Wrex

Bravado has been the chitinous veneer that has armored the soul of hip-hop since its inception nearly four decades ago. What began with perspicacious MCs boasting about their lyrical prowess (or shaming a rival’s lack thereof) would sadly be distilled over the years into current radio-rap’s hyper-concentrated braggadocio, substance reduced to basically how much money (and with what level of indifference) one can spend in a club.
Thankfully, existing mostly out of sight of the Sauron’s eye of the corporate commercialization of mainstream rap music, there’s been a steady underground stream of rappers who still have something to say. Fans who prefer hip-hop that offers material to ponder instead of shallow club bangers can find a kindred soul in Fort Worth’s Therron Coleman, better known in the local hip-hop scene as Sage Mode Wrex.
“I always got A’s in school in literature and social studies,” Coleman said. “And rap is pretty much just applied literature and social studies – seeing the world and analyzing it and being able to express yourself in a certain way about it.”
The 28-year-old rapper (who recently axed the “Sage Mode” prefix from his performing name) just dropped his latest release, Winter, the first of a proposed foursome of EPs. Each disc will be named after one of the seasons, and he plans to release them all over the course of this year. Coleman imagined the concept after he came to the realization that marketing and promotion were aspects of the music business he needed to improve upon. Like many artists, his energy and focus had always been on the creative side, and he shied away from the necessary dirty work of building a “brand.” The self-described hippie liked the idea of using the different seasons as a metaphor for the different moods he wants to inspire in listeners with his work, and this process marks his first real attempt at establishing an identity as a rapper.
“The seasons thing just matches my persona,” he said. “I like nature. I like being outside. So I just wanted to make music that matches moods and seasons and energies. It just seemed natural to try to do that.”
The self-released five songs that comprise Winter certainly bring the chill to the season. The smoky, laidback beats from the likes of Valentineaux, Milky Beatz, and EyeJay (main producer for local hip-hop royalty Dru B Shinin’, who is featured on a track) lend themselves to relaxing indoors, avoiding, but being well aware of, the heavy gray clouds and gelid hibernal temps outside. The downtempo rhythms and melancholy synth arrangements are a complementary hot tea and cozy blanket backdrop for Coleman’s confessional, introspective lyrics.
“I treat music like diary entries almost,” Coleman said. “I just try to be super-honest. This is the Winter EP, and I wanted the music to be moody and reflect the feelings of being lonely, being stressed, going through a breakup, getting drunk about it, et cetera. I hate to make a club record. I just gotta do whatever I feel. The pen moves itself, really.”
An avid reader, mostly of self-improvement, inspirational, and philosophy texts, Coleman tries to apply what he learns from them. When he writes, he said, his goal is to present his listeners with subject matter and experiences they can relate to and, more importantly, to show what lessons can be learned from those experiences. While so much of rap music is about displaying an (even manufactured) image of success and the accompanying opulence, Coleman is interested in showing people real life and hoping to push them to progress.
“Don’t get me wrong, I’m still a rapper,” Coleman said. “I’ll still say something slick like, ‘Your girl like my cologne’ or something. But by being honest and vulnerable, by saying, ‘I got this going on,’ or ‘I got that thing going on,’ I want them to hear it and say, ‘Yo, I feel this. I can relate to this.’ But more importantly, I want them to think, ‘Yes, I went through this, but what are we learning from it, and how are we growing?’ ”
Winter is available now through Wrex’s Bandcamp and Soundcloud pages and through all other digital distributors shortly. - Fort Worth Weekly

Wrex is a local rapper/ hip hop artist. A Fort Worh Weekly Music Award Nominee and performer at Arts Google and a lot of you are familiar with him. I wasn't. That is until i was going through Bandcamp and came across his Winter EP. The opening track on the EP, and the opening track for the show, is called Burning Sage. This plus the tag hippie hop had me interested. As soon as I started playing the track and listening to the lyrics I knew we had to have this guy on. He couldnt have been a better guest. We talked about hip hop culture and trying to play the game but remain authentic to self. It is interesting to compare it to other forms of music and the game being played in the industry. Being a hippie at heart but a rapper by trade Wrex finds himself in a weird place. The thing I like most about Wrex is his lyrics. Being a hippie type myself I can relate more to his brand of rap more than most. I especially like the struggle and loneliness in the middle track called Bartender/Splilling Drinks. Zachary is out this week with Rebekah Elizabeth for her birthday. Happy Birthday Rebekah. Susie Ramon couldn't make it either. RIP Mama Cass. Joe Tacke is here though and even jumps in the interview with some really good questions. (Not that I am suprised) Wrex's Winter Ep is a concept of sorts and he will release one for each season this year with Winter being the first. I think he did a great job with this EP and look forward to some spring sounds soon. (I think April) We also talk about old school rap, rock and rap combos, flu conspiracy and much much more. He was fun to have on and I am already looking forward to having him back on for the Spring or Summer release and we will go deep for sure. Check out this dude. He is true to himself and his true self is pretty freaking awesome. You dig? The last track we play is F Society featuring Dru B Shinin' You can get the EP for 5 buck on bandcamp https://sagemodewrex.bandcamp.com/
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“Burning Sage” is a record that pairs a chilled esoteric vibe with Wrex’s potent rhymes, edgy subject matter, and charisma.
Burning Sage is the first single to be released from Wrex’s newly released “Winter” EP, which dropped Feb 13th.
Check out the video and EP below. - Iluminati2G

Wrex Washington’s WrexIsh

Though Wrex Washington is still performing with the on-again/off-again group Mt. Olympus, the young rapper spent most of the past year or so doing his own thing. In mid-2013 he put out his freshman album, The Wrex Files, and just a couple of weeks ago, he released the EP WrexIsh. Produced by Ishmael Davison and recorded at G1 Studios in Westover Hills, the short-player puts Wrex front and center while saving room for collaborations with YKK and Dru B Shinin’, co-frontman for Mt. Olympus and LionEye.

“The Road Again” is a bittersweet, mid-tempo lament on the tribulations of being uprooted. Minor-keyed, reverberating piano chords fill the entire song, adding a distinct feeling of gravitas. A few seconds in, high-pitched kick beats and shimmering synth lines lighten the mood and propel the music forward. The song alternates between YKK’s soulful tenor crooning and Washington’s introspective rapping. Lines like “Whether I came from Chad or Sudan, either way 2014 see a hundred grand” allude to the lost history of many African-Americans while simultaneously offering a defiant retort. Sober lines like “Trying to change the world, start with the man in the mirror” reinforce the fact that this song isn’t a rant against society but a call to action. And a cliché, but his delivery sells it.

“Mutant Face” opens with bright Motown-flavored brass lines. A female chorus of “I promise, promise to you” in high falsetto permeates the remainder of the song. Washington touches on images from pop culture to social commentary in seemingly stream-of-consciousness rapping that captures the angst of seeing problems but having little power to solve them.

With his album and EP, Washington is benefiting from his experience with veteran rappers Dru and Young Zeus, among others, and is highlighting his personal journey. He’s got stories to tell, and the more time he spends on his own, the more likely his style and sound will evolve into something uniquely Wrex-ish. –– Edward Brown

  - Fort Worth Weekly