TheBlackSpeed Reacts to Halftime by Ren! Let's chat about hip-hop, music, and the fandom. 

The Ren fans are back in full effect. Hey, I've missed you guys. :) I haven't responded yet, but I'm reading yall's comments. I appreciate everyone who's been open, honest, and taking the time to actually write a heartfelt thought and not just be upset. I truly am myself in every video and I'm glad it's (mostly) received well. I can't help it, and I like what yall comment too much. Keep it coming. Thank you.

Renegade here. I used to say I didn't like rap. I started out liking it. Then things got violent and artists started being killed. And the mumbling started. I stopped listening to all rap. Ren reintroduced me. I love Ren's rapping because I can understand his words even when he's spitting fast. I love all his flow changes. I love how he pulls bars from everywhere, pop culture, history, literature, science, religions, and personal experiences. I love his humor and intelligence. That is why I'm a renegade and I've a new found respect for rap.

Not strictly true, to stereotype the majority of Ren supporters. A good proportion of us were always hip hop fans

Ok, I'm going to answer your question honestly. I came up with rock, metal, punk and goth. Rap and hip hop were in their early days. They were in my orb but at that time, I had difficulty relating to the subject matter so I couldn't relate much. There were a few songs I knew because they were heavily played so I heard them all the time. When gangsta rap came out, that really put me behind the curve, because my neighborhood wasn't a "war zone." I could only imagine what the people they spoke of were going through. If you had asked me if I liked rap and hip hop back then, I would've said "no, not really." Fast forward to 2023 when the power of a thumbnail image sucked me into watching Hi Ren totally cold. For me, that was 9 minutes of performance art that resonated with me. At the end, my brain asked myself what I had just watched so I watched it a few more times. I get mental health issues.✔️ There's something relatable to me there. I listened to more of Ren's music and like it but he covers many genres. Then came the reaction community which was a section of YT that was new to me. So in the spirit of keeping an open mind, I watched the Ren reactions from the content creators who knew how to break down rap and hip hop which opened my mind to learning about rhyme schemes, bars and flow. The more I learn, the more I appreciate the genre. I've since listened to a few other rappers with a new appreciation. I continue to keep an open mind and learn. When Ren announced that he was going to drop a Nas retake, I listened to Nas' song a few times first for context. Then I listened to Ren's. I wanted to see the similarities and differences. Yes, I'd consider myself a RENagade because I really like a lot of Ren's music and part of that is because he's multi-genre and hella talented. I don't blindly like every single song but then again I don't like every song from any artist. Some hit and some miss. I'm really glad that Ren opened a door for me to the familiar and unfamiliar so I can broaden my musical experience. I never thought I'd start such a musical journey from clicking on one powerful thumbnail image but I'm here for it. 🖤

Why some people might said that they didn't like rap before: Maybe because the mainstream stuff they heard has lyrics that they massively dislike. Or the attitude of certain rappers, all of that. It can put you off. Ren is different to that in many ways.

If there is one thing I can count on from Ren fans, it's to be honest with me. Whether you like what I say, misunderstand me, understand me, love my honesty, wish I could relate more, and anything else under the sun... Yall come out and show not just your appreciation for Ren, but hell in a way for me. You're letting me speak my mind and rather than vehemently disagreeing, you're offering perspective. That is all I wanted, and you delivered. If you've been a subscriber for a while, I appreciate you rocking with me for the long haul. If you're not here, know I really appreciate respectful honesty in all ways and I hope you'll continue showing that to me as well. Enjoy the other videos coming, we have a ton of good ones dropping. :)

I can tell you from my perspective that Ren got me *interested* in music again. The last time I heard a new rap song that I liked must have been in the late 90's or early 2000's. I see it as a huge positive that Ren has turned people, including me, on to new music.

Isn’t it great when you have a biased opinion on something and then something comes along that shifts your opinion completely and opens your mind to new possibilities? That’s why REN is amazing because he’s completely unique and different than anyone else I’ve ever come across. I think it’s cool he’s changing mind sets and bringing a new appreciation to rap from people that would otherwise never venture down that path.

I think you're correct, a bunch of people have had their minds opened to rap thru Ren. I think it's terrific that so many folks are finally starting recognize this art form, thanks to Ren's love of it and his sheer charisma in performing it. Huge Ren fan here, and I LOVE this song. Also a Nas fan, so I've liked the original for many years. Speaking for myself, I'm totally down with you being honest expressing your views. I know there are reactors who have jumped on the Ren train just because he brings a shit ton of views to their channel, and it's pretty obvious. Ren is a musical treasure chest IMO, best artist to come along decades, and you won't be disappointed going into his catalog. The Big Push is also a terrific band, talent out the wazoo. Have fun! Love your channel ❤️

First of all, I think it's great that you addressed this point. Because this is the only way it can be discussed. I'm not a fan of generalizations myself. In every genre of music there are great artists with more or less talent or skill. The extent to which an artist touches and inspires someone is of course always a very subjective decision. Ren has a very diverse fan base, which I think is a good thing. This is where all generations, styles of music, skin colors, beliefs and sexualities come together. Each and every one of us Renegades (as well as each human being) has our own background, story and corresponding life experiences. People like Ren invite you to explore new worlds. That's how I see it. So far my rap world has consisted more of something like Beasty Boys, Run DMC, Cypress Hill and various crossover bands (like Rage against the Machine, Clawfinger or Bodycount). But thanks to Ren and channels like RikaShae, I'm currently learning a lot of things about hip hop that I didn't know yet. And so we can all learn from each other.

I'm old, I go back to the 80's with Rap, I like Ren's singing more, I find his Rapping voice can be a bit abrasive but I like this, he sits back and rides the beat in a more conversational tone.

I think the point you miss is this. Rap obviously originated in the black community and then rappers like EM made it more of a crossover to a wider audience. The remaining problem for many however is that a lot of gangster rap is so disconnected from the lives and experiences of much of the wider audience, that a lot of it doesn’t resonate. REN’s own rap, typically deals with experiences closer to their own. I really think it’s that simple, in a word, ‘disassociation’ coupled with the fact a lot of rappers can’t cope with melody and rap together.

I love that you're raising this question. You have to respect the original genre and music source, just like Ren does. You can't say you dislike rap/hip hop in one breath but then like music like this! As always I appreciate your authentic take and that you're not afraid to ask the hard questions ❤I'm already enjoying reading the responses in your comments

I respect your candidness. I have a huge issue with Ren fans going into the comment section of the original artist without the due respect that should be paid to that artist. It’s a poor reflection on Ren if people are disrespectful or act like Ren is better. And I also don’t want you or other reactors to just pretend they like everything Ren does. I personally was a fan of rap and hip hop back in the 90s / 2000s. And I love a lot of the hip hop beats. Where it lost me a bit was with some of the subject matter or the styles / flows that became popular. For instance, I don’t like mumble rap or the more monotone styles. I prefer a more melodic rap style with different flows and cadence switch ups, which is why I think Ren appeals to “non rap fans.” I know not all rap is about “b*tches and hoes”, violence, or a gangster lifestyle, but at least with Ren, he usually has something to communicate. Or with a track like this, I enjoy his word play. But what makes me really enjoy this track is the fact that you can tell how much of an inspiration Nas has been to Ren. I like that he paid tribute to the greats and wanted to give Nas his flowers while he is still with us 💐 Ren isn’t putting himself in the same league as Nas, but he’s gonna keep grinding and honoring the culture the best he can.

