At the age of 27, Thad Reid is already a decorated rap veteran. He has dealt with personal tragedy and the constant struggles of „the come-up”. Hailing from the land of Virginia, Thad is already accustomed to being the underdog, but he has used that status to take all by surprise. Trials and tribulations, like these, have brought lesser men down. But Thad Reid has no time to look back, the future is bright. The industry is flooded with rappers, but there is always room for an MC. There is always room for songwriters, people who take their art to a new level. And just when you thought you have the South pegged, you hear a voice different from the rest, that voice is Thad Reid.
Beads: “The Voice of the Commonwealth” is a big nickname to live up to; can you introduce yourself for our readers?
Thad: What’s going on everybody its your boy Thad Reid coming straight out the two up two down, otherwise known as Virginia.
Beads: Where did that nickname come from?
Thad: It was basically something I came up with to symbolize what I represented coming out of Virginia. The way things are structured; being a minority is tough here. You have to hustle extra hard to get to where you want to be. Most are working blue collar jobs and getting paid a low wage just to provide food for the family. Some are college graduates just trying to break through in the corporate world, and others are doing some type of street hustle just to make ends meet. I feel as if all aspects are trying to reach one goal though, and that’s to make a good living and be comfortable. That is how “The Voice of the Commonwealth” came about. I’m representing for everyone that is trying to make it. For those who have no voice, they can be heard through myself and my music.
Beads: Coming from Virginia, who influenced you?
Thad: There are a lot of great artists who influenced me in and being from Virginia, I had the opportunity to hear a lot of hip-hop artists from both the East, South, and West regions. Some of my main influences coming up were mainly out of New York, such as Biggie, Nas, Mobb Deep, Jay-Z, and Wu-Tang, but right along with them is Snoop/Dre and the entire West Coast movement. Their melodic, laid back structure to their beats and flow I’ve always loved, and you can hear that in a lot of my music today. One thing I will say though is that over the last few years as I have progressed as an artist, one of my biggest influences has been 50 cent. Definitely not content wise, but the way he formulates and structures his songs is incredible to me. His early mixtape projects would serve to be the primary inspiration for the format for the “No Beat is Safe” series.
Beads: There has been some heavy talent to come out of Virginia over the years; what makes you different than the rest?
Thad: Well just like most of the greats that have come out of Virginia over the years, my versatility separates me from a lot of artists. What I aim to bring to the industry is unique songwriting and a different perspective than what you’ve normally heard. Simply put, I’m a country boy at heart with a big city hustle.
Beads: A lot of people prejudge southern artists, assuming it’s all about money and flashy jewelry. However, you have very deep content in your music, but then again, the content ranges across all platforms. What is your approach to the music?
Thad: I just go wherever the beat takes me. The feeling I get when I hear a track usually inspires the concept. I pride myself on being a very well rounded person so you’re going to get a lot of different flavors from me on a project. One thing I do try to do though is have some type of meaningful content in my songs. That doesn’t necessarily mean I’m preaching, but I am saying things that are personal and/or relatable to most people. If I’m a factory worker working 12 hour days and making 10 dollars an hour, how can I relate to someone who’s talking about driving Ferraris and spending thousands of dollars in the club? It just doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to me, so I do what I do because of that.
Beads: You have a lot of projects out; including the No Beat is Safe series. What can people expect when they voyage into your catalog? And more importantly why should people open their ears up and listen to you?
Thad: You can expect to hear a variety of diverse sounds and platforms. All the projects I’ve done have been in different times in my life so you’re going to be able to hear those variances in my music. You can also expect high quality production, unique songwriting and nicely constructed tracks as a whole. If people wanna hear good music in general, then they should open their ears up and give me a listen.
Beads: Your newest single, The Reason, has some major potential; dope concept from beat to lyrics. What’s your vision for this record? Are you planning on pushing it in any way different than previous material?
Thad: When the producer, B. Keyz played me the track and explained to me his vision for the concept, I automatically knew this record could be big. Once I wrote, recorded, mixed and mastered it, I knew I had to try and get it in as many media outlets as possible. Licensing opportunities such as advertising, tv shows, etc. were also goals of mine. That being said, you’re going to see my team and I push this record like no record we’ve ever pushed before. We have confidence that if enough people hear it, it will catch on in a major way.
Beads: What future projects, collabs or material should we be on the look out for?
Thad: Well I have a full length project titled “Blue Collar Muzik Presents: Time and a Half.” that I’m looking to drop in the spring. On there you’re going to find collabs with Sketch, K Beta, and Akshan, as well as production from Auditory Beats (The Game, Royce the 5’9), B Keyz (Foxy Brown, Graph), and Shuko (Lil Wayne, Tyga, Saigon). Its shaping up to be my best work to date, so definitely look out for that.
Beads: Can you give us a little insight about the other artists you associate with that we may not be familiar with?
Thad: One artist in particular people should look out for is a super talented singer/songwriter by the name of Akshan. He’s originally out of Jamaica and easily one of the best artists I’ve heard signed or unsigned. He’s been on every project I’ve done and whether its Reggae, Pop, Rock, House, R&B, or a hook on a hip-hop track, this man can give it to you. Check him out at www.reverbnation.com/akshanmusic. That’s my homeboy right there, so be sure to give him a shout. Two other talented artists I’ve worked with on numerous occasions have been Sketch M and K Beta, both out of VA. Sketch is a monster lyrically and was featured as Unsigned Hype in the Source a short time ago. He has been on several of my projects and is guaranteed to eat any verse up. K Beta has a really strong buzz in the DC area and has a song catalogue that is unmatched by many. His work ethic alone will ensure that he makes a lot of noise in the game real soon as well.
Beads: You have a song that I have on constant repeat now, Can’t Live Without You, can you break that joint down for those who haven’t heard it? (No Pun Intended)
Thad: Can’t Live Without You is a song I wrote that was inspired by the hook sample. It basically just talks about things that are considered to be a vice by others, but you feel as if you just can’t live without it. I touched on things such as that “sticky icky” and women (i.e. strip clubs, etc.) but it obviously could mean different things for different people.
Beads: On a more somber note, you had a tragic car accident a few years back that claimed the lives of two of your friends; how has this accident affected you musically and as a person outside of the music stuff?
Thad: Musically, it has provided me with the necessary drive it takes to keep moving forward. I told my man Demetric that I would make it right before he died, so that in itself serves as motivation. From a personal standpoint, it’s humbled me greatly. I used to run around town doing stupid things thinking I was invincible. Now every time I see an accident on the side of the road it makes me cringe. It sounds cliché, but you can never take life for granted. Always appreciate the ones who care about you the most because you really don’t know when your time or theirs will come.
Beads: Anything else you want to leave us with? Shout outs, heads ups or any words of wisdom?
Thad: Big shout to the Blue Collar Muzik family: Ologist, Oman, Akshan; and also extended fam Sketch M, K Beta, B Keyz, Doujah Raze, and Foundation Media. Also I want to send a shout to DJbooth.net, gigacrate.com and kevinnottingham.com for their continued support of my music.
To younger artists out there: Make sure you work on your songs. People love battle rappers but at the end of the day, relatable songs that evoke emotion are going to drive people to buy into you, and eventually your album. Also, make sure you are authentic with your music. A lot of things you write may sound good, but just know that there is nothing wrong with being yourself.
Related posts:
Follow: Beads on Twitter
