Robert Lee Gill Jr. (born September 21, 1990), better known by his stage name Reason, is an American rapper and songwriter. He is signed to hip hop record label
Top Dawg Entertainment
Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) is an American independent record label founded in 2004, by CEO Anthony "Top Dawg" Tiffith. Terrence "Punch" Henderson is president of the label. There are currently eleven artists signed to the label: the label's f ...
, where he started to gain recognition. His TDE debut, ''
There You Have It'', was released on September 28, 2018; a re-release of an album from 2017. His major label debut album ''
New Beginnings'' was released on October 9, 2020.
Career
Reason released his first mixtape, ''In The Meantime'', on January 1, 2015. On January 16, 2016, he released his next mixtape titled ''The Free Album'', while releasing a compilation mixtape called ''The Proof'' on his
SoundCloud
SoundCloud is an online audio distribution platform and music sharing website that enables its users to upload, promote, and share audio. Founded in 2007 by Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss, SoundCloud is one of the largest music streaming se ...
later in 2016. On February 9, 2018, he was featured on the
Top Dawg Entertainment
Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) is an American independent record label founded in 2004, by CEO Anthony "Top Dawg" Tiffith. Terrence "Punch" Henderson is president of the label. There are currently eleven artists signed to the label: the label's f ...
produced film soundtrack for the
Marvel Studios
Marvel Studios, LLC (originally known as Marvel Films from 1993 to 1996) is an American film and television production company that is a subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios, a division of the Walt Disney Company. Marvel Studios produces the Mar ...
superhero film ''
Black Panther
A black panther is the melanistic colour variant of the leopard (''Panthera pardus'') and the jaguar (''Panthera onca''). Black panthers of both species have excess black pigments, but their typical rosettes are also present. They have been d ...
'' (2018), titled ''
Black Panther: The Album'', on the song "Seasons".
On August 8, it was announced that he was signed to TDE. That same day, he released a single titled "The Soul", with a music video released the next week. On August 29, he released the second single titled "Better Dayz", a song that had already made an appearance on his first mixtape.
On September 11, he released the third single titled "Summer Up", also accompanied by a music video.
He was also featured on Los Angeles rapper JAG's album with
Cozz
Cody Rashad Osagie, (born October 1, 1994), better known by his stage name Cozz, is an American rapper from Los Angeles, California. He is signed to J. Cole's label Dreamville Records and Interscope Records. His debut studio album ''Cozz & Effe ...
on "Black Boy Rise". He is also scheduled to go on tour with
Jay Rock
Johnny Reed McKinzie Jr. (born March 31, 1983), better known by his stage name Jay Rock, is an American rapper, singer and songwriter from Los Angeles. He signed to indie label Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE), in 2005. Under TDE, Rock secured a rec ...
on the "Big Redemption Tour". Reason released his mixtape, ''
There You Have It'', on September 28, 2018. The album was originally released on May 19, 2017, but upon signing with TDE, the label decided to re-release the album.
On January 6, 2019, it was announced that Reason was invited to the
Dreamville
Dreamville Records is an American record label founded by American rapper J. Cole and his manager Ibrahim Hamad. The label is currently distributed through Interscope Records, a unit of Universal Music Group. The roster includes Bas (rapper), B ...
recording sessions for the compilation album ''
Revenge of the Dreamers III
''Revenge of the Dreamers III'' is the third compilation album by American record label Dreamville, released on July 5, 2019, by Dreamville and Interscope Records.
''Revenge of the Dreamers III'' includes contributions from Dreamville artists, J. ...
''. He later announced that he will be joining the first leg of
JID
Destin Choice Route (born October 31, 1990), better known by his stage name JID (also stylized J.I.D), is an American rapper. He is a part of the musical collective Spillage Village, founded by EarthGang in 2010, with Hollywood JB, JordxnBryant ...
's "Catch Me If You Can Tour".
On February 14, 2020, Reason announced the title of his album ''
New Beginnings''. On April 24, as part of
Top Dawg Entertainment
Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) is an American independent record label founded in 2004, by CEO Anthony "Top Dawg" Tiffith. Terrence "Punch" Henderson is president of the label. There are currently eleven artists signed to the label: the label's f ...
's Fan Appreciation Week, Reason released the song "Might Not Make It". On October 9, 2020, Reason released the album ''New Beginnings''. He explained the album's delay: "I had to get rid of every fear, anxiety, doubt, and negative mindset to make this project".
Artistry
Influences
In an interview, Reason named
Lil Wayne
Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. (born September 27, 1982), known professionally as Lil Wayne, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. His career began in 1995, at the age of 12, when he was signed by rapper Birdman (rapper), ...
,
J. Cole
Jermaine Lamarr Cole (born January 28, 1985) is an American rapper and record producer. Born on a military base in Germany and raised in Fayetteville, North Carolina, Cole initially gained recognition as a rapper following the release of his d ...
,
Eminem
Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem (; often stylized as EMINƎM), is an American rapper and record producer. He is credited with popularizing hip hop in middle America and is critically acclai ...
,
Fabolous
John David Jackson (born November 18, 1977), better known by his stage name Fabolous, is an American rapper. Raised in Brooklyn, he first gained recognition while still a senior in high school, when he performed live on American music executive ...
, and
Lupe Fiasco
Wasalu Muhammad Jaco (born February 16, 1982), better known by his stage name Lupe Fiasco ( ), is an American rapper, singer, record producer, and entrepreneur. He rose to fame in 2006 following the success of his debut album, ''Lupe Fiasco's ...
as his inspirations and favorite hip hop artists.
Discography
Studio albums
Mixtapes
Singles
As lead artist
As featured artist
Guest appearances
Tours
Supporting
* Big Redemption Tour (2018)
* Catch Me If You Can Tour (2019)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Reason
Living people
American hip hop singers
Top Dawg Entertainment artists
People from Carson, California
Rappers from Los Angeles
West Coast hip hop musicians
1989 births
21st-century American rappers