I've been a massive hip hop fan since before most reactors were born and now I'm a Ren fan too. 🖤

Thank you!!! I appreciate both. What I've been disappointed about is how (for the most part) reactors who say they love Nas don't catch the multiple callbacks to Nas' original within Ren's retake. So, they're huge Nas fans, but don't catch the ways Ren gave respect by using Nas' lyrics as inspiration for his own. [Nas' opening verse is flexing|Ren's opening verse is flexing. Ren's bleeped lyric, as well as the lines; "Sick shit and quick wit makes girls wet and dicks stiff" is a call back to Nas' line; "Versatile, my style switches like a f****t But not a bisexual, I'm an intellectual" And Ren's respect for Biggie, Mac, Pac, and Lil' Peep is an echo of Nas' line; This goes out to Manhattan, the Island of Staten Brooklyn and Queens is living fat and The Boogie Down, enough props, enough clout Ill will, rest in peace, yo, I'm out] The one issue I've noticed is that a large part of what set Nas apart in the 90's is his cultural commentary, which Ren has ackowledged is outsie his perview. In other words, some reactors can only appreciate Halftime within its temporal/cultural context and have anchored the sonics to that historical moment. What Ren did was introduce a new generation to the early 90's Hip Hop sound with updated and personal bars. Apparently, for some, that's not allowed. As to folks who didn't like rap and now do because of Ren. I believe what they mean, but are likely too nervous to admit, is that they never felt they were culturally "allowed" to like rap until they heard Ren. My hope is that we can all learn to focus on the character of the artist and the quality of their art instead of the group they're part of by virtue of characteristics none of us can choose (like our skin colour, or where we were born). I'm so very glad that you pointed out the obvious fact that many reactors clearly "like" everything they react to, which is statistically impossible (e.g., Love Music IV and Uninvited are so-so, and I think everyone knows that).

I think Ren and reactors helped educate and helped many of us to see the artistry and understand the nuances of the poetry and the culture. I have a far greater appreciation for rap today and really enjoy discovering this “new to me” art. I still hate country though. maybe it’s just the mainstream shit that I hate, regardless of genre. I want risk and I want art.

Unofficial lyrics: "Let loose in the booth and I came to introduce the High proof juice like a flaming sambuca Halftime 3-point hoop, hallelujah Abused oblongata and I severed a medulla 'Cause rap without Ren is like a skull without a brain, dude Or like a- with no one to complain to Hockey without ice or China without rice The Bible without Christ, vindaloo with no spice Playing snakes and ladders with no dice Day without night, like Mike without an earlobe bite I keep it tight, left-right, fake, dodge and evade An uppercut, fuck 'em up in any various ways Nеfarious gaze moving through precarious days When wе're moving through the bubble troubled air in my veins Librarian brain, pull up a barbarian slain Performing like I'm global warming, music making it rain I'm pimpin' my pain, prostitute of all that's insane Put my problems on the paper and the sales will raise The sails will rise, pirate with a patch on his eye Get ya hooked up on the music sailor, aye, aye, aye It's like rats to the music when I'm feedin 'em pied It's pi(e)-rats can't relax I'm the waviest guy Like yo, rats bring the bubonic flow Move the tectonic plates when I step to the show So cold, I know a couple people don't fuck with it They can just suck on it, zip it, then go, thanks, bro Eenie, meenie, miney, mo, I'm shining like a diamond though When pressure makes a rhyming diamond, this was by design, ya know An isotope, a proton and a neutron in the nuclei And split an atom in a fraction, a reaction supersize Me and I supersize my order Fries on the side I'm a big whopping author Big Mac, rest in peace, B.I.G, rest in peace, Mac Rest in peace, Pac, rest in peace, Peep, rest in peace, rap We lose all the greats like that So put respect upon they names while they still intact That's why I rap upon this beat that was deep for Nas I might never reach the level, I'll salute with bars I'm coming and bringing the DP and when they are singing the bees knees What a ridiculous MC sound so meticulous, repeat When I am spitting improperly, proper biology No one can follow me, what an anomaly Sick shit and quick wit makes girls wet and dicks stiff I'm so tongue-in-cheek with my tongue in your cheek I never sleep cause death is the cousin of sleep I never rest cause sleep is the cousin of death So save your breath, stop the tape, press pause, and eject"

I'm one of those people who didn't like rap before Ren, but I had a similar experience with opera, and in a way I think it's the same in that both rap and opera require a person to tune their ear in a new way, particularly for people like me that grew up on rock and pop. Long before Ren I had a girlfriend who loved opera, which to me had always sounded like piercing shrieks, and I gave her A LOT of grief about it, but as she kept playing it in the car and at home, I started to hear parts I actually liked, and then began to appreciate some of the complexities, and today, I actually buy tickets to my favorite operas. Growing up, rap, like opera, just hit my ear as too different from what I was used to, and it took Ren, whose non-rap I liked, to listen to enough to tune my ear, and then go out and explore other rappers. In both cases, I didn't know what I was missing. Both sounded like noise to my unschooled ear. Sometimes it just takes the right introduction. However we get there, the more people that can appreciate an art form, the better for that art form. I'll always thank both Ren and my ex girlfriend for exposing me enough to allow me to expand my tastes. It never would have happened on its own.

I’m a huge Ren fan. I use to like rap… back in the 80s, 90s, early 2000s. Then after that I couldn’t stand most rap and haven’t since those times (some exceptions in there). I pretty much have only listened to old school for the last couple of decades, or listened to someone that truly stood out in their creativity - but I hardly listen at all anymore. Ren helped me like and enjoy rap again. His voice constantly changes, uses various inflections, his flows change, he’s extremely intelligent, pays homage, raps about many different topics, adds in his own singing/samples, produces most of his own tracks, uses more musicality and instruments, and just has fun/creativity with it. So much modern rap just sounds the exact same, with no changes in voice/inflections, mundane flows/topics/lyrics, and just seems same old - same old. Though there are some independent, underground, modern rappers that I have started to enjoy here and there. But I just got so tired of hearing a “freaking sprinkler” as the only resemblance of a beat, or music instrument, and the same monotone and often auto-tuned vocals. So yeah, rap held no interest for more in recent times, until Ren came and did his own thing (which, as a whole, nobody else is currently doing or has done before). But I 💯 get what you’re saying and completely respect it, and the whole questioning of some of Ren’s fans’ takes on rap. Just like I respect others that don’t care for Ren’s rap/music, and/or those that like rap that I absolutely can’t stand.

When I was growing up, where I lived you were either a "rock fan" or a "rap fan", and I happened to be part of the rock group. After high school, I finally started branching out more, but was behind on all the well known artists, etc. It was really only years later when I came across Ren that I started to really dig into MUSIC in general again. It got me motivated to listen to tons of music I hadn't previously. With that said, Ren didn't "get me into rap", but he did revive my love of music enough to get me interested in branching out and listening to different things.

THIS is why i love you, you never try to spin us bullshit.

im a 57yr old hiphop head.. and thankfull to have grown up from cypress hill n nwa etc. i hear a lot of the OG's in rens work.. the boy has barz..

I’m 41, and my introduction to rap was freaking MC Hammer way back in the day. Now, I was a little kid, and the music I listened to was mostly what my parents listened to, so classic rock, Motown, and popular music of the time. Rap wasn’t really on the menu. I didn’t really learn and explore rap music until I was in my teens, and even then it wasn’t until college before I started to really dig into the history of rap, and discovered Nas, Biggie, 2Pac, as well as the greats who came before them, like KRS-One, Rakim, Slick Rick, etc. And honestly, I have to give credit to Rage Against the Machine as well as the Gorillaz for being gateways for me to discover artists I was never exposed to prior. I can’t say I wouldn’t have discovered EPMD, MF Doom, or Del the Funky Homosapien and the rest of the Heiroglyphics crew eventually on my own, but RAtM and Gorillaz certainly put me on that path. I don’t live, breathe, and eat hip hop, but I do consider myself a fan, and I liked Nas, and rap in general, long before Ren came into my awareness. And I’m definitely a Ren fan. Do I think he’s the greatest? No. But he’s good, he’s got a unique style, a unique story, and a unique voice, and ultimately I respect that. He’s authentic, and it comes through in his music; skills aside, the authenticity is what makes the greats the greats. Nas, Rakim, Wu-Tang, Beastie Boys, Ice Cube, OutKast, Biggie, Em, Pac, Busta, all of them (too many to mention) have that sense of authenticity, and I feel Ren has that too.

