B. Reith
Encyclopedia
Brian James Reith, better known as B. Reith, is a Christian hip hop
/pop
singer and rapper. He began his musical career with the release of his first album, "Urgent Message" in 2003. In 2008, Reith signed to Gotee Records
and released his EP, "The Forecast". Later that year, he toured with TobyMac
on Winter Wonder Slam tour. In September 2009, Reith released his second album Now Is Not Forever
, which charted at No. 2 on R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and No. 32 on Heatseekers
chart. The album spawned the singles "Antidote", which peaked at No. 50 on the Christian Songs chart, and "The Comeback Kid".
In early 2011, Reith released a buzz single "Knockin On My Door". In November 11, 2011, Reith released his third album How the Story Ends.
, where his father, Jim, owned and operated a recording studio. At a young age, he was exposed to music and soon took an interest in it; Reith sang on his first commercial at the age of five.
manager TobyMac
discovered his music in 2006. TobyMac reportedly pulled his car off to the side of the road when he first heard Reith's music, later stating, "Brian is just naturally gifted from God vocally and his lyrics [...] sort of just ease into your heart." In 2008, Reith signed to Gotee Records
and released his EP, "The Forecast" in May 2008.
At the end of the year, he guested on TobyMac
's annual 2008 Winter Wonder Slam tour, which ran through November and December 2008. On March 10, 2009, an expanded edition of his EP was digitally-released, featuring two more songs and two music videos. Reith's first full-length album, Now Is Not Forever
, was released on September 22, 2009. In late 2009, Reith toured again with TobyMac
on the Winter Wonder Slam tour.
In early 2011, Reith released a buzz single "Knockin On My Door". In November 2011, Reith released his third album How the Story Ends.
and pop music
. His lyrical style has been compared to Christian rapper KJ-52
, specifically in Reith's song "Go On".
Christian hip hop
Christian hip hop is hip hop music characterized by a Christian worldview, with the general purposes of evangelization , edifying members of the church and/or simply entertaining.-History:Since hip-hop started in the 1970s, various hip-hop artists have...
/pop
Contemporary Christian music
Contemporary Christian music is a genre of modern popular music which is lyrically focused on matters concerned with the Christian faith...
singer and rapper. He began his musical career with the release of his first album, "Urgent Message" in 2003. In 2008, Reith signed to Gotee Records
Gotee Records
Gotee Records is a record label founded by dc Talk member Toby McKeehan , Todd Collins, and Joey Elwood...
and released his EP, "The Forecast". Later that year, he toured with TobyMac
TobyMac
Toby McKeehan , better known by his stage name TobyMac , is a Christian recording artist, music producer, hip-hop/pop artist, singer-songwriter, and author....
on Winter Wonder Slam tour. In September 2009, Reith released his second album Now Is Not Forever
Now Is Not Forever
Now Is Not Forever is the first full-length album from Christian hip-hop artist B. Reith. It was released on September 22, 2009 through Gotee Records.-Track listing:# "Intro " - 1:02# "The Comeback Kid" - 3:43# "I Know" - 3:22...
, which charted at No. 2 on R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and No. 32 on Heatseekers
Top Heatseekers
Top Heatseekers refers to either of two separate "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by Billboard Magazine: the Heatseekers Albums chart or the Heatseekers Songs chart. They were introduced by Billboard in 1993 with the purpose of highlighting the sales by new and developing musical...
chart. The album spawned the singles "Antidote", which peaked at No. 50 on the Christian Songs chart, and "The Comeback Kid".
In early 2011, Reith released a buzz single "Knockin On My Door". In November 11, 2011, Reith released his third album How the Story Ends.
Early life
Brian James Reith grew up in Milwaukee, WisconsinMilwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee is the largest city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the 28th most populous city in the United States and 39th most populous region in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. According to 2010 census data, the...
, where his father, Jim, owned and operated a recording studio. At a young age, he was exposed to music and soon took an interest in it; Reith sang on his first commercial at the age of five.
Musical career
B. Reith's musical career began when he released an independent album, Urgent Message, in 2003. Christian singer and Gotee RecordsGotee Records
Gotee Records is a record label founded by dc Talk member Toby McKeehan , Todd Collins, and Joey Elwood...
manager TobyMac
TobyMac
Toby McKeehan , better known by his stage name TobyMac , is a Christian recording artist, music producer, hip-hop/pop artist, singer-songwriter, and author....
discovered his music in 2006. TobyMac reportedly pulled his car off to the side of the road when he first heard Reith's music, later stating, "Brian is just naturally gifted from God vocally and his lyrics [...] sort of just ease into your heart." In 2008, Reith signed to Gotee Records
Gotee Records
Gotee Records is a record label founded by dc Talk member Toby McKeehan , Todd Collins, and Joey Elwood...
and released his EP, "The Forecast" in May 2008.
