Then, older tracks like “My Emotions,” “Ghetto-Aid” and “I’ma Get Mine,” will definitely give you a glimpse into who I am and my frame of mind at that particular point in my life.

Is there anything I left out, or just plain forgot to mention, that you would like to point out at this given time?

Um…Nah, I think you basically covered all your bases. Good job, man! *Reeno laughs out loud* Thanks for taking the time to interview me, man. I would really like everyone to go to my SoundCloud page and download my new album. It’s free, so, hey, check it out! It’s called Watch My Indie Throne, and can be downloaded here: https://soundcloud.com/bigreeno/sets/watch-my-indie-throne.

Any “parting” message(s) for our readers?

A big thank you to all my fans who have supported me and continue to do so! If you’ve never heard my music, you should probably stop what you are doing right now and check me out on SoundCloud or YouTube! My music is pretty dope if you ask me. *He laughs again* Also, please do follow me on Twitter & InstaGram at: @BigReeno.

Interviewed By: Hype Staff