I'm a middle aged white guy from the UK that grew up listening to everything from Mozart to Miles Davis to Marvin Gaye to Muddy Waters to Fela Kuti to Nina Simone to the Rolling Stones to Pink Floyd to Rage against the Machine to Cypress Hill to The Prodigy to... you get the idea. I like Ren because hes creative, expressive and appears to be as broadly and variedly into music as myself. He's clearly very talented and makes music as an independent artist that is highly unlikely to have been supported by a traditional record deal. I haven't liked all of his music, particularly some of his popier zanier rap stuff and he can be borderline corny at times but I think thats the stage school vibe which brings strong acting and performance benefits. Overall hes 🔥 to me which of course matters only to me and effects noone else meaningfully! Apart from maybe Ren because my views and streams help pay his way. I never stopped listening to rap and other forms of mcing and spoken word. Illmatic changed my view of rap at the time and sent me looking for more story telling and narrative tracks. He was obviously compared to Jay but I thought he was grittier but smooth and intricate with it, like a cross between KRS One, DMX and Rakim. From there I went mostly underground or alternative and backpack as it was more relateable to me (like Aesop Rock, Mr Lif, Rodney P, Roots Manuva, the Pharcyde, Blak Twang, Tricky etc) For current artists I'm as likely or more likely (than Ren) to have artists in my playlists like Little Simz, Kendrick, Ghetts, Immortal Technique, Pete and Bas 😂 etc or away from rap, Chris Stapleton, Ali Farka Toure, Nubian Twist, Portico Quartet, etc BUT he does make it in there (which is a compliment because i'm picky and get bored of an artist easily) and I always check out his new stuff, particularly watching him as hes a great performer who creates strong visuals. I don't know how typical a Ren fan I am but I would say this: If I met Ren I'd be more interested in spitting bars and jamming than hearing about his lifestory. The man has chops in many styles and I respect it! In terms of him bringing fans to rap, I suspect he brought fans to other genres too like Reggae, soul, rock etc as hes very skilled and mixes it up ALOT! If you read this whole thing, get a life! 😂 just kidding, congrats on being one of only 1% of humanity that retains more than a 30 second attention span...

As I am not a native English-speaking American, I simply was never "exposed" to rap or hip hop music. Ren made me realize that I like it a lot, lol! But I am one of these people having to "discover" Nas and others. And boy am I glad I did! Ren just happened to be the "spark".... 🔥😎😉

I’m a 73 yr old Gma.. grew up listening to all types of music thru 60s-70s-80s.. and onward, but never really enjoyed Rap, mostly bc I couldn’t understand what was being sung/said. When I started following Ren (after Hi Ren), I watched all of his stuff, including the Rap. It took me awhile to understand Ren too.. but I enjoyed it/him enough to do so, and doing it.. took me to other rappers who I now enjoy too. I still don’t like what I call ‘mumble rap’.. the lyrics need to actually say something, not just repeat the same word(s) over and over, with what sounds like a ‘canned’ beat! All that said.. your reaction to REN’s nod to Nas brought me here.. and I enjoyed hearing your thoughts. Thank-you for your comments - I’ll be following you for more!

Definitely a hip-hop fan here, along with many other genres. As far as Ren goes- like most other fans, I was introduced to him through Hi Ren, which I felt was a cool performance piece - almost like a one man play, which is impressive in itself. But what really struck me is here's this guy who's not only impressive with a guitar, and can really spit, but he can also sing? What the hell is this unicorn? After going through his back catalog- and his newer stuff I'm like, this is a guy who can drop a ballad like the greatest of Country singers, can embody the likes of Sting and Marley, and go toe to toe with Eminem?! Why is this guy slumming on RU-vid while hip-hop has devolved into repeating mumbled shit on a beat, while country, rock and pop has turned into nothing more than a madlib fueled product out of a factory?

I am absolutely guilty, you called it, I was a 65-year-old hater, who didn't understand & didn't care to, until that is I saw Hi Ren, & some of his rap, & then others, & more. And now I am amazed that Rap is so much more than I once thought. For a minute there I was my parents, God bless them though they didn't give my music a chance when I was young. Thank you for saying where the hogs ate the cabbage. Google it it's a real old timey saying.🙏🙏 (subbed) P.S. I've said it a hundred times, I toon in for your reaction, if I want to see mine, I'll look in the mirror.

I'm a Ren fan. I grew up on metal and rap. Everything from wu-tang, Nas, public enemy, beastie boys, N. W. A, Onyx, Tupac and more, but also heavy metal, extreme black metal, rap metal, death metal and more. Just wanted to say how nice it is for people to finally discover these rap legends. Much love to all ❤

I think some people fell into Ren not for his rap, but his story telling or ability to paint his picture of pain and loss. Once you can relate to an artist it brings you in no matter what style, especially if it's substantially driven by lyrics. That group doesn't understand that RAP is exactly that, Rhythm And Poetry, which is Ren. I love seeing reactions to Nas and Pac, and when a new artist can help bring light to the greats by any means, I'm here for it.

I grew up in a northern working class town in England and the first music i bought and listenend to was Public Enemy, Run DMC, Digital Underground et al. It spoke to me in a way that i couldnt describe. To hear Ren pumping boom bap beats and flipping fire bars makes me feel like I did listening to Guru or Nas.

When I was getting into hip hop when i was like 9yo (as metal fan). First I was on Eminem and Dre. Then, someone told me to listen to illmatic and every changed, it opened me up to wu tang, tribe called quest, run dmc, biggie, pac, snoop, outkast, all the legends. I think this is a great tribute to Nas. Coming from a white British kid from London haha

Great reaction, as always, and really interesting comment section to read through because it's something I've puzzled over as a fan of most of Ren's music. I'm 54, white, female. I grew up listening to my parents' music, which was pretty wide ranging, everything from opera to Nina Simone to Motown to bluegrass to Janice Joplin. That led me on my own to rock, new wave, some punk. I didn't become very aware of hip-hop and rap until the late eighties, and honestly it just never clicked for me. Had nothing against it, but melody-driven music appealed to me more, and I couldn't relate to the lyrics. Living in Seattle, I've been listening to KEXP for decades, where you might hear the Star Wars theme, Ozzy Osbourne, the National and Kendrick Lamar all in one set. It has given me a respect for all genres, but rap still doesn't grab me much. I think Ren's clever lyricism is what appeals to me consistently across all the genres he tackles, and two things about his rapping in particular: it's still pretty melodic, and his enunciation is super clear so even when he speeds up, I can catch most of what he's saying.. When he does these retakes, if it's a song i don't know I make sure to listen to the original a few times before I listen to Ren's version. I've got to admit, Halftime didn't make me a Nas fan. The beat is FANTASTIC; the delivery is skillful, if not exciting to me; the lyrics? Meh. Nothing against him, or his fans, and to be fair, I was never his target audience. I can respect music without loving it, and I respect Ren for pushing so many of us to broaden our musical horizons.

I am old, cyrpess hill , nas ect, Ren is new but old style vibes no matter what art he is producing. He is also the most respectful person i have seen and he helps others.

Also Ren is a genus. Hes a very intelligent and talent person. Feelng that way doesnt take away from other artists.

I’m a Ren fan & I think he did it justice, That said growing up I’m Long Island in the 90s I’m a huge Nas fan. I cant imagine anybody liking this and not liking the original. What I think even crazier i’ve seen reactors who call themselves hip-hop fans say they not familiar with the original.

I know a lot of what Ren is trying to do is start conversations. To get people talking about important things in a productive way. I think you are doing that too, so you guys have that in common. As a creative person w/ ADHD, I tend to go to music for stimulation. Something that will make me feel something or make me think. Some new combination of things I haven't heard before. Ren is the epitamy of this. I love that I never know what to expect from him and that he's constantly challenging genre boundries and people's expectations. I also love his authenticity and willingness to be vulnerable. I have tried to dive more into rap to find something that moves me or helps me see a new perspective on something and for the most part have not found that for me personally (yet). A big exception is Lupe Fiasco. He talks about difficulties in the inner city, but in a way that I (white suburban guy) can feel and understand and I find that extremely valuable. Love the conversation!

