Rewind aKa Realness
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Rewind aKa Realness

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Band Hip Hop Spoken Word

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"MUSIC WORLD: Introducing… Rewind aka Realness"

Rap has seen an emergence of rappers that come from decent backgrounds, possibly even college educated, that still spit some of the realest lyrics you’ve ever heard. Wale, Drake, and J. Cole just to name a few. Enter Rewind aka Realness. He doesn’t have to rap about slanging rocks or dodging bullets for validity. Instead, clever rhymes are crafted around clear stories showcasing his real talent. With the (oft-delayed!!) release of Rewind‘s newest mixtape, Please Just Listen, I was granted the opportunity to gain a little insight into the man behind the music. No edits, just his words. Check the interview below.



Government Name: John E. Gunter, Jr.
Age: 21
Location: Currently Normal, IL by way of Rock Island, IL
How long you’ve been rapping: MY WHOLE LIFE…Since 13
Website/contact info: Twitter.com/TheRealRewind, TheRealRewind.bandcamp.com, DatPiff Mixtape Link

Why did you choose the name Rewind?? Are you that quotable??

It’s actually a 7th grade track nickname, iUsed to rap under “Lil ‘J’” but some dude was on 106 with romeo or something with the name and I had to get a new WuN. I remembered the name from a few years back, it stuck and kinda grew to have more meanings. R.E.W.I.N.D.-Realness Every Word, Indeed Notably Directed….And I’m dyslexic…Like I said it just grew. Shoutz out to A.P.

What’s your number one inspiration?? What made you decide to pick up a pen or touch the mic??

My grandmother dying is what made me really start writing, and Djay Cas made me start putting my work to beats.

Who would you say influences you?

EveryWuN! Everybody that’s ever said anything good bad or indifferent about any of my writing/songs influences what I write.

Describe your style. Do you fit into a category??

My style I would say is real. Not like most people say real…I mean dead real I’ve always spit like a kid that was too smart for his age. I got a commercial, catchy flow attached to real lyrics

How does being from Rock Island, a smaller city, affect how you present your rhymes??
A lot, every artist that I know on the grind like me is from Chicago, and I don’t sound like them. It’s a double edged sword though, a lot of people don’t want to hear you spit when I’m sayin’ “Rocktown” this and “the town” that when they don’t know where the hell Rock Island is.

Does your personal fashion style reflect your music??

Yeah, you can tell by my style that I’m unorthodox…I don’t follow the rules of what people told me was cool. Same with my music, that just me, I kind of do what I feel like is cool, and I always will…I tend to not fit in

Any comparisons to other artists…

It used to be Murphy Lee, we looked similar, Midwest artist, and I was the kid of the bunch. Now it’s WALE…I don’t think me and him are much the same but some tracks and physically I can see the comparison

What artists do you keep in regular rotation??

Nas is my favorite artist, he’s ALWAYS in rotation, Kanye of course and Jay. Of course the new school, Drake, J.Cole, Big Sean, Wale…But iListen To Mostly Nas Ye, And Lauryn Hill Top 3.

In your opinion, who has had the best album/mixtape of 2010. I’m leaning towards Recovery, but I’m interested to hear your opinion.

I Love RECOVERY! Blueprint 3 was AMAZING. The Roots had a nice joint. Ida Kno…



I follow you on Twitter and I see your love/hate relationship with Wale {one of my favorite new artists}, why is that??

Its honestly not Wale’s fault it’s his fans. I feel like Wale is an amazing artist(I do dislike him not rhyming often) but I just feel like he’s just that…a good artist. People often try to make him out to be some super deep conscious rapper, and that he’s not, he has the same amount of shallow, about nothing tracks as every other artist, but he writes ‘diary’ ‘ambitious girl’ and all of a sudden he’s deep. I can’t stand fake hip-hop fans. The one’s that’ll say “I don’t listen to mainstream music, I listen to artist like Wale” and it just irks me that he gets away with being labeled what he’s not.

Do you like where the new artists have the potential to take hip-hop. The J. Cole, Drake, Wale crowd… not really gangsta rap, coming from middle class families, and stuff.

I love it…a couple years back…THERE WAS NOTHING! I was scared for what was going to happen to the industry. Out of nowhere these three artist mainly, take off with pure TALENT, lacing tracks with bars that make you excited again.

Since you’ve started rapping, what has been your favorite moment??

Man there’s soooo many. I think spitting at the Chicago Dunk Exchange was big for me. I really felt like I hit the next tier of being acknowledged and gaining exposure in my career. That or winning my second rapper of the year at ISU…I really felt loved.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years??
Lord Willin, Sittin’ In Atlanta with this B.S. and MBA making $$$

Upcoming shows or events??

You can catch me everywhere spitting on ISU’s campus, UofI and I’m trying to hitting SIU….but “iCan’t Rock A Show, iGot Exams To Pass”

I’ve watched as a fan and friend as John (not Johnathan btw), perfected his craft while I was attending Illinois State University. I find his latest mixtape to be refreshing. It feels far from amateur and I highly recommend it. Maybe I’m just bias. Keep your eye on Rewind aka Realness. And make sure you download the mixtape. - In A Perfect World - Traysay


"Event showcases Q-C spoken word, hip-hop artist"

A performance Sunday night at Rozz-Tox in Rock Island will bring performers of the spoken word and hip-hop to the Quad-City surface.