At the end of the year, he guested on TobyMac
TobyMac
Toby McKeehan , better known by his stage name TobyMac , is a Christian recording artist, music producer, hip-hop/pop artist, singer-songwriter, and author....
's annual 2008 Winter Wonder Slam tour, which ran through November and December 2008. On March 10, 2009, an expanded edition of his EP was digitally-released, featuring two more songs and two music videos. Reith's first full-length album, Now Is Not Forever
Now Is Not Forever
Now Is Not Forever is the first full-length album from Christian hip-hop artist B. Reith. It was released on September 22, 2009 through Gotee Records.-Track listing:# "Intro " - 1:02# "The Comeback Kid" - 3:43# "I Know" - 3:22...
, was released on September 22, 2009. In late 2009, Reith toured again with TobyMac
TobyMac
Toby McKeehan , better known by his stage name TobyMac , is a Christian recording artist, music producer, hip-hop/pop artist, singer-songwriter, and author....
on the Winter Wonder Slam tour.
In early 2011, Reith released a buzz single "Knockin On My Door". In November 2011, Reith released his third album How the Story Ends.
Style
B. Reith's style is based on a combination of hip hopHip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
and pop music
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
. His lyrical style has been compared to Christian rapper KJ-52
KJ-52
KJ-52 is a Christian rapper from Tampa, Florida. The "KJ" part of his name refers to his old rap alias, "King J...
, specifically in Reith's song "Go On".
Albums
| Year | Album | Chart positions | Sales and certifications | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
U.S. 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
U.S. R&B |
U.S. CBA Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
Heaterseeker Top Heatseekers Top Heatseekers refers to either of two separate "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by Billboard Magazine: the Heatseekers Albums chart or the Heatseekers Songs chart. They were introduced by Billboard in 1993 with the purpose of highlighting the sales by new and developing musical... |
|||
| 2003 | Urgent Message
|
— | — | — | — |
|
| 2009 | Now Is Not Forever Now Is Not Forever Now Is Not Forever is the first full-length album from Christian hip-hop artist B. Reith. It was released on September 22, 2009 through Gotee Records.-Track listing:# "Intro " - 1:02# "The Comeback Kid" - 3:43# "I Know" - 3:22... Compact Disc The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,... , digital download Music download A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment... |
— | 2 | 46 | 32 |
|
| 2011 | How the Story Ends
Compact Disc The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,... , digital download Music download A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment... |
— | — | — | — |
|
EPs
- 2004: One Down
- 2006: The Introproduction EP
- 2008: The Forecast EP
- 2009: The B. Reith EP
Singles
| Year | Title | Chart positions | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
US Christian | US CHR Contemporary hit radio Contemporary hit radio is a radio format that is common in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by the Top 40 music charts... |
|||
| 2003 | "Automatic" | — | — | — | Urgent Message |
| "Hurt No More" | — | — | — | ||
| 2004 | "Take Me Away" | — | — | — | One Down |
| 2008 | "Go On" | — | — | — | The Forecast EP |
| "Awe-Struck" | — | — | — | ||
| 2009 | "Rain Down" | — | — | — | |
| "Mess" | — | — | 19 | ||
| "Antidote" | — | 50 | — | Now Is Not Forever | |
| 2010 | "The Comeback Kid" | — | — | — | |
| 2011 | "Knockin' On My Door" | — | — | — | Knockin' On My Door - Single |
| "Simple Days" | — | — | — | How the Story Ends | |
Tour
- 2008: Winter Wonder Slam Tour (with TobyMacTobyMacToby McKeehan , better known by his stage name TobyMac , is a Christian recording artist, music producer, hip-hop/pop artist, singer-songwriter, and author....
) - 2009: Creation Festival: The Tour
- 2009: Winter Wonder Slam Tour (with TobyMacTobyMacToby McKeehan , better known by his stage name TobyMac , is a Christian recording artist, music producer, hip-hop/pop artist, singer-songwriter, and author....
) - 2009: The Comeback Kid Tour
Awards and nominations
| Year | Category | Nominated Work | Result | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dove Awards | |||||
| 2010 | Rap/Hip Hop Recorded Song of the Year | "Go On" | Nominated | ||
| 2010 | Rap/Hip Hop Album of the Year | "Now Is Not Forever" | Nominated | ||