Its your honesty that keeps me watching your content. An honest take can give me a different view on things which lets me reflect on my opinions. Sounds a bit pretentious but I like having my ideas expanded on or changed for the better.

Definitely loved it!!! Ren released this on 3-14 (Pi-Day) then raps about Pie and Pi-Rats. only Ren!

I grew up in the south , playing basketball all thru middle and high school so rap was just how we all warmed up and still to this day 90s and early 2000s rap is my favorite genre. With that being said I stopped listening to rap when my favorite artist quit doing music. Ren has brought that love back out of me. The story telling , the deep lyrics . I can't respect someone rapping about a life I know they don't live ya know ? Great reaction as always bro

To be honest, before being introduced to Ren I'd probably have said I didn't like rap overall if asked. But that really because I just assumed that I wouldn't. Growing up I was a die hard rock fan, to the extent that the only rap songs I heard were whatever was played on the radio stations I listened to. And while there were songs I liked, I was into rock enough that I never went looking into other songs by those artists. And there was a lot of stuff in the media back then saying rap was mainly about pimps, hos, drugs, and violence. Growing up in small towns, I didn't feel like that would relate to me, so I just didn't look into it. Because Ren has been inspired by so many artists across many genres and decades, he's made me curious enough to want to look further into the music and artists that influenced him. I think my willingness to explore is partly because Ren opened my mind to it, partly because I'm older now, but also because Ren's message of needing more unity and less division really resonates with me. Music communicates verbally and emotionally and can be healing and bring people together. It's a good place to start. Rock is always going to be the music I love best, but now I'm wanting to look outside my bubble and listen to the music and message of artists in other genres. So that's my answer to your question. Oh, and I love Falling in Reverse, but I didn't learn about them until after Ren, as that's when I began watching music reactors and seeing what other music was being reacted to. If I'd heard them when I was younger though, I'd still have loved them.

Great Reaction from a Ren lover! 👏🏼 I grew up listening to rap but haven’t listened to rap for 20 years.

I’ve had a problem with most Rap for it’s misogyny, but I probably have never said “I do not like rap”, though I’ve known and still do know a lot of older people who say that. I’ve heard myself say out loud “I do not like country music” far more times in my life, though I usually have then listed the exceptions to the rule.

I'm 43 and grew up on Mc Ren, NWA, Pharcyde, ATCQ, Digable Planets, Onyx, Ice Cube, Snoop, Dre, Naughty by Nature, had Illmatic on tape, etc etc. Honestly the first Ren stuff i listened to were his rap tracks.

I appreciate your honesty, truly refreshing. I enjoy all genres of music rap, hip hop included although not usually my first choice. More of a punk/rock person but literally anything and everything.

REN isn’t just a rap artist, he’s multitalented in lots of genres…. More of a performance artist.

I have been a fan of rap going back to Run DMC through the birth of east west coast styles and feuds and I remember distinctly several times experiencing paradigm shifts when the greats broke through historical bars set by the pioneers of rap. They are moments when it feels like in the music was a profound newness. Melody in Tupac, Rock sampling in Run DMC, Storytelling in Biggy, and the Lyrical Miracle technical revolution of Nas! Jay Z brought Rap Toward Pop sensibility! Em’s Revolution for me was subject matter-the crossover potential of topics to reach wider audiences. All of this said. Ren is a gifted chameleon with an “Librarian brain.” I think he has adopted the contributions of all of these goats and pioneers and very astutely assembled an ongoing body of work that demonstrates the breath of his understanding. To be honest across all of his cannon I see first and foremost a passion for experimentation. He is a genre bender in music comparable across the arts to Picasso’s relentless push to advance art historical styles. I personally believe that Hi Ren is REN’s greatest contribution to rap so far and it is a sign of how he will advance the technical aspects of rap as he continues to develop what one day will become his signature style or styles-again I refer to Picasso’s invention of Cubism and collage in two dimensional art. Picasso was heavily influenced by science developments in particular the early advances of physics. Notice how Ren has a lot of science bars. I’ve said before Rens goal seems to me to develop a means for delivering a larger philosophical movement he has a fierce intellectual capacity and fiery vision that is rooted in many kinds of socially relevant justice campaigns-I think he has more in common with Bob Dylan than Nas but Nas was to black culture what Dylan was to Folk rock. There is a direct lineage running through all of rens influences and that is poetical means to create a mode in music that can effect global awareness and ultimately long lasting change. It is anyone’s failure if they get stuck on a song or a rap because genre is not the point but bending them across his career of experimentation until he achieves that ultimate goal of a methodology for change in the form of Music with a capital M

OK, I'm a 78 y.o. white woman. My musical tastes are fairly wide-ranging but, guess what, never liked or appreciated rap or hip hop. I discovered Ren & was absolutely captivated by this multitalented man. Because I loved Ren & wanted to know what he had to say, I listened to his rap. And I listened with reactors who educated me on rap & hip hop. (Also vocals, guitar, cinematogharphy & everything else he does.) What I came to is a genuine appreciation of rap as an artform. But appreciation does not mean that I now like it. (The same way I appreciate opera & metal as artforms but don't like them.) I tend to listen a couple of times, think OK I see what you did there & not listen again - even to Ren. But I'll listen to him sing - alone, with The Big Push & with others - again & again. So I fit in the category of loving Ren, not rap. BTW, I do go listen to anyone he references or recommends. My reactions have been everything from, "Oh, wow, thank you Ren!" to "Jeez Ren, you seriously lost me there."

Although I have never said I hate all rap, Nas is probably not an artist I would have checked out before Ren's retake. I've listened to Illmatic several times, but am struggling to connect to it. The tracks on Illmatic cover many of the same themes as Ren's canon: a tough upbringing, childhood loss, flexing and storytelling. Both artists are masters at wordplay and rhyme schemes. Lyric heavy music is enjoyable to me when it is either directly relatable or when the story it is telling makes you feel empathy for the characters depicted. Nas eloquently paints a graphic picture of the drugs and violence surrounding his formative years but I just can't emotionally invest in the character that he has had to become to survive in his world. Illmatic's critical acclaim shows that many others can make that connection. Challenging ones musical tastes and preconceptions is important, so Ren's audience checking out EDM, Soul, Metal, Reggae and Hip Hop can only be a good thing, even if they don't become instant fans.

Please be honest...really enjoying your reactions. To the Ren defenders: if Ren is not offended, and actually says he enjoys the criticism and different takes, there is no reason to take anything personally tbh. I introduced everyone I know to Ren's...universe...some like, some don't...and in the post Ren world they will NOT be able to complain about me holding anything back from them. 😁😉

I grew up a metal head. I'm in my 50s now. Ren has forced me to actually listen to rap in a new way. I met a rap guy the other day who told me he knows the names of the big, popular rock bands, but he wouldn't know one song from the next because he's only ever listened to rap. He said rock songs don't have the lyrical, poetic depth that rap has, so he just ignored it or avoid it is just noisy. I laughed because for most of my life, I thought exactly the same way about rap! The only rap I heard was in movies or tv shows... not often the deepest, lyrically. So I found rap to be rather boring, lyrically. Money, ho's, blunts, the po po, repeat... Ren didn't introduce me to rap, he did open the door, though. And I didn't even know who Nas was a few days ago. I still haven't heard the original Halftime yet. I'm doing that right now.