“It’s something that’s really big in the Quad-Cities as far as artists such as myself,” said John Gunter Jr., whose stage name is Rewind aka Realness. “We don’t really have a place for spoken-word artists or not a lot of outlets for it.”

Rewind will debut his mixtape/album, “The WIZdom II,” and perform about half of its 15 cuts, as well as explaining the concept of spoken-word and hip-hop performance.

“We’ll go through the history of what brought the tape together and the ideas that brought the tape together,” the 23-year-old said. “That’s what this event is about, to show that we have spoken-word artists and to promote other events to have more outlets and venues.”

Chicago DJs Djay Diggs and JFam (Justin Famous) will spin songs as background and between acts.

Gunter, a Rock Island native and a spring graduate of Illinois State University, says that while some performers are only spoken-word or only hip-hop, he blends the two.

“The pieces and the content are usually what separates them,” he said. “Some of my pieces sound really well a capella, but some pieces are better with music.”

The performance is co-sponsored by Audio Addiction, a music production group that focuses on bringing positive issues to the Quad-City area through the spoken word. Audio Addiction hosts a monthly open mic night at Theo’s Java Club in Rock Island. The other co-sponsor is Fresh Connection Brand, a Chicago-based apparel and lifestyle company.

Rewind has performed at many Illinois colleges and universities, and said he enjoys telling stories.

“My favorite thing is voicing what I have to say and voicing the opinions and the stories of people that I know,” he said. “I see myself as an artist that speaks for the people. I know a lot of people who have problems and struggles and stories, but they can’t put it into word form where they can tell everybody or tell the world.

“That’s what I’m here for, to tell their story.” - Quad City Times - David Burke


"Rewind aKa Realness – The WIZdom II (Mixtape)"

This project is presented as a sophisticated palate of material, meant to be consumed from start to finish. The sequel to Rewind’s debut mixtape does not disappoint, as it travels through elements of hip-hop and the artist himself. - Live The Counter Culture - Spencer Glover


"Rewind aKa Realness - The WIZdom II [Review]"

Rating: 4/5

Favorites:

Welcome

Emerald City

#TurnUpAnthem

For some reason, writing this review was like finding Atlantis. As much as I played the 15 tracks of The WIZdom II, I could not put fingertips to keyboard and tap out a relevant review. I attest the struggle to the fact that once you push play, the lyrics take you on the journey and before you know it, it’s over. But that’s what the “repeat” button is for. Based upon the 1978 soulful adaptation of The Wizard of Oz, the mixtape follows Rewind aKa Realness and his producer Djay Cas on the yellow brick road to the Emerald City. Expanding on the theme, Rewind flows deliberately over the Djay Cas beats and brings some consciousness into the realm of Oz.

There aren’t many songs that deserve the obliteration of the repeat button as much as “Welcome” did. Beautifully simple in its execution and conception, the universal message of the song is not lost in lyrical trickery or an overly intricate beat. As an opening track, saying that “Welcome” is perfect is an understatement (no chance of bias, since this is the first sound I’ve ever heard from the Chicago rapper). Rewind goes on to play on the Wiz theme with snippets of dialogue that enhance each track. He puts his wizardry of wordplay on display in “Emerald City”, playing off of the connotations of “green” that are laced throughout life. Money, envy, and canibus all fall under the spectrum of the Emerald City. With each step on the golden bricks, Rewind shows an advanced aptitude for purposeful story telling while allowing the message to be veiled. He shows an awareness of word choice that is almost ingenious.

Sticking with one producer usually yields tracks that huddle around the same motif. Djay Cas, however, demonstrates a variation in his audio repertoire that allows for some interesting listening. This might be attributed to the theme of the mixtape, but whatever the reason, the drift of the mixtape is based heavily on the sounds from Djay Cas. Most of the beats are uniformly balanced, with the top characterized by upper octave melodies supported by bass drums or guitars. Cas switches up the formula on “Tears” and allows the instrumental to be totally taken over by a hard guitar riff. He also has some fun with the only “club” type track on the mixtape, “#TurnUpAnthem”. Snare drums and a bassline permit Rewind more latitude in this subject matter.

All in all, when you wake from The WIZdom, you feel like you’ve gone on a journey. Rewind and Cas compiled the sounds of Oz and in doing so take you through the storm, past the Wicked Witch and onto the Emerald City. Clicking a few hi-hats get you safely home.

-Alicia Jackson - ILLWriter - Alicia Jackson


Discography

The Please Just Listen Project – 2010 ( http://www.datpiff.com/Rewind-aka-Realness-PJL-Please-Just-Listen-Project-mixtape.156805.html )

The WIZdom II – 2013 ( https://soundcloud.com/rewindakarealness/sets/the-wizdomii )

Photos

Bio

Hailing from Rock Island, IL featured in the Quad City Times. Rewind is a Quad City based spoken word and hip-hop lyricist. Rewind, a graduate of Illinois State University has generated a substantial following in the both the spoken word and hip-hop scene. Performing on the Illinois college circuit at University of Illinois Urbana/Champaign, Lewis University, Northern Illinois University and frequenting Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville’s Live from the booth radio show. He boasts a keen sense of realism paired with a catchy and melodic flow. Rewind has opened for Big Sean and performed at the Chicago Dunk Exchange. Rewind’s focus is to bring FRESH thoughts with realistic images and he challenges others to lift as they climb.