I'm a sporadic rap listener. Started back in the day with GrandMaster Flash and the Furious Five. Moved on through ICE T, Public Enemy, Das EFX, De La Soul, and Beastie Boys. Backed away a bit through the 2000s and 2010s, as I poked around the growing EDM world. Dipped my toes back in periodically, but only when something comes up that sounds unique. That said, I never act like I know the rap genre .... just what I like in it. I generally don't say something is good or bad in a topic I don't know well. edit: yes, I enjoyed the song

This is my first time viewing your channel and I gotta say first and most, I REALLY like your level of honesty. It’s not only honest, but like a respectful honesty m, and I really appreciate that mentality and vibe you bring. Definitely a new sub from me

Love your reactions, so I hope that you have fun making them! My hypothesis is that lyricism engages those who can relate to language and meaning. Not all REN fans can relate to the majority of hip hop and vice versa. REN is bridging musical and cultural divides and not in the typical ways like mixing rock and hip hop as a new genre. He does genre bending but for the most part he just uses different styles in different songs. I understand your feelings about REN fans, and it’s a valid American perspective. The cultural divides in the UK and most of the rest of the world outside the USA regarding hip hop aren’t as clear cut as in the states, so I wouldn’t expect ren to address those divides directly. It’s your channel and you pick the format, but I think most REN fans would appreciate insight into hip hop influences/history/culture if you talk about it. Not many people will dive in head first into 30 prolific years of unfamiliar music without a guide. Suggestions aren’t just useful for reactors!

Yeah, people who say they always hated rap, but like when Ren does it, just haven't heard much rap. My opinion of rap has definitely evolved over time with more exposure. The only thing that you said here that I find arguable is that rap is Ren's favorite style of music. 😊

Growing up with metal music rap came hand in hand with metal fan's and as you get older you start to respect all genres.

I grew up on the Beastie Boys and Eminem. I can honestly say that’s the only rap that I’ve really ever listened to. I can also honestly say that I never understood rap until Ren and that’s only because of the reactors. The reactors break down the bars, and it made me realize what rap really is and gave me a huge appreciation for it that I never had because I just never understood it. I never understood the wordplay in it. So I don’t think it was really Ren that made me appreciate rap, it was really the reactors that made me appreciate it because they explained it to me and now I listen to it the way I’m supposed to listen to it and have gained a whole new appreciation for the genre.

Ren has introduced a whole new generation to Nas. His mass appeal is broadening minds of those who had previously discounted rap/hip-hop. I respect that.

Pls feel free to skip this wall of text, but I'll put it here in case it's of interest to anyone. 1) I was born 1973, was a Super Not Cool kid back when being a nerd/geek was a *death sentence* socially, hated all current popular music growing up (I know, that didn't exactly help me on the social front, but it's the truth!) - I immersed myself in classical piano lessons, orchestral French horn, and Renaissance choral music, and when I listened to anything written more recently than like 1890 (yeah, eighteen-ninety, ie, pre-20th century), it was The Beatles on repeat. My family and my music teachers raised me to have a MASSIVE stick up my ass about music (and art in general). 2) By the time I was graduating from high school I was starting to realize there *might* be good music out there other than The Beatles; I was listening to a bunch of traditional Celtic music, and Bob Dylan and Neil Young and The Grateful Dead. Still had that MASSIVE stick jammed right up my ass about everything else. 3) 1992 I was hired at a big independent music store to work in their classical section. But that also meant I was exposed to *gasp* MY SAME-AGE CO-WORKERS who *gasp* LIKED ME FOR WHO I WAS even tho I was still SUPER NOT A COOL KID. Plus of course the store played current releases all day. I started to accept that there was other music (like, *rock* music, and maybe a little of the rock side of pop) that I was liking. Rap, R&B/Soul, Metal, and Pop still escaped me. I remember putting bunches of Illmatic on the shelves & selling it like crazy when it was released! 4) fast forward to about 2006, and I was the mom of a 5yr old who started to know about music beyond the CDs I owned, from her friends at school. ♥ I was by then aware that I had a massive stick up my ass and that I desperately wanted to get rid of it because it was a pile of BS, lol - and I *certainly* didn't want to pass it down to my kid as family "stick up our ass" baggage. I encouraged her to explore whatever music she wanted, and I explored it with her. It took most of her adolescence for me to truly relax and find value in a wide spectrum of modern music. Point being, I'm new to rap thru Ren (my daughter eventually got into a bit of rap here and there but it wasn't a huge element of her young years when she was sharing EVERYTHING with me). When this Halftime re-take dropped, I was like "OMG, I totally know that track from working at the music store 30 fucking years ago!" (I'm sure I probably heard it out in the world during those years too of course) and, like a lot of popular culture music from my youth that I didn't care about back in the day, I now found it interesting (nostalgia is powerful, plus of course all the music that's gone before influences the music that's come since, so even though something might not have appealed to you when you were 21, you might have liked stuff it went on to influence, and then when you revisit the thing you didn't really care about back when you were 21, you're listening to it with a different level of interest/appreciation) Anyway. I still struggle to *feel* some rap lyrics (after all, I'm a 50yr old white woman recovering from having a stick jammed up her ass most of her life) but the way Ren puts language together in some of his rap tracks, it's helping me chart a path into having a better appreciation for rap culture/the way rap uses language. And regardless of what I think of lyrics, it doesn't matter - the MUSIC and the rhythms/cadences of the lyrics can get through now. Maybe there've been other rappers over the decades who could have done the same thing for me, but I didn't run across them. So - I didn't know I liked Halftime until Ren did his re-take. And I *would* now say that I enjoy the original. ... and I wouldn't say that your question was insulting at all. 👍 edit to add to the wall of text - Why do I like some rap (ie, some of Ren's) and not other rap? That's hard for a person who hasn't previously enjoyed rap to say, because when something doesn't appeal to you, you're not gonna sit there and listen to it to figure out why you don't like it, right? I don't spend time listening to music that doesn't appeal to me. It doesn't appeal to me, and if the reason for it not appealing to me doesn't leap out and hit me over the head when I'm exposed to it & decide I don't enjoy it, I'm not going to figure out why it doesn't appeal to me. However. Some reasons I haven't liked rap before - - violence in lyrics. I'm not saying I don't listen to music that talks about violence; whether I like it or not depends on a) what kind of violence and b) how it's treated in the lyrics. - misogyny - I can deal with some low-grade stuff, but when the ratio of the words girls/women/ladies/etc to hoes/bitches/sluts/etc climbs too high in the lyrics, HUGE TURN OFF. Same with someone who spends too much time rapping about gold diggers or women's appearances or putting women down after a breakup or focusing on either side of a relationship cheating on each other, or too many references to the rapper bragging about sleeping with a million women. - For that matter, I don't often appreciate braggadocious/flexing songs (and this includes some of Ren's). - the braggadocious nature of so many popular rap videos can be enough to make me not care for a song.

Ya know, the crazy part of me hopes that @REN will comment on this react and give his OWN reaction of what he heard and the comments. I think he'd be hella cool about it!!!

I’ve never seen your channel before now and to be honest I only clicked on it because it’s a REN reaction. I’m not a big fan of RAP, I’m an old school Metalhead, but I’m personally drawn to Ren’s music because of the mental health aspect. I’m also a huge NF fan because of the same reason. When I was younger, I’m 55 now, I listened to Run DMC, some Snoop, Beastie Boys, Em, and Fitty Cent, I even listened to Ice T but the genre was never anything that pulled me all the way in. As I said though I like Ren’s music and NF’s music because of the mental health topics. I have generalized anxiety and major depressive disorder w/ suicidal ideation. So in a nutshell it’s not the RAPPING that has made me a fan it’s the topics that I can relate to. But I will say I listen to more RAP now than I have in years. Side note, I appreciate your honesty and your willingness to ask a legitimate question and have a proper conversation. That’s what this world needs more of. Thank you for that !! 👊🏻

I'm a 59 yr old white woman from the Midwest (Toledo to be exact) and I cut my teeth on Rap and Hip Hop with: Sugar Hill Gang Run DMC Kool Moe Dee Sir Mix Alot Too Short and Eazy E. GOT LIT when Pac and Biggie were on the scene in the 90s (can't forget about Dre and Snoop and Jay Z!!) and stayed on track until this mumble rap and ultra-violent gangsta rap. B.S. took over on the streets. I FELL head over heels for Ren as an artist well over a year ago when his music FINALLY hit the algorithm my views ride. I have MAD RESPECT for that young man. I'm SO GLAD you don't suck up to any followers and ALWAYS KEEP IT REAL. I have unsub'd to some "famous" reactors for fakin the funk. Fantastic reaction and I'm glad you enjoyed it. (edit: AND NAS OF COURSE!! LOL) BTW did you know Nas used to go by Kid Wave?! I think "wavy guy" that Ren said in this is ANOTHER stat in Ren's brain about the history of Rap.

For myself, I grew up in a small conservative town and only heard conservative pop and rock on the radio, so I never really developed a great love of music. Now that I am finding the more underground and experimental stuff, I am developing an appreciation for it. As for rap and hip hop, same story: I only heard the commercially acceptable stuff with the commercially acceptable content when I was younger. Now listening to Ren, I am paying attention to his callbacks to the greats and listening to their work. This requires a bit of research, but it means I have been listening to, for example, KRS-One and Dead Prez on my own (I really like the politically charged artists). I am simply slow getting into new artists, but I do want to get into the back catalogue of Rap and Hip Hop now that I have more of a sense of what it can do and how great it can be.

Not generalising, but Ren seems to have a lot of older fans who, for one reason or another, seem to have become disconnected from modern music. The major labels have something to do with this, as the big 3 own 70% of all music produced and the majority of 'chart music'. So the stuff in the charts and played on the radio these days is pretty much all the same bland stuff, whereas 30-40 years ago it would have been an eclectic mix of pop, rock, punk, disco, rap, hip hop, EDM, ska, even classical. There is, of course, decent music still out there, but not in the mainstream and you have to go searching for it. Many of Ren's fans were probably into hip hop in the 80s and 90s but drifted away when the music changed from the old style. 'Hi Ren' brought Ren into the spotlight and he may have been a 15 minute wonder (like many other talented artists) if not for his substantial and eclectic back catalog and his life story. So, from 'Hi Ren', most people went on to find something they liked from him, he became more than a 15 minute wonder, and people actually started to get invested in Ren as a person, rather than as an artist. On top of that, his Sickboi album release followed close on the heels of all this attention, and fans were treated to song releases every couple of weeks (every week at one point), followed by an extended live session by Ren on Twitch. So, for the last year or so he has never disappeared from attention and that is key in the early days to keep fans interested and invested. His story, although probably not unique, is the stuff that movies are made of. In fact, people got so invested in his story that when he needed to raise around £50k to get to Canada and to receive the medical treatment he needs, he ending up raising over £300k (across separate GoFundMes). I know there are other successful independent artists, but I suspect that very few have the loyal fan base that Ren has. The kind of people that will buy albums for other fans who can't afford them (often in other countries), who give merch away to other fans, who will buy 10 copies of his album to help him to get to number 1 in the UK. Who arrange to pick strangers and fellow fans up on a 5 hour drive to a behind the scenes event that Ren isn't even there for! It's a wonderful environment to be in, and long may it continue!

I'm a huge Ren fan, but I'm also an old school hip hop fan and being in both worlds can be frustrating at times. Especially when his non-rap fans are exposed to rap culture, like this retake and the Ren/King Dotta rap battle (that's a whole other ballgame, highly recommend it if you haven't seen it though!). When Ren announced a Halftime retake there was a really striking juxtaposition between the Ren fans and the rap fans. Rap fans were looking at this like he just announced he's climbing Mount Everest. We knew he was taking on the G.O.A.T. and changing up an absolute masterpiece from the golden age of hip hop. Whereas the non-rap Ren fans were simply excited for new content. But Ren really pulled this off, and he did it with so much love and respect for the rap game. It's truly touching, and I hope Nas hears it some day.

Some of could be age. For those who are a little older, like me, Ren’s rap style is reminiscent of the OGs. A lot of today’s rap is just a different style - Totally different vibe.

Honestly for me, Ren took things to an emotional place from the get go. I didn't listen to rap much before and then I heard his old band The Big Push and loved the sound. Continued listening to his stuff and was introduced to rap in a way that was new for me. Seeing his humility with his lyrics paired with cultural references made him comfortable to listen to and it pushed me to listen to more rap. I love watching everyones reviews of his songs because everyone takes something different from them, but most of all people respect his artistry. Even if the song isn't their type of music they have respect for him.

I am a Black American woman. I'm a 70's baby, so the 90s would have been my decade. Nas is one of the best, but honestly, I hadn't listened to "Half Time" in forever. Ren just brought back the nostalgia that made me want to go back and listen to Nas. Ren isn't better; he just did it justice. For someone who can sing, make beats, produce, play an instrument, and rap. It makes him bigger than Nas because Ren is bigger than a genre. Could you even imagine if he put all his energy into rap? Just my thoughts. but if ren is getting people to respect the music i grew up on so be it. Either way nas made it back to my playlist.

11:46 your breath of fresh air amongst the reactors nothing against the other actors I watch them all too. Enjoy them. I enjoy yours as well. I’m also new subscriber to your channel From another video Your honesty and opinion, and openness to everyone else’s opinion is thoroughly needed on this platform good sir

I think that Ren is a lovely person and he takes his craft seriously but he doesn’t take himself seriously. He’s not coming from Eminem’s “chip-on-his-shoulder” place or anywhere except “hey this sounds fucking cool, I hope you think so too.” There are bigger intentions with what he does than to prove he belongs where he is. And I don’t get that from many artists in the rap game. But seeing the reverence Ren has for these artists who paved the way for him to get to where he is influentially. It makes it appealing to see where the influence comes from. I like some rap, but listening to Ren makes me open to more of it.

As someone who grew up outside of rap culture and its direct influence, I wasn't even exposed to rap until it was already mainstream on an international scale. From that point on, I feel like what I was exposed to overrepresented the glorification of violence, sexual objectification, and possessional wealth while underrepresenting what the art of rap is actually about. As a result, I thought I didn't like rap and dismissed the genre for a long time, without having any understanding of what it really is. So now, I have Ren to thank for opening my eyes and a whole new genre of music to explore.

Fair point and i never really thought about it like that. But what i will say (because i'm not a rap fan, my own bad because i'm not able to understand what they say) is that ren has introduced his fans to such an aray of music and genres that has built a better understanding of it for most (not all) and myself included! I am a Renegade and it is thanks to reactors like yourselves breaking down the lyrics that has meant we have been able to better understand the bars because without you i for sure wouldnt know what he was saying. So i think we should realise that we can all work in harmony and educate eachother ❤

Yes he did it proper justice.

FUN FACT: Another reactor caught this & its insane: the bars, "That's like rats to the music when I'm feeding them pie that's PIE RATS can't relax on the waviest sky" PIE RATS, but also PIRATES, but also PI RAPS this because this was dropped on International PI day (March 14th, or to the Americans: 3/14 i.e. 3.14) 🔥🔥

i am 63 years old and have followed Ren for 7 years i love all rap and Ren is my favourite artist ever, but also love Naz ❤❤

I've been a hip hop head since late 80's. Probs before Ren was even born. The way I look at it though is if Ren is opening people up that never liked or listened to rap before to the genre then it's a good thing. Every single one of us never listened to any type of genre of music until we did, if that makes sense lol. Ren is opening the door for those people to come in and feel welcome and to learn to appreciate it. Especially by paying homage to the greats like Nas, Beasty Boys, Em and so on. Music doesn't have an age or color but sometimes it takes an artist like Ren for people to be able to understand and appreciate that type of music. Respect and love brotha!

Iv always liked rap but rens stuff is far more relatable to me. Plus i know his references.

First of all, you are a breath of fresh air, been a long time that I actually subbed to a reactor, let alone based on only one video, but you earned my sub. As for the questions, I skimmed through some of the comments already and most of what I would say has probably been better said by others, but here's my personal perspective. Never having spent time to actually listen, or having friends to guide me in some way, I didn't listen to rap because I couldn't get past the surface stuff like singing about "ho's and bitches" , posturing, bling, lots of the N word (as much as my nearly 60 year old self now cringes, I hung on to the "why is it ok for Blacks to use it when no one else can?" mindset for way too long). Lyrically I could hang with fight the power sentiments and rapping about racism and police brutality et al, respected the hell out of that, but it wasn't my struggle or experience. Musically (again, I'm cringing as I write all this) I knew sampling and 808 machines etc. were a big part of the music and I thought that wasn't "real" music (I may start choking now ;)). That sums up why I never really listened to hip hop/rap. And while Ren has not solely been responsible for it, I appreciate rap a lot more in large part because Ren ticks a lot of boxes for me personally - more introspective, even dark, lyrics, a dude who can play several instruments, somebody clearly well read, no bullshit raw authenticness - and as much as I hate to admit it, I started to think, wait, if this musician that I really respect has a lot of love for the genre, then clearly I owe it to myself to get past my surface barriers and dig deeper and experience it more meaningfully for myself. Lastly, appreciate you asking the questions, and the way you did it as well. I've been asking myself the same questions without really taking the time to answer them. Looking forward to more - your perspective and honesty is much needed.

I subscribed, because you are blatantly honest. I appreciate and respect that. That being said, I love music all genres. I am a fan of Ren, he is extremely talented. I support his message as well. I will be watching more of your reactions. Thanks for keeping it 💯 the first rapper I heard was Too Short ~ Life Is Too Short

I’ve always liked rap but not all rap. I prefer this version to the original personally. The same as other retakes Ren has done. Iv always hated Bittersweet Symphony, Right Here Right Now, Back on 74, etc but am obsessed with Rens versions 🖤 Ren - Nas - halftime "Let loose in the booth and I came to introduce the High proof juice like a flaming sambuca Halftime 3-point hoop, hallelujah Abused oblongata and I severed a medulla 'Cause rap without Ren is like a skull without a brain, dude Or like a feminist with no one to complain to Hockey without ice or China without rice The Bible without Christ, vindaloo with no spice Playing snakes and ladders with no dice Day without night, like Mike without an earlobe bite I keep it tight, left-right, fake, dodge and evade An uppercut, fuck 'em up in any various ways Nеfarious gaze moving through precarious days When wе're moving through the bubble troubled air in my veins Librarian brain, pull up a barbarian slain Performing like I'm global warming, music making it rain I'm pimpin' my pain, prostitute of all that's insane Put my problems on the paper and the sales will raise/reign The sails will rise, pirate with a patch on his eye Get ya hooked up on the music sailor, aye, aye, aye It's like rats to the music when I'm feedin 'em pie It's Pyrex/pie-rats can't relax I'm the waviest guy Like yo, rats bring the bubonic flow Move the tectonic plates when I step to the show So cold, I know a couple people don't fuck with it They can just suck on it, zip it, then go, thanks, bro Eenie, meenie, miney, mo, I'm shining like a diamond though When pressure makes a rhyming diamond, this was by design, ya know An isotope, a proton and a neutron in the nuclei And split an atom in a fraction, a reaction supersize Me and I supersize my order Fries on the side I'm a big whopping author Big Mac, rest in peace, B.I.G, rest in peace, Mac Rest in peace, Pac, rest in peace, Peep, rest in peace, rap We lose all the greats like that So put respect upon they names while they still intact That's why I rap upon this beat that was deep for Nas I might never reach the level, I'll salute with bars I'm coming and bringing the deep heat and when they are singing the bees knees What a ridiculous MC sound so meticulous, repeat When I am spitting improperly, bending biology No one can follow me, what an anomaly Sick shit and quick wit makes girls wet and dicks stiff I'm so tongue-in-cheek with my tongue in your cheek I never sleep cause death is the cousin of sleep I never rest cause sleep is the cousin of death So save your breath, stop the tape, press pause, and eject" References Tongue and cheek - love music part 2 Eenie meanie miney moe - murderer (and more) Supersize my fries - uninvited Nuclear fuse - life is funny Pie scheme - released on Pi day Waviest - new wave jacket on The Hunger / kid wave “I never sleep, 'cause sleep is the cousin of death” - from NY state of mind by Nas “China without rice, bible with out christ”- big L The track was 2.13 and the zip code of where Nas is from is 11213

I am 45. I came up on Pac and Biggie BEFORE they died. I remember being in middle school when Ready to Die dropped. I wore out 2 copies of Me Against the World. I remember stealing a friends copy of Tical and playing that to death! It was a different scene back then, you had people like Too short who was like a young Easy E, or Immortal technique who just was sick to the bone. I listen to all genres of music. Rock hip hop grunge a little metal. I like Ren because of his diversity. But Rap has evolved. It's not the same beast it was in the 80's and 90's.

I’m 48, grew up grinding to hip hop R&B from a kid to now. Love all of it 👌🏻

I think its a generation thing, rens fan base spans a large age range and alot of them missed hiphops emergence and have stayed with the style of music they grew up with. Alot of this will also be due to the home environment, im from a white British family and hiphop was never played just because that not what my parents listen to when hiphop was finding it's way to the mainstream. With no access to streaming sites , unless it was on radio you listened to what mum and dad had on. Ren is that introduction point and as with anything new people are excited so want to check more out. The majority may not stick with listening to hiphop but will have a better appreciation of a new (to them) genre. Its also cool to be a renegade and people want to be like Ren so will follow his lead. It can be cringe but i think that happens with cross generation communication.

so i liked early rap the sugarhill gang digital underground that stuff was great. around the time nas and others came on the scene i had just beat a bad drug addiction so all the drug and gang culture in much of the music made it hard for me to listen too, so i gave up on it for years. i mean i respect that it was the place they came from and many were still part of it just i place i didnt want to be in.

Maybe I was just unlucky with the rap songs I listened to before Ren. The lyrics were so idk basic maybe? (I can't even think of the correct word in my native language). Ren made me listen to lyrics again and whenever Ren respects an artist that way, there's a reason for that. So I go check him out. Ren has great taste in music and I love finding "new" (new to me) artists through him

Yes, Ren introduced me to Nas, and I now really respect him as a person after researching him and his story. I wouldn't listen to him regularly at all, but i understand why many would. If Nas did a retake of Ren's song, his supporters would all do exactly what happened in reverse. We are humans and we're all different. Thank goodness 🙏 As long as ppl respect others its all good 👍

❤ I'm 38 and I have always enjoyed rap. I loved 2 pac. That's when I really fell in love with it. After about the early 2000s I wasn't liking the changes and it moving more towards mainstream less poetic to say more shake your butt. Then I found Eminem and I loved his music still not mainstream. I have since then liked yellawolf, Tom Macdonald but I didn't FEEL the music. It was extremely better than mainstream but not my 100 percent. So during all these years I was listening to other music I liked with was from all different genres but it all pretty much pre 2010s and back. So I had stopped listening to music as much bc it was more time consuming and hard to find anything I could listen to for more than 20 minutes. Than about 3 years ago I found Ren and instantly fell in love, I geeked out over most of his songs because I could FEEL his music which was so refreshing and I heard so many great sounds from all the music I loved over the years with his unique twist. I love listening to Ren bc I feel like he really loves and knows music, knows the greats of the genres not the popularity. And he is bringing it back to quality. With the CONCIOUS subjects of today like rap back in the day. I believe his lyrics and music will and is changing the world for the better because music is the only universal language and to be able to bring all of the so called founding fathers and mothers of music styles to the forefront today while talking about real shi* is what makes REN someone who I believe will In years from now be among one of the greats of this generation.

I grew up on Rap and Hip Hop. My very first CD was DMX first album. Been hooked ever since. My parents were old school Rock fans. I honestly got hooked on Ren and his busking old school covers. When I saw he rapped as well 🤯 been a big fan ever since.

Im a Ren fan but ive been listening to rap, rock. Country, pop,disco,jazz and metal since i was a kid. I just love what i love. I was a Nas fan but not as much as i was other rappers like Tupac Biggie E40 Not sure if there was a reason i didnt listen to Nas enough to know all his songs it just happend that way.. As far as Ren i think he is special because his love for music isnt putting him in a box. And also last thing its ok if ren has opened peoples mind to grow and experience other music genres. Like you said you want to explore other music why are you confused that others do?

I'm an ol hip hop head. Love hip hop, I appreciate Ren because he is real. It is hard to listen to some of his rap, but he is real which is hard for him. Because he doesn't pretend to be from some where he is not. Or rap about things he doesn't know about. But I'm with you Ren fans are crazy. Do you your reactions, they are solid.

I just did a big clean out if my subs. Last year I was supporting anyone that was reacting to Ren. But as time went in more and more don’t tell add anything to me just re listening to Ren on my own. The reactirs I have stayed with might not jump in every Ren song, but when they react to them it’s interesting to hear their opinion on him, and toward us, the fans. We are an odd mixed up group of people.

I’m a ren fan that always loved older rap and hiphop. I fell in love with the nwa, bodycount, eminem, even icp side of it but there was a while where lots of it was about dehumanising women and that kinda grated. For me its nice to go back to that place where i loved rap and i get to enjoy artists i missed through ren. Maybe the people who thought they hated rap, hadn’t experienced what i had before they experienced ren and missed that whole side of it. I hope the people who fall into that camp, take the little nuggets ren is leaving you all over the hiphop/rap genre, and follow the rabbithole more. He bigs them up in so many tracks but you gotta know the tracks to know what he’s referencing. Rens rabbithole = multiple more rabbitholes. All worth exploring :)

I've always been a punk rock kid foremost, and rap secondarily. Ren covers my chaotic tastes. Ska, rap, and just... Music.

50 year old hip hop fan from the UK here. Been a hip hop fan since 84', some of my favourite artists are Rakim, Public Enemy, KRS-One, Tribe, Nas, Kendrick, J Cole, Mobb Deep, Slick Rick. I had friends who also loved hip hop but some friends that just couldn't get on it, the reasons were usually because they just couldn't identify with the culture, which i can totally understand because they were people with pretty sheltered "middle england" upbringings who couldn't relate to the lyrical content and lifestyle. I think Ren has bridged that gap for a lot of these people because he's speaking about things they can relate to in his lyrics whereas 99% of hip hop just isn't that, especially the fact that a lot of Ren fans appear to be of a certain age who would have been youngsters during the "gangsta" era which would have completely alienated anyone who couldn't identify with genre/culture in the first place. So yeah, I just think it's about being able to identify with the subject matter. I kinda like that about Ren because he's not trying to portray himself as this "kid from the ghetto" as a lot of white artists have done in the past, he obviously loves hip hop and has knowledge of the culture but he's sticking to the life he knows, which for me is always the best way in any artistic endeavor - "write about what you know". 'Genesis' being his best example of that, for me it's his most "hip hop" song thus far, all while keeping it completely grounded in his own reality and not trying to be someone he's not.

Sorry for the length, but you asked a lot of questions I want to answer and make a point or two.... First off, great reaction!! Of all the reactors I follow I was most interested in seeing yours and Stevie Knights reaction, so glad you checked this one out. So I might have mentioned this before, but I'm told I'm officially an old head. I cut my teeth on rap in the late 80s, with artists like Run DMC, Beasties, Public Enemy and LL Cool J, then progressed towards NWA, 2LiveCrew, Snoop, Naughty By Nature, Dead Prez and such, but got into skateboarding which led me to rap adjacent music like Fishbone and Rage Against the Machine, which led to a punk rock phase. When I came out of that I still liked rap, and was all over Eminem, but leaned into stuff like De La Soul, Wyclef/Lauren Hill and more, what I called back then, mature rap. I definitely knew who Nas was, and knew his more popular tracks, but wasn't in to him like I have the last couple years, I've always known how legendary he is, what he means to the culture, and that illmatic reshaped the game, and is considered by many the best Hip-hop album of all time. That's why I've enjoyed very few reactions from people, many that are clearly into rap, and "started a channel to expand their musical taste". I guess I can't be mad, they've all been pretty honest about it, saying they don't know nothing about Nas but his name, but I guess I'm perplexed, kinda like your confusion with your subs, but flipped, I feel like, how can you say you're a fan of the genre and never even heard or can name a Nas track?? That's like saying you're a NFL Football superfan, but you've never heard of the Cowboys or Packers...lol. Don't feel bad about not understanding the subs saying they don't like rap but like Ren, it's totally justified to be a bit turned off by that, I am too. I mean any genre of music someone is into, they had a catalyst artist that introduced them to that genre. I think Ren fans, new to rap, would be better served if they said.. "I didn't used to like/listen to rap until I discovered Ren, now I'm totally open to it". Ok, now, from a fan of the culture or from a producer's point of view, this is why I think Ren knocked it out of the park, all Stan/fan bias aside..... I was really nervous when I heard he was releasing this, I mean you know as well as anyone what Nas and this song means to the culture, one tiny mistake, one point of contention that don't sit right with hip-hop heads because you're not as good a student of the game as you thought, and it could be a train wreck and detrimental to a career. I wasn't blown away by his first couple bars when he was still in the alley, and he threw a little record scratching on the beat at the beginning too, that I wasn't sure about. But after he turned the corner in the video, and especially after the Mike Tyson bar, his flow, schemes and bars were very impressive. Not just that, I've said this before, true Hip-hop has some distinctions that you can note, and are tangible, but there's also an intangible quality about it, especially the flow of the rapper and the beat combined, and Ren has that in aces IMO. I also liked the fact that the original was 3 verses, and a great hook, at 4min19sec, and Ren did basically two longer verses, no hook and was almost exactly half the time at 2min13sec, when you're paying homage you don't try to out do the original, you get in and get out. I loved that he kept almost the exact original beat, except that record scratch at the beginning, and if you noticed, the original has some brass instruments back in the mix, which Nas did as a shout out to his dad, who's a Jazz/Blues musician. Ren left those in on the first half, but after he stopped at the intersection he replaced the brass with a Jimi Hendrix like crunchy guitar riff. Lastly he gave respect and shouted out some of the greats, gave Nas some flowers now by shouting him out in the track, and gave a final tip of the hat to Nas with the last line, "sleep is the cousin of death", which I believe is a line from NY State of Mind, also on illmatic, but don't quote me. Last thing, I think your not understanding the whole "I only like Ren rap", you discussed post reaction, was stated very well, you weren't belittling anyone, or talking down to your subs, you were clear and concise on what your issue/confusion was about, and overall very respectful with inquiries and statements. Whatever you do, DO NOT stop being who you are trying to please everyone, just like in life, you ain't gonna please everyone no matter what you try. I have had reactors absolutely hate songs/artists that I love and cherish, but as long as their critique and breakdown stick to music and they are respectful, It makes me even more of a fan of them as a reactor. Being true to you, will build the longest lasting, die hard subs, more than any other character trait, FACTS!! Take care, sorry for another ramble..lol. ✌💚

I have too much respect for both these artists to even make a comparison I will just say that in this song Ren shows how much he cares about hip hop and what it means to him.

Dude, be honest, that is always going to the best thing - I respect someone being real, not following some sort of weird meta

There's a few things in the actual video that often go unnoticed. The crosswalk countdown, the workd play on pi, with pi being 3.14. Ren released this on Pi Day or March 14th. While he's giving flowers to the old school legends, the school bus passes, and the track is exactly Half the Time of the Nas origional.

Lots of ways to get into rap - I came form nu-metal, found Eminem, then fell into Indigenous Rap (check out "Snotty Nose Rex Kids, Drezus, Supaman, among many others). Then started listening to RU-vid reactors, found FiR, and then started listening to more of the recent rap that the reactors were checking out. Started listening to some of the OG rap, found Ren, started listening to more rap (OG and new) in addition to, well, a whole hell of a lot more. My points are a) generalization is dangerous, and b) people evolve. They may focus on "Ren Rap" to begin with but give them time - their horizons will expand and they will find the blend of music they will like. It may not include the OG rappers - the music has evolved - or it may include a deep dive and a love affair. Love your comments and attitude (and damn - your shirt!). Liked and subscribed.